Ex-Chamberlain track star challenges Vols' transfer policy

When Dentarius Locke graduated from Chamberlain High in 2009, he headed to the University of Tennessee with two state track crowns, a full scholarship and plenty of optimism about his future.

Today, Locke's outlook is a little different.

He's still a gifted track athlete with a dream of one day competing in the Olympics. But after transferring to Florida State last fall, Locke has seen his path to that goal blocked by a strict Tennessee policy that doesn't grant full releases to those who leave for another school.

Even though NCAA bylaws allow for a "one-time transfer exception'' in minor sports like track and field and FSU competes in a different conference, the University of Tennessee student-athlete handbook states the school "will not grant scholarship student-athletes a transfer release.''

"Obviously, each situation is evaluated based on the individual dynamics, but our general policy is not to grant a transfer release to scholarship student-athletes," said Tennessee spokesperson Jimmy Stanton.

So, with the start of the indoor season set to begin this weekend and the Olympics on the horizon, Locke is resorting to his only option besides sitting out a year: legal action. With the guidance of his former prep coach, Hansford Johnson, Locke has hired an attorney and plans to take the matter to court to compete this season.

"It's kind of sad it's come to this, but I've learned these last couple of years that college athletics is a big business," Locke said. "If you don't look out for yourself, people will cut you pretty quickly."

Tennessee has rarely broken its no-transfer policy. And when it comes to Locke, the Vols have repeatedly said no. For Locke, it has been another hurdle in his fledgling college career.

After landing on Tennessee's campus in the fall of 2009, Locke learned some of the online classes he took in high school did not meet NCAA standards. As a result, he was ruled ineligible, forced to turn in his textbooks and was told he would have to pay out-of-state tuition costs.

Following a lengthy appeal, Locke was able to keep his scholarship and get his books back. But he was still ineligible to compete for the Vols and had to sit out his freshman season.

Last year, Locke finally donned a Tennessee jersey as a redshirt freshman. He earned All-America honors indoors and outdoors and was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.

But after the season ended, Locke said the Tennessee track program began to change dramatically. His sprint coach, Norbert Elliott, was fired by Vols head coach J.J. Clark in July, and Locke said it appeared the program was shifting its emphasis away from sprints and relays.

As a result, Locke asked Clark and Tennessee for a release from his scholarship. After reviewing his case, however, the school's Advisory Committee on Financial Aid and its chancellor denied his request, saying Locke's case was not "compelling" enough to warrant a full release.

The Vols did, however, grant Locke permission to speak to other schools. That allowed him to contact other coaches, and eventually he enrolled at FSU in the hopes of being part of a Seminoles program that has won three national men's titles under coach Bob Braman.

Six months later, Locke says he is doing well in school and inching closer to a 3.0 GPA. But without a full release from Tennessee, he is facing the prospect of sitting out another season of his college career before he can become eligible. After he missed one year already as a collegian, that's hard for him to fathom.

"It's unthinkable, and at the same time frustrating because I feel like I've moved on," Locke said. "I'm not bad-mouthing Tennessee's program and I'm at a new school going to class and doing the best I can. They have the power to release me and for whatever reason, they just can't let go."