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Tennessee has once again grabbed additional assistance through the transfer channel, snatching up some much-needed support in the secondary. Veteran cornerback Jalen McMurray, who spent his final three seasons playing for Temple, declared his commitment to Tennessee on Tuesday afternoon.

McMurray had gone through the portal on December 27. The 6-0 cornerback had 27 appearances for Temple, recording 90 tackles, one interception, and 12 pass breakups. Having redshirted in 2021, he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

In addition, McMurray visited Illinois and Bowling Green before deciding on Tennessee. In Tennessee’s portal class, he joins Jermod McCoy at cornerback, providing the Volunteers another a much-needed veteran at the position. With the departure of all five of its starters following the season, Tennessee is expected to replace its entire secondary this summer.

Tennessee saw seven defensive backs sign with the programme overall, which led to an absurd amount of secondary turnover. In the spring, all those slots will be up for grabs, with Rickey Gibson leading the charge at the corner. You can now add another name to the mix because Willie Martinez will be attempting to solve this problem.

McMurray, who is about 6’0 and 180 pounds, was an Owls cornerback. This past season, he was a Redshirt-Sophomore with a strong CV from Temple. The transfer corner was selected as an All-Freshman during his redshirt freshman campaign. He led the team in pass breakups overall and finished the season with 49 tackles, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception. His redshirt sophomore season included 24 tackles and four pass breakups.

McMurray becomes the latest addition to the Tennessee Volunteers’ roster of gifted incoming transfers. After Jermod McCoy from Oregon State and Jakobe Thomas from Middle Tennessee State, he is the third defensive back to transfer to Tennessee. Holden Staes and Chris Brazzell, who will play on the offensive line, are also moving to Tennessee.

Whether he plays as a starter or a reserve for Tennessee, McMurray will probably be a huge asset because the Volunteers have already lost seven defensive backs to transfers and had many others declare their plans to join the draft.