Tennessee quarterback Harrison Bailey enters the transfer portal

Tennessee second-year freshman quarterback Harrison Bailey has entered the transfer portal as reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz.

“Tennessee QB Harrison Bailey has entered the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned,” Zenitz said. “Former top-100 recruit who started three games as a freshman last season.”

Bailey is the third quarterback to leave the Volunteers program since June. True freshman Kaidon Salter was kicked off the team for multiple off-field incidents in June, he since transferred to Liberty. In August, third-year quarterback Brian Maurer left the program.

Harrison Bailey has appeared in just one game for the Volunteers this season, throwing for 16 yards and rushing for eight in Tennessee’s win over Tennessee Tech. The former four-star played in six games as a freshman, starting the final three games of the Volunteers 2020 season. The 6-foot-5, 220lb quarterback completed 48-of-68 passes for 578 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

Over the offseason, under new head coach Josh Heupel, Tennessee welcomed in two transfer quarterbacks in Joe Milton and Hendon Hooker. Milton, a transfer from Michigan, opened the season as the starter, but was quickly passed up by Hooker. In five appearances, Milton has thrown for 255 yards and one touchdown to go with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Hooker, a transfer from Virginia Tech, has appeared in eight games, starting five and has elevated the Volunteers offense to new heights. In eight games, Hooker has thrown for 1,578 yards and 17 touchdowns to just two interceptions. On the ground, the Virginia Tech transfer has rushed for 416 yards and four touchdowns. Hooker leads the SEC in passing yards per attempt and QBR. He ranks third, behind Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in completion percentage.

Prior to joining the Volunteers this offseason, Hendon Hooker spent three seasons at Virginia Tech, where he was a two-year starter. He finished with a combined 2,894 yards passing, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Harrison Bailey’s decision to transfer leaves Tennessee with five quarterbacks on the roster with just two, Hooker and Milton, on scholarship. Given his strong performance, Hooker projects to be the starter through the rest of the 2021 season and the 2022 season.

Bailey will likely use his redshirt for the 2021 season, having appeared in just one game, leaving him with four years of eligibility moving forward.

Harrison Bailey was rated as a four-star prospect out of Marietta (GA.) High School. Bailey was a four-year starter at Marietta High School in Marietta, Georgia, where he led the Blue Devils to their first state championship in over 50 years. Bailey finished his high school career with 11,716 passing yards to rank fourth in Georgia history. As a senior, Bailey passed for 4,271 yards and 44 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions in 15 games in 2019, completing 69.4 percent of his passes.