SEC Football: Most important newcomers for each team in 2021

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A welcome message for the new University of Tennessee football coach, Josh Heupel, on a billboard on Alcoa Highway in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.Coach Josh Heupel 2021 125333 /

14. Tennessee Volunteers

The Tennessee Volunteers need bodies. After the firing of Jeremy Pruitt and the hiring of Josh Heupel, the Vols saw a mass exodus of players head for the transfer portal. Three quarterbacks from last season, including last season’s starter Jarrett Guarantano, have all transferred. Starting running back and the offense’s best player last season, Eric Gray is headed to Oklahoma, and fellow running back Ty Chandler is going to North Carolina.

Last season’s best player, linebacker Henry To’o To’o is in the portal possibly headed to Tuscaloosa to play for Nick Saban. The Volunteers have lost 26 players to the portal, according to 247sports.com. They need players. Here are some that could help:

Hendon Hooker (transfer), QB: Virginia Tech transfer quarterback Hendon Hooker adds desperately needed depth at quarterback for the Volunteers. Hooker might not precisely fit Heupel’s system, but the grad transfer does have enough arm for Heupel’s vertical passing game. More than anything else, Hooker gives the Vols’ a scholarship quarterback which,h they need since three transferred.
Kaidon Salter, QB: Salter comes in as the only quarterback signed in the 2021 class. Salter gives the Volunteers four scholarship quarterbacks, including Harrison Bailey, Brian Mauer, and Hendon Hooker. Salter is a four-star dual-threat quarterback who gives Heupel a young prospect to mold and develop. Salter is a good athlete with a good arm who might no be ready for prime time just yet. However, Salter might find himself in the mix to start in the fall with a new coach.
Tiyon Evans (JUCO), RB: The Volunteers signed two running backs in this past cycle, and Evans is the best and most ready to play. Evan, a JUCO signee from Kansas, is the top-rated running back from the junior college ranks and the third-rated JUCO prospect. Evans comes to Knoxville with ideal size (5-foot-10 and 215 pounds) and can be a plug-and-play starter from day one. With their two best running backs gone, Evans is one of two scholarship runners the Volunteers have right now.

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