Tennessee Vols player who transferred after 2022 season reveals what UT coaches told him before leaving program
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Wiliam Parker left Knoxville after the 2022 season to transfer to UAB. Parker, a former three-star recruit from Nashville, was part of the 2021 signing class at Tennessee. He signed with the Vols while Jeremy Pruitt was still the program's head coach, but he ended up playing under Josh Heupel […]
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Wiliam Parker left Knoxville after the 2022 season to transfer to UAB.
Parker, a former three-star recruit from Nashville, was part of the 2021 signing class at Tennessee.
He signed with the Vols while Jeremy Pruitt was still the program's head coach, but he ended up playing under Josh Heupel for two seasons. Parker entered the NCAA transfer portal a few days after Tennessee's win against Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
The Nashville native recently spoke with "1819 News" and he explained what it was like signing with a program and then seeing the head coach fired.
"It was a wild year," said Parker. "I got recruited by (Jeremy) Pruitt and came in with (Josh) Heupel. It was a whole new world for me. Coming from high school, straight into head coach gone, new head coach. It was like I didn't know what's going on."
Parker also revealed what Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee told him before he entered the NCAA transfer portal.
"He loves me, I love him, I love being a team player," said Parker of his conversation with Elarbee. "I'm always a team guy first. He was like, 'You're too talented to be sitting down somewhere. Go get the opportunity to actually be on the field.' He's one of those guys. He doesn't hold you back from being great in life. If that means I got to give you a way to go be great, I got to do that."
That comment alone from Parker says a lot about the Tennessee coaching staff. It would be easy for them to make false promises to keep Parker in Orange and White (depth along the offensive line is obviously very important).
But instead, they did what was best for Parker and not the program.
That's one of the reasons why recruits and players trust this Vols coaching staff so much. Even when it doesn't benefit them, they do what's right by the players. And that's not something that happens everywhere.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
