Schaeffer leaves Vols

UT football coach Phillip Fulmer and Schaeffer agreed to part ways after a Friday morning meeting in Fulmer’s office. Schaeffer, who would have been a sophomore in the fall, was dissatisfied with his role in the Vols’ offense. Fulmer was displeased with Schaeffer’s personal management in the classroom and social life.

"It was a mutual decision," Fulmer said. "Obviously, I didn’t think he would transfer, or I wouldn’t have given him so many repetitions this spring."

Just 72 months ago, in the Vols’ Sept. 5 game against UNLV, Schaeffer became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener for an SEC team since 1945. Friday, Schaeffer became history as far as the Vols are concerned. His pending transfer repeats a pattern that started in his prep career, when he transferred twice while in high school.

Fulmer said he’ll grant Schaeffer a release — meaning he’ll need only sit out one year should he choose another Division I-A school — so long as it’s not to a school on UT’s schedule. Fulmer pointed out North Carolina State, which recruited Schaeffer heavily and has been rumored to be interested in him as a transfer, plays the Vols in 2008.

Schaeffer insisted in a March 29 interview he’d had no contact with any other schools and planned on being with Tennessee in the fall.

But on April 10, Schaeffer’s career took a turn for the worse. At 5:15 a.m., a videotape taken from a campus dorm shows Schaeffer hitting another UT student and throwing him to the floor. Later that night, Schaeffer was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault.

Fulmer suspended Schaeffer indefinitely the next day, all but ending his chances to earn the starting quarterback position.

As things stood, Schaeffer’s role in the offense was expected to be limited. Though he was the most impressive of the three quarterbacks in scrimmages, using his tremendous scrambling abilities to make plays off the run, Schaeffer’s "package" of plays hadn’t been expanded.

Schaeffer’s father, Sean, has said his son wasn’t comfortable with his role last season.

"He (Brent) said when (freshman Erik) Ainge is out there, the play selection is totally different," Sean Schaeffer said in a Dec. 5 interview. "The splitting of time was fine, (but) all of the sudden, it’s Ainge getting 95-percent of the snaps, even when the game got out of hand. Here Ainge had four interceptions (against Auburn) and he was still out there. It seems like Brent would have had an opportunity to show what he could do. He played two or three series.

"Fulmer has lost Brent’s trust, and mine too."

Still, Sean Schaeffer said he expected his son to stay at UT, and was surprised upon hearing the news Friday.

Schaeffer started the first three games last season and led UT to a 3-0 record before Ainge took over as the starter for the Auburn game. While Ainge struggled in the 34-10 loss to the Tigers, he redeemed himself the next week with an impressive performance in a win at Georgia.

It wasn’t until the South Carolina game, the Vols’ eighth contest of the season, that Schaeffer re-emerged as a threat to reclaim the starting job. With the Vols trailing 8-0, Ainge was pulled in the second quarter and Schaeffer sparked UT to a comeback with a 55-yard completion to C.J. Fayton and a 2-point conversion run.

Schaeffer, however, suffered a broken collarbone in the third quarter in the 43-29 win and didn’t play again until coming on in relief of Rick Clausen in the Cotton Bowl.

Schaeffer, from Deerfield Beach, Fla., finishes his UT career 18-of-37 passing for 302 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He rushed for 66 yards on 33 attempts, scoring his only TD in the season opener against UNLV

Schaeffer, who could not be reached for comment, was also recruited heavily by South Florida coming out of high school and is thought to be considering transferring there to stay closer to home, according to family members.

More Surgeries: The numbers of UT players to undergo surgery since the conclusion of the 2004 regular season is up to 24 after redshirt freshmen Anthony Parker and Ja’Kouri Williams had operations Friday.

Parker, a back-up center, and Williams, a reserve running back, both underwent arthroscopic knee surgeries.

"These two surgeries should be the last of our current medical issues as the team prepares to begin summer conditioning drills," said UT’s head athletic trainer, Keith Clements said. "Both Anthony and JaKouri are expected to be ready for full participation by the start of fall preseason practice in August."

Team orthopedic surgeons Bill Youmans and Greg Mathien handled the procedures.