Shortly before the season began, Vanderbilt football lost four players to the transfer portal within a three week span. Linebacker Colin Anderson, running back JR Tran-Reno and safeties Tae Daley and Tré Douglas III have all elected to take their talents elsewhere for the rest of their collegiate eligibility. Three of the four transfers are defensive players, whittling away at the Commodores’ defensive depth.
Running back JR Tran-Reno of Birmingham, Alabama, announced his decision to transfer on Sept. 3. As a freshman, Tran-Reno redshirted and did not see any in-game action. A similar course was on the horizon for Tran-Reno this season, as he would have likely been slotted behind three other running backs, Ja’Veon Marlow, Jamuari Wakefield and Keyon Henry-Brooks. Although Tran-Reno did not see the field, in 2017, he led his high school team to a 17-1 record and was named a 2017 Alabama Mr. Football finalist. Tran-Reno will be taking his talents to Samford University in his home state of Alabama.
Tae Daley announced his transfer Sept. 15, roughly two weeks after Tran-Reno. Of the four transfers, Daley has had the most significant impact. He played a total of 33 games in his three years as a Commodore and had 107 career tackles (74 solo), two interceptions and a career-high 16 tackles against South Carolina in 2019. Daley had been a crucial piece of the Vanderbilt defense since 2017, and his decision to leave the program may increase the pressure on other returning defenders.
Just one day after Daley entered the transfer portal, another member of Vanderbilt’s secondary followed suit. Douglas, a junior out of McDonough, Georgia, saw significantly less playing time than Daley. Douglas did not see action his freshman year, however, in his second year as a Commodore, he played in 11 games as a reserve defensive back and a special teams contributor. In those 11 games, Douglas had two tackles, one of them solo. Although he did not get significant playing time at Vanderbilt, Douglas was a highly regarded recruit in Derek Mason’s 2018 class, tabbed four-star recruit by ESPN with offers from Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia and Notre Dame, to name a few. Douglas is one of multiple members of the 2018 recruiting class to transfer, with classmates C.J. Bolar and Allan Walters.
Lastly, linebacker Colin Anderson entered the transfer portal on Sept. 22. Much of Anderson’s collegiate career has been plagued with injuries. In 2019, his redshirt sophomore season, he suffered a preseason injury and was sidelined for the entirety of the season. The injury came one year removed from his redshirt freshman year, which saw Anderson appear in just eight games due to a foot injury. However, he did make an impact in the short time in which he was on the field. In his first collegiate start in the 2018 season opener, Anderson had a season-high three tackles and a quarterback sack resulting in a ten-yard loss. Anderson, who was awarded Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Honor Roll in 2018, will look to finish out the last of his collegiate career at another university and receive his degree in December.
