Adam Sparks

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary will transfer and intends to play at another school next season after finishing his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt, according to coach Derek Mason.

McCrary, a redshirt sophomore in the 2015 season, can finish his degree by the end of summer. If he does, he can play immediately at another FBS school with two years of eligibility remaining as a graduate transfer.

“I wish Johnny McCrary all the best in all his future endeavors. He competed hard every day here, and he’s just a great young man,” Mason said. “I will always be in Johnny’s corner, and I’ll be watching wherever he plays next.”

McCrary’s next school is unknown, and he could not been reached for comment.

George MacIntyre, coach of magical '82 Vanderbilt team, dies

Mason said McCrary will remain enrolled at Vanderbilt, and he expects him to graduate in time to transfer before the 2016 season. McCrary was supplanted as the starting quarterback by true freshman Kyle Shurmur in the second half of last season.

McCrary started 12 games in two seasons at Vanderbilt, but Shurmur took over the job in the second half of the 2015 season and looks to be next season’s projected starter.

McCrary passed for 2,518 yards, 15 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 17 career games.

He was ultimately judged on his streak of 11 consecutive games as starter, including the last five games of 2014 and the first six games of 2015. In those 11 games, McCrary threw 14 TD passes and 15 interceptions. But in eight career starts against SEC teams, he tossed six TD passes and 11 interceptions.

Vanderbilt's Stephen Weatherly declares for NFL draft

McCrary’s shot at being the longtime starter essentially ended when he committed four turnovers late in a 19-10 loss at South Carolina on Oct. 17. Afterward, Mason said he was “exploring every option” at quarterback "to be a forward-moving, forward-ascending football team.”

Shurmur made his debut in the next game by starting in a 10-3 win over Missouri, the Commodores’ first SEC victory in Mason’s two-year tenure. Shurmur, the son of veteran NFL coach Pat Shurmur, finished the season with 503 passing yards, five TDs and three interceptions.

In a season-ending loss at Tennessee, Shurmur passed for a career-high 209 yards and three TD passes, the most by a Vanderbilt quarterback in more than a year. During the postgame press conference, Mason said, “I believe Vanderbilt has found a quarterback in Kyle Shurmur. … He’s going to continue to lead this program exactly where it needs to go.”

McCrary, rated the nation’s No. 16 dual-threat quarterback by 247Sports, was a prized signee by former Vanderbilt coach James Franklin in 2013.

During Mason’s 2014 debut season, Vanderbilt started an FBS-high four different quarterbacks, and only Wade Freebeck remains on the roster from that group. Patton Robinette ended his career prematurely in spring 2015 due to concussions and his acceptance to medical school. Stephen Rivers transferred to Northwestern State after the 2014 season, and now McCrary will transfer after two seasons.

Other quarterbacks on Vanderbilt's roster are redshirt freshman Shawn Stankavage and walk-on John Webb. Sevier County quarterback Deuce Wallace, another prized prospect, will begin classes at Vanderbilt next week as a mid-term signee.

Reach Adam Sparks at 615-259-8010 and on Twitter @AdamSparks.