Freshman guard Marques Johnson no longer wears Tennessee orange.

Johnson, from Fort Wayne, Ind., told UT men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl he is transferring to another school.

Pearl said after the 93-88 win over East Tennessee State that Johnson discussed transferring over the past week.

"It’s something I had been dealing with since the Christmas break,’’ Pearl said. "We’re very disappointed.’’

It’s the first time in Pearl’s 14-year tenure as a head coach that a recruited player has transferred from one of his teams.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson enrolled at UT last summer and competed with fellow freshman Ramar Smith and junior Jordan Howell for the starting point guard duties in preseason drills.

After Smith won the competition, Howell returned from a broken bone in his hand and bumped Johnson out of what was then a 10-man rotation.

When Howell suffered another hand injury last week, Pearl shrunk the rotation and played senior Dane Bradshaw at point guard rather than pull Johnson out of a redshirt.

Johnson was said to need improvement with his defensive skills, specifically getting back in transition defense, before he could be effective.

"Marques is faster than Jordan Howell. He wins all the sprints, so it had nothing to do with (UT’s) style of play,’’ said Eric Vaughn, Johnson’s former AAU coach and family friend. "We thought Marques would play 25 or 30 minutes (per game). Marques didn’t sign with Tennessee to redshirt.’’

Vaughn said both he and Johnson have great respect for Pearl and the UT program.

"Bruce Pearl is a class act. We won’t know right now if this is a good decision or bad decision,’’ Vaughn said. "It might not be the best decision for the University of Tennessee, but we feel it’s the best decision for Marques."

Johnson’s transfer could leave the Vols in a bind at point guard if Bradshaw or Ramar Smith suffer an injury before Howell’s returns.

Howell said the most optimistic prognosis he’s received would have him back by the end of January. Originally, the prognosis on injury suffered in a Dec. 21 practice was that it could take up to eight weeks to heal.

Johnson appeared in four games this season, averaging 11.3 minutes and two points per game. His last appearance was on Nov. 19 against Coppin State, when he scored three points in eight minutes of action.

"I wish the best of luck to the team and coach Pearl,’’ Johnson said in the release. "This just wasn’t the best situation for me at this time. I just needed a change.’’

Johnson temporarily transferred from Snider High School in Indiana because of a family situation, but the school district ruled he would be ineligible to play for another Fort Wayne school so he returned to Snider to finish his prep career.

Johnson was recruited heavily by Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame Georgetown, Oklahoma and North Carolina State.

"There have been some calls of interest,’’ Vaughn said. "A lot of schools are interested in a 6-6 point guard with his skills.’’

The Vols now have two scholarships to offer in the spring recruiting session.