He will reunite with his former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. Tennessee hired Knowles as defensive coordinator following the 2025 regular season. He was Penn State's defensive coordinator in 2025 after serving in the same capacity at Ohio State from 2022-24.

Tennessee football adds Penn State transfer defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam to the 2026 roster. Gilliam is a redshirt freshman. He is now the fourth player Tennessee has picked up from the transfer portal. 📸 : AP Images pic.twitter.com/ARA9GlpB5A

The Tennessee Volunteers are now predicted to land one of the better players remaining on their board in the transfer portal. They have been targeting many of t

Tennessee scored a huge win in the transfer portal for its defensive unit in 2026, as it tries to pick up the pieces from a 5-loss season.