Tennessee football: Transfer portal losses put Vols back to square one

Despite all of the remodeling the Tennessee football program has experienced over the last few days, it was arguable that they hadn’t yet hit rock bottom. Well, it’s hard to believe the team isn’t at their lowest point now. Late Wednesday afternoon, news broke that four key players will be leaving Rocky Top by way of the NCAA transfer portal.

Multiple sources have confirmed that sophomore running back Eric Gray, fifth-year senior Jahmir Johnson, and sophomore linebackers Henry To’o to’o and Quavaris Crouch are all packing their bags. These were key losses.

Gray led Tennessee football last season in all-purpose yards (1,026) and touchdowns (6) while To’o To’o’s 47 solo tackles and 76 total stops led the team as well. The importance of those two players to Tennessee football cannot be overstated.

It’s easy to tie these decisions to the firing of head coach Jeremy Pruitt, but it’s interesting to note that To’o to’o, Gray, and Crouch were all highly touted prospects from the Vols’ 2019 recruiting class. Keep in mind that Brian Niedermeyer, who was fired for cause, was their primary recruiter.

Gray also sat the final game of the 2020 season when news broke about the NCAA investigation. So yes, Pruitt gone has something to do with their decisions to leave, but there also might be something else going on here.

The bottom line is that four very valuable players won’t be suiting up for UT next year. That’s heartbreaking, especially knowing that these players and Wanya Morris were the building blocks of the Jeremy Pruitt era. Now they’re all gone, and the Vols? They’re back to square one.

Was the program in better shape before Pruitt took the head coaching job?

Losing Gray and To’o to’o means none of the production leaders from last year’s roster will be on the field wearing orange and white next season. Trey Smith, Josh Palmer, and Bryce Thompson, UT’s best offensive lineman, wide receiver, and defensive back have all declared for the NFL Draft.

Last season’s sack leaders Deandre Johnson and Kivon Bennett both left for the transfer portal.
We’ll even throw the team’s leading, not best, quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to the list of departed production. All of these listed names had different reasons for leaving, but what’s on paper still stands. What was already a very young team will somehow be even younger.

So, is the Tennessee football program in worse or better shape than what Butch Jones left it in? That’s a serious question fans should be asking themselves. There’s a very real possibility that it’s worse – but on the bright side, the only way from here is up, right?

Right. Less than 24 hours after that mass exodus of players hit Tennessee football, the university hired UCF Athletic Director Danny White. This move is absolutely a step in the right direction. White is expected to prioritize a coaching search immediately so expect a lot to take place in Knoxville over these next few weeks.