Tennessee football: Harrison Bailey in transfer portal a bigger issue than it seems

And then there were two. In the summer, Tennessee football had five scholarship quarterbacks on its roster, including two returners, two transfers and a true freshman. Now, in the final month of October, just the two transfers remain.

Freshman Kaidon Salter was the first to go, as he was dismissed from the team due to two off-field incidents. Brian Maurer entered the transfer portal before the season started. Harrison Bailey has now entered the portal as well.

Bailey, a five-star in the Vols’ 2020 class, appeared in six games as a true freshman, splitting time as the co-starter,  and in one game this year. He announced his decision to transfer from Tennessee football on Twitter.

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. Bailey’s one appearance this year was against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, and in that game, he only completed 3-of-7 passes (42.9 percent) for 16 yards (2.3 yards per attempt). Although he did carry the ball four times for eight yards and a touchdown, he missed too many throws. He was always expected to be gone after this year.

However, losing Bailey in the middle of the season is a big deal for the Vols. Hendon Hooker is clearly the starter, and Joe Milton III is clearly the backup, but both quarterbacks have battled injuries throughout the year.

Milton was knocked out of the game in the Vols’ loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers despite being the starter. Hooker was then knocked out of the game in the Vols’ losses to the Florida Gators and Ole Miss Rebels. With one of them getting hurt in nearly half the games this season, it’s not crazy to think they could both be hurt in a game down the stretch. Both use their legs a lot.

At that point, Bailey would be all they have. He may not be great, but if Hooker and Milton both go down, then the Vols will be without a scholarship quarterback now to finish this season. That’s not a big deal for the future, but it’s a big deal for now.

We should note that this season shouldn’t be viewed as a loss either. Danny White hired Josh Heupel with a strong first season in mind to make an impression. Although bowl eligibility seems likely now with the South Alabama Jaguars and Vanderbilt Commodores to close out the season, it’s not certain.

Vanderbilt did put up a fight against the South Carolina Gamecocks, and South Alabama is having a strong first season under Kane Wommack. If Tennessee football doesn’t have a quarterback on scholarship, it’s not crazy to think about them slipping up in one of those games.

Also, there’s the very real possibility that the Vols pull off an upset at the Kentucky Wildcats coming off their bye. That opens up the possibility for seven wins, which would be a remarkable first season for Heupel. However, both quarterbacks could go down in that game against such an aggressive defense, which makes winning that game impossible.

Simply put, if Milton and Hooker both get hurt, Bailey’s transfer would wipe out a chance at upsetting Kentucky, and it would put two upset losses on the table. The fact that both could easily get hurt makes this concerning for the program.

Everything is fine for the future. Milton will be back, Hooker could be back, four-star dual-threat Tayven Jackson is coming, and Heupel may not be done on the recruiting trail. He’s got to be careful finishing out this year, though.

During his time on Rocky Top, Bailey completed 51-of-75 passes (68 percent) for 594 yards (7.9 yards per attempt), four touchdowns and two interceptions. Everybody should wish him the best as he looks elsewhere, but he just wasn’t a fit for Tennessee football anymore given the offensive system that Heupel runs.