The Tennessee Volunteers finished the 2024 regular season with a 10-2 record and a No. 7 ranking in the penultimate College Football Playoff poll. Now, the program is looking ahead to its likely appearance in the expanded 12-team CFP field.
While Josh Heupel and the Volunteers prepare for their postseason run, one Tennessee player has his focus elsewhere. Tennessee linebacker Jalen Smith plans to enter the 2024 NCAA transfer portal, he told On3 Sports insider Hayes Fawcett on Friday. Smith appeared in all 12 games for the Volunteers this season, recording 34 tackles and four tackles for loss en route to the program’s 10-2 finish.
Smith joined Tennessee as a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. The Georgia native selected Heupel’s program over Oregon, Texas, LSU, Miami and other top schools.
Tennessee suffered just two losses this season. The Volunteers fell to the unranked Arkansas Razorbacks on Oct. 5, and the No. 12 Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 16. The program also notched impressive wins over No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 7 Alabama. Tennessee will know its College Football Playoff fate when the selection committee announces its final picks on Sunday.
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