Three Tennessee football transfers staying in SEC, two pick Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss

Three Tennessee football players transferred to other SEC schools in a 24-hour window starting Friday.

Cornerback Doneiko Slaughter announced his transfer to Arkansas on Friday. Defensive back Tamarion McDonald and defensive end Tyler Baron announced their commitments to Ole Miss and ex-Vols coach Lane Kiffin on Saturday. All three announced their commitments on social media.

The trio account for the three most notable Tennessee players to enter the transfer portal as each played a significant role for the Vols in 2023.

Tamarion McDonald, Tyler Baron head to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss

McDonald made his decision public first. Baron wasn't far behind, as the pair of seniors made their decision to join Kiffin's roster.

McDonald, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound defensive back, played 43 games with 25 starts in his UT career. He mostly played the STAR position, what UT calls its nickelback. He had 40 tackles, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, one interception and four pass breakups in 2023.

The 6-5, 260-pound Baron has made 102 career tackles in 48 career games with 19 starts. Baron, a former star at Knoxville Catholic, had six sacks in the 2023 season, setting a career high as he had a breakout season as a senior.

Kiffin posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Dec. 11 that he was in Knoxville. Baron entered the portal Dec. 8.

Kiffin, who coached the Vols for a season in 2009, has grown fond of trolling Tennessee. He celebrated the commitments by posting a pair of shark emojis – meant to signify Ole Miss' Landshark moniker – along with a photo of a plane with Tennessee branding on it.

Former Tennessee defensive back Key Lawrence transferred to Ole Miss on Dec. 14. Lawrence left UT for Oklahoma in January 2021 after ex-Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired amid widespread recruiting malfeasance.

The Vols will see Doneiko Slaughter at Arkansas in October

The Vols don't play Ole Miss in 2024, but they will see Slaughter when they play at Arkansas on Oct. 5.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Slaughter played in 43 games for Tennessee with 87 tackles, three sacks and an interception. He missed two games this season but still had a career-high 32 tackles.

INCOMING: Tennessee football gets Notre Dame tight end Holden Staes from transfer portal

Slaughter is one of six Tennessee defensive backs to enter the transfer portal following the conclusion of the regular season. Warren Burrell transferred to Georgia Tech

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Three Tennessee football transfers staying SEC; Lane Kiffin takes two