Fresh On The Scene: Four New Vols That Could Impact 2023

The Tennessee Volunteers had a big portal class this offseason that could propel them forward in 2023.

Brady Penn | Mar 17, 2023

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Tennessee Volunteers

Since the transfer portal was instated in 2018, it has added an extra dimension to college recruiting. Some schools focus more on the portal now than High School recruiting. After an 11-3 season, the Vols have used their fair share of the portal to revamp the squad in 2023. Here are four transfers that could help Josh Heupel and Co. reach the top this season in Knoxville.

John Campbell Jr, OT (Miami)

Campbell Jr. is a 6-5, 320-pound monster of an offensive tackle with ACC experience under his belt at the U. With 33 career games, and 17 starts, Campbell is looking to mesh into a group that protects the QB and clears lanes for Tennessee running backs such as Dylan Sampson and Jaylen Wright.

Andrej Karic, OT (Texas)

Tennessee's priority in the portal was offensive tackle. Another big body coming to Rocky Top is Andrej Karic, a 6-5, 306-pound tackle from Texas. The former Longhorn weighs in at the same height and slightly lighter than John Campbell Jr. With 23 games played in the last two seasons, Karic has big-time experience and will likely find himself in the starting lineup from the jump.

Dont'e Thornton, WR (Oregon)

Everyone knows how much Josh Heupel loves his wide receivers. Now, he has another good one coming in from Dan Lanning's Oregon program. Dont'e Thornton is coming off a productive season for the Ducks, racking up nearly 400 yards receiving. At 6-5 and 200 pounds, Thornton is a physical presence who will mesh well with guys like Bru McCoy in the receiver room.

Gabe Jeudy-Lally, CB (BYU)

Tennessee's secondary was one of their biggest stumbling blocks in 2022. With 6-2 corner Gabe Jeudy-Lally coming in from BYU, the lengthy DB may be just what the doctor ordered for the Vols.

Previously playing for an SEC school at Vanderbilt before BYU, Jeudy-Lally has plenty of experience, much like most of the transfers coming in for Tennessee. With 96 total tackles and 7 PBUs since 2021, Jeudy-Lally looks to set a tone in the Volunteer DB group immediately.

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Published Mar 17, 2023

BRADY PENN

Brady Penn is a writer who has spent multiple years covering sports for multiple publications. Starting with "The Clarion", Brevard College's school publication, where he won an award for Sportswriting from the North Carolina Collegiate Media Association. Brady continues his work with The Clarion, as well as writing for SI's Volunteer Country and writing Braves pieces for SportsTalkATL.com. Brady is a rising Senior at Brevard, where he plays Football and does Play-by-Play broadcasting for BC Baseball, Men's/Women's Basketball and Softball.