Tennessee Vols true freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.

The news didn't come as much of a surprise. Fans have been speculating since the end of the regular season that Jackson could enter the portal this month.

Jackson, a former four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 13 quarterback in the 2022 class, was seemingly the odd man out at Tennessee with Joe Milton in line to start next season and the presence of five-star signee Nico Iamaleava.

But Jackson as the odd man out wasn't a certainty. Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle made it clear last month that the Vols will have an open quarterback competition in the spring. Jackson, in theory, could've won the job over Milton and Nico.

That's part of the reason why I think Jackson is transferring at the wrong time.

Jackson is an extremely talented quarterback. I believe he has the talent to thrive in the SEC. And I think he could've given Milton some legitimate competition in the spring.

At worst, Jackson was going to enter the season as the No. 2 quarterback (remember, Nico is a freshman, he's going to be great, but it takes time). An injury to Milton, or poor play by Milton, would've resulted in Jackson quickly taking over as Tennessee's starting quarterback.

Considering Jackson was a true freshman this past season (he played in three games, so he's eligible for a redshirt), there was no reason for him to be in a hurry to transfer. He has plenty of time. It's not like he's a rising senior who had never received a chance to start.

Jackson is using his one-time transfer early in his career. If things go south at his next stop, he'll be in a situation where he'd have to sit out a year if he transfers again (unless he's already graduated, which will be at least 2-3 years from now).

It seems like it would've made a lot more sense to stay at Tennessee through spring practice, see how the competition goes, receive feedback from coaches, and then explore the idea of the portal.

Though I still think staying through the 2023 season and seeing how things transpire would've been the best approach by Jackson. At worst, he doesn't play. But at best, he takes over for Milton and becomes a superstar in the SEC like Hendon Hooker was this past season.

One option (transferring) carries a lot more risk than the other option (staying at Tennessee for one more season).

I'm sure there are some NIL discussions at play here, but even with that on the table, I still think Jackson is making a rushed decision here.

(To be clear, I'm all for players transferring. I 100 percent believe they deserve that opportunity and they should be able to play immediately. But we've already seen that transferring isn't always the best avenue to take. In this case, it's more about the timing.)

The one silver lining for Tennessee with this move is that it gives Heupel a couple of extra months to find a No. 3 quarterback in the transfer portal. That won't be an easy task, but it will be easier to start that process now than waiting until after spring practice.

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