The University of Tennessee hasn't finished a college football season ranked higher than 22nd since 2007, yet there still figures to be a heavy Volunteer flavor to the playoff picture this year.
Or to put it more accurately, an ex-Vol flavor.
While the transfer portal was particularly active during the most recent offseason, no team lost more star power than Tennessee, which fired coach Jeremy Pruitt in January when school officials said an internal investigation found serious NCAA violations.
Three teams ranked in the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 landed notable former Tennessee players, with No. 1 Alabama now the football home of linebacker Henry To'o To'o and No. 10 North Carolina adding Ty Chandler at running back.
However, the Tennessee presence is most notable at No. 2 Oklahoma. The Sooners have three former Vols: running back Eric Gray, defensive back Key Lawrence and offensive tackle Wanya Morris.
"Definitely for me as a running back, the history of the RBU, so many great running backs came through here, the history of the offense at Oklahoma, just the OU program in general, I was definitely attracted to it from day one," said Gray, who was a prep star in Memphis but left his home state and the Southeastern Conference to join a Big 12 power that will eventually join the SEC.
"Once I got to the transfer portal, I kind of knew Oklahoma was the school I wanted to go to."
Gray rushed for 772 yards and caught 30 passes for 254 yards in nine games last season. He rushed for 539 yards as a freshman in 2019, closing that season by churning out 246 yards on the ground against Vanderbilt and gaining 120 all-purpose yards and scoring the winning touchdown against Indiana in the Gator Bowl, where he was voted the game's MVP. Gray should form a quality running back tandem with Kennedy Brooks, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 before opting out last year amid the coronavirus outbreak.
AP photo by Vasha Hunt / Alabama linebacker Henry To'o To'o (10) runs a drill the Crimson Tide's Aug. 12 practice in Tuscaloosa. To'o To'o was a leader and star for Tennessee's defense the past two years before transferring in the offseason.The Vols lost a defensive star and leader in To'o To'o, who was a two-year starter at Tennessee and recorded a team-high 76 tackles last season, including 10 for loss. He had 72 tackles as a freshman in 2019. Alabama coach Nick Saban said To'o To'o has benefited from his familiarity with the system after playing at Tennessee for Pruitt, a former Alabama defensive coordinator.
Other players expected to make a major impact as transfers this season:
Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan
The former Wisconsin player already has been named the starter for No. 9 Notre Dame's Sept. 5 season opener at Florida State. Coan made 18 starts for the Badgers in 2018-19, but he injured his right foot before the 2020 season and never played for Wisconsin again, with Graham Mertz taking over the job. Coan completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,727 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2019 while helping Wisconsin reach the Big Ten championship game and the Rose Bowl. Coan will get a chance to face his former team Sept. 25, when the Fighting Irish take on No. 12 Wisconsin at Chicago's Soldier Field.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis
He will start Kentucky's Sept. 4 season opener against Louisiana-Monroe. Levis appeared in 15 games for Penn State and was 61-of-102 for 644 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Kentucky might not be the only SEC East team handing its starting QB job to someone who arrived by transfer this offseason. Tennessee's competition includes Michigan transfer Joe Milton and Virginia Tech transfer Hendon Hooker.
Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton
The former Central Florida star is a two-time American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year who finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 2017 and sixth in 2018, but he sustained ligament, nerve and artery damage in his right knee in November 2018 and hasn't played in a game since. Milton, who won his last 24 starts with the Orlando program, is attempting a comeback with Florida State and competing with Jordan Travis for the right to open the season as the starter for the Seminoles.
Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith
He was a third-team AP All-America selection at West Virginia last season, when he had 61 tackles, including eight for loss, and two interceptions in 10 games. Smith, who had 53 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman in 2019, will be part of a Georgia secondary that also includes Clemson transfer Derion Kendrick.