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A Tennessee offensive lineman is officially on his way out of Knoxville through the transfer portal.
Late on Wednesday night, Tennessee offensive lineman K’Rojhn Calbert announced on Twitter that he would be leaving Rocky Top in order to seek out his future dreams. Calbert has been with the Tennessee program for the last five years.
“First I want to thank God for the opportunity He has provided me and giving me the ability through my body to play and compete at the highest level of collegiate football. Secondly, I want to thank all of the coaches who believed in me enough to give me the opportunity to fulfill a dream of becoming a Tennessee Volunteer,” Calbert said in a social media post on Wednesday night. “I came to The University of Tennessee a wide-eyed, naive boy, but I am leaving here a man. As much as it hurts me, after prayer and counsel, I am leaving Rocky Top to be able to continue pursuing football and my dream of making it into the NFL.”
During fall camp in August, head coach Josh Heupel announced that Calbert would be missing an extended amount of time. Calbert reportedly tore his bicep during a workout, causing him to miss the vast majority of his final season in Knoxville. Through hard work, though, Calbert was able to come back and play by the end of the season, making his season debut against South Alabama.
“I will never forget the feeling of busting through that famous T and the feeling of awe that it inspired each and every time but especially the first and last times,” Calbert said. “It’s a feeling I wish I could give to every Tennessean and especially every diehard Tennessee fan. So, thank you. You truly are the greatest fan base in this country.”
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Calbert came to Tennessee as a three-star recruit. The McMinnville native was a redshirt player during his freshman season in 2017 and then saw action in 10 games as a reserve lineman during his 2018 redshirt-freshman campaign. In 2019, Calbert was a critical component to Tennessee’s line, appearing in all 13 games and even making five starts throughout the season, including the Taxslayer Gator Bowl.
In the shortened 2020 season, Calbert saw action as a reserve lineman in nine out of Tennessee’s ten games. Then, in 2021, Calbert made his Heupel-era season debut against South Alabama.
“I would like to give a special thanks to two men who started as mentors/coaches but became family,” Calbert posted on Wednesday. “People that I’ve come to lean on for life decisions, not just football matters. Coach Bond, and Coach Thomas. I truly hope you realize how much I appreciate you both and I hope I was able to do right by all the sacrifices you made for me. From the bottom of my heart, Thank you.”
Thank you Volnation 🍊🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/wfKLTmxBRh
— Krojhn calbert (@Krojhncalbert) January 13, 2022
Go be great! @Krojhncalbert https://t.co/udFzZS83bJ
— Trey Smith (@treysmith) January 13, 2022
Author’s note: A previous version of this story stated that Calbert was heading to the NFL Draft, which was incorrect. Calbert is in the transfer portal after five years with Tennessee.
