Makes sense for him.
It took a few days, but we officially have our first Tennessee Volunteer hitting the transfer portal. Warren Burrell, a senior cornerback who saw his playing time dwindle in 2023, will explore his options as a graduate transfer.
Burrell will have one season of eligibility left.
Tennessee CB Warren Burrell (@_WB04) has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @On3sports has learned.
Burrell has 91 tackles and 1 Int in his career. https://t.co/l6HDDPGq0I pic.twitter.com/tyhw7mqqmi
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) November 30, 2023
Burrell, a former three-star prospect out of Georgia, played quickly as a true freshman. He ended up starting the first four games of the 2019 season as Tennessee searched for answers at cornerback. He appeared in eight games as a sophomore before turning in a full season in 2021. Burrell started 12 games during that season, the first of Josh Heupel’s time in Knoxville.
2022 saw his season cut short by injury, but a medical redshirt was rewarded. In 2023, Burrell was in and out of the lineup as Tennessee fought injuries in the secondary all season long. By and large, however, he was passed over by Kamal Hadden, Gabe Jeudy-Lally and Doneiko Slaughter on the depth chart.
With young prospects like Rickey Gibson and Jordan Matthews set to take another step up the depth chart this offseason, Burrell will opt for a fresh opportunity to capitalize on his final season.
The cornerback room is definitely one to watch this offseason, as Tennessee rotates a ton of veterans out and some new, young faces get their shot.