Touted Tennessee Player Changes Plans in College Football Transfer Portal
The Tennessee Volunteers were on the field for the first time this spring on Friday. With their first spring practice, the Volunteers appeared to receive good news about a potential transfer.
247Sports’ Patrick Brown reported Tennessee starting cornerback Rickey Gibson III took the field for the team’s first spring practice. This was noteworthy because in late Feb., Gibson indicated plans to enter the transfer portal.
“The former 247Sports Composite four-star prospect started all 12 games he played for Tennessee as a sophomore in 2024, but cast uncertainty on his future with the program last week by telling On3 of his plans to hit the portal,” Brown wrote on Friday. “His presence on Friday morning, however, appears to be an encouraging sign that his future is at Tennessee, though things can change quickly in this new era of college football.”
On3’s Pete Nakos reported on March 6 that Gibson “remains with the team” and “is expected to go through” all spring practices with the Volunteers.
With that report, Nakos added “it appears the cornerback is staying” with the Volunteers. Although indicating plans to transfer, Gibson never left Tennessee.
Gibson has played the past two seasons at Tennessee. The cornerback posted 32 combined tackles, including two tackles for loss with five pass defenses and one forced fumble in 2024.
