10th-best Tennessee tenure of 16 by the numbers.
Recruiter or developer?
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on defense.
Offense vs. talent
+24.8 pts
#21 of 208 · more than most
Defense vs. talent
+1.3 pts
#92 of 208 · a typical amount
Recruiting talent is team-wide (no offense/defense split exists in the source data) -- both sides are scored against the same talent input, only the outcome is side-specific.
Followed Jeremy Pruitt (2018–2020).
Roster construction · portal era
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Portal arrivals
63
3.2★ avg rating
Portal departures
150
left via the portal
Net portal flow
-87
#118 of 187 FBS stints
Notable portal arrivals with a modeled NIL value
Lance Heard On3 modeled · $2,000,000Chaz Coleman On3 modeled · $2,000,000
On3’s modeled estimate (social reach / exposure), not money actually paid — shown per player, never totaled.
Who they bring in
Brings in bigger-than-position-typical players than most.
A typical class-year mix of incoming transfers.
Avg. size (raw)
6′2″, 238 lbs
across 56 of 63 arrivals — unadjusted for position mix
Size vs. position-typical
+9.7 lbs
#21 of 255 · more than most
Avg. class year
Jr
#82 of 255 · a typical amount
Top states: CA (9), TN (9), GA (6), NC (4), FL (4)
Who won the portal our read
Talent added
61.0
position-weighted
Talent lost
66.3
position-weighted
Net
-5.3
arrivals minus departures
Best addition: Joey Aguilar (QB) from UCLA
Biggest loss: Nico Iamaleava (QB) to UCLA
Position-value-weighted (QB/CB weighted highest, depth-decayed within each position) — the same scoring engine as the Portal Heat feed, not a separate grade.
Does the system survive a coordinator change?
OC: Alex Golesh → Joey Halzle · 2023the offense slipped
2-season window either side.
1st-down pass rate: 49.6% → 42.8% (-6.8 pts)
Confound, shown not hidden: only 42% of offensive production returned the year the coordinator changed — the roster turned over at the same time, not just the play-caller.
DC: Tim Banks → Jim Knowles / co-Anthony Poindexter · 2026
1-season window either side — numbers shown, not enough to badge a verdict.
Roster size, by position
Skill positions · usage-weighted (real participation)
Quarterback
221 lbs
6′4″ avg · #143 of 767 · more than most
Running back
208 lbs
5′11″ avg · #338 of 791 · a typical amount
Wide receiver
199 lbs
6′2″ avg · #122 of 791 · more than most
Tight end
247 lbs
6′5″ avg · #295 of 731 · a typical amount
Trench & secondary · recruited roster, not confirmed starters
Interior line
321 lbs
6′5″ avg · #40 of 779 · more than most
D-line
280 lbs
6′4″ avg · #471 of 753 · a typical amount
Linebacker
228 lbs
6′2″ avg · #393 of 772 · a typical amount
Cornerback
194 lbs
6′0″ avg · #195 of 771 · a typical amount
Offensive-line size is one undifferentiated bucket — the source data almost never distinguishes tackle from guard from center, so we can't split them out.
Where the roster comes from, by position
Buys K via the portal
100%
#1 of 56 stints
Grows Running back from high school
75%
#162 of 208 stints
Grows Interior line from high school
79%
#173 of 224 stints
Postseason detail2021: Lost to Purdue 45–48 TransPerfect Music City Bowl2022: Beat Clemson 31–14 Capital One Orange Bowl2023: Beat Iowa 35–0 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl2024: Lost to Ohio State 17–42 College Football Playoff First Round Game Presented by Allstate2025: Lost to Illinois 28–30 Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
24 NFL Draft picks: Josh Palmer (2021), Trey Smith (2021), Alontae Taylor (2022), Velus Jones Jr. (2022), Matthew Butler (2022), Cade Mays (2022), Theo Jackson (2022), Darnell Wright (2023) + 16 more
2 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Jalin Hyatt (2022), Cooper Mays (2024)