Following his announcement on Friday that he would be leaving the Vols, an offensive lineman for Tennessee has now officially added his name to the NCAA transfer portal. Following his second season at Tennessee, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Mo Clipper Jr. entered the portal on Monday morning, according to sources who spoke with GoVols247. Three days prior, he had announced on social media that he intended to enter the portal.
One of the first Vols to access the portal was Clipper, which went live for all players on Monday morning. Being a graduate transfer, veteran cornerback Warren Burrell arrived on Thursday and didn’t have to wait for the transfer portal window to formally open.
Clipper played in five games this season after wearing a redshirt in his freshman year at Tennessee in 2022. He spent his time as a member of the Vols playing both guard positions. He is still eligible for three seasons.
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound Clipper was an early enrollee out of Milton (Ga.) High School outside of Atlanta and came to Tennessee as part of its 2022 recruiting class.
I want to start by giving thanks to God for the wonderful chance to play my favourite game among Rocky Top, Tennessee’s amazing fan base.
“I want to thank everyone for their love and support while I was here. I would not trade the past two years for anything because they have opened my eyes to so many new things. I’d like to express my gratitude to the professors, coaches, trainers, and teammates who have been there for me from the beginning and have helped me grow as a student athlete. I made memories and lifelong friendships that I will always treasure.
Clipper only made one appearance this season, against Virginia in the season’s opening game, before making four more appearances in the season, despite the Vols’ offensive line suffering from a spate of injuries this year. His two offensive games, totaling 19 snaps, came at right guard against Connecticut and left guard against Virginia. During the last four games of the season, he was also a member of the field goal and extra point protection unit.
As a junior in 2020, Clipper was a member of the Milton team that finished the regular season undefeated and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. As a senior, he led his team to the Class 7A state championship game, winning a fourth consecutive region title and earning all-state honours. He was a Milton basketball player as well. Clipper was ranked as a three-star prospect by 247Sports, which also placed him as Georgia’s top prospect in the 2022 class and as the No. 41 interior offensive lineman.
In order to make the most of the first weekend of the contact period before Early Signing Day, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel and his staff were on the road again on Saturday. Once more, Heupel remained in Tennessee, but the assistant coaches for the Vols left the state to go elsewhere.
