Tennessee junior left tackle Lance Heard announced Thursday night that he will enter the NCAA transfer portal, which opens Friday.
Heard started all 13 games this season and played every snap in Tennessee’s 10 games against other power conference opponents.
“After a lot of thought and prayer, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal with eligibility remaining to explore new opportunities and continue developing as a player and as a person,” Heard posted on social media. “Tennessee will always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m thankful for everything this program has given me.”
The 6-foot-6, 330-pounder from Bonita, Louisiana, was a five-star talent in the 2023 signing class, ranking as the No. 3 offensive tackle and the No. 16 overall recruit in the 247Sports.com composite rankings. He signed with LSU and spent one season with the Tigers, making one start.
Heard started in the 11 games he was healthy enough to play in during his first season with the Volunteers.
Earlier Thursday, redshirt freshman tackle Bennett Warren announced that he would be entering the portal, bringing the number of Vols entering the portal to 10. Redshirt freshman guard Max Anderson revealed Wednesday that he will be entering the portal, with former Bradley Central defensive backs Boo Carter and Marcus Goree Jr., quarterback Jake Merklinger, running back Peyton Lewis, defensive tackle Jamal Wallace, edge rusher Kellen Lindstrom and linebacker Brenden Anes having previously made announcements.
Heard is the only Tennessee player entering the portal who started this season.
In other Vols news, CBS reported Thursday night that Tennessee is expected to part ways with secondary coach Willie Martinez and that new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is expected to hire Ohio State defensive backs coach Michael Hunter to fill that role.
Also, Tennessee strength coach Kurt Schmidt will not be retained. Schmidt has been with head coach Josh Heupel since 2018, when the two were at the University of Central Florida.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.