Tennessee tight end Holden Staes intends to enter the transfer portal after spending just one year with the Volunteer program, On3’s Hayes Fawcett first reported on Thursday afternoon.
Staes enters the transfer portal after spending just one season at Tennessee and catching 15 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Vols’ win over North Carolina State.
The junior tight end was an off-and-on starter for Tennessee alongside Miles Kitselman but he played a major role in every game this season. With Tennessee playing more 12 personnel, Staes got more playing time. He totaled 427 snaps over the course of the season and earned a 57.7 PFF grade.
An Atlanta native, Staes played his first two college seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Tennessee last offseason. He played sparingly as a freshman in 2022 but had a solid 2023 season for the Fighting Irish, catching 15 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns.
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How impactful Staes departure is depends on the status of Miles Kitselman. The Alabama transfer tight end was originally out of eligibility after this season but now has one more year of eligibility due to the court ruling for Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia which stated that years at junior college do not count against player’s eligibility.
Since Kitselman played his freshman season at a junior college he now has an additional year of eligibility. If Kitselman opts to use it then Staes’ departure to the transfer portal won’t be overly important.
The Vols also return sophomore tight end Ethan Davis and are bringing in a pair of blue-chip freshmen tight ends including Da’Saahn Brame and Jack Van Dorselaer. Tennessee could look to add another tight end in the transfer portal if they don’t want to have to rely on a freshman to be its third tight end next season.
Staes is the 10th Tennessee scholarship player to enter the transfer portal this offseason and the first tight end. The Vols also lost walk-on tight end Charlie Browder to the transfer portal. Stay up to date with all Tennessee football transfer portal news with the RTI Transfer Portal tracker.
