Tennessee Football Loses Major EDGE Piece to NCAA Transfer Portal

This Tennessee Vol has announced he is entering his name into the transfer portal.

Tennessee defensive lineman Caleb Herring (31) heads to the locker room at halftime of the NCAA college football game against ETSU on September 6, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers are set to be battle-tested in the offseason, as they are in desperate need of some new names to join the program, and they will have the chance to right their wrongs. The Vols finished their near-mediocre season in 2025, as the Vols finished with five losses.

The Vols should've expected a season like this to happen after a poor performance in the transfer portal last season, and losing nearly 40 players to the portal. This was one of the bigger headlines that was simply ignored by many, and now they will be forced to make up for their wrongs from just a year ago.

Tennessee Football Loses Major EDGE Piece to NCAA Transfer Portal

Tennessee defensive lineman Caleb Herring (31) celebrates after a tackle during a NCAA football game between Tennessee and Georgia at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, on September 13, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But first, they have been tested with the departure of some good players, along with some starters. The Vols lost some of the better offensive players that were expected to return, but they also lost one of the more important players on the roster on the defensive roster. On Thursday, many players entered the portal, including Lance Heard, Rickey Gibson, and company, but Friday didn't ease up like many would hope, as they lost one of the star players of their roster. They lost Caleb Herring, who was a rotational piece on the Vols' defensive line, but wasn't a starter.

In Herring's limited snaps, the Vol star finished with four sacks and a total of six tackles for loss. This is one of the better graded performances from the season, but the Vols will no longer have him to build their front line. It is also to note that he was likely to be a starter this season, as they are losing Joshua Josephs and company to the NFL Draft. This freed up space for Herring to be a premier guy at the position, but he will likely be a premier guy elsewhere.

Herring has the chance to be someone who will dominate off the EDGE and is someone who has a very deep bag of pass-rushing tricks. This is what allowed him to see the field early in his career, but this time, he will be one of the top guys wherever he goes.

The Vols will need to address the EDGE position in the portal, and will be tasked with landing some of the top guys at the position, to go along with the young talent that stays with the Vols.

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