Well hello college football offseason. Good to see you. Again.
While it’s not exactly a bow-tied university president once more tripping over his own junk, Tennessee has “lost” a member of its football program -- to the new head coach’s old school.
On Twitter Sunday afternoon, kicker Andrew Gantz announced he was leaving the Vols and will be playing for Cincinnati in 2013. As was the case at UT, Gantz will be a preferred walk-on at UC, where Butch Jones had served as the head coach for the past four years before coming to Knoxville to replace the deposed Derek Dooley.
“I had to make the best decision for my family and myself,” the player wrote on Twitter, adding, “Thank you to everyone for your support! I wish nothing but the best for the University of Tennessee and will continue to work hard at UC!”
Gantz was rated as the No. 7 kicker in the country in the Class of 2013 by 247Sports.com. While Gantz initially felt confident about winning the starting job right out of the gate, he said “some things changed recently” that prompted him to roll off Rocky Top.
“I have nothing bad to say about the University of Tennessee and the coaches there, but I felt like I needed to look at a better opportunity to get on the field,” Gantz told GoVols247.com. “I want to play. I work hard every day, and I want to play. I think this gives me the best opportunity to play.”
(Photo credit: Andrew Gantz’s Twitter account)