SEC starter withdraws from NFL Draft to enter transfer portal

Somehow, someway, the transfer portal keeps getting crazier and crazier. On the final day student-athletes can officially enter the transfer window before it closes, several big names have expressed their interest in finding a new program for 2026 and beyond. Tennessee was shocked on Friday when it learned that one of the players it thought was entering the NFL Draft had withdrawn and was entering the transfer portal to play another year of college ball. It just won't be in Knoxville. More news: LSU’s Lane Kiffin Accused of Using Transfer Portal to ‘Destroy’ Ole Miss Linebacker Arion Carter was everything and everywhere for the Tennessee Volunteers' defense this most recent season. He led the team in tackles with 76 and had a forced fumble to be one of the standout stars on a Volunteers defense that didn't deliver up to expectations from the preseason. Instead, they were one of the weaker units in the SEC, with Carter being one of the few silver linings. After the season ended, he informed team officials that he would be going pro and entering the 2026 NFL Draft this coming April. In early mock drafts around the internet, he was seen as a possible fourth- to sixth-round pick with upside if he can perform well in pre-draft workouts and the combine. Carter won't be at the combine, however, as he plans to be in spring practice and preparing for the fall season as a senior somewhere else other than with the orange and white of the Volunteers. As one of the final impact players to put his name in the portal, Carter is expected to have an ample amount of suitors if he hasn't already zeroed in on a program he wants to join. A homegrown four-star recruit that signed with Tennessee three years ago, he's already been linked to Miami, Michigan, and Vanderbilt as possible landing spots.