Tennessee Vols should pursue transfer defensive lineman to bolster its front for 2024
The outlook of the Tennessee Vols’ roster remains unknown for 2024, with some seniors having remaining eligibility, with players yet to declare their NFL draft plans, and with the transfer portal set to add and subtract a sizable number of players. As such, the Vols could potentially be losing a good bit of talent across the roster, including the defensive front.
However, in today’s college football world, help is just around the corner. And there could be some big help (figuratively and literally) coming out of Durham, NC.
Duke DL Aeneas Peebles announced on his Twitter/X account this week that he’ll be entering the transfer portal.
The 6’1″, 286-pound Peebles was a three-star prospect coming out of Knightdale High School (Knightdale, NC) in the 2020 recruiting class. He was arguably the best player on the 7-5 Blue Devils’ roster this season. He finished with 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks.
Peebles was Duke’s highest graded defensive starter in 2023, per Pro Football Focus. He earned an overall defensive grade of 85.6 for the year, with a run defense grade of 82.4 and a pass rush grade of 82.2. For the season he totaled a solid pressure rate of 10.8%.
One of the Vols’ biggest issues in recent years against teams like Georgia and Alabama has been UT’s lack of quality depth in their defensive front. With 38 games under his belt for the Blue Devils, Peebles could provide some much-needed experience. He also has proven to be a versatile player, adept both in maintaining his responsibilities against the run and getting after the passer. That kind of balance doesn’t grow on trees.
Peebles will undoubtedly be a commodity in demand by many teams. However, if Josh Heupel and his staff can find a way to land him, then that would be a big boost to a team that’s looking to continue to infuse difference makers into its defense for 2024.
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