Redshirt freshman William Parker to leave Vols, enters transfer portal
Tennessee reserve offensive tackle William Parker has entered the NCAA transfer portal. The Nashville, Tenn. native appeared in four games with the Volunteers in two seasons.
An offensive tackle, Parker saw action in the 2022 opener against Ball State and later in the season against UT Martin. As a true freshman in 2021, Parker logged 10 snaps at offensive tackle – six in a win over South Alabama on the right side and four during his collegiate debut at left tackle against Tennessee Tech. Parker went on to redshirt in 2021 and will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Tennessee loses a tackle body with the Parker announcement, along with Darnell Wright who is going to the NFL. Glen Elarbee still has some options at tackle with the return of Gerald Mincey, Jeremiah Crawford and reserve Dayne Davis – plus more underclassmen. The Vols welcomed four-star 2023 offensive tackle commit Shamurad Umarov on Signing Day.
Parker was a four-star out of in-state Pearl-Cohn High School.
Understanding the portal
The winter transfer portal window opened on December 5th and runs for 45 days. The spring portal window runs from May 1-15.
Players don’t have to pick a school they are going to during those specific dates but those are the span of dates on when a player can enter the portal.
Those dates don’t apply to graduate transfers who can enter the portal whenever they wish. Also, if there’s a head coaching change, players can enter the portal outside of those dates.
Players who enter the portal in the 45 day winter window are trying to be somewhere for the spring semester.
For Tennessee the spring semester starts on January 23rd which is late compared to many schools around the country. Tennessee a year ago started a winter mini-term class that runs the first 3 weeks of January.
A year ago according to the NCAA 950 football players went into the portal. In 2020, there were less than 600 players who transferred. Coaches and media around the country feel like this year there will be a record number of players who go into the portal as one time transfers.
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In fact some college coaches have said December is going to be total chaos with the early signing day and with the transfer portal becoming college football’s version of free agency thanks to NIL.
Vols have benefitted from the portal
The transfer portal can giveth and it can taketh away. For Josh Heupel it’s been much more of a positive than a negative for the Vols.
In fact the portal has accelerated the rebuild of the program the last two years. Every knows the impact of Hendon Hooker or the last two season’s via the portal. Quarterback transfer Joe Milton will be making his fourth career start in the bowl game.
Tennessee found left tackle help this past off-season in Gerald Mincey. Bru McCoy as a transfer has had a big impact. McCoy is the team’s second leading receiver with 619 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Defensively, transfers Kamal Hadden, Brandon Turnage, Wesley Walker, Juwan Mitchell, and D.J. Terry have all started games this fall helping Tennessee go 10-2. Their first 10 win regular season since 2003.
