AL.com is reporting that redshirt freshman defensive end Kurott Garland has entered the transfer portal, as of Monday night.
Garland played sparingly in 2018 and was considered a dark horse contender at one of the defensive end spots heading in to 2019. He was not heavily recruited by Power-5 programs coming out of high school in Conyers, Georgia, but was still considered a high-upside prospect. Garland helped turn around a struggling program in Georgia and he put up eye-popping numbers while doing so. These numbers, along with his interesting physical tools, made him a potentially impact player once he received collegiate coaching.
Now, it seems that he will receive that coaching elsewhere. Some of the other schools that recruited him in high school include Coastal Carolina, Tulane, and Eastern Kentucky. It is unknown at this point where he intends to transfer.
That being said, Garland still has the opportunity to remove his name from the portal. He could reverse course if Pruitt and staff meet with him and discuss it over. Alternatively, it could have been prompted by a meeting with the staff.
Garland is the eighth Tennessee player to enter the transfer portal after the 2018 season. However, the only starter from that list is offensive tackle Drew Richmond. Other names include Eli Wolf, Marquill Osborne, and Will McBride.
Overall it’s hard to feel too strongly about this move either way. Garland simply hasn’t proven anything on this level. Tennessee could always use defensive line depth, but it needs good talent more than anything. Garland still has a ways to go proving that he’s the latter.