Vic Wharton Announces He’s Transferring To California
By Zach Ragan
Vic Wharton, the first player to commit to Tennessee after Butch Jones took over as the Vols head coach in 2012, announced on Saturday, via Twitter, that he’s transferring to California.
Excited to announce that I will be attending the University of California next year! Thankful for the memories made at Tennessee. #GoBears
— . (@VWIII7) March 7, 2015
California head coach Sonny Dykes confirmed the news, without directly mentioning Wharton.
Wharton played in nine games as a true freshman for the Volunteers last season. He caught five passes for 64 yards, including a 49 yard touchdown reception in Tennessee’s TaxSlayer Bowl win against Iowa.
When news broke last month that Wharton was planning to leave Tennessee, it was a surprise. Wharton was extremely vocal on social media during his recruitment process and basically became an extension of the coaching staff when it came to communicating with recruits.
There didn’t appear to be a doubt that Wharton was a “Vol for life”.
But again, things aren’t always as they appear.
Rumors (though unconfirmed) of Wharton being unhappy with how the coaching staff interacted with him seem to be the main theory for why he is no longer a Vol.
Tennessee definitely didn’t need to lose any depth (Wharton started two games for the Vols last season, when wide receiver depth was depleted due to injury), but the loss of Wharton shouldn’t affect how successful UT will be in 2015.