Tennessee
Transfer Portal: Tennessee linked to UNLV QB Anthony Colandrea
A new name has surfaced in Tennessee’s search for a quarterback out of the transfer portal. Anthony Colandrea, who announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Friday, could be an option for the Volunteers.
Tennessee, of course, is waiting on a legal answer from the Diego Pavia lawsuit that Joey Aguilar has joined. However, as things inch closer to the transfer portal opening up on January 2nd, it’s feeling more and more like Tennessee won’t get the answer they’re seeking in time. That’s going to force Josh Heupel’s hand, likely moving in a different direction at quarterback for the 2026 season.
Tennessee has also been linked to Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby and TCU quarterback Josh Hoover. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Colandrea is another name to follow closely.
“Sources have told On3 that UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea is expected to command significant Power Four interest,” Nakos reported on Saturday. “While Florida State has started to surface, sources have cautioned that other schools are heavily in the mix. Keep an eye on Tennessee, too.”
Following the exit of Jake Merklinger, Tennessee is left with two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster — redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and true freshman Faizon Brandon, who is the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2026. Tennessee will be forced to add a third arm to that room in some form or fashion.
Colandrea is coming off of a huge season for UNLV, playing under Dan Mullen. The 6-0, 205 pound quarterback threw for 3,459 yards and 23 touchdowns this year for the Rebels. He ran for another 649, scoring ten times on the ground. Colandrea spent his first two seasons at Virginia.
Tennessee is clearly evaluating the arms from this portal group as they decide which direction to go. Jim Knowles has plenty of holes that he’s going to have to plug for his year one defense, notably in the secondary and up front on the defensive line. Obviously how much they spend at the quarterback position will go a long way in determining what they can add defensively.
Colandrea may not command as much cash as some of the other top names in the portal, so this could be a nice happy medium for Heupel and company. We’ll see what other names surface over the next several days as the giant game of musical quarterbacks gets underway.
Tennessee football and coach Josh Heupel picked up a commitment from Brentwood Academy four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman on March 28 while he was visiting the school.
Bowman narrowed his list to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, Alabama and Miami on March 2. All five schools were among his top 10 he acknowledged on Oct. 30. Texas, LSU, USC, Texas A&M and Oregon were among the schools left off his list.
The 6-foot, 174-pound Bowman is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state for the 2027 class. He is the No. 6 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports Composite. He has more than 35 other offers. He decommitted from Oregon last September, more than two months after committing to the Ducks.
Bowman was a Division II-AAA Mr. Football semifinalist, who caught 49 passes for 665 yards and 11 TDs, during BA’s 2025 state runner-up season. He also had a rushing TD and was named the DII-AAA West Region Offensive MVP. He was named to The Tennessean’s 2025 All Midstate Large Class football team and is a Middle Tennessee Sports Awards offensive football player of the year nominee.
Bowman helped BA finish 11-1 in 2025, losing to Baylor in the DII-AAA state championship game.
Tennessee and Heupel have also offered Brentwood Academy offensive tackle Rance Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound lineman who transferred from Southside (Alabama). The Vols are pursuing BA junior four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II as well.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
The Tennessee Titans have made some improvements throughout the offseason and appear better positioned heading into the draft than they were in 2024, with added depth on both sides of the ball.
Yet, even with the added talent, they still have multiple needs they must continue to address to help both now and in the future, and another solid draft would go a long way in finding a sustainable path forward. Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated looked at the roster and saw some of the same things as he broke down their remaining needs heading into the draft.
Tennessee Titans
Draft needs: RB, WR, edge, S
The running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears hasn’t been a productive one. Cam Ward desperately needs a game-changer at one of the skill positions. Newcomer wideout Wan’Dale Robinson doesn’t exactly fit that bill, but he’ll make life easier for the second-year quarterback.
With Robert Saleh now the head coach in Tennessee, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Titans used the No. 4 pick on one of the top edge rushers.
There is no doubt that the Titans should add some playmakers in this draft class, and they shouldn’t bank on hitting a dynamic playmaker in the fourth round again. Tennessee could definitely use a premium pick on at least one or possibly two offensive weapons.
Tennessee also must invest in the interior of the offensive line to help Cam Ward and the offense. While it’s true that Pollard and Spears did not blow the doors off the running game, they were also hampered by subpar play along the offensive line for the past two seasons, after line guru Bill Callahan failed to transform the Titans’ line into a consistent unit. It wasn’t until after he and his son Brian Callahan left that the play-calling for the running game took off.
CHICAGO − Iowa State’s star forward Joshua Jefferson is questionable against Tennessee basketball according to the NCAA player availability report released at 6:32 p.m.
The No. 6 Vols (24-11) and No. 2 Cyclones (29-7) play in the Men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 at the United Center on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).
Jefferson sprained his ankle in the opening minutes of Iowa State’s first-round game against Tennessee State. He sat for the remainder of the game and missed the Cyclones’ win over Kentucky on March 22. Iowa State didn’t need the All-Big 12 forward as it generated 20 Wildcat turnovers in its 19-point victory.
Senior Nate Heise started in place of the 6-foot-9 Jefferson. He had 12 points against Kentucky, but senior Tamin Lipsey stepped up with a season-high 26 points and 10 assists.
Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals and shot 47.1% from the field.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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