Some bullpen depth.
Tennessee picked up their first transfer portal commitment on Tuesday afternoon, landing Kennesaw State transfer Tanner Franklin.
Extremely blessed for this new opportunity! Thank you Lord. Go Vols!
Psalms 24:17 pic.twitter.com/5dKdv6G5n0— Tanner Franklin (@t_franklin22) July 2, 2024
The right-handed pitcher is out of East Tennessee and hit the transfer portal on June 17th. Franklin stands in at 6-5, 240 pounds and has velocity that can near 100 mph. He chose the Volunteers over an offer from in-state rival Vanderbilt.
Franklin has two years of eligibility remaining. He went 4-1 last season with a 5.60 ERA. Franklin logged 27.1 innings as a sophomore, striking out 43 batters and walking 27. He was credited with five saves on the year.
Tennessee will lose Kirby Connell, Zander Sechrist and Chris Stamos this offseason, as each are out of eligibility. The Volunteers will also send Drew Beam to the MLB Draft, while AJ Causey and Aaron Combs will likely have decisions to make on starting their professional careers or returning to Knoxville.
Franklin likely projects as a bullpen arm next season.