Tennessee
Film Analysis: Why Tennessee Got Back In The Isaiah Gibson Race
The Tennessee Volunteers recently jumped back into the race for 2025 five-star defensive lineman Isaiah Gibson (Warner Robins, Ga.). We went to the tape to find out why.
Warner Robins High School edge rusher Isaiah Gibson commands the attention of several premier programs. The Georgia native committed to the USC Trojans at the end of March after an unofficial visit to Los Angeles, California, but his recruitment is very much open. Gibson intends to take this one into the fall, likely until early national signing day.
The No. 27 prospect in On3’s Industry Rankings has official visits scheduled with Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee this summer; he recently removed an official visit with the Florida Gators to make room for the Vols on June 14. That slates as one of the most important recruiting weekends in head coach Josh Heupel’s tenure, as many top national prospects will be in town.
Tennessee was always quiet in this battle but has surged in recent weeks. They are one of the top names around this one, but the in-state Georgia Bulldogs seem to be the No. 1 candidate to flip Gibson from his USC commitment. His junior season tape helps contextualize why many of the top programs in college football will chase him for the next six months.
5⭐️ EDGE Isaiah Gibson has favored the #Vols more over the past few weeks. The USC commit has many national programs calling.
He presents a unique and rare skill set, and it’s why so many coaches are swinging here. 🧵
➕ Elite Wingspan
➕ Leg Drive
➕ Positional Flexibility pic.twitter.com/PuBFY83oEt— Evan Crowell (@evanvcrowell) May 30, 2024
Elite Wingspan
Gibson’s wingspan was verified at 7’1″ at the On3 NIL Elite Series in Nashville, Tennessee. That measurement matches the tape, as he routinely bests offensive tackles with strong positioning by reaching their pads first. His length also enables him to quickly capture the corner, an important trait for someone with exceptional bend when capturing the edge. Gibson’s arms are his calling card as a pass rusher, and he’s got an extremely high floor in college simply because you can trust him to win matchups when lined up outside the tackle box on 3rd and long.
Leg Drive
One play that stuck in my head from his two-and-a-half-minute junior tape was a rep where the offensive tackle stayed low and initially won the rep, getting Gibson under his pads outside the quarterback’s bubble. Many pass-rushers tend to give up in these scenarios, as they don’t want to keep working past their first burst. Gibson pushed through, dragging through the tackle to complete a sack and give his team a big play. His sheer strength and determination on that rep matched every other rep on tape when he had to get low and drive through an offensive lineman to make a play.
Positional Flexibility
Gibson may one day make his money out on the edge as a specialist pass-rusher, but the allure to his ceiling is that he doesn’t have to set the edge strictly. As a rising high school senior, he measures 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds. He made lots of plays for Warner Robbins lined up as a 4-tech or a 3i; he’s got the strength and athleticism to embarrass interior offensive linemen, with the frame to get low and not be a liability in the run game.
Tennessee’s 2025 Recruiting Class
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Tennessee
Tennessee Football DB Transfer Boo Carter Visits the Vols Rival
The Tennessee Volunteers are looking to land many of the nation’s best players in the transfer portal to replace the players who have already announced they are transferring away from Tennessee. One of the players they lost very early on to the portal, and his plans of entering the portal is Boo Carter.
Carter is someone who has quickly made a name for himself, as he played for the Vols as a freshman. He also played for the Tennessee Vols this past season before suffering an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. Carter entered the portal and left an announcement on his X page for those interested. Here is what was said.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank The University of Tennessee Coaches, administrators and fans for a wonderful 2 years. Unfortunately my season has been cut short due to injury. I have decided to enter the transfer portal and I am excited about the opportunities going forward!-Boo Carter”
Boo Carter Visits Vanderbilt
Now that the portal is here, he has started to hear from many teams, including a team many anticipated to be in the picture. The Vols DB heard from the Vanderbilt staff and is now reportedly visiting them. This is a school where many of his friends go currently, and a school that has been doing well, but it is no secret that this is one of the Vols’ biggest rivalries.
He is undecided on a possible commitment somewhere, but the reports have started to indicate that the Commodores are a team to watch moving forward. This will be one to watch for the Vols, as there is a good chance they may see Carter next season.
“Dynamic athlete who quickly made an impact on defense and special teams as a true freshman … Earned the starting STAR position and shined while becoming a dangerous weapon as a punt returner as a true freshman in 2024 … Saw action as a slot receiver as well during 2025 spring practices … Early enrollee in January 2024 who participated in Citrus Bowl practices and spring practice before his true freshman season … Has compiled 63 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups and one interception on defense in his career … Dynamic punt returner who averages 16.0 yards per return in his career … Played in 21 career games and made five starts,” the Tennessee Vols athletics website stated.
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Tennessee
Tennessee Football Misses on Major Transfer Portal Target
The Tennessee Volunteers have been looking to land the best of the best when it comes to the transfer portal, and they have been targeting the best, but as of recently, all it has been is a bunch of swings and misses.
The Vols have missed yet again, as they have failed to land one of their top targets on their board when it comes to the college football transfer portal at a position that they currently need more than any. That position is the cornerback position, which is one that they need very badly.
The player that they failed to land in this go-around is Troy cornerback Jaquez White. White is one of the better players that the portal has seen at the position, as he was easily named as a top portal target for many. He was seriously looking at Tennessee, and the Vols were ready to bring him in, but instead, he has opted to commit to the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hokies have done a decent job in the portal thus far, but their portal class has definitely improved following the addition of White.
Whether this is a money thing or the Vols just couldn’t do enough convincing, the point is that they have missed on guys left and right recently. The vision isn’t clear, but fans are hopeful that it will be soon.
Here is what White did in his 2025 season according to the Troy website.
Jaquez White’s 2025 Season
“Earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors … Ranked third in the league (seventh nationally) with 14 total passes defended and fourth (15th nationally) with 11 pass break ups … Started 12 games and played in all 14 contests … Returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown in Troy’s victory over Louisiana; added interceptions against Nicholls and in Sun Belt Championship Game at James Madison … Finished season with 67 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack … Sack came in Troy’s win over South Alabama; added five tackles, a quarterback hurry and a pass break up in the game … Season-best seven tackles against Memphis … Broke up four passes in win at ULM and had a pair at Southern Miss … Troy’s top-rated defender per PFF with an 87.6 rating … Played 879 defensive snaps, second most on the team … Third-rated cornerback in the country (min. 700 snaps) per PFF and fourth-rated cover corner … Held opponents to a 54.5 reception percentage (36-of-66).”
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Tennessee
Tennessee football DL Josh Schell enters transfer portal
Tennessee defensive lineman Josh Schell has entered the transfer portal, he announced on social media on Jan. 6.
Schell had a short stint at Tennessee after transferring from Grand Valley State in April. He played all 13 games and made one tackle in the 2025 season.
Schell played more than 100 snaps, mostly on special teams. He never cracked the rotation on the defensive line.
Schell spent three seasons at Grand Valley State, including a redshirt year, and one season at Tennessee. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder is from Camden, New Jersey. His best college season was 2024 at Grand Valley State, when he played 13 games and recorded 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
He was also a pitcher on the Grand Valley State baseball game in the 2023 season.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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