Oklahoma made a commitment on Wednesday with the feedback from Eric Gray of Tennessee after Gray chased the volunteers in the 2020 season with 772 yards and four tackles on 157 attempts during nine games. Gray is the third Tennessee transfer to join the Sooners program this season, after former five-star attacking linebacker Wanya Morris and former four-star defensive back Key Lawrence, who also selected Oklahoma after hitting the transfer portal during a turbulent entered off-season in Knoxville.
With Oklahoma’s leading rusher from 2020, Rhamondre Stevenson led the NFL draft, Gray would immediately have an opportunity to compete for carriers – NCAA legislation would soon pass allowing players to transfer once without to put out a season. Gray has also proven to be a good pass catcher, concluding the 2020 season with 30 catches for 254 yards and two more touchdowns.
Losing Gray is a blow to talent level in Josh Heupel’s first team in Tennessee. The former UCF coach, who was introduced as the new leader of the program on Wednesday, will now have to replace both of the team’s top drivers from 2020 after Ty Chandler was transferred to North Carolina earlier this season.
Heupel said at his inaugural press conference that he would not be recruiting UCF players to come to Tennessee, saying, “I do not believe this is the right thing to do.” Hupel will probably have to pick up a few transfers to take up the volunteer team again amid a spate of departure after Jeremy Pruitt’s coach as coach.
There is also irony in the fact that three key players left the volunteers to Oklahoma. Heupel was the runner-up of the Heisman Trophy for the Sooners in 2000 and spent nine seasons on Oklahoma’s staff before being replaced by Lincoln Riley, now Oklahoma’s head coach, as attacking coordinator.