Five Tennessee incoming transfers to watch in fall camp
Tennessee opens fall camp next week, and like every other program in college football the Vols will be hoping that they struck gold in the transfer portal and brought in multiple impact players.
In the current climate of college football successfully mining the the transfer portal for talent is a huge part of putting a winning team on the field.
No one knows this better than Josh Heupel and Tennessee fans, who spent the last two seasons benefitting from Hendon Hooker at quarterback, one of the most successful transfer stories out there from the last few years.
Due to roster size in football, you can’t build a team through the transfer portal, but you can absolutely plug some holes in your depth chart with seasoned veterans. Tennessee has several candidates who could make a big impact this fall on both sides of the ball.
This list could certainly be longer, but here are five transfers with a huge opportunity in front of them that we’ll be watching in fall camp.
Dont’e Thornton — Wide receiver
The Oregon transfer was limited in spring practice, mostly as a precaution, but he started turning heads the minute he stepped on the practice field. Standing 6-foot-5 and listed at 205 pounds Thornton absolutely looks the part of an SEC wide receiver.
He’s a long, rangy target with the speed to stretch the defense and the athleticism to excel going after contested balls.
In two years at Oregon Thornton never really put it all together, making 17 catches for 366 yards last fall. What he did show was the ability to make chunk plays. Over two years Thornton had 26 receptions and averaged 21 yards per catch.
WHY HE COULD MAKE AN IMPACT: Tennessee has some big shoes to fill at wideout to say the least. The Vols are looking to replace last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner and 1,000 yard receiver Jalin Hyatt. Cedric Tillman, who was injured most of last year but was a 1,000 yard receiver in 2021 must also be replaced.
Bru McCoy has one spot on lockdown. Squirrel White flashed plenty of talent as a freshman with 30 catches for 481 yards and Ramel Keyton (31 rec., 562 yards) is the personification of a cagey veteran.
Still though, no one at wideout has the size/speed combo that Thornton brings to the table. Josh Heupel’s offense has been an absolute playground for wideouts. Thornton could be the next Vol in line to crack 1,000 yard receiving.
Keenan Pili — Linebacker
Sometimes you take a guy in the transfer portal as a luxury, hoping that things work out and that he can help you.
Pili, who arrived from BYU, was no luxury take. The Vols to hit on this one. Looking at his track record, chances are that this one will work out.
Pili has got to be one of the most experienced guys in college football. He initially enrolled at BYU all the way back in 2016 and immediately embarked on a two year mission trip.
He was a three year starter at BYU though his 2021 season was cut short after three games due to injury. Last fall he was a team captain for the Cougars and second on the team in tackles.
Pili has already been voted to Tennessee’s leadership council by his teammates, a strong statement about how he’s adjusted.
WHY HE COULD MAKE AN IMPACT: Pili looks like a plug and play starter at linebacker and the Vols need him to be.
Tennessee has more depth at the position than they’ve enjoyed in the recent past but the linebacker room still isn’t an embarrassment of riches and most of the depth is in the form of largely inexperienced underclassmen.
Aaron Beasley is back after a fantastic junior season, but beyond that Elijah Herring—who saw spot duty as a freshman last fall—is the most experienced player in the room.
Pili could easily end up being the most important transfer from this past cycle.
McCallen Castles — Tight End
Much like Pili, this is a transfer that the Vols have to hit on.
Castles is an interesting story. He originally signed with Cal out of high school. He played in three games as a true freshman 2018, then after appearing in the season opener for the Bears in 2019 he elected to transfer to UC Davis.
His 2020 season at UC Davis was postponed until the spring of 2021 and shortened to six games due to Covid.
Castles was voted a second team Big Sky selection after both his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons at UC Davis. He had 30 catches for 347 yards and two touchdowns last fall.
He arrived in Knoxville last December in time for bowl practice and really benefitted from being able to go through spring practice.
WHY HE COULD MAKE AN IMPACT: As noted above, Tennessee desperately needs Castles to be able to handle the move into the SEC and flourish.
The Vols don’t need him to be a star, but with the way that Heupel wants to play offense, Castles has to be able to hold his own, especially as a blocker.
Tennessee plays with two tight ends on the field the majority of the time and the Vols happen to have one scholarship tight end—Jacob Warren—with any experience at all.
Freshman Ethan Davis looks like a great long term prospect and walk-on Hunter Salmon has played a good deal of football. Beyond those two, the cupboard is bare at a crucial position for one of college football’s most high-powered offense.
Castles is a crucial piece of the puzzle for the offense.
Gabe Jeudy-Lally — Cornerback
Jeudy-Lally is a well traveled veteran with SEC experience.
He began his career at Vanderbilt where he played three seasons after redshirting as a freshman before transferring to BYU for the 2022 season. He made three starts for the Commodores as a redshirt freshman in 2020.
In 2021, as a redshirt sophomore for the ‘Dores, Jeudy-Lally was fifth on the team with 51 tackles.
Last fall for the Cougars Jeudy-Lally made 10 starts. He had 31 tackles and led the team with 10 pass break ups.
WHY HE COULD MAKE AN IMPACT: This one is simple. Tennessee was one of the worst pass defenses in the SEC last fall and many of the main contributors from that secondary are back for another go round.
The question on the minds of many fans is this; will the coaches opt towards playing veterans who they trust to know the playbook inside and out, or will they roll the dice with more talented new faces who might be more mistake prone?
Jeudy-Lally could be a bit of a compromise. He’s a new face, but he’s also an experienced veteran who has appeared in 36 college football games and has three seasons of experience in the SEC.
The secondary has plenty of bodies, but what the depth chart is going to look like in a month’s time is one of the biggest questions entering fall camp. Jeudy-Lally will almost certainly have a shot to make his case for playing time.
John Campbell — Offensive tackle
Tennessee doesn’t have every spot on the offensive line depth chart written in stone just yet, but the Vols do have plenty of options with guys who have some starting experience at every spot…except left tackle.
With Darnell Wright gone, Gerald Mincey and JJ Crawford were moved to the right side during spring. That opened up an opportunity for Campbell—who transferred in from Miami—to step in at left tackle.
How smoothly that transition goes is going to be kind of important to put it mildly. The guy protecting Joe Milton’s blindside from SEC edge rushers had better be able to handle his business.
Campbell brings plenty of experience to the table. He started all 12 games at left tackle for the Hurricanes last fall after missing all of 2021 due to injury.
He made four starts as a sophomore and two starts as a redshirt freshman for the ‘Canes. The overwhelming majority of his experience as been at left tackle but he has made one start each at right tackle and left guard in his career.
WHY HE COULD MAKE AN IMPACT: Simple, if the Vols are going to stick with Mincey and Crawford on the right side then Campbell essentially has to be the answer at left tackle.
Tennessee was one of the best rushing teams in the SEC last fall, averaging right at 5.0 yards per carry. The passing game gets a lot of hype, but so much of it is set up by being able to run the ball. Campbell will need to show that he can be physical enough to help the Vols continue that trend.
For all the experience the Vols have up front with Cooper Mays, Javontez Spraggins, Crawford, Mincey, Ollie Lane and Dayne Davis the left tackle spot—at this time—looks like a large question mark. If Campbell is the answer that’s really going to bode well for this offense.
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