J.J. Peterson enters transfer portal

The roster churn continues in Knoxville tonight, as the Volunteers have lost another one to the transfer portal. Former four-star linebacker J.J. Peterson is reportedly in the portal after never really finding his footing in Knoxville.

Peterson was a big get for Jeremy Pruitt — one of his first wins over his old boss Nick Saban on the recruiting trail. Peterson was a top 50 overall recruit in the class of 2018, and was expected to make an immediate impact for Pruitt at Tennessee. However, a struggle with grades delayed Peterson’s arrival, ultimately tanking his first season with the Vols — and it never recovered.

Henry To’o To’o, Jeremy Banks, Quavaris Crouch and others all beat out Peterson on the depth chart, as the Colquitt County product was never really a player for a starting gig.

Tennessee’s roster is gutted at this point. The Volunteers have seen a number of transfers since the end of the season, including Crouch, To’o To’o, Key Lawrence, Wanya Morris and Eric Gray. Whoever takes this job will have a massive rebuild ahead, and will have to attack the transfer portal to address depth issues.