Tennessee Vols losing experienced player to the transfer portal, but it's not the loss some might think

Slaughter came to Tennessee as a member of their 2023 recruiting class out of Clarksdale, Mississippi.  Defensive coordinator Tim Banks was high on the former three-star prospect shortly after his arrival to Knoxville. 

"John is exactly who we thought he would be," Banks said. "He's extremely athletic, you know he's long, has what I would consider elite ball skills. I think he has a really bright future. Very athletic. You know obviously, just like most freshmen, [he has] some things he has to get better at.

"But just the short window that we've had him, it's going to be exciting watching him develop."

After two years, that impact never was made on Tennessee's defense.  Slaughter appeared in plenty of games during his time at Tennessee - 22, to be specific.  However, his appearances came mostly on special teams.  Defensively, according to Pro Football Focus, Slaughter logged just 62 total defensive snaps in 2 years - 8 in 2023 and 54 in 2024.  

The Vols will surely continue to look at improving their defensive backfield as the spring portal window opens.  And we'll see where the former Vol ends up continuing his collegiate career shortly.