Coming into the offseason, everybody knew that the Tennessee Titans needed to make changes on the offensive line.
The team quickly moved to do just that by adding center Lloyd Cushenberry, but the Titans had more than one position to upgrade.
Shortly after free agency opened, the Titans reached an agreement with offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles, who was a fourth-round selection of the Washington Commanders back in the 2020 NFL draft.
The lineman got the most starts of his career in 2023 with 10, playing exclusively at left guard. He’s also received eight career starts at tackle.
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For his 2023 performance that saw him give up four sacks and 37 pressures, Charles received a 55.5 PFF grade. The lineman was penalized three times, also.
The Titans likely won’t rely on Charles to start full time, but he’s an athletic, versatile lineman who provides much-needed depth.
This is a low-risk, high-reward move to help shore up the offensive line depth. The Titans need players who can fill in and not be a liability, and Charles is exactly that.
This is the type of signing that won’t make headlines, but could pay dividends as the season wears on.
The Dallas-area’s most up-and-down recruiting saga from the Class of 2026 has its latest twist.
North Forney four-star athlete Legend Bey has requested his letter of release from Tennessee, according to reporting from Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman.
“They are waiting for Tennessee to confirm this,” Spiegelman said of the request Sunday on The Inside Scoop podcast. “This could come as early as today, tomorrow. This is in the works.”
Bey signed with Tennessee on early national signing day, flipping from his November 10 commitment to Ohio State on early national signing day. He had originally committed to the Volunteers in June. However, reports emerged soon after his signing that Bey wanted to sign with the Buckeyes but landed at Tennessee because of pressure from his family.
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As new college sports landscape takes shape, here’s why commitment flips are more common
The possibility that Bey might seek a release was first reported Dec. 4, with reports suggesting that Tennessee would grant the request given the tumultuous recruiting process.
If the release is granted, Bey may have to wait to turn 18 years old before he can sign for Ohio State without parental approval.
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville (9-1, 0-0 ACC) is set to face Tennessee (7-3, 0-0 SEC) on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST at Thompson-Boling Arena. Here’s how the Cardinals stack up against the Volunteers:
*Mobile users can scroll left and right on the tables below*
Rankings
Tennessee
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Louisville
AP/USAT
20th/20th
11th/11th
SOS
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38th
89th
SOR
47th
13th
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NET
36th
11th
RPI
50th
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41st
BPI
18th
6th
KenPom
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18th
10th
Torvik
18th
10th
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EvanMiya
20th
12th
Team Leaders
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Tennessee
Louisville
Points
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (17.3)
Ryan Conwell (19.4)
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Rebounds
Nate Ament (7.1)
Sananda Fru (6.2)
Assists
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (5.4)
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Mikel Brown Jr. (5.1)
Steals
Bishop Boswell (1.9)
Kobe Rodgers (1.3)
Blocks
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Felix Okpara (1.7)
Sananda Fru (1.2)
Scoring
Tennessee
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Louisville
Points Per Game
80.9
94.3
Field Goal %
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46.8
47.9
FGM/FGA Per Game
28.9/61.7
30.4/63.5
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Three Point %
34.6
37.5
3PTM/3PTA
7.4/21.4
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13.2/35.2
Free Throw %
72.7
77.8
FTM/FTA Per Game
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15.7/21.6
20.3/26.1
Rebounding
Tennessee
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Louisville
Rebounds Per Game
43.3
42.6
Off. Reb. Per Game
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15.6
12.7
Def. Reb. Per Game
27.7
29.9
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Rebound Margin
12.9
8.0
Defense
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Tennessee
Louisville
Opp. Points Per Game
66.0
68.1
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Opp. FG%
38.5
37.8
Opp. 3PT%
29.7
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29.6
Steals Per Game
7.5
8.1
Blocks Per Game
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3.7
3.8
Turnovers Forced Per Game
12.4
13.9
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Ball Handling
Tennessee
Louisville
Assists Per Game
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18.8
19.7
Turnovers Per Game
13.2
10.9
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Turnover Margin
0.8
3.0
Assist/Turnover Ratio
1.42
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1.81
Predictions
– ESPN Prediction: Per ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Cardinals have a 57.8 percent chance to win against the Volunteers. Louisville has a BPI rating of 22.0 (6th overall), whereas Tennessee has a BPI rating of 16.9 (18th overall).
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– KenPom Prediction: Per KenPom.com, the Cardinals have a 49 percent chance to take down the Volunteers, with a projected final score of 80-79 in favor of UT. Louisville has an adjusted efficiency margin of +27.72 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has an adjusted efficiency margin of +23.10 (18th overall).
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– Torvik Prediction: Per BartTorvik.com, the Cards have a 43 percent chance to take down the Vols, with a projected final score of 80-78 in favor of UT. Louisville has a “Barthag” of .9451 (10th overall), whereas Tennessee has a “Barthag” of .9253 (18th overall).
– Personal Prediction: Louisville 83, Tennessee 82.
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The RTI Low-Down with Bob Baskerville and Chris Low. Episodes are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify platforms.
On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.
The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.
The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!
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The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com
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More from RTI: Tennessee Football 2025 Transfer Tracker – Who has Announced They’re Entering the Portal So Far
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0:00 Intro 8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles 21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football! 43:20 UT 2026 Schedule 50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday 1:01:06 Close
