Tennessee redshirt junior offensive lineman Ryan Johnson and freshman receiver Jerrod Means have entered their names into the NCAA transfer portal according to a report by 247Sports.
Johnson barely played this season since starting the season at left guard against Georgia State and then at right guard against BYU. The season prior, Johnson started all 12 games for the Vols, with 11 of those starts coming at center after Brandon Kennedy suffered Kennedy season-ending injury in practice after the Vols’ first game of the year. Johnson’s other start came at right guard.
Johnson graduated last December with a major in civil engineering and is currently pursuing his masters degree in structural engineering. He signed as a four-star prospect out of Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee and has been featured heavily in Tennessee’s offensive line up till this year.
As for Means, the former three-star prospect out of Lovejoy High School in Hampton, Georgia is no longer listed on Tennessee’s roster. Means saw action in five different games this season, but he hasn’t received a significant amount of playing time in any game. He’s bounced back-and-forth between wide receiver and cornerback, but he did not record a catch during the regular season.
Means was ranked as the No. 1,893 overall player and No. 223 wide receiver in the 247Sports Composite for the 2018 class.
Just because the two Vols have entered their names into the transfer portal doesn’t mean they must transfer. The portal simply allows players to explore their options after requesting that compliance enter their name. It then takes 24-48 hours for a player to appear following their request, allowing other schools to contact a player without restriction once their name appears in the portal.
Current Tennessee redshirt freshman defensive lineman Kurott Garland entered his name into the portal just before the season and withdrew his name to remain with the Vols. Garland has since become a key piece to Tennessee’s defensive line. Linebacker Jordan Allen did the same in the spring, putting his name into the portal only to withdraw it and remain on the roster.
