Linebacker Henry To’o To’o, former SEC All-Freshman who has started 22 games in the past two seasons, and three other players from Tennessee entered the transfer portal on Wednesday.
Running back Eric Gray, linebacker Quavaris Crouch and striker Jahmir Johnson also entered the portal.
This happened two days after coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired amid an investigation into what UT Chancellor Donde Plowman said was “serious violations of NCAA rules”.
Assistant coaches Brian Niedermeyer and Shelton Felton were also fired, along with four members of the football recruiting team on campus, the director and assistant director of football players’ staff and a football analyst / quality control coach.
Kevin Steele, who was hired as a technical assistant on January 12, was appointed interim coach after Pruitt’s dismissal.
To’o To’o, a sophomore, started all 10 games last season and led the team with 76 tackles and 10 tackles for defeat. A former California four-star contender, he signed with Tennessee in 2019 in Alabama, Utah, USC and Washington.
Crouch, a sophomore from North Carolina, started all games last season and finished third on the tackle team last season at 57.
Gray, a sophomore from Memphis, emerged as one of Tennessee’s best defenders in 2020, ranking sixth in the SEC in yards per game (85.8) and sixth in scrimmage yards per game (114.0) .
Johnson is a senior redshirt, but can take advantage of the NCAA’s decision to grant an extra year of eligibility for fall and winter sports athletes.