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Tennessee football: Wanya Morris’ top three means he’s gone for good

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 12, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman Wanya Morris (64) blocking during the second half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2019; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman Wanya Morris (64) blocking during the second half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tennessee football Volunteers have lost one of their top offensive lineman.

And just like that, one of the key recruits to be sold as a building block for Tennessee football under head coach Jeremy Pruitt is gone. When Wanya Morris entered the transfer portal earlier this week, there was always the possibility that he would return to Rocky Top.

After all, the same day he entered the portal, Shawn Shamburger had withdrawn from the portal. There was hope that Pruitt would be able to convince Morris, one of his top young players, to do the same thing.

It didn’t happen. Morris revealed a new top three Friday night, and none of them involved Tennessee football. The schools were the Oklahoma Sooners, Texas A&M Aggies and USC Trojans. He listed them on Twitter.

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Make no mistake, Morris’ departure is the most devastating blow to Pruitt’s case for actually building a program. Back in 2019, he and Darnell Wright were the top two recruits, and they were set to be the future of the Vols on the offensive line.

That was particularly the case after the 2019 season in which Morris earned Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors. Along with Wright, Henry To’o To’o, Eric Gray and Jaylen McCollough, Pruitt had his guys to rely on for the future.

Then 2020 hit, and almost all of them suffered some sort of regression outside of Gray. However, the COVID-related issues stalled their development, so even amidst a 3-7 disappointing season, Pruitt had an excuse for a mulligan.

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Such an excuse was not meant to include one of those players leaving, though. With Morris’ new top three, it’s clear that he’s not returning to Tennessee football. As a result, the Vols lost one of their top players for the future, and with Trey Smith already gone, this is a huge loss. Rocky Top could be in serious trouble down the road under Pruitt.

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