Four Tennessee football players ranked in ESPN's top-100 newcomers for 2026 season

Four Tennessee football players made ESPN’s ranking of the top-100 newcomers for the 2026 season on Tuesday, including three transfers and a true freshman in defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam, quarterback Faizon Brandon, edge rusher Chaz Coleman and cornerback Kayin Lee.

Indiana transfer quarterback Josh Hoover topped the list at No. 1, ahead of Texas transfer wide receiver Cam Coleman, LSU transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, Miami transfer quarterback Darian Mensah and LSU offensive tackle Jordan Seaton. Rounding out the top 10 was Penn State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht, LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, Oklahoma State transfer quarterback Drew Mestemaker, Miami edge rusher Damon Wilson II and Oregon safety Koi Perich. 

No. 20 Xavier Gilliam

Xavier Gilliam, the 6-foot-2, 301-pounder had 16 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in 17 games over the past two seasons. In 13 games this season he finished with 15 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. He was a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle and was ranked No. 63 among defensive linemen. He played for new Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at Penn State.

No. 22 Faizon Brandon

Faizon Brandon, 6-foot-4, 215-pound freshman quarterback, is battling redshirt freshman George MacIntyre for the starting job. He was a five-star prospect in the 2026 recruiting class out of Greensboro, N.C. He was the first commitment in the class for Tennessee and finished ranked No. 9 overall in the Rivals Industry rating. He was the No. 3 quarterback in the class and the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. 

No. 27 Chaz Coleman

The future remains uncertain for Chaz Coleman, the Penn State edge transfer who hasn’t been involved in team activities with the Vols since the spring. ESPN noted “the transition to Knoxville has not been smooth, so expectations should be tempered.” He was the highest-ranked edge rusher in the portal after recording 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sacks in nine games at Penn State as a freshman this season. He recovered two fumbles, forced another and had one pass defended. Coleman was a four-star prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking, ranked No. 208 in the 2025 class. He was the No. 25 edge rusher in the country and the No. 8 overall prospect out of Ohio.

No. 68 Kayin Lee

Kayin Lee, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound corner from Ellenwood, Ga., had 81 tackles, 2.0 sacks and three interceptions while playing in 36 games over the last three seasons at Auburn. He had 18 tackles as a freshman in 2023, then 32 in 2024 and 31 last season. He picked off two passes in 2024 and another one this season, while also recording 17 passes defended in his three seasons with the Tigers. He was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, ranked No. 126 nationally, No. 13 at cornerback and No. 7 in the state of Georgia.