Coveted Transfer WR Dont’e Thornton Planning to Visit Vols
Dont’e Thornton spent two years at Oregon before entering the transfer portal earlier this month. Thornton, a once-coveted recruit, has picked up plenty of interest already.
Thornton tells Volunteer Country he plans to visit Tennessee the first weekend in January.
He is currently on an official visit to Miami, where he reconnects with his former head coach, Mario Cristobal.
He has also taken trips to Penn State and Auburn, both of who are considered serious contenders for the Baltimore, Maryland product.
Thornton would be an ideal match for Tennessee’s vertically attacking offense give his 6-5, 200 pound frame and uncanny leaping ability.
Thornton caught 26 passes for 541 yards and 3 touchdowns in two seasons in Eugene.
He will have two years of eligibility remaining at the school of his choice.
Understanding the Transfer Portal and Its Windows
The transfer portal has essentially been the wild West from the outside looking in. However, the NCAA has implemented new windows that take some of the chaos out of the equation.
The window for winter transfers opens on December 5th and runs for 45 consecutive days, while the Spring portal window is shorter and runs from May 1-15th.
A key part to understand during this process is that a player does not have to choose their school during this window, they just have to declare their name to ensure immediate eligibility, unless they are a graduate transfer. In this case, a grad transfer does not apply to these rules.
Most players that enter during this window are looking to get enrolled for the Spring semester at the school of their choosing. For Tennessee, the Spring semester starts on January 23rd. There is also a winter term that spans three weeks after the first of the year.
The biggest impact being seen with the transfer portal is on high school recruits, who are seeing classes shrink due to Division 1 programs flipping their rosters via the portal. The early signing period runs from December 21st-23rd this year.
