Projected to start in Tennessee’s three-wide receiver sets next season, DeAnthony Arnett will instead reportedly transfer from the Vols due to a health issue in his family.
By way of the Saginaw News, reports have surfaced that Arnett has requested a release from his UT scholarship and intends to transfer. Arnett’s father is reportedly ill, with the unspecified condition worsening in recent weeks, and Arnett wants to transfer to a program closer to his dad’s home in Saginaw, Mich.
Additionally, the departure of wide receivers coach Charlie Baggett was rumored to be a factor in the decision to move on from the Knoxville school.
An email seeking comment from the school has yet to receive a response.
As a true freshman in 2011, Arnett caught 24 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns for a Vols team with two of the top receivers in the SEC returning next season -- the conference leader in receptions Da’Rick Rogers (probably) and Justin Hunter, who will be coming back from a season-ending knee injury.
A four-star member of the Vols’ 2011 recruiting class, Arnett was the No. 12 receiver in the country according to Rivals.com. He had received offers from, among others, Michigan and Michigan State; it’s safe to assume those two schools will be the favorites to land the receiver.
It’s also safe to assume that, due to his father’s medical issue, Arnett will seek a waiver that would allow him to play immediately instead of sitting out the 2012 season.