Penn State safety Dejuan Lane will transfer to Tennessee football, giving new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles another player he coached last season.
Lane acknowledged his commitment to the Vols on Instagram. He is the fourth Penn State player to transfer to Tennessee during this portal cycle, joining defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam, linebacker Amare Campbell and edge rusher Chaz Coleman.
Despite only playing two college seasons, Lane is very experienced with 29 games and two starts. He has been in the rotation at safety since the first game of the 2024 season, which ended with Penn State’s deep College Football Playoff run.
In 2025, Lane played in Knowles’ scheme. He had 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and one sack in 13 games. In 2024, he had 15 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups in 16 games.
Lane is a 6-foot-2, 212-pounder from Jessup, Maryland. He was a four-star recruit in the 2024 class, and he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Lane’s familiarity with Knowles’ system and staff made him an attractive portal pickup for the Vols. He logged 290 snaps on Penn State’s defense in the 2025 season while playing under Anthony Poindexter, who is now Tennessee’s co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach.
Tennessee has added eight players from the portal, including Kansas State safety Qua Moss, LSU offensive tackle Ory Williams, Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee and Louisville kicker Cooper Ranvier.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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