With Aguilar out of eligbility, the Vols have a couple of choices- roll with one of the highly-touted youngsters or hit the portal again for someone with starting experience. George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon were both top recruits and the team loves them, but it’s possible neither is ready to start in the SEC this season.

Tennessee Vols sophomore running back Peyton Lewis plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on Jan. 2. Lewis, a former four-star recruit from Salem, VA, rushed for 629 yards and 10 touchdowns during his two seasons at Tennessee.

Despite a promising first season with Tennessee, Iamaleava opted to enter the transfer portal in the spring. The quarterback reportedly was seeking a new NIL deal and seemingly attempted to conduct a holdout of sorts, skipping practices amid reported NIL disputes.

A popular potential connection in the transfer portal has been made by On3’s Pete Nakos. Tennessee could — or could not be — in quarterback market this offseason. That all depends on how the Joey Aguilar situation plays out in court.

With redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger entering the transfer portal, and Joey Aguilar unlikely to return in 2026, it's reasonable to expect the Tennessee Vols to target a quarterback in the transfer portal this offseason.