The mini-wave of attrition at Tennessee continued this evening with the somewhat stunning news that offensive lineman Aaron Douglas has decided to leave the football program.
New head coach Derek Dooley told reporters this evening that he and the lineman “met today, and he’s decided that he’s no longer a part of the football team.”
Douglas’ father David, who was a football player at UT in the mid-eighties, told Chris Low of ESPN.com‘s SEC blog that this move had been in the making for a month, but it was still “a gut-wrenching decision” nonetheless.
“This was all Aaron’s decision,” David Douglas said. “We’ve been talking about this for a month, and initially, I didn’t necessarily agree with his decision. He actually wanted to do this a month ago.
“The bottom line is that he wasn’t happy. He’s always going to care about Tennessee, but I just think he wants to go somewhere and be his own person. Aaron needs a fresh start, and as his parents, we’re going to support him in every way.”
Douglas was a Freshman All-American at right tackle last season after redshirting in 2008. As noted by Low, Douglas was expected to slide over to left tackle and be the experienced anchor of a young unit.
Now, Dooley will have to deal with five new starters along the line.