SMU cornerback Eric Sutton announced Monday night that he will opt out of the 2020 season and enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.

Sutton will enter the portal and will play in the 2021 season as a grad transfer. He will finish his academic studies at SMU this season and prepare to graduate in December. From there, he'll have one more year of athletic eligibility remaining.

A 5-9, 174-pound senior, Sutton played in four games last season, then redshirted. He finished 2019 with seven tackles, five of which were solo, and a pass breakup.

As a junior, Sutton played in 10 games and made one start. The 2019 season, however, saw the rise of Ar'mani Johnson and Brandon Stephens at the position. 2020 will have those two as the incumbent starters, as well as players like Colorado State transfer Brandon Crossley and true freshman Bryan Massey, among others, battling for playing time.

Sutton is the second reported SMU player to opt out of the 2020 season, joining defensive tackle Mike Williams, a grad transfer from Stanford. Sutton is on pace to earn a bachelor's degree in sports management.