A controversial former Tennessee Vols quarterback is heading back to the NCAA transfer portal. 

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Harrison Bailey announced on Friday that he's entering the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining. 

I plan to enter the transfer portal to use my final year of eligibility. I want to thank the University of Louisville, my coaches, teammates, the city and everyone at the university for all the support and memories. I am very grateful for my time in Louisville . #GodBless pic.twitter.com/c2nOyNI7iq

— Harrison Bailey (@HBailey_05) January 3, 2025

Bailey, who started his career at Tennessee in 2020 after signing with the program as a four-stat recruit, led Louisville to a 35-34 win in the Sun Bowl against Washington earlier this week. The Georgia native passed for 164 yards and three touchdowns in the win, which was enough to earn Bailey MVP honors. 

Before the Sun Bowl, Tyler Shough gave Harrison Bailey a few words of encouragement. "He just told me to go out there and ball," Bailey said. The Sun Bowl MVP did just that with three TD passes in a thrilling 35-34 victory over Washington.https://t.co/smCBfG4HrE

— Alexis Cubit (@Alexis_Cubit) January 1, 2025

Bailey, who spent the 2022 season at UNLV before landing at Louisville ahead of the 2023 season, started his career at Tennessee under former Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt as a highly touted prospect. Bailey was viewed by many UT fans as a future star on Rocky Top. 

Unfortunately for Bailey, his lone season under Pruitt wasn't exactly an ideal scenario for the young quarterback. The COVID-19 pandemic combined with Pruitt's struggling offense and high expectations for Bailey led to fans constantly asking for the then true freshman quarterback to see the field when starter Jarrett Guarantano experienced some struggles. 

Bailey started the final three games of the season in 2020 for the Vols, enjoying moderate success (he led the Vols to a win against Vanderbilt). But after the season, Pruitt was fired and replaced by Josh Heupel. 

When Heupel arrived at Tennessee, he inherited Bailey, Kaidon Salter, and Hendon Hooker (Hooker had just transferred to UT days before Heupel was hired and Salter was kicked off the team before the start of the 2021 season). 

Heupel and his staff quickly added Joe Milton, a former Michigan quarterback, to the roster, signaling that Bailey would start the season as the third string quarterback,. 

Bailey attempted just seven passes for the Vols in 2021 before leaving the program midseason, which didn't exactly sit well with fans. 

The former Vol has had a rocky road, and that's not all his fault, but he'll have the chance to end his college career on a high note in 2025. 

It's unclear where Bailey could land, but Georgia State, where Jim Chaney is the offensive coordinator (Chaney was Bailey's OC at Tennessee in 2020), could be an interesting destination. 

Vols insider gives the latest on the possibility of Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks leaving for another job

Would be a big loss for the Vols