Former Tennessee Vols QB ranked as one of the top QBs in college football for the 2024 season

247Sports recently ranked the top 25 quarterbacks in college football ahead of the 2024 season and a former Tennessee Vols quarterback nearly cracked the top 10. 

Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter, who signed with Tennessee during the 2021 recruiting cycle, came in at No. 11 in 247Sports' rankings. 

Salter entered the NCAA transfer portal after the 2023 season, but he removed his name a couple of days later. 

From 247Sports: It's hard to believe a quarterback who set various records for an unbeaten, conference champion last season prior to a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oregon isn't in the Heisman's top 50 players to open 2024's odds, but that's where Kaidon Salter sits in March. Most assumed he would be a transfer portal casualty and likely Auburn-bound to join former Liberty coach Hugh Freeze this offseason, but he decided to remain with the Flames and try and lead this program to a College Football Playoff berth in Jamey Chadwell's second campaign. Salter rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 scores as a third-sophomore in 2023, to go along with 2,876 yards through the air and 32 touchdowns.

Salter, who signed with Tennessee when Jeremy Pruitt was the program's head coach, never played a game for the Volunteers. 

The Texas native was kicked off Tennessee's roster by Josh Heupel before the 2021 season when he was cited for marijuana possession just three weeks after getting reinstated to the team (he was suspended earlier in 2021 because of an incident involving illegal substances and drug paraphernalia in a UT dorm).     

Salter transferred to Liberty after getting booted from Tennessee's football team and he's flourished ever since. This past season, Salter passed for 2,876 yards and 32 touchdowns (with just six interceptions). He also rushed for 1,089 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Vols starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, by the way, was ranked No. 25 in 247Sports' top 25 quarterback rankings. Iamaleava has played the fewest snaps of any quarterback in their top 25.