4 quarterbacks that Tennessee football could target in transfer portal
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Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel hasn’t announced that the Vols are in the transfer market for a 2026 quarterback, but there are strong indicators.
UT starter Joey Aguilar has exhausted his eligibility unless there’s movement in Diego Pavia lawsuit challenging the NCAA eligibility rules. Time is running out on that possibility.
Redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger is expected to enter the transfer portal, but he hasn’t announced his plans. Freshman George MacIntyre was a lauded recruit, but he barely played for the Vols this season. Five-star freshman Faizon Brandon will enroll in January, but starting a true freshman could be risky in the ultra-competitive SEC with College Football Playoff bids on the line.
If Aguilar can’t return and Merklinger enters the portal, Tennessee will need a transfer quarterback to fill at least a three-person position group. The question is whether the Vols would add a surefire starter or a optional starter to compete with MacIntyre and Brandon.
These quarterbacks have announced they’ll enter the portal when it opens Jan. 2 and could be options for the Vols.
Brendan Sorsby (Cincinatti)
Brendan Sorsby was a three-star recruit in the 2022 class, who has overachieved to become a productive dual-threat college quarterback. He spent two seasons at Indiana, including a redshirt year, and the past two seasons at Cincinnati’s starter.
In his college career, Sorsby has passed for 7,208 yards, 60 TDs and 18 interceptions. And he has rushed for 1,305 yards and 22 TDs. He has tossed more than one interception in only three of his 35 career games.
In the 2025 season at Cincinnati, Sorsby passed for 2,800 yards, 27 TDs and five interceptions. He ranked second in the Big 12 in passer rating. And he rushed for 580 yards and nine TDs.
Sorsby makes a lot of sense for Tennessee. He’s an accurate passer who rarely throws interceptions, and he can run the ball. Last summer, Sorsby told ESPN’s Greg McElroy that Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium is where he’d love to play a game because he watched a couple of games there as a kid.
He is reportedly exploring his NFL draft stock, but a sizable NIL payout likely could keep him in college. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
DJ Lagway (Florida)
DJ Lagway was a five-star recruit and the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports Composite. At Florida, he displayed flashes of elite talent but also inconsistency, a rash of turnovers and tendency for injuries.
Lagway completed 62% of his passes for 4,179 yards, 28 TDs and 23 interceptions over two seasons with the Gators. And he rushed for 237 yards and one TD. In the 2025 season, Lagway passed for 2,264 yards, 16 TDs and 14 interceptions, which led the SEC.
Lagway would be an intriguing project if Heupel can tap into his talent and reduce his interceptions. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Dylan Raiola (Nebraska)
Dylan Raiola was a five-star recruit and the No. 3 rated quarterback in the 2024 class. He has spent the last two seasons at Nebraska. In November, he suffered a season-ending broken fibula, so any team picking him up must consider that.
Raiola has completed 69% of his passes for 4,819 yards, 31 TDs and 17 interceptions over two seasons. In the 2025 season, he completed 72% of his passes for 2,000 yards, 18 TDs and six interceptions.
Raiola has two seasons of eligibility. He is a five-star talent who appeared to turn the corner as an accurate, productive passer this season.
Kenny Minchey (Notre Dame)
Kenny Minchey, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class out of Pope John Paul II. He signed with Notre Dame after initially committing to Pittsburgh.
Minchey showed promise at Notre Dame, but he was squeezed out of competitions for the starting job. In three seasons (including a redshirt year), he completed 23 of 29 passes for 212 yards. And he rushed for 96 yards and two TDs.
Minchey has played only 10 games and never started. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. If Tennessee added him from the portal, he would not arrive as the surefire starter. Instead, he would compete with MacIntyre and Brandon for the starting job and round out the quarterback group.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Brendan Sorsby, DJ Lagway could be Tennessee football quarterback picks
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