National media outlet looks foolish after slamming Tennessee Vols' spring transfer portal efforts

The worst Tennessee Vols take of the offseason was delivered on Tuesday. 

And it's a doozy. 

Rivals.com graded how each SEC team did during the spring transfer window and they gave the Vols a D, which was the lowest grade for any SEC program. 

The Vols haven't added any players from the portal during the spring window. Two Tennessee players who weren't high on the depth chart, linebacker Elijah Herring and defensive back Cristian Conyer, entered the portal during the spring window. 

From Rivals.com: Other than losing a starting linebacker in Herring, it was a sleepy spring portal on Rocky Top. Herring led the Volunteers with 80 tackles last season. Still, Tennessee is in an OK spot at the linebacker position where it returns veterans Keenan Pili and Kalib Perry to go with rising talents Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.

It looks like Rivals is zeroing in on the Vols losing Herring as their basis for giving Tennessee a D. 

That take reeks of being uninformed. 

Herring was a "starter" for the Vols last season due to injuries and the inexperience (at the time) of UT's linebacker room. 

After starting linebacker Keenan Pili went down with a season-ending injury in Tennessee's first game of the year, Herring was forced into a bigger role for the Vols. 

Entering the 2024 season, Herring wasn't expected to play a big role for the Vols. He was mostly going to serve as a depth option with Pili returning and more talented options like Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander poised to play a bigger role on Rocky Top this fall. 

Characterizing Herring as a "starter" for Tennessee simply isn't accurate. 

The correct grade for the Vols' spring transfer portal efforts should be N/A. 

Tennessee didn't lose any key players. And their depth wasn't seriously impacted with the losses of Herring and Conyer. That's why the Vols haven't (to this point) strongly pursued any players from the transfer portal. 

Just because the portal exists doesn't mean it has to be constantly utilized.

Tennessee addressed some areas of concern in December/January when the portal first opened. As a result, those needs were met months ago, resulting in a quiet spring for the Vols. 

If anything, Tennessee should be praised for not having to turn to the portal after spring practice.