Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel addresses if Vols players who are in transfer portal will play against Ohio State
The fact that the Tennessee Vols are preparing for a College Football Playoff game this month hasn't made UT immune from the perils of the NCAA transfer portal. Tennessee's had several players — mostly backup players and younger players — announce their plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The reason is because of the […]
The fact that the Tennessee Vols are preparing for a College Football Playoff game this month hasn't made UT immune from the perils of the NCAA transfer portal.
Tennessee's had several players — mostly backup players and younger players — announce their plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
The reason is because of the timing of the winter portal window. Because the portal opens in December, players feel like they have to find a new home immediately before available roster spots disappear.
On Monday, while speaking with reporters ahead of Tennessee's playoff matchup against Ohio State, Heupel was asked if Vols players in the portal will play against the Buckeyes.
Heupel confirmed that Tennessee players who have entered the portal will not play against Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday night in the fist round of the College Football Playoff.
It's not an ideal setup for the sport. There are players on Tennessee's roster who want to transfer simply because they're in search of playing time. It's not that they want to miss the Vols' playoff game against Ohio State, it's that they have no other choice if they want to find a new home while roster sports available. It's an unfortunate byproduct of the new NIL/transfer portal era of college football. And it doesn't look like there's a fix coming anytime soon.
