Former Tennessee receiver Squirrel White commits to Florida State

Former Tennessee 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.

Over the last three seasons at Tennessee, White 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. 

White was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class out of Clay-Chalkville High School in Pinson, Ala. He was ranked No. 371 overall, was No. 63 among wide receivers and the No. 15 overall player in the state of Alabama. 

Squirrel White is sixth former Tennessee paltry to commit to new school

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

Webb is headed to Maryland, Matthews signed with Vanderbilt and Smith signed with Mississippi State. 

He’s one of 12 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. 

Webb initially announced his transfer commitment to Wake Forest, but switched to Maryland after Wake coach Dave Clawson announced his retirement. As a redshirt sophomore this season he caught six passes in seven games, totaling 48 receiving yards with a long of 13.

Tennessee’s losses in the NCAA Transfer Portal so far

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. 

Webb was a four-star prospect and Nimrod was a three-star in the 2022 recruiting class. Matthews was a four-star in 2023 and Smith was a three-star in 2023.