Tennessee football transfer tracker: Who's leaving the Vols via portal

The transfer portal is closed to undergraduate players entering, but a few Tennessee football players jumped in before the deadline.

The Vols beat Clemson in the Orange Bowl to cap their first 11-win season since 2001. And then they went through spring practice. But some players are looking for opportunities for more playing time elsewhere.

Here's a look at who has entered the portal from the 2022 team, with the latest announcements at the top of the list. Their new school is listed in parenthesis.

Wide receiver Nigel Lanier (Grambling State)

Nigel Lanier, a 6-0, 190-pounder, entered the portal just before the portal window closed on April 30. He is from Huntsville, Alabama, and spent two seasons at UT. In 2021, he enrolled at UT and joined the team as a preferred walk-on.

Defensive back Jerrod Gentry

Jerrod Gentry, a 6-0, 190-pounder, entered the portal just before the portal window closed on April 30. He is from Memphis, Tennessee, played at Briarcrest Christian and spent two seasons with the Vols. In 2021, he enrolled at UT and joined the team as a preferred walk-on.

Defensive back/wide receiver Cameron Miller (Memphis)

Cameron Miller, a 6-0, 200-pounder, entered the portal just before the portal window closed on April 30. He was a 3-star prospect in the 2022 class out of Memphis Academy of Health Sciences. Miller was viewed as a wide receiver by some schools, but UT put him at defensive back. As a freshman, he played one game against Akron in 2022, so he has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Defensive lineman Amari McNeill (Colorado)

Amari McNeill, a 6-4, 285-pounder, announced on April 25 that he had entered the portal. He spent two seasons at UT, including a redshirt year, so he has three years of eligibility remaining. In 2022, McNeill played six games and recorded three tackles and one pass breakup. He was a 3-star prospect in the 2021 class out of Peachtree Ridge High in Suwanee, Georgia.

Defensive back Derek Taylor

Derek Taylor, a 6-4, 209-pounder, entered the portal on April 24. He spent one season at UT after enrolling as a preferred walk-on. Taylor did not play in a game in the 2022 season. He was a 3-star prospect out of Greenbrier, Tennessee, and drew scholarship offers from a few FBS programs.

Punter Kolby Morgan (Marshall)

Kolby Morgan, a 5-11, 200-pounder, entered the portal on April 21. In 2021, he played one game against Tennessee Tech, punting four times for a 38.5-yard average. That included a 55-yarder and one punt inside the 20. Morgan did not play in the game in 2022.

Quarterback Tayven Jackson (Indiana)

Tayven Jackson, a 6-3, 200-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 13. As a freshman in 2022, he played three games, passed for 37 yards and rushed for one TD. It counted as a redshirt year, so he has four seasons of eligibility remaining. Jackson, a native of Greenwood, Indiana, was a four-star signee in the 2022 class.

Linebacker Juwan Mitchell

Juwan Mitchell, a 6-1, 235-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 9. In 2022, he had 43 tackles and one interception as a part-time starter. In two seasons with Tennessee, he played 13 games with eight starts. He missed most of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury.

Mitchell has one season of eligibility remaining. He started his career at Butler Community College, played two seasons at Texas and the past two seasons at Tennessee. In 2020, he led Texas in tackles.

Defensive back Romello Edwards

Romello Edwards, a 6-0, 187-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 5. He played seven games over five years, serving on defense and special teams. That included a 2018 redshirt and 2020 COVID-exempt year. Edwards has one season of eligibility remaining.

Defensive back Lucien Brunetti

Lucien Brunetti, a 6-0, 165-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 5. As a walk-on, the Montgomery Bell Academy product primarily served on the scout team. He appeared in one game in 2021 and no games in 2022. Brunetti was a three-star wide receiver in the 2021 class.

Wide receiver Walker Merrill (Wake Forest)

Walker Merrill, a 6-1, 195-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 4. He was a Brentwood standout and four-star signee in the 2021 class.

Merrill was a productive backup with eight catches for 116 yards and three TDs in 2022. He played in 23 games over two seasons with the Vols, and he has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Offensive lineman R.J. Perry (South Florida)

R.J. Perry, a 6-6, 325-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 4. He was a three-star signee in the 2020 class. Perry redshirted in 2020, played seven games in 2021 and 13 games in 2022. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Offensive lineman William Parker

William Parker, a 6-5, 310-pounder, entered the portal on Jan. 3. The former Pearl-Cohn standout has three seasons of eligibility remaining.

In the 2021 class, Parker was a three-star prospect, a top-500 player overall and a key in-state recruit for the Vols. He chose Tennessee over Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Louisville. But he played only four games and 25 snaps over two seasons.

Defensive lineman Jordan Phillips (Maryland)

Jordan Phillips, a 6-2, 295-pounder, reportedly entered the portal on Dec. 19. He has four seasons of eligibility remaining.

Phillips played three games and made one tackle during his freshman season. He was rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports Composite in the 2022 class out of Ocoee High in Orlando, Florida.

Tight end Miles Campbell (North Carolina Central)

Campbell, a 6-3, 235-pounder, announced Dec. 1 that he was entering the portal. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Campbell spent most of his time at Tennessee on special teams. He played four games as a freshman in 2021 and took a redshirt. He played one game in 2022. He was a 3-star prospect in the 2021 class.

Running back Justin Williams-Thomas (Cal)

Williams-Thomas, a 6-foot, 210-pounder, was reported Nov. 30 as entering the portal. He has four years of eligibility remaining after signing with Tennessee as a 4-star prospect in the 2022 class and playing three games as a freshman.

Williams-Thomas was a highly touted prospect when he signed with Tennessee over Auburn and enrolled in January 2022. He had decommitted from West Virginia and picked the Vols over additional scholarship offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and USC among others.

Williams-Thomas rushed for 37 yards on 11 carries. He was behind fellow freshman Dylan Sampson on the depth chart, along with starter Jabari Small and backup Jaylen Wright.

Running back Len’Neth Whitehead (Georgia)

Whitehead, a 6-foot-2, 220-pounder, was reported Nov. 30 as entering the portal. He has three years of eligibility remaining after missing the 2022 season with an upper-body injury.

In 2021, Whitehead rushed for 276 yards on 32 carries, mostly as a powerful short-yardage back and strong pass protector. His best game was against Missouri, when he rushed for 76 yards on nine carries.

Wide receiver Jimmy Calloway (Louisville)

Calloway is a 6-foot, 190-pounder, announced Nov. 30 he was entering the portal. He has three years of eligibility remaining.

Calloway has tremendous playmaking ability but never found a steady role in UT's rotation. This season Calloway had two catches for 20 yards in nine games. Last season, he had five receptions for 84 yards and a 44-yard touchdown against Pittsburgh. He was a 4-star signee in the 2020 class.

Wide receiver Jimmy Holiday (Western Kentucky)

Holiday, a 6-foot, 205-pounder, announced Nov. 30 he was entering the portal. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Holiday spent the past three seasons, including the 2020 COVID-exempt year, as a reserve wide receiver. He converted to the position after playing quarterback in high school. This season he had six receptions for 106 yards and one TD.

Holiday has elite speed, which earned him a role as UT's primary kick returner. This season he had 14 kick returns for 281 yards (20.1-yard average).

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football transfer tracker: Who's leaving the Vols via portal