Tennessee lands transfer pledge from former Penn State defender
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Tennessee plucked a 4-star defensive line talent out of the transfer portal on Thursday night, getting a commitment from former Penn State standout Xavier Gilliam.
Gilliam was one of the top-ranked defensive linemen available in the portal, so this was a big score for the Volunteers as they try to turn the page to 2026 after a 5-loss season in 2025. Making the commitment even more noteworthy for Tennessee were the 2 programs it beat out to get Gilliam — Indiana, who’s 2 wins away from winning the national title, and Notre Dame, which went 10-2 this past season and narrowly missed making the College Football Playoff.
The prize defensive lineman from the Big Ten took official visits to all 3 schools this week, but when it was time to make his decision, the 6-foot-2, 300-pound behemoth chose the SEC and Tennessee.
The Tennessee-Penn State offseason connection was working well again in Knoxville with Gilliam’s commitment. The Volunteers recently hired Jim Knowles away from Penn State to be their new defensive coordinator, so Gilliam is in effect following Knowles from State College.
Knowles is also bringing 2 assistants with him from Penn State for the 2026 season, as he tries to retain some continuity at Tennessee from what he had in Happy Valley. Now with Gilliam’s commitment, there will be a very familiar face for Knowles to continue coaching in Knoxville this fall.
Gilliam was a redshirt freshman during the 2025 season, starting 2 games and finishing with 15 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss and 0.5 sacks. After scratching the surface in State College this past fall, Gilliam will try to break out this fall in the SEC, under the same defensive coordinator.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
