How three Tennessee football transfers could impact Tennessee State in 2024

The Tennessee State football team has its largest influx of transfers from the Tennessee Vols, and Tigers coach Eddie George said each former UT player will have a significant role on the field this season.

The players a re offensive tackle Connor Meadows, cornerback Malik Ganaway and defensive lineman Camron Douglas.

"They're good; It's that simple," George said. "You can tell they've had great coaching. They're great athletes. Tennessee's blessed with a plethora of talent and we have the benefit and blessing to have these kids come here. They wanted to be here. They wanted to play and wanted an opportunity, which they'll get."

The last time TSU had a former Tennessee player on the roster was in 2014 when running back Tom Smith led the Tigers in rushing.

Meadows, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound sophomore, was the first of the three former Vols to arrive at TSU when he transferred in January. He played in one game at Tennessee.

After going through spring practice at TSU Meadows is penciled in as the starting right tackle.

Meadows considered several other schools before settling on TSU when his younger brother Ace, who also plays on the offensive line, signed with the Tigers last December. Conner and Ace played at Peabody High School in Trenton.

"I learned through TSU's recruitment of my brother that coach George is trying to change the culture," Connor Meadows said. "I know this program is historic and I want to bring this program back to where it's been in the past."

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TSU lost four starters and one backup from last year's offensive line so George was happy to see a player with Meadows' size and skills show up when he did.

"Connor Meadows is all about work," George said. "He puts in the time and all he wants is an opportunity. We really feel like he could be an all-conference type of player for us. He has great size."

Ganaway has been most impressive among all the transfers in preseason practice. Ganaway was a walk-on at Tennessee.

"You can tell by his athleticism Ganaway is going to do some great things for us," George said. "He has good hips and great knowledge of the game. He's sudden, he strikes, he's a very physical corner. He doesn't have game experience but we believe he can really be a benefit to us."

Ganaway and Meadows were also teammates in high school and Meadows encouraged Ganaway to join him when he transferred to TSU. Ganaway, however, wanted to go through one more spring practice with the Vols.

In May Ganaway entered the transfer portal and along with TSU received offers from UNLV, Tulane and Miami (Ohio).

"Connor and Ace being here definitely played heavily in my choice to be a Tiger," said Ganaway, who has been on the first team since practice started. "Plus I like the style of defense we play here. It fits me well. The defensive backs are very aggressive and I love that because they're not scared to hit. They not scared to come down and make some contact."

The strength of the defense is the line where several key players return including George's son Eriq at end. Douglas, a 6-3, 300 pound sophomore from Brownsville, has worked his way into the rotation. He was a 247Sports Composite three-star prospect at Haywood but did not play in two seasons at UT.

"Douglas provides us with depth," George said. "He's going to play a lot of snaps. Our D-line is going to rotate and he's going to be in the mix with that."

Reach Mike Organ at 615-295-8021 or on X@MikeOrganWriter.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How three Tennessee football transfers could impact Tennessee State in 2024