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Tennessee football, Josh Heupel make first transfer portal addition for 2026 roster
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- Tennessee football, Josh Heupel make first transfer portal addition for 2026 roster
Tennessee football landed its first transfer portal commitment of 2026 in Kansas State safety Qua Moss .
Moss, who announced his commitment on social media Jan. 4, is a key addition for the Vols' defense, which was a weakness in 2025. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has already made significant changes to his defensive staff, and now he's secured his first defensive commitment out of the portal.
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Moss is ranked as the No. 27 safety in the transfer portal by 247Sports. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound safety started his career at Dodge Community College in Kansas before transferring to West Georgia. In his lone season with Kansas State , Moss recorded 41 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
Moss will help fill the vacancy left by safety Andre Turrentine, a two-year starter who exhausted his eligibility.
Heupel reshaped his defensive staff after a lackluster season for Tennessee's defense. He fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and secondary coach Willie Martinez , and outside linebacker coach Levorn Harbin will no longer be part of the on-field coaching staff.
Heupel hired former Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, former Penn State co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter (co-defensive coordinator/secondary), former Penn State assistant Andrew Jackson (cornerbacks) and former Ohio State assistant Michael Hunter Jr. (edge rushers). Heupel retained defensive line coach Rodney Garner and linebackers coach William Inge.
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The Vols have seen 22 players enter the transfer portal , including 17 on scholarship, after Tennessee posted an 8-5 record this season, which ended with a 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football lands Qua Moss of Kansas State in transfer portal
