Tennessee Football Faces Secondary Shake-Up as Safety Jakobe Thomas Enters Transfer Portal
In a significant development for the Tennessee Volunteers football program, redshirt senior safety Jakobe Thomas has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal. The announcement, made on Thursday, April 24, 2025, comes during the spring transfer window, which closes on Friday, April 25. This decision by Thomas, who was widely projected to be a starting safety for the Vols in the upcoming 2025 season, creates an unexpected void in the team’s secondary and forces head coach Josh Heupel and his staff to reassess their defensive plans.
Thomas’s departure marks the third safety to enter the transfer portal from Tennessee this spring, following earlier decisions by redshirt senior Christian Charles and redshirt sophomore John Slaughter. This exodus of experienced defensive backs presents a considerable challenge for the Volunteers as they prepare for the 2025 campaign.
Jakobe Thomas arrived in Knoxville prior to the 2024 season after spending the first three years of his collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). During his time with the Blue Raiders, the Tullahoma, Tennessee native established himself as a capable defensive back, showcasing his athleticism and versatility. His transfer to his home-state program was seen as a homecoming and an opportunity to compete at the highest level of college football in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
In his lone season with the Volunteers in 2024, Thomas played in all 13 games, contributing both on defense and special teams. He recorded 22 total tackles, including 14 solo stops, along with two pass deflections and one sack, which came early in the season against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Thomas earned a solid 68.5 defensive grade, the second-highest among Tennessee safeties, trailing only Will Brooks, who has since graduated. His 263 defensive snaps were the third-most among the team’s safeties, highlighting his role as a key contributor.
With the graduation of Brooks, Thomas was expected to step into a prominent starting role in the Volunteers’ secondary alongside redshirt senior Andre Turrentine. Turrentine started all 12 games for Tennessee last season and was anticipated to anchor one of the safety positions. Thomas’s versatility also allowed him to play multiple roles in the defensive backfield, further increasing his value to the team.
The timing of Thomas’s transfer is particularly noteworthy as it occurs during the NCAA’s spring transfer portal window, which runs for ten days from April 16 to April 25. According to NCAA rules, undergraduate student-athletes who wish to be immediately eligible for the 2025 season at a new school must enter their names into the transfer portal during one of the designated windows. Graduate transfers, however, have more flexibility and can enter the portal at any time. As a redshirt senior with one year of eligibility remaining, Thomas would likely be seeking immediate playing time at his next destination.
The departure of Thomas, coupled with the earlier transfers of Charles and Slaughter, significantly impacts the depth and experience of Tennessee’s safety unit. Andre Turrentine is now the most experienced player at the position, having been a consistent starter in 2024. Beyond Turrentine, the depth chart becomes less certain.
Sophomore Edrees Farooq is a name that has been mentioned as a potential candidate to step into a larger role. Farooq showed flashes of potential as a freshman and could be in line for his first opportunity to start. Another option for the Volunteers could involve shifting redshirt junior Jourdan Thomas back to safety from the nickelback position. Jourdan Thomas missed the 2024 season due to a knee injury but saw action in 12 games as a sophomore in 2023. If this move were to occur, sophomore Boo Carter, who has experience at nickelback, could potentially step into that role.
The coaching staff may also look to the transfer portal to address the sudden need for experienced safety depth. While Tennessee has been relatively quiet in the transfer portal this offseason, focusing primarily on offensive additions such as quarterback Joey Aguilar, the situation in the secondary may necessitate a change in strategy. The ability to add a player with college game experience through the portal could be crucial in solidifying the safety position before the start of fall camp.
The NCAA transfer portal has become an increasingly influential factor in college football roster management. Established in 2018, the portal allows student-athletes to declare their intention to transfer to other institutions. Once a player’s name is entered into the database, other schools are permitted to contact them. A significant rule change in recent years allows first-time undergraduate transfers to be immediately eligible at their new school, provided they meet certain academic requirements and enter the portal during a designated transfer window. This has led to a greater volume of player movement across programs.
For Tennessee, the loss of a projected starter like Jakobe Thomas at this stage of the offseason presents a challenge, but it also creates an opportunity for other players on the roster to step up and compete for playing time. The development of young players like Farooq and the potential return and positional flexibility of Jourdan Thomas will be crucial to watch as the team moves forward. Additionally, the coaching staff’s approach to potentially utilizing the transfer portal to bolster the safety room will be a key storyline in the coming weeks.
As the spring transfer window nears its close, the Tennessee Volunteers will need to act quickly to assess their options and ensure they have adequate depth and talent at the safety position heading into the summer workouts and ultimately the 2025 football season. The impact of Jakobe Thomas’s decision will undoubtedly be felt, and the response of the program will be closely monitored by fans and analysts alike.
