Tennessee Vols transfer addition could end up playing in two key roles for UT football in 2025
One of the Tennessee Vols’ most important transfer additions this offseason could end up playing in two key roles for the program in 2025. Notre Dame Fighting Irish transfer offensive lineman Sam Pendleton joined Tennessee’s program in January after spending the first two seasons of his college career in South Bend. The North Carolina native is expected to serve as the Volunteers’ starting right guard in 2025.
Pendleton could also end up serving as Tennessee’s primary backup center. The feeling is that redshirt freshman William Satterwhite will take over for Cooper Mays as the Vols’ starting center in 2025, based on comments this past week from UT offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava. “Coop was one of the best to do it,” said Iamaleava when asked about the center position. “Satt’s taking on that role. And I can’t wait to see Satt play. I think he’s been a great piece for us — even last year, you know, just coming in as a freshman, taking a lot of reps in practice. So I’ve always had a good rapport with Satt.”
Pendleton took significant practice reps at center for Notre Dame last season. He told reporters this past week that he’s been taking reps at right guard and at center during Tennessee’s first few spring practices. “Right now I’m really working at right guard and center,” said Pendleton. “I’m really comfortable at center,” continued Pendleton. “I played a lot of center at the past school (Notre Dame) I was at. Not in games, obviously, but I played a lot in practice. Probably 75 percent of my reps were at center. So I’m pretty comfortable playing center.”
It’s still early in spring practice, so plenty can change before the start of the season, but for now it sounds like Satterwhite will start and center and Pendleton will start at right guard. If Satterwhite is unavailable, it seems reasonable to expect that Pendleton would slide over to center and a younger offensive lineman would step into the right guard position. Replacing Mays, who was Tennessee’s starting center for the first four years of the Josh Heupel era, is one of the biggest tasks for the Vols this offseason. For now, though, it looks like Tennessee has a great plan in place for the center position in 2025.