Former Tennessee Vols player named by ESPN as one of the biggest transfer surprises in the first month of the 2025 season

A former Tennessee Vols wide receiver who left the program after the 2024 season was pointed out by ESPN this week as one of college football's biggest transfer surprises in the first month of season.

After spending his first three seasons at Tennessee, wide receiver Chas Nimrod left Knoxville to join former Vols offensive coordinator Alex Golesh at USF in Tampa Bay this past offseason (Nimrod and Golesh spent one season together at Tennessee in 2022).

Nimrod, a former three-star recruit from Bentonville, AR, caught 29 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown during his time at Tennessee.

The former Vol has already surpassed that production in four games at USF, catching 14 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns.

Chas Nimrod is leading the American Conference in receiving after leaving Tennessee for USF

ESPN highlighted several transfer players who have surprised in the first few weeks of the season -- and Nimrod was one of them.

"Nimrod started six games over three seasons at Tennessee but never carved out a major role in the Vols' receiving corps," wrote ESPN's Max Olson. "He reunited with coach Alex Golesh in Tampa and has been a consistent big-play threat for quarterback Byrum Brown through four games, leading the American Conference with 367 receiving yards and two TDs on 14 catches and producing a career-high 128 receiving yards against Miami. Nimrod is averaging 18.8 air yards per target, second most among all FBS wideouts with more than 20 targets per ESPN Research, and 26.2 yards per catch."

Nimrod's departure from Tennessee this past offseason is a great example of the challenges of managing a roster in the current era of college football.

Before the rise of the transfer portal and lucrative NIL deals, Nimrod likely would've remained at Tennessee and served as an important depth option for the Vols.

The portal, though, allows depth players like Nimrod to seek out better opportunities (and better pay days). Tennessee obviously has plenty of NIL cash, but they still have to be somewhat frugal. Spending a ton on backup wide receivers is something that most programs aren't willing to do. It's risky and it's expensive.

Nimrod clearly made the right move for his career. He's almost certainly earning more in NIL at USF than he would've at Tennessee. And he's making the most of his opportunity to play a key role in Golesh's offense.

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