Nathan Leacock Transfer Portal Prospects: 3 potential destinations for Tennessee WR
Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Nathan Leacock has entered the transfer portal, as per On3. Leacock is a redshirt freshman and has three more years of eligibility remaining.
Leacock is the third of four wide receivers to officially enter the transfer portal, joining Kaleb Webb and Chas Nimrod, while Nate Spillman joined them a few hours later. Leacock did not play much this season, appearing in only three games and recording just one reception for 13 yards.
All four receivers weren’t in practice on Tuesday which means they will likely not be playing in the Vols' playoff game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.
Leacock was a former four-star recruit when he went to Knoxville coming out of North Carolina but couldn’t find consistent playing time behind a wide receiver group that included Dont’e Thornton Jr., Bru McCoy and Squirrel White.
Leacock’s 6-foot-3 217-pound frame could be valuable to coaches who are looking for big body types to create matchup nightmares for smaller corners, and his speed is also an asset. He just needs the playing time to show his skills and capabilities on the field.
Here's a closer look at three possible destinations for Nathan Leacock as he prepares to leave Knoxville.
3 potential transfer portal destinations for Nathan Leacock
#1. Missouri Tigers
Missouri will want to bounce back after a disappointing 2024 season, but they will have to do it with a new wide receiver room. Theo Wease Jr. and Luther Burden III, the top two wide receivers in terms of yards last season (809 and 676 yards respectively) are both expected to enter the NFL draft next year and are possible early-round picks.
Mookie Cooper, third behind those two, is also moving on, but his draft prospects are a little cloudier due to his season-ending surgery due to an undisclosed injury. With all these departures, the Tigers will need new bodies on their team in Columbia. Nathan Leacock could be that threat outside considering they only have Marquis Johnson and Joshua Manning left on their roster.
#2. Auburn Tigers
From one Tiger to another. Auburn has been wallowing in mediocrity for almost a decade now, going only 45-42 since their last trip to the championship game in 2017 and 28-33 in the last five seasons. Head coach Hugh Freeze has only gone 11-14 in his two seasons with the Tigers and will be in the hot seat come next season. Now the Deuce Knight era is about to begin.
The five-star recruit could be the starter right away depending on how the Tigers handle the QB transfer portal. If that’s the case, he would need all the reliable targets they could get. They could get Nathan Leacock to pair with Cam Coleman on the outside. Malcolm Simmons could line up more on the slot and be that multi-purpose gadget receiver, running on motions and jet sweeps to keep defenses guessing.
#3. Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies’ 8-4 record was respectable, but their run game was the one that carried that team. Now they enter the transfer portal looking to make big moves in the hopes of turning around their fortunes next season.
They have signed UAB Jacob Zeno, a four-star recruit out of San Antonio, Texas, to join Marcel Reed in the quarterback room. Now they need to fill out their wide receiver group, which was mediocre last year to say the least, with no receiver catching more than 34 passes and 545 yards.
Nathan Leacock would be an instant upgrade to any player on their group from last year and he could be ready to contribute right away. If they could pair Leacock with another wideout to complement their potent run game, they could contend in the 2025 season.
What do you think of Nathan Leacock's potential transfer portal destinations? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.