Former Tennessee linebacker Kalib Perry signs with Louisville out of NCAA Transfer Portal

Former Tennessee linebacker Kalib Perry has signed with Louisville. Perry had 61 tackles, including three tackles for loss, over the last three seasons with the Vols, appearing in 37 games during his Tennessee career.

This season Perry had a career-high 26 tackles, with 11 solo and 15 assists, to go with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble, playing in 12 games. He had 21 tackles in 13 games as a sophomore in 2023 and 14 tackles in 12 games as a freshman in 2021. 

Perry, a 6-foot-3, 231-pound linebacker out of Georgetown, Ky., was a three-star prospect in the 2022 class, ranked as the No. 83 linebacker nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. He as the No. 6 overall recruit in Kentucky.  

What Tennessee has lost in the NCAA Transfer Portal

Perry is the seventh former Tennessee player to commit to a new school out of the NCAA Transfer Portal and is the fourth to do so since Saturday afternoon.

Wide receiver Squirrel White committed to Florida State Sunday night, joining former UT defensive lineman Jayson Jenkins who also committed to FSU earlier on Sunday. Three former Vols committed to new schools over the weekend, with wide receiver Chas Nimrod going to South Florida on Saturday.

White became the sixth Tennessee transfer from to commit to a new school, joining wide receivers Kaleb Webb (Maryland) and, defensive back Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) and linebacker Jalen Smith (Mississippi State), along with White, Nimrod and Jenkins.

Perry is one of 13 Tennessee scholarship players that entered the NCAA Transfer Portal during the December portal window.

The other Vols who entered the portal and have not yet committed to new schools are tight end Holden Staes, defensive back Christian Harrison, running back Cam Seldon, wide receiver Nathan Leacock, running back Khalifa Keith and offensive lineman Vysen Lang. 

Looking back at the production from Vols who transferred

White the last three seasons he caught 131 passes for 1,665 yards and six touchdowns. In 13 games this season he caught 34 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns, down from 67 catches for 803 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2023. He caught 30 passes for 481 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in 2022. 

Webb as a redshirt sophomore this season he caught six passes in seven games, totaling 48 receiving yards with a long of 13. Last season Webb caught 16 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown while appearing in 13 games. He played in three games as a true freshman in 2022.  

Nimrod, another redshirt sophomore wide receiver, caught 10 passes for 121 yards in 12 games this season, recording season highs with three catches for 45 yards in Tennessee’s win over Kentucky on November 2. He had two catches for 34 yards against Kent State and combined for three catches for 29 yards against Arkansas and Florida. He caught 19 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown in 13 games last season. 

Matthews, a 6-foot-2, 182-pound redshirt freshman, appeared in 12 games this season as a reserve defensive back and special teams player, recording 3.0 tackles and breaking up two passes. He broke up both passes in the season-opening win over Chattanooga on August 31, recorded two tackles against Kent State on September 14 and had one tackle against the Mocs.

Smith, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound redshirt freshman linebacker, played in all 12 games during the regular season, finishing with 34.0 tackles, with 13 solo and 21 assists, and had 1.5 tackles for loss. He had a career-high nine tackles against Kentucky on November 2 and five tackles against UTEP, including 1.5 tackles for loss. He had four tackles against Chattanooga and Florida.

Jenkins had nine tackles, including 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks, in 13 games this season. In three years at Tennessee he had 15 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 20 career games.