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Former Tennessee DB Jordan Matthews announces transfer commitment, staying in SEC

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12 months ago

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Former Tennessee DB Jordan Matthews announces transfer commitment, staying in SEC


Former Tennessee defensive back Jordan Matthews committed to Vanderbilt on Wednesday. He’s the second Tennessee transfer to announce a commitment to a new school, following Kaleb Webb, who committed to Maryland on Wednesday.

Matthews, a redshirt freshman from Baton Rouge, La., 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.

Jordan Matthews was a four-star recruit in 2023

Matthews was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class. He was ranked No. 143 overall, No. 16 at corner and No. 7 in the state of Louisiana, out of Woodlawn High School in Baton Rouge. He picked Tennessee over LSU, Texas and Michigan.

The Vols have added one player out of the portal so far, getting Arizona offensive lineman Wendell Moe on Wednesday. Moe started 27 games over three seasons at Arizona. He was named All-Pac-12 second team in 2023 as a redshirt freshman and played 760 snaps this season.

Matthews is one of eight Vols that have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal since the portal window opened, and is the first to announce his commitment to a new school. 

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Tennessee players in NCAA Transfer Portal won’t play for Vols in playoff

Other Tennessee players that have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal so far include receivers Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod and Nathan Leacock, freshman linebacker Jalen Smith, redshirt freshman defensive back Jordan Matthews, sophomore running back Khalifa Keith and freshman offensive lineman Vysen Lang. 

Webb initially committed to Wake Forest last week, but after the retirement of Wake coach Dave Clawson, he switched his commitment to Maryland.

Head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday that Tennessee players that have or are entering the portal will not play for the Vols at Ohio State Saturday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC/ESPN.

Tennessee last offseason lost 13 players to the NCAA Transfer Portal and added 10 players out of the portal, including tight ends Miles Kitsleman (Alabama) and Holden Staes (Notre Dame) and defensive backs Jermod McCoy (Oregon State) and Jalen McMurray (Temple). The Vols also added Lance Heard (LSU) at offensive tackle and Jaxson Moi (Stanford) on the defensive line.





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Tennessee

Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates

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8 hours ago

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December 11, 2025

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Tennessee football’s 2026 schedule complete with opponents, dates


Tennessee football will host Lane Kiffin, Alex Golesh and possibly Arch Manning at Neyland Stadium in the 2026 season.

UT’s opponents for the next four seasons were previously announced. On Dec. 11, the SEC released the dates of every conference game, providing the full picture of the 2026 schedule.

Game times and television designations will be announced later.

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Texas will make its first trip ever to Tennessee on Sept. 26. Manning, the Longhorns quarterback, is expected to return for the 2026 season rather than enter the NFL draft. If so, he’ll face the Vols on the home turf of his uncle, legendary quarterback Peyton Manning.

Golesh, the former UT offensive coordinator, is Auburn’s new coach. He will return to Knoxville for an Oct. 3 game.

Alabama will play at Tennessee on Oct. 17, continuing their Third Saturday in October rivalry game.

Kiffin, the polarizing former UT coach, is now coaching LSU after bolting Ole Miss after the regular season ended. He will return to Knoxville for a Nov. 21 game. Three of the five SEC teams visiting Neyland Stadium will have a first-year coach, including Kentucky’s Will Stein on Nov. 7.

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Tennessee will play Alabama, Kentucky and Vanderbilt as annual SEC opponents in the league’s new nine-game conference schedule. Its other six opponents will rotate each season. That means each school will play every SEC opponent home and away every four years.

Tennessee will have one open week on Oct. 31 and thus won’t play on Halloween.

Here is Tennessee’s week-to-week schedule for the 2026 season.

Tennessee football 2026 schedule

  • Sept. 5: Furman
  • Sept. 12: At Georgia Tech
  • Sept. 19: Kennesaw State
  • Sept. 26: Texas*
  • Oct. 3: Auburn*
  • Oct. 10: At Arkansas*
  • Oct. 17: Alabama*
  • Oct. 24: At South Carolina*
  • Oct. 31: Open
  • Nov. 7: Kentucky*
  • Nov. 14: At Texas A&M*
  • Nov. 21: LSU*
  • Nov. 28: At Vanderbilt*

*SEC game

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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Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee

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20 hours ago

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December 11, 2025

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Dragos Cazacu signs with Tennessee


Tennessee announced the signing of graduate student Dragos Cazacu on Wednesday. He is from Constanta, Romania.

“Dragos is someone we believe can translate all of his professional experience and success seamlessly to high level college tennis,” Tennessee associate head coach Matt Lucas said. “He’s a very mature young man who has finished university in Romania, so we know the type of student athlete we are getting. Winning ITF Pro Circuit titles, all while doing his degree back home shows he will transition nicely to Tennessee in January.”

Cazacu competed on the ATP Tour prior to Tennessee. His highest ranking was No. 763 in singles and No. 495 in doubles.

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Tennessee will begin its spring men’s tennis season versus ETSU on Jan. 9, 2026 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. SEC competition will begin Feb. 21, 2026 at Kentucky.

The Vols’ home opener in SEC play is scheduled for Feb. 27, 2026 versus Auburn at Goodfriend Tennis Center.

More: Tennessee tennis signs No. 1 ranked junior player

Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).



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Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, potential top-10 pick, declares for NFL Draft

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1 day ago

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December 10, 2025

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Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, potential top-10 pick, declares for NFL Draft


Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy announced Wednesday that he will enter the 2026 NFL Draft. McCoy is a potential top-10 pick in this draft class, despite having missed the entire 2025 season with a knee injury.

A transfer from Oregon State following the 2023 season, McCoy earned first-team All-SEC and second-team All-America honors following his first season at Tennessee, in which he registered four interceptions, nine pass breakups and 44 tackles. However, McCoy suffered an ACL injury in January and did not take the field during the Volunteers’ regular season.

“(E)ven though my time on the field was cut short,” McCoy wrote in a statement shared on social media, “I will forever be grateful for my time here at the University of Tennessee. It has been a true honor, and I’m appreciative for every moment I had in the orange and white.”

McCoy (6 feet, 195 pounds) will be one of the most closely scrutinized prospects during the pre-draft cycle, as interested teams wait to see what his updated medical reports reveal.

The junior ranked No. 9 (and as the No. 1 cornerback) on Dane Brugler’s most recent draft board. He was the 16th pick, by Dallas, in Brugler’s mock draft last week.

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Dane Brugler’s immediate reaction

A prospect carrying first-round tape from 2024 but no tape from 2025 is not ideal. That said, McCoy will be more than a year removed from his ACL injury when NFL team doctors examine his knee at the combine in February 2026, to (hopefully) verify full health and no long-term concerns.

The timing of his injury could turn out to be something of a positive, because McCoy should be able to work out and test at some point before the draft, giving him a chance to remind teams why he was considered a potential top-10 pick after last season.

LSU’s Mansoor Delane closed ground with his senior season — he’s made a strong case to be CB1 in this class. But McCoy is very much still in that conversation, assuming the medicals come back clean.

Nick Baumgardner’s scouting report

McCoy was in a really tough spot. A case certainly could’ve been made for McCoy to return to college next year, as he’s played only one full season as a starter in the SEC. And though his 2024 season was pretty great, that performance and 400 or so snaps at Oregon State are all we have to go on here.

Physically, though, McCoy is everything you look for in a high-first-round cornerback. He’s big with very quick feet, natural instincts and terrific ball skills in coverage. Despite not playing a snap this season, McCoy still stacks up as an easy first-rounder on this year’s board, largely because of his physical potential.

Testing will be critical here, and I’m eager to see if McCoy is healthy enough to compete in either the Senior Bowl or Shrine Bowl. He should do as much as he can. We saw a talented player in a similar situation last year when now-Cardinals rookie corner Will Johnson tumbled down the board after not testing or taking part in anything physical during the pre-draft process.





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