After entering the NCAA transfer portal in May, a former Virginia Tech tight end has decided to return to his hometown and play in Tennessee. Cody Duncan, who played at Knoxville, Tennessee Catholic High School, recently joined the Vols as the preferred walk-on and began spring semester classes in Tennessee last week.
The 6-foot-1, 231-pound Duncan was also a walk-on for the Hokies for the first two seasons of his collegiate career before leaving Virginia Tech after spring semester last year. He sat out the 2022 season with an injury but is now enrolled in Tennessee and ready to team up with his younger brother, Vols signee Trevor Duncan.
The younger Duncan, who was a two-way lineman at Knoxville Catholic, signed with Tennessee last month during their early signing period. He plans to join the Vols in late May after graduating from Knoxville Catholic University and he expects to start on the defensive line in Tennessee.
Cody Duncan last played with his younger brother in 2019 during his senior season at Knoxville Catholic, where he played inside linebacker and running back. Trevor Duncan was a freshman with the Fighting Irish at the time.
“I’ve had a few opportunities to play FCS ball – Austin Peay, Murray (State), Western Carolina,” said Cody Duncan. “But Tennessee gave me the option to come in the spring, and since my brother committed and signed, I don’t think I could turn down that opportunity.” We’ve always pushed each other, so it wasn’t too difficult to decide.”
The younger Duncan said he had known “for a few months” that Cody Duncan would be playing with him for the Vols. Trevor Duncan said he “didn’t know exactly” when his brother entered the transfer portal in May that they would have the opportunity to play together, “so it’s kind of nice that he decided to go there.”
Trevor Duncan said he’s looking forward to being his brother’s teammate again, this time at the SEC school in their hometown.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Trevor Duncan. “I already have chemistry with him and playing with your brother is always a lot of fun.”
Cody Duncan, who graduated from high school, was a two-star prospect on the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, where he was ranked the No. 187 inside linebacker in the class of 2020 and the No. 109 player in his class from Tennessee State. He was also rated two stars by 247Sports.
Before deciding to continue at Virginia Tech, he received scholarship offers from UT Martin, Eastern Illinois, Butler, Center College, and Virginia-Wise. He also had preferred walk-on opportunities from Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, East Tennessee State and Austin Peay who dropped out of high school before committing to the Hokies.
Trevor Duncan said he and his brother are “super competitive” with each other. He expects that will add to the fun when he arrives in Tennessee this spring, especially if he gets a chance to line up opposite his brother on the practice field.
“We’ll definitely be pushing each other – probably running a bit behind in practice,” said the younger Duncan. “He’s going to be a close end, so I’ll be up against him.”
Cody Duncan is expected to add depth to the Vols at the tight end, a position they currently only have three grantees in: senior Jacob Warren, UC Davis transfer McCallan Castles and freshman Ethan Davis, a Top247 prospect from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. Tennessee’s walk-on-tight ends also include fifth-year senior Hunter Salmon, former UCF transfer Charlie Browder, and redshirt freshman Titus Rohrer.
Duncan said he was “not sure about my chance just yet” but he “will play tight end now or whatever they want me to play to be successful going forward”.
“I played on special teams my sophomore year at Tech,” he said, “but I want to make the most of it for three years.”
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