Report: Tennessee safety Jakobe Thomas plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Tennessee safety Jakobe Thomas plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Thomas transferred to Tennessee from Middle Tennessee State last offseason.

In his lone campaign with the Volunteers, Thomas appeared in all 13 of Tennessee’s games. He tallied 22 tackles, two pass deflections and a sack.

Before his time in Knoxville, Thomas spent three seasons at Middle Tennessee State, including a redshirt year. He saw action in 24 games with 13 starts during his career as a Blue Raider, totaling 108 tackles, four interceptions, eight pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Jakobe Thomas played high school football at Tullahoma (TN), where he was an unranked prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was named the Region 4-4A MVP and a First-Team All-State selection during his senior year.

Thomas will be the 22nd Tennessee player to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason. In comparison, the Volunteers have added just four players via the transfer portal. Tennessee is currently ranked No. 41 in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

Most notably, Tennessee lost its starting quarterback from last season, Nico Iamaleava, after the school couldn’t agree on a restructured NIL deal with the redshirt sophomore. In turn, Iamaleava transferred to UCLA. Despite Tennessee’s significant roster turnover this offseason, head coach Josh Heupel likes his team.

“At the end of the day I just like this group. They’re really accountable, they show up,” Heupel said. “That’s in the building. Strength and conditioning, rehab, nutrition, football meetings, practice, all of that. But they do it right on the outside too; in class and who they are in the community.

“So it’s a really accountable group. We’ve recruited to that. It’s a group that, you know, like today was the next opportunity for them to go compete and you can tell that they care about each other and will continue to grow together.”

Now, the Volunteers will have to grow without Thomas by their side. Tennessee went 10-3 last season and made its first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. The Volunteers will look to build on their momentum in the 2025 campaign.

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.