Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Henry To'o To'o is one of the 30-plus players who left the Tennessee Vols program between the start of the 2020 season and the summer before the 2021 season. 

The time between the last month of the 2020 season and the start of the 2021 season was a tumultuous time for Tennessee. 

Jeremy Pruit was fired as the program's head coach after an internal investigation revealed a litany of recruiting violations. Josh Heupel was then hired to lead the program out of the darkness (which he has). 

Because of the uncertainty after 2020 (along with other personal reasons), many players, including To'o To'o, sought out new opportunities. 

To'o To'o landed with Alabama after his father told 247Sports that signing with Tennessee as a recruit was a "mistake". 

Last week at the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis, To'o To'o was asked about his decision to leave Knoxville for Tuscaloosa. 

To'o To'o had nothing negative to say about his time at Tennessee. He told reporters that he wanted to go against the best while practicing at Alabama and he also wanted to be coached by Nick Saban. 

"I think I did a good enough job at Tennessee and I felt like I was developing in a great way at Tennessee," said To'o To'o. "But ultimately, going to Alabama, I was going to compete against the best of the best every single day at practice. I had some tremendous coaches and being able to be coached by Coach Saban has been second to none — he's the greatest coach of all time in college football."

"I think he developed me and made me into a great young football player to be able to come into this league and hopefully make an impact," added To'o To'o. 

On one hand, you can't fault To'o To'o for seeking out a better opportunity for himself. Tennessee, after all, has been the benefactor of players transferring into the program (Hendon Hooker, Joe Milton, and Bru McCoy, among several others, for example). So it would be a bit hypocritical to be upset about To'o To'o leaving UT. 

On the other hand, Tennessee fans undoubtedly have a lot of respect for the guys who stayed at UT during an extremely tough time for the program. 

Those guys were rewarded with a win against Alabama and To'o To'o — a moment that provided a celebration greater than what we usually see after a team wins a national championship. 

You can't replicate what Vols fans and players felt after beating Alabama this past season. The electricity of that moment is something you won't find at Alabama because they've been so dominant for so long. The wins aren't quite as exciting when you get to that level. 

So while To'o To'o left to be coached by the best, he missed out on one of the best sports moments of the 2022 season. And while he may never admit it publicly, you know there had to be a little part of To'o To'o that was disappointed that he wasn't on the field celebrating with his former teammates on October 15 when the Vols knocked off the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2006.