Another Tennessee Vols player sent a cryptic tweet and fans are worried
Tennessee Vols running back Jaylen Wright sent fans into a panic last week when he sent a cryptic tweet that made it seem like he was considering entering the NCAA transfer portal. A new NIL deal has since been announced for Wright and he deleted the tweet. The fact that a NIL deal was announced […]
Tennessee Vols running back Jaylen Wright sent fans into a panic last week when he sent a cryptic tweet that made it seem like he was considering entering the NCAA transfer portal.
A new NIL deal has since been announced for Wright and he deleted the tweet. The fact that a NIL deal was announced a couple of days after the tweet (and the fact that it was deleted) would indicate that Wright's tweet was about the transfer portal.
On Saturday night, another Vols player sent a cryptic tweet that has fans concerned.
Quarterback Tayven Jackson, a former four-star recruit who signed with Tennessee during the 2022 recruiting cycle, sent a tweet with a thinking emoji and raised eyebrow emoji.
It's never a wise idea to read too much into tweets from college athletes, but Jackson is a Tennessee player that's been on "portal watch" since the end of the season.
Joe Milton is the front-runner to start at quarterback for the Vols next season. And Nico Iamaleava, the highly touted five-star who enrolled at UT last month, is the future starting quarterback.
Jackson is the odd man out — unless he sticks around and manages to beat out Milton for the starting job next fall (that's not expected, but we also don't really know what Jackson can do).
Despite the fact that Jackson isn't expected to start next season, he's still a player the Vols don't want to lose. If Jackson hits the portal, Tennessee will be forced to look for a transfer quarterback just so they'll have some depth. And that won't be easy — most quarterbacks in the portal want a chance to start.
Maybe Jackson is just looking for a new NIL deal. Most transfer portal decisions aren't made publicly like this, so there's a chance he's not actively looking to leave.
And, of course, there's always the chance that Jackson's tweet was about something else. Maybe he was playing Fifa on his PS5 on Saturday evening…
I imagine we'll have some clarity on the meaning of Jackson's tweet in the coming days.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
