NCAA Transfer Portal Needs that Must Be Addressed by Tennessee Football

The Vols have two active QBs on the roster, as they have Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. Merklinger is the veteran out of the two, but isn't a freshman. He is entering his second season with the Vols after redshirting last season. This will be his redshirt-freshman season with the Vols. MacIntyre had an awesome Spring game performance, but is a true freshman.

The Vols need to add a QB this portal season. They will likely only add one, but you can't enter a season with only two bodies in the QB room without playing with fire. One injury and the season could be completely done for. The Vols will be better off going and getting a veteran starter or a veteran body overall, so they can have someone that Merklinger and MacIntyre can learn from. While nothing has been announced, it is very clear the Vols will be targeting the QB position this Spring because if they don't, they will be in very big trouble.

Wide Receiver

The Vols will be without many of their wide receivers from last season. They will be without Bru McCoy and Dont'e Thornton Jr, who will both be leaving for the NFL due to loss of eligibility. As for the portal, they lost Dayton Sneed, who wasn't expected to have a large impact ahead of the Spring game. In the Winter, the Vols lost too many bodies for comfort. They lost Squirrel White, Kaleb Webb, Chas Nimrod, Nathan Leacock, and Nate Spillman.

The Vols currently have Chris Brazzell, Mike Matthews, and Braylon Staley, who are expected to be the starters. All three wide receivers are returning from last season, with Staley and Matthews entering their second college football season. Brazzell will be entering his second season with the Vols after having a successful college career early on as a starter for Tulane. The Vols also have three incoming freshmen coming in with Travis Smith Jr, Radarious Jackson, and Joakim Dodson. The only other addition made was adding Jefferson from the Alabama Crimson Tide, which looked like a solid addition, however, he was hurt last season and will be playing his first college game overall as a Vol.

Tennessee is in desperate need of not only one wide receiver, but maybe even two. They at least need one with the hopes of either getting an elite young player or a reliable veteran. The Vols' oldest veteran in the system has been Brazzell, who hasn't been in college for too long. A veteran name would be huge for the Vols, as by next season majority of the guys will be locked into the system.

Offensive Line

The Vols didn't lose much at the offensive line in the transfer portal as they lost Vysen Lang to Troy, and that was it, however, the Vols did lose four starters and one part-time starter to graduation and the NFL draft. The Vols lost Andrej Karic, Cooper Mays, John Campbell, Dayne Davis, and Javontez Spraggins. This sets up for a bad recipe if you're looking for success.

The Vols did partially address these needs by adding Pendleton and Moe, but this room still feels incomplete. Luckily the Vols do have David Sanders, Antoni Kade Ogumoro, and Nic Moore in town out of high school.

This room still needs more. The Vols could absolutely use maybe one to two more pieces. While these don't have to be immediate starters, it would be nice to see some guys who will give Tennessee more to their open competition. Some veteran presence on the outside or even at center could be great for the Vols.