Tennessee’s transfer pipeline at cornerback has already paid off in a big way, and the Vols are betting Kayin Lee can keep that run going.
After Jermod McCoy emerged as one of the nation’s best corners in 2024 and Colton Hood turned in an All-SEC season in 2025, Tennessee is looking at another former Auburn defensive back as a potential difference-maker on the outside. Lee arrived with plenty of experience, and one of his old teammates says the Vols are getting a player who brings more than just snaps to the table.
At SEC Media Days on Tuesday, Auburn safety Champ Anthony gave a strong endorsement of Lee, calling him “a hooper” and “a baller” while praising his ball skills, toughness and work ethic.
“Kayin Lee? Yeah, he’s a hooper,” Anthony said.
“He is a baller. K-Lee has a knack for the ball.
There’s not many people - I don’t know if people realize how hard it is to jump while running back. But it’s like, K-Lee, he high points the ball, he has a knack for the ball, and he works hard.
That’s all he does is love ball. So you’re getting a hard worker who loves ball.
He a smacker, too, man, like he hits. He hits hard.
Most corners don’t want to come down and put their nose in it. K-Lee?
You gotta keep him outta it. Like, ‘K, hey, chill.’
So you’re getting a hard worker and a hard hitter.”
Lee’s track record backs up that praise. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound corner has logged 1,560 total snaps across three seasons at Auburn and made 24 starts over the last two years.
In 2025, he finished with 31 tackles, four pass deflections and one interception. As a sophomore, he posted 32 tackles, two interceptions and seven pass deflections.
That kind of experience is part of why Lee is projected to start for Tennessee this fall, likely on the opposite side of the field from sophomore Ty Redmond. Redmond was forced into action as a freshman last season, and the idea of pairing him with Lee gives the Vols a chance to field a much more seasoned tandem.
Cornerbacks coach Derek Jones said Lee’s move to Knoxville has given him the kind of reset he was looking for.
“Kayin has played a lot of snaps in this league,” Jones said during fall camp. “Had some individual success, but hadn’t had a lot of team success.
And those things affect a lot of guys. I think he’s one of those guys that really wanted a fresh start, really wanted an opportunity to prove himself, and he works at it.
You can tell by watching him in practice, in the meeting room, that he’s got a level of maturity to him.”
Anthony and Lee won’t stay on opposite sides for long. Tennessee is set to host Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 3 in Neyland Stadium, with kickoff slated for either 3:30-4:30 or 6-8 p.m. ET in Knoxville.
With a new defensive scheme and a wave of incoming transfers and coaches, Tennessee still has plenty to sort out before the season gets rolling. But Lee looks like a strong candidate to help steady the secondary. He brings experience, maturity, production and, as Anthony put it, a physical edge that should fit right into a defense trying to find its new identity.
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