Tennessee football linebacker Elijah Herring to enter transfer portal

Days after Tennessee completed spring football camp, one returning starter on defense is entering the transfer portal.

Elijah Herring, who started 11 games at the MIKE linebacker position last season announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal late Monday night.

The spring portal window opens on Tuesday.

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Herring, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, made the announcement via X (formerly Twitter).

Herring was a three-star in-state prospect from Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro when he signed with the Vols in the 2022 class.

He appeared in 13 games as a freshman, mainly on special teams and as a reserve linebacker, totaling 11 tackles and two sacks.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Herring stepped into a starting role as a sophomore in the second game of the 2023 season after starter Keenan Pili suffered a season-ending injury in Tennessee's season opener against Virginia.

Herring led the defense with 76 tackles along with four tackles for loss and half of a sack. He tied career highs in tackles with eight in games against Alabama and UConn.

Herring missed much of the spring with injury.

Tennessee is set to return Pili, Arion Carter, Kalib Perry and Jeremiah Telander at linebacker while freshman newcomer Edwin Spillman could work his way into early playing time.

First-year linebackers coach William Inge said earlier this month that the linebackers room was working to be multiple this spring, with the ability to play both MIKE and WILL positions.

Carter saw increased playing time as a freshman last season because of Pili's injury before suffering his own injury late in the year that kept him no-contact throughout spring practices.

It is unclear what the coaching staff will do to replace Herring or whether or not it will look to add depth at the position, though fourth year head coach Josh Heupel discussed the transfer portal following the spring game last Saturday.

"End of the day, you’re trying to make your roster as good as it can be," Heupel said. "We’ll go through that process, have exit meetings with our own players. I think the culture piece is extremely important in particular at this time of the year because there’s not a lot of time with them before you get to training camp. So it’s gotta be mature guys that you’re bringing into your program, too.”

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