UT Vols: Two Tennessee football starters explore possibility of transfer

Two Tennessee starters are exploring the possibility of a transfer.

Offensive tackle Drew Richmond and tight end Eli Wolf are entered into the NCAA transfer portal, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed on Friday.

Entering the portal does not mean the players are definitely leaving UT, but it is a first step that allows other coaches to contact the player.

Richmond, a senior from Memphis, started all 12 games at right tackle in 2018. Wolf, a senior from Minster, Ohio, started seven games at either tight end or fullback.

Richmond, a former four-star signee, has made 25 starts throughout his career.

The Vols need to make improvements along the offensive line, a group that struggled the past two seasons. Tennessee already is down left tackle Trey Smith, who is out indefinitely after blood clots in his lungs sidelined him for the final five games of last season.

Wolf is a former walk-on who went on scholarship before the 2017 season. He has nine receptions in his career.

Two Vols reserves — quarterback Will McBride and cornerback Marquill Osborne —transferred earlier this offseason. Reserve offensive linemen Devante Brooks and Tanner Antonutti moved onto medical scholarship after injuries ended their careers. And underclassman linebacker Quart'e Sapp declared for the NFL Draft.

More roster attrition is expected, as the Vols need to get down to the NCAA's 85-scholarship limit.

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