Ex-linebacker from Tennessee Henry To’o To’o entered the NCAA transfer portal in January, shortly after the Vols fired Jeremy Pruitt because. He was one of the many highlights of the Vols to do that. A source told 247Sports’ Chris Hummer last month that Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and USC were in the mix for their services last month. Now, there seems to be a leader.
Hummer and Hank South from the 247Sports Alabama transfer portal, BamaOnLine, Hank South, recorded Crystal Ball predictions for To’o To’o to land in Alabama with Nick Saban. To’o to’o is a former top 50 of the 2019 class from Concord (California) De La Salle, who led the Vols in tackles in 2020.
South spoke exclusively to To’o To’o’s father this week. For complete details of this conversation, VIP subscribers can CLICK HERE.
In his first two years in Knoxville, To’o To’o accumulated 148 tackles, winning several awards along the way, including Freshman All-American honors for his efforts in 2019. Prior to the 2020 season, To’o to’o was represented in the First Team All-SEC preseason, as well as on the Bronko Nagurski and Butkus watch lists.
The 6-foot-2, 225 pound To’o To’o led Tennessee in 2020 with 76 tackles and 10 loss tackles, drawing fourth in the SEC in TFLs. In 10 games, To’o To’o added a sack and two pass breaks, and he returned a touchdown interception in the season’s opening win in South Carolina and picked up a 31-yard pass on a fake punt against Vanderbilt . He had three double-digit tackle games last season, ending with 11 against Georgia and 10 and a career record 13 against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in the final two games.
To’o To’o received honors from the SEC All-Freshman Team and was nominated for the 247Sports True Freshman All-American Team after making an instant impact on Tennessee’s defense during his first year on the program in 2019. To’o To ‘ o took second place among SEC freshmen and fourth among FBS freshmen with 72 tackles, finishing second in the team. He added five tackles for the defeat, a half-sack, two pass separations, three quarterback runs and a fumble recovery in the season by starting 12 of the 13 games.
One of Pruitt’s biggest recruiting victories, To’o To’o chose Tennessee over Alabama and Washington on National Signature Day in February 2019. He was ranked as the overall number 44 player and the third outside linebacker player in 2019 category in the generated 247Sports industry.
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“THANK YOU. This is not goodbye,” wrote To’o To’o on Twitter after joining the portal. “Being a Vol will always have a special place in my heart! And I mean it. My brothers and I gave it all to us every day, home, sweet home for me! ”
Chris Hummer, BamaOnLine and GoVols247 from 247Sports contributed to this story.