COMMENTARY: This Volunteers transfer could be Tennessee's biggest addition

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a disappointing 2025 football season, the Tennessee Volunteers took to the transfer portal to address multiple positions of need, particularly across the defense.

Adding defensive backs like Kayin Lee, Qua Moss, and T.J. Metcalf, along with key offensive pieces like running back Javin Gordon, the Volunteers are poised for a bounce-back season in 2026.

Perhaps the most important acquisition, though, is one that many Volunteer fans may be entirely unaware of.

Part of the Volunteers’ struggles a season ago stemmed from disastrous performances on special teams, most notably the inconsistency of former Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert.

Though Gilbert did not miss a single PAT across his two seasons on Rocky Top, he was just 13-for-21 on field goal attempts from beyond 39 yards.

Additionally, he split the uprights on just 75.6% of field goal attempts, also missing three kicks inside of 40 yards.

Gilbert also converted on just 66.7% of attempts ranging from 30-39 yards last season, the lowest mark among SEC kickers who had more than five such attempts. 

What the stat sheet does not show is Gilbert’s complete inability to make kicks at crucial points in SEC games, most notably a game-winning opportunity against the Georgia Bulldogs in September.

The Volunteers ultimately lost in overtime, 44-41.

Gilbert also came up empty on two field goal attempts in the first half of a 2024 matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide, nearly costing them an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Luckily for the Volunteers, Gilbert transferred to Arkansas following the 2025 season, bringing his tumultuous Tennessee tenure to a bitter end.

In response, Tennessee poached one of the ACC’s top legs from a season ago, luring sophomore Cooper Ranvier away from the Louisville Cardinals.

Last season, Ranvier nailed 84% of his field goal attempts, good for the fifth highest mark in the ACC, while also going 13-13 inside of 40 yards.   

Ranvier’s skill set, however, extends well beyond just being remarkably accurate. Having hit two 50-plus yard field goals in 2025, the Lexington, Kentucky native also has the range to be a threat from deep.

Further, he only missed one field goal inside of 50 yards, demonstrating the consistency that the Volunteers have longed for at the kicker position for the past two seasons.

With true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon at the helm for the Volunteers in 2026, points will likely be at a premium, especially considering the team’s ridiculous strength of schedule.

Ranvier being that safety blanket for a young offense makes Brandon’s job exponentially easier.

With that being said, however, he does not have to be spectacular in order to be a step-up from Gilbert.

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