Tennessee lands transfer commitment from FCS tight end
By David Wasson
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers continued to add to their 2026 recruiting class over the weekend, reportedly earning the transfer commitment of former UT Martin tight end Drake Martinez.
Originally reported by 247Sports, Martin offered his pledge during a busy weekend in Knoxville that also saw the Volunteers receive transfer commitments from FCS product Ian Duarte from Idaho State and from former Miami and Vanderbilt product Ja’Dais Richard.
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Martinez, a 6-foot-3, 245-pounder with one season of eligibility remaining, was a strong player in his lone season with the Skyhawks – recording 18 catches for 124 yards and a touchdown. Before transferring to UT Martin, Martinez spent the 2024 season at Houston Christian, 2023 at McNeese State and the 2021 and 2022 seasons at Colorado State.
Martinez is the 21st player who has committed to Tennessee via the NCAA Transfer Portal for the 2026 cycle. The Volunteers are coming off a disappointing 8-5 overall record and 4-4 mark in SEC play – including a 30-28 loss to Illinois in the Music City Bowl.
Veteran coach Josh Heupel is set to begin his sixth season at Tennessee. Heupel’s Vols went 11-2 in 2022 and 10-3 in 2024 – the latter campaign also coming with a College Football Playoff berth. Tennessee opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 at home vs. Furman.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
