Oklahoma football: Sooners gain another Tennessee transfer
By Chip Rouse
A former Tennessee top defensive recruit has announced he is transferring to the Oklahoma football program.
Defensive back Key Lawrence entered the transfer portal last Friday, one of a number of Tennessee players who have elected to transfer after the firing of head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Fifteen Tennessee players have reportedly entered the transfer portal since Dec. 1.
Lawrence, a top-100 defensive back prospect in the 2020 Tennessee recruiting class, according to 247Sports, is the third player to land at Oklahoma this cycle through the transfer portal. A week ago, fellow Tennessee transferee and teammate Wanya Morris, a highly regarded offensive lineman, committed to the Sooners.
Oklahoma also picked up former Penn State quarterback Micah Bowens from the transfer portal.
The 6-foot, 2-inch, 200-pound Lawrence played in all 10 Tennessee games as a freshman this past season, mainly as a reserve defensive back and on special teams. He was the crown jewel in the Volunteer’s top-10 ranked 2020 class and could be a big addition to the Oklahoma secondary that is losing veteran defensive back Tre Norwood and Tre Brown to the NFL Draft.
Lawrence was the No. 81 overall prospect in the 2020 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Player rankings for that recruiting class, and the No. 6 safety prospect. He had multiple recruiting offers — from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma — when he picked Tennessee.
When Lincoln Riley and his staff learned that Lawrence was interested in transferring they were quick to go after the player they had been highly interested in previously.