Just In: Vols DL Jordan Phillips Reportedly Enters Transfer Portal
Tennessee freshman defensive lineman Jordan Phillips has entered the transfer portal on Monday morning, according to a report from Matt Zenits of On3 Sports. The news comes as a bit of a surprise, as Phillips was an early enrollee last winter and appeared to be on pace to be an eventual long-term contributor for the Vols upfront.
He redshirted this fall and should have had an opportunity to continue to work into the rotation in his second season as a Vol. The Florida native will likely have several suitors in the transfer portal, especially if he plans to return to the Sunshine state.
He marks the sixth Tennessee player to enter the portal during this 45-day window. Phillips played in three games this fall for the Vols and was able to reserve his redshirt. You can view our transfer portal tracker here.
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.
