A look at Tennessee's transfer portal additions

Another Saturday closer to the start of the season means another installment of our series looking at the transfer portal additions of LSU’s opponents. This week, the opponent is Tennessee who had a relatively small transfer class this offseason. The Vols added a total of seven transfers including Andre Turrentine, Wesley Walker, Bru McCoy, Charlie Browder, Jackson Hannah, Navy Shuler and Gerald Mincey. Let’s take a look at who stands out in that class

Players that stand out

***Bru McCoy- McCoy may be the most interesting addition in this class for Tennessee as he comes to Knoxville after spending two years at USC. McCoy is a former five-star prospect out of Mater Dei in California and was believed to have first-round NFL potential. In his two years at USC though, he dealt with numerous off the field issues, limiting his impact for the Trojans. During his freshman year in 2020 he caught 21 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns in USC’s shortened season. When playing to his full potential, McCoy has the ability to be a true game-changer for Tennessee, and it will be interesting to see how his skill set is utilized in Tennessee’s rapid, up-tempo offense.

***Wesley Walker- Walker is a solid, veteran addition to a depleted Tennessee secondary. He arrives in Knoxville having spent three seasons at Georgia Tech, recording over 40 tackles in each of his last two seasons. Capable of playing both as a nickel and a safety, Walker is versatile defensive back that will immediately improve Tennessee’s secondary upon arrival. He possesses solid size at 6-1, 204 pounds, giving him that versatility to be used in a number of ways in the secondary. In 2021 he recorded 44 tackles and forced two fumbles along with two pass deflections. Although it is not quite clear yet where he will play, he is a true plug and play transfer addition for this Tennessee defense.

***Andre Turrentine- Another addition to the secondary, Turrentine comes to Knoxville from Ohio State after just one season in Columbus. A former four-star prospect out of Nashville, Turrentine is a former high school teammate of Walker who he may very well be playing next to. Turrentine is another safety who has the versatility to play multiple positions in the secondary, despite not having the same kind of size as Walker. He did not play many defensive snaps for Ohio State last season in a loaded secondary, but the potential seems to be there. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Turrentine plays right away, but he is another valuable addition to Tennessee’s secondary.

Thoughts

Overall, despite it not being a huge class, Josh Heupel and his staff did a good job of addressing their roster needs with this class. Adding to the secondary was imperative and the additions of Walker and Turrentine helped do just that. On the other side of the ball, adding McCoy into this offense could he a hugely influential move if he plays to his potential. The Vols supplemented at offensive tackle, quarterback, linebacker and tight end as well, filling out the class. With any transfer class it is always interesting to see how the new players fit and gel with the team, and that will be no different here. As Tennesse looks to become a more serious contender in the SEC East, the play of this class will be vital this season.