Tennessee State didn’t have to look far into the transfer portal to find players. Former University of Tennessee offensive lineman Connor Meadows is heading west on I-40 to play for the Tigers next season. Meadows transferred to Tennessee State after spending two years at the University of Tennessee. He played in one game and became a redshirt during his freshman year in 2022. This past season was more of the same as he only appeared in one game for the Volunteers. Meadows joined Tennessee as preferred walk-on in 2022. Related content Meadows will help fill in the holes in Tennessee State’s offensive line after the departure of offensive linemen Darrell Branch and Romeo Watson. Branch entered the transfer portal and is looking for a new school. Watson announced that he is transferring to the University of New Mexico.

Tennessee Volunteers coach addresses difficult situation

December is a particularly busy time for college football head coaches with the early signing period and the transfer portal window all occurring while players are considering whether or not to enter the NFL Draft. It sets up a difficult situation as coaches try to manage their rosters, and Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel opened up about it a bit this week.

During a recent press conference, Josh Heupel explained that with the current college football calendar, it’s difficult for a coach to predict how many roster sports they’re going to have available.

“I think the hardest thing in today’s landscape is the uncertainty of the numbers,” Heupel said according to On3. “That can be with your entire roster. It can be with position groups. Because of the portal, the recruitment of these guys, and I’m talking about, you know, the fact the kids will still be going into the portal here [at the] end of January, you’re constantly evaluating your roster, where you’re at, what are the needs that you have?