Tennessee football gets Penn State DT Xavier Gilliam from transfer portal

5 days ago 2

Penn State defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam will transfer to Tennessee football to reunite with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and other former Nittany Lions assistant coaches.

Gilliam adds experience to a Tennessee defensive line that touts talent but must replace veterans. He is a is a 6-foot-2, 300-pounder who played 17 games over two seasons at Penn State.

In 2024, Gilliam played four games and took a redshirt. In 2025, he had 16 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, a sack and forced fumble in 13 games, including two starts. He has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Gilliam, a native of Montgomery Village, Maryland, came to Penn State as a three-star recruit in the 2024 class. He entered the portal as a four-star transfer and ranked as the No. 3 defensive lineman, according to 247Sports.

Gilliam is well acquainted with at least three new Tennessee assistant coaches and Knowles' defensive scheme. At Penn State, he played under Knowles, co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach Anthony Poindexter and edge rushers coach Andrew Jackson.

But veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner will serve as Gilliam's primary coach because he's an interior lineman.

Gilliam is Tennessee's fifth player added from the portal. He joins Kansas State safety Qua Moss, LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams, Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee and Louisville kicker Cooper Ranvier.

Where Xavier Gilliam fits on Tennessee defense line

Tennessee must replace a lot of experience and some depth on the defensive line. Veterans Joshua Josephs, Bryson Eason, Dominic Bailey, Tyre West and Jaxson Moi exhausted their eligibility.

Edge rusher Jordan Ross, edge rusher Caleb Herring, defensive tackle Jamal Wallace, edge rusher Jayden Loftin, defensive end Kellen Lindstrom and edge rusher Emmanuel Okoye entered the portal.

Eason, Moi and sometimes Bailey played on the interior, where Gilliam will fill a role in the rotation.

Daevin Hobbs and Nathan Robinson return as experienced defensive linemen. Hobbs had 30 tackles and three sacks in eight games in 2025. Robinson had 14 tackles and 2.5 tackles-for-loss in 13 games. Both have dealt with injuries during their career.

Ethan Utley and Isaiah Campbell showed promise as freshman defensive linemen in 2025.

Of course, nothing is assumed about the depth chart with a new scheme and revamped defensive coaching staff. But Gilliam's experience in Knowles' system should allow him to compete for a starting position.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Xavier Gilliam: Tennessee football gets Penn State DT from transfer portal

Read Entire Article