Tennessee sophomore receiver Walker Merrill announced his plans to enter the transfer portal Wednesday morning.
“My time there (Knoxville) will always be cherished,” Merrill wrote in a statement on Twitter. “I gave everything I had to the program and gained a lot of great memories, friendships and experiences. After many thoughts and prayers with family and mentors, I have decided to enter my name in the transfer portal.”
Merrill enters the portal after two seasons in Knoxville where he saw limited playing time. The 6-foot-1 receiver caught eight passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns this season after moving from the slot to out wide.
The Volunteer State native was a “co-starter” with Bru McCoy on Tennessee’s season opening depth chart but Merrill was a true back up all season. Merrill was always in the mix at receiver, earning more playing time than fellow transfer receivers Jimmy Calloway and Jimmy Holliday.
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However, Merrill couldn’t get over the hump to earn extended playing time in Knoxville. With Tennessee returning Bru McCoy, Squirrel White and Ramel Keyton and looking to add a receiver in the transfer portal, Merrill looked poised for a similar role in 2023.
Merrill committed to Jeremy Pruitt’s coaching staff in the spring of 2020 over SEC foes Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. The Brentwood High School standout was a low four-star recruit and top 10 player in the state of Tennessee’s 2021 recruiting class.
The receiver becomes the seventh Vol to enter the transfer portal since the end of the regular season, joining Calloway, Holliday, running backs Len’Neth Whitehead and Justin-Williams Thomas, tight end Miles Campbell and offensive lineman William Parker.
