Pruitt not ruling out DL Garland staying with Vols
Tennessee defensive lineman Kurott Garland entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal this week, but coach Jeremy Pruitt hasn't closed the door on Garland remaining with the Vols.
“When they go into the portal, it doesn't mean they're (definitely) going to transfer,” Pruitt said. “We'll let that situation play out, and we'll see where it goes.”
Entering the transfer portal is a first step that allows other coaches to contact the player. The transfer portal went into effect last fall.
“There's lots of guys that go into the transfer portal, and I've been a proponent of it,” Pruitt said. “It gives folks an opportunity to find their way."
The Vols will open August practice on Friday, and they aren't in position to turn away any defensive linemen.
Three starters from last year's line graduated. Top reserve Emmit Gooden returned and is likely the starter at nose tackle. Otherwise, the spots on the twodeep are very much up for grabs. Gooden is the only senior on the defensive line.
“If you're not good in the trenches in the SEC, you're going to have a hard day's work,” defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley said. “We have a lot of bodies up front and a lot of competition in that group.”
Garland, a 6-foot-3, 304-pound redshirt freshman from Conyers, Georgia, seemed like a candidate to contend for a second-string spot on the line. He appeared in four games last season, the maximum allowed for a redshirting player. Garland was limited throughout spring practice because of an undisclosed injury.
Two linemen worth monitoring during the preseason are Savion Williams and Darel Middleton, junior-college transfers who joined UT this summer.
Tennessee's offseason was busy with transfers.
Quarterback Will Mcbride, offensive lineman Drew Richmond, tight end Eli Wolf, cornerback Marquill Osborne, linebacker Austin Smith and wide receiver Latrell Williams transferred from Tennessee before spring practice.
The Vols added Georgia transfer defensive back Deangelo Gibbs and Michigan transfer defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon. Solomon is seeking a waiver that would allow him to play this season but has not received a ruling from the NCAA. If he does not get a waiver, he must sit out this season.