Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel won’t be bringing on top transfer portal quarterback target Josh Hoover, who will stick with TCU, per On3’s Peter Nakos.
“TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is not entering the transfer portal, his representatives told On3 on Wednesday afternoon. The decision comes amidst rumors of Hoover being a possible target for Tennessee in the transfer portal,” Nakos wrote.
“Hoover is locked in and staying with TCU, though. Tennessee has already begun to vet several options, especially with the sales pitch of playing in the SEC.”
As Nakos points out, Nico Iamaleava’s departure from Rocky Top led to a near reset of the market. That reset benefited the incumbent team in most scenarios.
“ESPN reported Saturday that one quarterback already got more money from his school Friday after Tennessee’s collective called third-party officials tied to him. Multiple sources have told On3 that they expect a ripple effect, with non-SEC Power Four quarterbacks around the country expected to receive raises in light of the Tennessee opening,” Nakos wrote.
Iamaleava is now committed to UCLA. His camp has been blamed for costing him literal millions in NIL.
At the same time, Heupel and the Vols have been criticized for not having a backup plan.
“Here’s the reality: Tennessee is screwed. They got a problem. You lose a potential high draft pick. You have the backup quarterback left last year and now you have a redshirt freshman that threw nine passes as a freshman. You have zero experience, and the portal opens as we speak. They are going to have to go get one,” Meyer said on "The Triple Option" podcast.
Heupel has to get his transfer portal quarterback right after not agreeing to pay the QB who had the Vols in the College Football Playoff for the first time last year.