Tyler Baron announces transfer destination, stays in SEC

When former Tennessee defensive end Tyler Baron entered the transfer portal last week, the expectation was that several Power 5 programs would be involved. That’s indeed what happened with Baron now settling or another Southeastern Conference foe, announcing his commitment to Ole Miss Saturday afternoon.   

The defensive lineman, who registered six sacks in 2023, will join teammate Tamarion McDonald in Oxford, who announce his commitment to Ole Miss just hours prior. The Rebels went 10-2 in the regular season with losses at Alabama and Georgia, but will take on Penn State in the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl on December 30.  

🦈 pic.twitter.com/BO901StrBZ

— Tyler Baron (@Tylerbaron23) December 16, 2023

After signing with Tennessee over Kentucky and others as a four-star prospect in the 2020 class, Baron dealt with nagging injuries at times, but he provided glimpses of what his ceiling could be leading into this past season.

In 2023, it started to fully come together for Baron, as he was a force at times as a pass-rusher and consistently found his way into the backfield to disrupt running plays.

The veteran defender finished the 2023 season with 28 tackles, 10.5 TFLs, and six sacks. He finished his career on Rocky Top with 101 total tackles, 27 TFLs, and 13.5 sacks.

“Just taking advantage of everything honestly,” he said earlier this year on Vol Club Confidential about his growth in 2023. “Not taking anything for granted. Not saying I was doing it on purpose in the past but just emphasizing how important every day is and how important every detail is and making sure I do everything right.”

Baron’s Accomplishments at Tennessee

Baron signed with the Tennessee class in 2020 and was viewed as a pivotal part of the defensive class Jeremy Pruitt was working to build at the time. Ahead of 2023, Baron started to pick up some momentum as a draft candidate.

Baron was selected to Athlon Sports preseason All-SEC third-team as a defensive lineman. He was also named to the 2024 Reeses’s Senior Bowl Watch List.

This season, Baron earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors against Virginia. Baron was also selected to the Reese’s Senior Bowl mid-season All-American team.

Baron recorded a 24-yard defensive touchdown against UConn on a fumble recovery earlier this year.

Understanding the portal

The winter transfer portal window opened on December 4th and runs for 30 days. The winter window to enter the portal closes on January 2nd. The spring portal window runs from April 16-30th.

Players don’t have to pick a school they are going to during those specific dates but those are the span of dates on when a player can enter the portal.

Those dates don’t apply to graduate transfers who can enter the portal whenever they wish prior to May 1st. Also, if there’s a head coaching change, players can enter the portal outside of those dates.

Players who enter the portal in the 30 day winter window are trying to be somewhere for the spring semester. 

For Tennessee the spring semester starts on January 22nd which is late compared to many schools around the country. Tennessee a year ago started a winter mini-term class that runs the first 3 weeks of January. 

With the portal, schools also have to stay at 85 or below in their scholarships numbers, meaning when the spring semester starts they can’t be over 85. In Tennessee’s case, that number is closer to 82 as the Vols balance the scholarship reductions that they received last July when the NCAA ruled on the Jeremy Pruitt case.