Former Tennessee Vols commit ranked as one of the top available players in the NCAA transfer portal

A former Tennessee Vols commit was ranked this week by Rivals.com as one of the top remaining players in the NCAA transfer portal.

Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney ranked the top five best defenders still in the portal and he listed Alabama Crimson Tide transfer safety Tony Mitchell at No. 2.

Mitchell was committed to the Vols before eventually signing with Alabama.

From Rivals.com : An early Tennessee commit who backed off that pledge and then ended up at Alabama over many other SEC programs, the four-star was used mainly on special teams during his first season with the Crimson Tide and dealt with an arrest for marijuana possession.

It’s not clear which programs have been reaching out to Mitchell since he entered the portal but he can be a major contributor for another program.

If you're a Tennessee fan who doesn't immediately remember Mitchell being committed to the Vols, that's because he committed to UT nearly five years ago.

Mitchell, who was rated as a four-star recruit, originally committed to Tennessee on June 8, 2019 when Jeremy Pruitt was the head coach. He decommitted from the Vols on March 10, 2020 (just before the COVID-19 pandemic took over the world).

Josh Heupel and his staff also pursued Mitchell after taking over for Pruitt, though they weren't able to convince the Alabama native to recommit to the Vols.

Mitchell, because he entered the transfer portal during the spring window, is not eligible to transfer to another SEC program.

Related: The NCAA should immediately allow Jeremy Pruitt to coach in college football again after the latest news about the sport