Former five-star tackle Wanya Morris enters transfer portal

A 3-7 season and a head coach left in limbo by an internal investigation has created a mass exodus out of Knoxville. The transfer portal is a popular destination for several key Tennessee starters, but this is by far the biggest blow yet.

Former five-star tackle Wanya Morris has entered the portal, per multiple reports.

Morris was a massive get for Jeremy Pruitt during his first full recruiting cycle at Tennessee. However, the 6-5, 320 pound tackle struggled to keep his starting spot at the end of the 2020 season. Morris actually started games at the tight end position as Tennessee limped to the finish line. That demotion likely played a role in this decision.

Morris was the 28th ranked player in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports. In total, Morris started 19 of 22 games for the Volunteers.

This is the tenth (!!) Tennessee scholarship player to enter the transfer portal since December 1st. Jarrett Guarantano, Deandre Johnson, J.T. Shrout, Brandon Johnson, Jordan Allen, Austin Pope, Ty Chandler, Kivon Bennett and Shawn Shamburger have all had their names in the portal, though Shamburger withdrew earlier today.

Jeremy Pruitt’s status as the head coach for the 2021 season has yet to be confirmed, but his hiring of Kevin Steele as a defensive assistant yesterday would seem to signal that he is safe. Still, for the time being, there are more questions than answers.

Phillip Fulmer needs to stop the bleeding and make a statement one way or another. The longer this drags out, the more it hurts the program. And who can blame the players for jumping ship? This has quickly morphed into yet another dumpster fire of a situation for Tennessee — one that I’m not sure how you correct. And if you keep Pruitt around for 2021, how exactly do you expect him to be competitive with what is quickly becoming a gutted roster?

What a disaster.