Tennessee, like many other programs around the country, has benefitted from the transfer portal since its inception just a few years back. The Vols have bolstered programs around the athletic department with incoming talent such as Rickea Jackson and Hendon Hooker to lead to success, to name a few examples.
In the time since the launch of the portal in 2018, Tennessee has also shown to be a place that values incoming transfers and can put them in positions to be more successful than they were before. Tennessee’s NIL collective has also been touted as one of the top groups in the country and has maintained competitiveness in the ever-changing landscape.
On top of all of that, though, Tennessee has developed strong relationships with the transfer players, which ends up being one of the biggest factors in many cases. Two recent examples of that can be found from the 2023-2024 season.
Following their respective one-and-done seasons with Tennessee, Vol Baseball third baseman Billy Amick and Vol Basketball guard Dalton Knecht both expressed their wish to do it all over again with Tennessee.
Amick, a native of South Carolina, played his first two collegiate seasons at Clemson before transferring over to Tennessee for his junior year. The 6-foot-1 infielder came to Tennessee with a lot of hype behind him and overcame injuries throughout the season to help the Vols earn their first National Championship in program history.
Tennessee assistant coach Josh Elander posted a quote from Amick after the season to X on Tuesday.
“I knew we could do it,” Amick said. “I wish I could have spent all three years here.”
.@billyamick #VFL pic.twitter.com/ZzRimHQhqq
— Josh Elander (@josh_elander) July 9, 2024
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The quote from Amick sounds awfully similar to something another star Tennessee transfer said earlier in the year.
Tennessee Basketball transfer Dalton Knecht rose to stardom during his lone season on Rocky Top, going from Second Team All-Big Sky to SEC Player of the Year in just one season with the Vols. Unlike Amick who went to Tennessee from Clemson, Knecht’s journey from Northeastern JUCO and Northern Colorado didn’t always have the same resources that Tenessee provided. Knecht took advantage of every opportunity during his time at Tennessee, building his body with the strength and conditioning program and building his mind through relationships on the staff and in the building.
Knecht expressed his appreciation for Tennessee on several occasions throughout the end of the season and spoke about his ultimate wish to spend more of his collegiate career with the Vols as opposed to just one year.
Knecht and Amick’s sentiments might be small or something to easily pass by after a quick cheer, but they tell a larger story of what Tennessee is building from an athletics perspective in the current era. Tennessee is coming off of its best athletics year in school history with a large part due to successful transfer players that helped put the Vols over the top from what had already been built.
With another sports year just a handful of weeks away, a new crop of transfer players all over campus will have their chance to leave a lasting mark at Tennessee as Amick and Knecht did.
The idea of wishing for more time at a specific program isn’t something exclusive to the Tennessee program, but two quick examples in nearly as many months hammer home the standard that Tenessee has made in the portal, allowing student-athletes opportunities to be successful both on and off the field.
