Tennessee WR Jimmy Holiday to enter the transfer portal
Tennessee wide receiver and special teams stalwart Jimmy Holiday has entered the transfer portal after three seasons as a Vol.
The Mississippi native arrived on campus as a quarterback and was quickly moved to receiver. As a freshman in 2020, Holiday had one jet sweep rush for 6 yards. In 2021 he had one catch and 5 kickoff returns.
This season Holiday has five catches including a touchdown in mop up duty against Ball State and UT-Martin.
He has been a key part of special teams. Holiday averaged 20 yards a kickoff return this fall on 14 returns and had a long of 61 against Florida.
In coverage, Holiday was a key part on kickoff and punt coverage downing several punts inside the 20 yard line and as a gunner has helped the punt coverage unit be one of the best as Tennessee has given up just 5 punt returns yards this season.
Understanding the NCAA Transfer Portal
The winter transfer portal window opened on December 5th and runs for 45 days. The spring portal window runs from May 1-15.
Players don’t have to pick a school they are going to during those specific dates but those are the span of dates on when a player can enter the portal.
Those dates don’t apply to graduate transfers who can enter the portal whenever they wish. Also, if there’s a head coaching change, players can enter the portal outside of those dates.
Players who enter the portal in the 45 day winter window are trying to be somewhere for the spring semester.
For Tennessee the spring semester starts on January 23rd which is late compared to many schools around the country. Tennessee a year ago started a winter mini-term class that runs the first 3 weeks of January.
A year ago according to the NCAA 950 football players went into the portal. In 2020, there were less than 600 players who transferred. Coaches and media around the country feel like this year there will be a record number of players who go into the portal as one time transfers.
In fact some college coaches have said December is going to be total chaos with the early signing day and with the transfer portal becoming college football’s version of free agency thanks to NIL.
How Tennessee has benefitted from the portal
The transfer portal can giveth and it can taketh away. For Josh Heupel it’s been much more of a positive than a negative for the Vols.
In fact the portal has accelerated the rebuild of the program the last two years. Every knows the impact of Hendon Hooker or the last two season’s via the portal. Quarterback transfer Joe Milton will be making his fourth career start in the bowl game.
Tennessee found left tackle help this past off-season in Gerald Mincey. Bru McCoy as a transfer has had a big impact. McCoy is the team’s second leading receiver with 619 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Defensively, transfers Kamal Hadden, Brandon Turnage, Wesley Walker, Juwan Mitchell, and D.J. Terry have all started games this fall helping Tennessee go 10-2. Their first 10 win regular season since 2003.
