Tennessee has already added a few graduate transfers to their football team since Jeremy Pruitt took over as head coach. Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst, Michigan State running back Madre London, and Michigan kicker Ryan Tice are all joining the Vols’ roster as grad transfers after the spring.
Now the Vols are looking to add one more grad transfer before the 2018 season begins.
Nick Harvey, a former cornerback for Texas A&M, tweeted out on Friday night that he’ll be visiting Knoxville this weekend. He’ll be attending Tennessee’s annual spring scrimmage, the Orange & White Game. He also recently visited Arizona, Auburn, and South Carolina and has been contacted by many other schools.
?? #RockyTop ?⚪
— Nick Harvey (@1NickHarvey) April 21, 2018
The Vols had previously been involved with Stanford grad transfer corner Terrence Alexander, but he ended up choosing to attend LSU rather than Tennessee. Now the Vols have turned their sights on a former starting corner in the SEC.
Harvey started 12 of the Aggies’ 13 games in 2016 and played in 13 games as a sophomore in 2015. As a junior, Harvey totaled 66 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, 10 passes defended, and a fumble recovery. He also returned one punt 73 yards for a touchdown that season.
All things pointed to Harvey making a big impact on Texas A&M’s defense in 2017. But unfortunately for Harvey and the Aggies, he never got a chance to play last year after he suffered a torn ACL in the offseason. He sat out all of last season and took a medical redshirt.
After Texas A&M decided to make a coaching change and let go of Kevin Sumlin in favor of Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, Harvey elected to try his luck elsewhere. As he told The Eagle back in mid-March, he didn’t feel like he was going to get a fair shake under the new coaching staff.
“Going into my last year of eligibility, I felt like they wouldn’t give me a chance to compete for the starting job anymore,” Harvey stated. “I don’t have anything bad to say about coach Jimbo Fisher or any of the coaches on the coaching staff. I actually love those guys. It just felt like I wasn’t getting a chance to compete for the starting job.”
Harvey, who measures in at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, should have a shot at starting immediately for a Tennessee team desperate for help at cornerback.
The Vols don’t have much in the way of experience at corner heading into the 2018 season after losing veterans Rashaan Gaulden, Justin Martin, and Emmanuel Moseley after the 2017 season. Not only are they short on experience at the position, but they’re thin on depth too. And Pruitt and his staff have been trying to supplement that by switching players around to different positions within that unit.
Carlin Fils-aime, Maleik Gray, and Alontae Taylor have all moved over to corner from previous positions this spring. Tyler Byrd got a shot there and safety both, but he’s been put back over to wide receiver for now.
Tennessee also added junior college cornerback Kenneth George Jr. as a late addition to their 2018 class back in late March. He’ll join the team in the fall, as will true freshman Brandon Davis from the class. Three-star Trevon Flowers could see time at corner when he joins the team in the fall as well, or he could play at safety.
When Tennessee played Texas A&M in 2016, Harvey had one his best statistical games of his collegiate career. He totaled six tackles, two passes defended, and his lone fumble recovery of the season when he faced the Vols, helping the Aggies defeat Tennessee 45-38 in double overtime.
According to The Eagle, Harvey “hopes to enroll in a master’s program in youth development or sports management” wherever he enrolls next. He is set to graduate from Texas A&M in May with a bachelor’s degree in university studies with a concentration in agriculture and life sciences.
Harvey totaled 107 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 14 passes defended, an interception, and a fumble recovery in 34 games with Texas A&M. He also returned six punts for an average of 22.8 yards per return, scoring one touchdown.
