Report: Tennessee Vols player that was a 4-star recruit expected to enter transfer portal
According to a report from Football Scoop's John Brice, Tennessee Vols wide receiver Walker Merrill is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal this week. Merrill is a former four-star recruit from Brentwood, TN who signed with Tennessee during the 2021 recruiting cycle. The talented wide receiver was buried on the depth chart this season, […]
According to a report from Football Scoop's John Brice, Tennessee Vols wide receiver Walker Merrill is expected to enter the NCAA transfer portal this week.
Merrill is a former four-star recruit from Brentwood, TN who signed with Tennessee during the 2021 recruiting cycle.
The talented wide receiver was buried on the depth chart this season, playing mostly in "garbage time" of games.
Merrill caught just eight passes this season, but he made his receptions count as he accumulated 116 yards and three touchdowns on those eight catches.
While this move hurts depth, it wasn't unexpected. Rumors started swirling this weekend that Merrill could hit the portal. Tennessee, for the most part, uses the same three wide receivers for most of the game. This season, those receivers were Bru McCoy, Jalin Hyatt, and Cedric Tillman/Ramel Keyton (Tillman when healthy).
Next season, the Vols are looking at a wide receiver rotation of McCoy, Keyton, and Squirrel White (Tennessee is also pursuing Oregon wide receiver Dont'e Thornton).
Merrill will be a junior next season and he doesn't get the benefit of an extra COVID-19 season (he was still in high school in 2020). This is a kid that might have the talent to play on Sundays and the clock is ticking on his college career. With so much talent in front of him, transferring is likely the right decision.
Featured image via Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
