Tennessee transfer OL Larry Johnson III signs with Colorado, Deion Sanders

Tennessee offensive line transfer Larry Johnson III signed paperwork to transfer to Colorado, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. The massive 6-foot-7, 348-pound Johnson will have two years of collegiate eligibility remaining in Boulder.

Johnson was a reserve offensive lineman during his two seasons at Tennessee, including a redshirt season in 2023, after starting his career at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College.

Johnson participated in 15 career games in Knoxville, including 11 contests in 2024, mostly at left tackle.

Johnson played high school football at Savannah (Ga.) Jenkins as an unranked member of the 2022 recruiting cycle. After one season at Hutchinson, Johnson signed as a three-star junior college transfer and the No. 9 overall JUCO prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to On3’s College Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Prior to signing with the Vols, Johnson had offers from Maryland, Houston and UCF, among others, according to VolQuest.

Johnson is Colorado’s third signing Wednesday and second from Tennessee, following former Volunteers safety John Slaughter‘s commitment earlier in the day. Incarnate Word transfer running back DeKaylon Taylor also signed with the Buffaloes on Wednesday. Colorado has signed eight players during the Spring portal window, with Wednesday’s trio joining former Florida State receiver Hykeem Williams, former Campbell receiver Sincere Brown, former Auburn safety Terrance Love, former Illinois State cornerback Teon Parks and former Memphis offensive lineman Xavier Hill.

Former Tennessee DB John Slaughter commits to Colorado

Former Tennessee defensive back John Slaughter committed to Colorado on Wednesday, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. He also visited Purdue but chose Boulder.

Slaughter contributed six tackles and an interceptions for the Volunteers during his two seasons on campus. Most of his production came during his sophomore season, where he logged five of those tackles along with the interception. He’ll have two years of eligibility left.

Before college, Slaughter was a three-star recruit according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 584 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class, and the No. 54 safety.

He chose the Volunteers over the likes of Florida State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and a handful of other programs. He is a Mississippi native, so it remains to be seen if he chooses to remain near home, or explore his options elsewhere.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.