Josh Heupel, Tennessee can only hope they guessed right in transfer portal | Adams

The transfer portal hasn’t been around long enough for anybody to figure out exactly how to manage it. So, the guessing game continues from one unpredictable college football season to the next.

You know this much, though: Unless a school has a vibrant NIL program, it can’t expect to flourish in the portal.

Prominent players don’t hop from one program to the next in search of self-improvement as a student-athlete. Oops. Excuse the outdated reference. “Student-athlete” is about as current as “win one for the Gipper.”

When was the last time you heard that a star player had been ruled academically ineligible in college football? It probably was about the same time you heard a star player had flunked a drug test.

Eligibility issues no longer seem to pop up in this play-for-pay era, which – speaking purely as a spectator – is fine with me. Now, when a player misses a game for any reason other than injury, it’s probably because he got shortchanged on his NIL deal.

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One more thing: Have you noticed how players transfer from one school to the next without losing any academic credits along the way? Whatever happened to “progress toward a degree?”

Excuse the detour. Now, let’s get back to the more pressing matter of roster rebuilds – Tennessee’s in particular.

The Vols are certainly better off from portal acquisitions than if they had relied solely on their 2025 recruiting class to upgrade their roster. They have added two offensive guards with starting experience and a proven running back.

Wendell Moe, who started 27 games at Arizona, and Sam Pendleton, who started the first half of the season at Notre Dame, likely will be UT’s starting guards. Duke transfer Star Thomas, who rushed for 871 yards at Duke, will strengthen the running game.

But the Vols still need help at wide receiver and in the secondary. The postseason knee injury to All-SEC cornerback Jermod McCoy complicates matters. You can’t expect him to be at full speed in September after undergoing ACL surgery.

In fact, some of the same questions that were hanging over Tennessee football this time last year are still around. Are the offensive line and secondary sufficiently fortified? Is there a big-play wide receiver on the roster? Is there quality depth at running back?

The running back question is a small one − even though SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson is moving on to the NFL. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s teams have a track record for productive running games. You can’t be as confident about the offensive line, secondary and receiving corps.

Filling needs is crucial. However, you also need to consider the competition when you do your business in a conference as competitive as the SEC. Other SEC programs with College Football Playoff aspirations have accomplished considerably more in the portal than Tennessee has.

LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn and Texas A&M made significant gains through the portal. Struggling Oklahoma at least solidified its quarterback position by signing Washington State’s John Mateer.

Maybe, Heupel and his staff believe they have added enough manpower. They know their roster better than anyone else. They also know you don’t add transfers just for show. The objective is to invest wisely in NIL and enhance your depth chart.

So, it really comes down to talent evaluation. And that always has been somewhat of a guessing game.

The portal and NIL just make the guesses more expensive.