Tennessee Football Set to Host Standout Safety on Tuesday

The Vols are set to host one of the nation's best safety transfers in the portal.

Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks safety Lyrik Rawls (2) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers have been linked to many of the better defensive players in the nation for the transfer portal. They have the hopes of being able to land some of the better defensive players that are in the portal so they have something to help build off of in the 2026 season, which will be the first season for Jim Knowles as the Tennessee defensive coordinator.

The Vols will have multiple coaches who will be in their first season with the Vols on the defensive side, as the Vols only retained two positional coaches. Those positional coaches are some of the better positional coaches in the nation for the positions that they coach. One of the coaches that they have kept is William Inge, who was the standout coach that coaches the linebackers for the Vols. He has a very lengthy list of quality traits, and it showed with his coaching from arguably the deepest position on the Tennessee roster.

The other coach that they retained is one of the greatest to coach the defensive linemen ever. That coach is Coach G a.k.a. Rodney Garner. Garner is a legend, and everyone wants to play for the talented coach. He will be a key piece for many of these defensive additions, but the majority of the additions will be for the new coaches. The newer coaches are Michael Hunter (Cornerbacks Coach), Andrew Jackson (EDGEs coach), and arguably the biggest staff addition, being safeties coach Anthony Poindexter (Co-Defensive Coordinator and Safeties coach).

Tennessee is Targeting Lyrik Rawls

Nov 8, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Kansas Jayhawks safety Lyrik Rawls (2) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Poindexter and company are looking to land one of the better safeties in the portal, as he is set to visit Knoxville on Tuesday following the addition of Kansas State safety Qua Moss. The safety who is set to visit the Vols is Lyrik Rawls.

Rawls is one of the better players in the portal as a safety, as he is rated as the 26th-best safety in the portal and the 291st-best player in the portal overall according to 247Sports. Rawls finished this season with 11 pass deflections and one interception, but has produced three career interceptions. He would be an immediate upgrade and is one of my favorite safeties in the nation. I believe he will be someone who can play immediately at plenty of programs, and the Vols could have themselves a key player dback deep if they land him following his visit that will be super key.

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