The news comes after attempts to renegotiate his NIL went public, creating what essentially became an NFL-style holdout.

It was a bold, and strategically smart, play by Tennessee. While other schools were wading cautiously into NIL and the NCAA was feverishly trying to set up so-called "guardrails," the Vols smartly saw where things were headed. When the NCAA eventually challenged the deal, the state's attorney general stepped in and won an injunction.

After going 10-2 in the regular season, Tennessee qualified for the College Football Playoff. However, the Volunteers got crushed 42-17 by the eventual national championship-winning Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round.