A former five-star recruit who was a top target for the Tennessee Vols during the 2024 recruiting cycle has reportedly entered the NCAA transfer portal. 

According to a report from On3, Missouri Tigers edge rusher Williams Nwaneri plans to enter the portal. 

Nwaneri, 6-foot-6/257 lbs from Kansas City, MO, played in just four games for Missouri in 2024 which means he’ll be a redshirt freshman next fall. In those four games, Nwaneri totaled two tackles and a sack. He was rated as the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class. 

Tennessee was one of the programs heavily in the mix to land Nwaneri during the recruiting process. The Vols battled Missouri, Oklahoma, and Georgia for the former five-star recruit. 

When Nwaneri initially committed to the Tigers, there was speculation that a new state law in Missouri, which allowed high school players to profit from NIL deals once they signed a financial aid agreement with an in-state program, contributed to his decision. 

Whether or not that’s actually what convinced Nwaneri to sign with Missouri is debatable. What’s not debatable, though, is that NIL will play a factor in where Nwaneri lands as a transfer. 

Tennessee, by the way, actually has a unique connection to Nwaneri. The stud edge rusher’s former high school coach Jamar Mozee was teammates with Vols head coach Josh Heupel at Oklahoma. I doubt that makes a big impact on Nwaneri’s final decision, but it could be somewhat helpful to Tennessee if they pursue the Missouri native. 

And with James Pearce almost certainly heading to the NFL after the 2024 season, there’s no doubt that Tennessee should at least check in on Nwaneri.