Tennessee needs to move quickly at a couple of positions.
Tennessee has seen starters and key pieces of depth leave leave the program this spring, compounding some unsolved issues from the winter period. They haven’t done much to fill those needs either.
The staff patched up the offensive line, but didn’t do much else. Big questions are left at wide receiver with youth and inexperience set to be leaned on. Jermod McCoy’s ACL injury leaves questions at corner. The defensive line could use another piece after so many veterans moved on this offseason.
And now the safety room has been gutted with three exits in the past two weeks. Simply put, it’s time to get going and patch up this roster. Tennessee will throw that effort into high gear this weekend. However, considering how late in the process this is, options are very limited.
Reported weekend visitors for Tennessee Football
Former BYU receiver Keelan Marion will be in town on Saturday. This is easily the most high-profile visitor Tennessee will have — one that could solve a lot of depth and experience concerns for the Vols. SMU, Miami and Arizona State are also interested in Marion.
Marion spent two seasons (one injured) at UConn before spending his last two at BYU. As a true freshman, Marion was an impact player for the Huskies, catching 28 passes for 474 yards and five touchdowns. Last season for BYU, Marion caught 24 passes for 346 yards. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. The 6-0, 195 pound receiver sounds a lot like former Vol Velus Jones Jr. to me.
Former McNeese State receiver Jer’Michael Carter will also visit. The 6-4 rising junior emerged last season with 37 catches for over 500 yards, scoring three touchdowns. Baylor, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Utah are also interested.
Arizona defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson will visit Rodney Garner and Tennessee this weekend. He’ll also take a look at North Carolina. The 6-1, 311 pounder is coming off of his sophomore season registered two sacks and eight total tackles last season. Johnson is originally out of New Jersey.
Defensive tackle Marcus Burris will visit Knoxville this weekend as well. He hit the portal this spring after spending two seasons with Indiana, initially starting his career at Texas A&M. Burris brings more length to the table, checking in at 6-5, 285 pounds. He’s made 11 starts over the last two seasons for Indiana, totaling 34 tackles.
Finally, Grand Valley State defensive lineman Josh Schell will also reportedly visit Tennessee. The Volunteers would be one of the few power four offers for Schell to this point. The 6-5, 275 pound lineman would have two seasons of eligibility left. UCF is also in the picture here, along with a handful of smaller FBS programs.
Look for Tennessee to get safeties on campus soon
It feels like Tennessee was caught a little flat-footed here, no? Lost in all the Nico Iamaleava drama was Tennessee losing John Slaughter, Jakobe Thomas and Christian Charles to the transfer portal. This comes after losing Will Brooks to eligibility exhaustion after the season.
Andre Turrentine is the only starter returning to the rotation, and there’s hardly any depth behind him. Tennessee will undoubtedly cross train a couple of guys to build out that depth, but it certainly feels like they’ll need another body in that room as well. I’d be shocked if a couple of names don’t emerge here soon, but again — it’s late in the process.