Transfer Portal: Grand Valley State defensive lineman Josh Schell commits to Tennessee

Some needed depth up front.

Rodney Garner and Tennessee have bolstered the defensive line ahead of the 2025 season, adding former Grand Valley State defensive lineman Josh Schell on Tuesday night. The 6-4, 290 pounder will enter the rotation as Garner tries to replaces several contributors ahead of the fall.

Tennessee saw Omari Thomas, Elijah Simmons and Omarr Norman-Lott move on this offseason with all exhausting their eligibility. This leaves plenty of snaps available this fall as we know Garner likes to rotate and keep things fresh. Tennessee returns Bryson Eason, Dominic Bailey, Jaxson Moi, Tyre West, Daevin Hobbs and other younger players without much experience.

Schell brings another big body to the table and he’ll have another two seasons of eligibility to prove himself at the SEC level. Coming in from D-II Grand Valley State, Schell will see a major uptick in competition level. He put up career highs in stat columns last season, totaling 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and six passes deflected.

Schell also pitched on the baseball team at Grand Valley State.

Things progressed pretty quickly here with the two sides. His name emerged at this time last week as a potential option, and Tennessee quickly got him on campus. UCF, Kentucky, SMU and some other smaller FBS teams were also interested.

Schell will have an immediate chance to enter that top six in the rotation, potentially playing snaps at 7-tech defensive end or even nose tackle. We’ll see where Garner ends up playing him come fall camp.

Tennessee still has needs to fill at wide receiver, safety and cornerback. The Volunteers reportedly hosted a couple of receiver options over the weekend, but there hasn’t been any news on that front. Safety remains in flux, with Jakobe Thomas officially hitting the portal and scheduling visits to both Miami and Florida State.