NIL and the transfer portal have flipped the entire college sports world upside down, stripping away structure and trust. With the pay-for-play norm blurring the line between rules and chaos, Tennessee’s AD draws a hard line when it comes to “cheating” to get in their desired players.

“There are schools that don’t intend to submit (NIL deals) through the (NIL) clearinghouse, and I think that’s a low-integrity move. It’s akin to paying players under the table in the old world,” Vols AD Danny White said to KnoxNews’ Adam Sparks.  “If we’re going to have rules, then people need to follow them. And if they don’t, there need to be penalties.”

Tennessee’s quarterback concerns grow rapidly after Joey McGuire’s lawsuit against the NCAA is postponed indefinitely, leaving the program stuck in limbo. Josh Heupel already saw key targets committing to other programs, like Sam Leavitt going to LSU. Now, NIL and Lane Kiffin’s move to go to Knoxville to make sure Leavitt comes to Baton Rouge are added into this process. Even TCU’s Josh Hoover made a move to Indiana.

That ended Josh Heupel’s hopes to land a top portal QB, which is why White wants a fair process where “cheating” isn’t the case. Now, revenue sharing gives athletes $20.5 million while allowing third-party NIL deals, which are reviewed by the NIL GO clearinghouse. But many teams go beyond the rules to secure their players.

Remember back in 2024 when the NCAA penalized Florida State after an assistant coach facilitated an improper recruiting contact between a transfer portal prospect and a booster? According to the NCAA, the booster offered the prospect a $15,000 per month NIL deal to come to FSU. The same chaos happened between Miami and Wisconsin, where the Badgers filed a lawsuit against them for tampering with CB Xavier Lucas to go to Miami.

So, when Danny White is talking about cheating in the portal to grab your favorite player, he wasn’t joking. But it turns out White didn’t do his homework before making a huge “cheating” statement. Back in 2023, Tennessee was penalized for more than 200 rule infractions in the football program, including 18 Level I violations.

Those violations involved about $60,000 in improper benefits for recruits and were described by the NCAA as “one of the worst” cases they have seen. While they squarely avoided the postseason ban, they had to pay a hefty amount of $8 million.

The chaos doesn’t stop there. During an interview with On3, Alabama’s QB Ty Simpson claims that the Vols offered him up to $4 million to return to college football despite him not being in the portal. So if that’s not tampering, then what is?

With that, Tennessee is now hunting a QB more than ever.

Josh Heupel might finally land a QB for 2026

Tennessee needs an experienced QB on its team after Aguilar’s eligibility status became uncertain, and George MacIntyre and Mason Phillips remained low on playing time. However, the chaos might finally come to rest, as Josh Heupel might have his eye on one key QB.

Duke’s transfer QB Darian Mensah can be the Vols’ next starter, as he is one of the most productive passers in the country. In the 2025 season, he finished with the second-most passing yards nationally, throwing 34 touchdown passes. For now, there’s been no official linking between the two, but recruiting a productive player like him will add an instant starter to the QB room.

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However, Miami remains their top competition, as after Carson Beck’s move, they need a player who can be immediately productive. Now, let’s wait and see which team finally grabs his commitment and makes an impact in the 2026 season.