National media is trying to sell a false narrative about the Tennessee Vols this offseason

It's unclear why it's the case, but the national media has been trying to sell a false narrative about the Tennessee Vols over the last month and it continued this week thanks to Rivals.com. 

For some reason, several national media outlets have tried to make Tennessee's loss of linebacker Elijah Herring to the NCAA transfer portal a bigger issue for the program than it really is (Herring recently announced that he's transferring to Memphis). 

On Sunday, Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney ranked the five biggest transfer linebackers of the offseason and Herring was No. 1 on his list. 

"Tennessee’s loss is Memphis’ huge gain here as Herring led the Volunteers in tackles this past season with 79 and he’s the top-ranked linebacker right now in the transfer portal," wrote Gorney. "There is not a clear reason why Herring, who was really emerging as a top linebacker in the SEC, left Tennessee but it could be because there was a position coach change. Either way, the Tigers are getting one of the top players in the portal and he could be an immediate contributor in Memphis’ defense."

Gorney's note that there isn't a clear reason why Herring left Tennessee is a bit perplexing. He's correct that there was a position coach change (linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary left Tennessee for Michigan...he was replaced by former Washington linebackers coach William Inge, an instantly popular hire), but that's not what led to Herring's transfer from Tennessee. 

Herring, despite playing a significant role for the Vols last season after Keenan Pili suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the year, was going to be buried on the depth chart at Tennessee this fall. 

With Pili set to return in 2024, plus the emergence of young linebackers like Arion Carter, Jeremiah Telander, and Kalib Perry (plus the addition of four-star true freshman Edwin Spillman), it was going to be tough for Herring to find playing time at UT. 

There is no mystery here. Herring wants to play and he probably wasn't going to see the field much if he stuck around at Tennessee...so he transferred. This isn't the big loss for the Vols that the national media wants you to think it is. 

Herring is a talented player. And he should be able to thrive at Memphis. But the struggles he showed at times at Tennessee -- a lack of elite sideline to sideline speed and his issues in pass coverage -- limited his upside in the SEC. 

Sometimes, a transfer just makes sense. And that was the case with Herring. 

Tennessee's defense, meanwhile, won't miss a beat. And that's no slight against Herring, it's just the state of the Vols' defense thanks to the depth the program has been able to build in recent years.