Tennessee's defensive line will retain some of its depth after all.

A day after reports surfaced that Jayson Jenkins planned to enter the transfer portal, the upcoming redshirt sophomore has decided to remain with the Vols.

VolQuest's Matt Ray was the first to report on Tuesday.

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Jenkins, a former four-star prospect from New Jersey in Tennessee's 2022 signing class, has appeared in seven games over the last two seasons. He played in six games as a redshirt freshman in 2023, totaling four tackles and a tackle for loss.

Following the transfer of starting defensive end Tyler Baron in December, the 6-foot-6, 280-pound saw an increased role, playing 13 snaps in the Vols' 35-0 win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.

"Jayson (Jenkins) is a blue collar guy," Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner said last month. "He just comes to work every day with his lunchbox and he puts int he work and you have seen that guy grow leaps and bounds, incrementally. I mean, he truly has taken steps where he can really have a role on this defense and I think he's gained the respect of his pears, because nobody has given him anything. I mean, he's had to work for every little thing that he has gotten."

Tennessee is set to return much of its production on the defensive front next season with junior Tyre West expected to anchor the edge opposite James Pearce Jr. at defensive end with redshirt senior Dominic Bailey, highly touted freshman newcomer Jordan Ross and potentially Jenkins factoring into the rotation.

Though the Vols are expected to have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC, much of those players will be gone after next season, making Jenkins' decision to return more important for the future of the position.

As it stands, Tennessee has had one player enter the transfer portal since the spring window opened last week. Sophomore linebacker and leading tackler Elijah Herring entered on April 15.

The spring window runs through April 30.

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