Nico Iamaleava isn’t the only Tennessee Football player who entered the spring transfer portal. Pete Thamel of ESPN is reporting that Vols junior defensive back John Slaughter is also leaving the program, at least for now, in obviously much quieter fashion than Iamaleava did.
Slaughter, who stands at 6’2″ 197 pounds, showed a bright future after playing all 13 games as a true freshman in 2023 and being a part of the rotation at safety in 2024. There was a strong possibility that he could be a starter in 2025 for unit that needs to improve on the back end of the secondary.
As a result, a guy like Slaughter entering the portal would seem to be bad news for Tennessee Football. However, this actually means something much better for the Vols, and it should give fans every reason to be excited about what is brewing for that unit.
This move by Slaughter follows the move by Christian Harrison in the winter portal. Both happened after a season in which Jourdan Thomas did not play due to injury. Now, Thomas is back, and remember, he was generating all the hype at safety this time last year.
Taking that into account, it’s a safe bet Slaughter entered the portal because he realized in the spring Thomas was still too good for him to beat out. Andre Turrentine and Jakobe Thomas are still safeties in the rotation as well, and they should be even better this year.
As a result, Tim Banks and Willie Martinez have much better depth to work with at that position, and that’s likely why Slaughter left. Would he have been good for depth? Sure, but it’s more important that the two main players are better and arguably the best of the bunch is back.
It’s especially important for the UT safeties to be much better this year given Jermod McCoy’s ACL tear. The Vols’ All-American cornerback is expected to be back for the start of the season, but it’s hard to see him being at 100 percent, so while Rickey Gibson III and Jalen McMurray are solid, and while Boo Carter is elite, they need more safety help.
Thomas was going to be a huge part of that, but it had to be clear he is able to step into that role after missing all of last year. Slaughter entering the portal makes it clear he’ll be able to do that. Everybody should wish the best for Slaughter, but Tennessee Football is in good shape.
