Cam Carr is leaving the Tennessee basketball program and plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The second-year winger, who plans to redshirt this season, has been out since Nov. 17 with a ligament injury in his left thumb that required surgery.

Carr had his thumb cast removed last week and has been performing individual drills during practice while sidelined by the injury. The original return time frame was 4-6 weeks.

No. 1 Tennessee (11-0) hosts Middle Tennessee State (9-3) at Food City Center on Monday night (7 Eastern Time, SEC Network). The Vols are back at home next Tuesday against Norfolk State in the final non-conference game of the season before SEC play begins Jan. 4 against Arkansas.

Through the first four games of the season, Carr averaged 4.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game off the bench. He had four points and one rebound in nine minutes against Austin Peay when he suffered a thumb injury after scoring a career-high 13 points in 16 minutes in a 92-57 win over Montana on Nov. 13.

Tennessee entered the season short-handed, with just 11 of a possible 13 scholarship players on the roster, and the Vols have gotten even thinner over the past two months.

Sophomore Center JP Estrella was lost to season-ending foot surgery in late November and Carr was out the final four weeks.

Hofstra transfer wings Darlinstone Dubar missed his first four games of the season because he was dealing with a personal matter and missed Miami’s game in New York on December 10 because he suffered a concussion. Freshman guard Bishop Boswell also missed a game due to a concussion.

Carr injured his left thumb in the second half of a win over Austin Peay on November 17. Thumb bent backwards awkwardly as he was fouled with 7:10 left. He stayed in the game to shoot the ensuing free throws, made one of two, and then checked out for the rest of the game.

Tennessee is off to its best start to a season since the team started 11-0 in 1999-2000. The Vols have been ranked No. 1 for the past two weeks and are four wins away from setting a new record for the best start in program history.

Four players left the program through the NCAA transfer portal in the spring, along with forwards Jonas Aidoo And Tobe Awaka leave together with the guards Freddie Dilione V And DJ Jefferson. Aidoo went to Arkansas, Awaka went to Arizona, Dilione ended up at Penn State and Jefferson is at Longwood.

Rick Barnes and his staff added three starters at guard out of the gate Chaz Lanier (North Florida), stretch forward Igor Milicic (Charlotte) and middle Felix Okpara (Ohio State).