KNOXVILLE – No bitterness or bad taste. No finger-pointing or foul language. Just handshakes and hugs.
Disappointment, not anger.
Nick Stephens doesn’t want to play college football anywhere other than Tennessee, but the rising fifth-year senior’s desire to start overcame his love for the Volunteers and the people associated with their program.
Stephens fell down the depth chart this week after taking a vast majority of the first-team repetitions through seven spring practices, and the fear he’d never re-take the top spot caused him to sit down with first-year coach Derek Dooley on Thursday and ask for a transfer release. Dooley granted him one and wished him well in the future – a future that will probably include NCAA Division II football. With just one year of eligibility left on his clock, Stephens isn’t allowed to transfer down to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level.
I spoke with Stephens for 10 minutes Friday morning about his past, present and future, and he was every bit as open as he always was during his UT career. I’ll say this much for Stephens – he speaks his mind, and he speaks it honestly. That’s a refreshing quality in an era where so many athletes stay constantly coy with the public and the press. I do believe his story and his reasons for leaving, though my opinion is typically inconsequential.