Breathe If You Love Football: June 2019

It’s June and Tennessee’s recruiting efforts appear to be going well...like really well, so I thought an update to where things stand currently would be helpful. I won’t hit on everyone Tennessee is recruiting — just the most recent guys to make news.

As far as guys who Tennessee appears to lead for and who will be deciding relatively soon you have Cooper Mays, who as most of you know is the younger brother of Georgia OT Cade Mays. Cooper is a likely center and is a 4-star prospect on both Rivals and 247. He’s been a Tennessee target for a long time and they’ve done a good job showing him how wanted and valuable he is to the program. No date is set for an announcement but one should come if not in late June then in July. Cooper wants to make a decision this summer.

Next on the list is cornerback Keshawn Lawrence who also has been a long-coveted prospect for these coaches. Many thought Keshawn was a safety mostly due to his size but he has timed really well at multiple settings and the Volunteer coaches envision him as a guy who can play cornerback and really anywhere in the secondary. Lawrence is on an Official Visit to Miami and I expect him to announce his decision shortly thereafter. He wants to get in the boat so that he can help recruit the best possible talent to join him on the Hill. Keshawn is a top 100 player on both recruiting sites.

Lastly of the guys Tennessee leads for who will decide soon is Tyler Baron. Baron is a defensive end and the son of Tennessee staffer Patrick Abernathy. He is close with his dad and recently moved to Knoxville in order to be closer to him. Tyler keeps things close to his vest and hasn’t announced a leader but this one was over long ago. Most everyone knew he was always going to end up at Tennessee although he has been recruited by many of the elite programs in college football. Tyler mentioned recently that he has moved up the timeframe he plans to commit within which signals that a decision is coming sooner rather than later.

Those aren’t the only targets Tennessee leads for, however. There are more. Let’s go down that list. I’ll start with a guy whose half-brother played for the Vols in Jay Hardy. Hardy is a well-put-together DL prospect whose brother is former Volunteer Kevin Cooper who played fullback from 2007-2010. He hasn’t always been a sure thing to end up at Tennessee although most of his family are Big Orange faithful. He has been heavily pursued by Georgia and other heavyweight programs but ultimately the lure of the hometown legacy school and the proximity to home are expected to win out. Not sure of a timeframe for a commitment but I wouldn’t sweat this one.

Next on the list of guys Tennessee leads for is a big-time Georgia prospect Tennessee has recruited as well as they possibly could in Arik Gilbert. Gilbert is listed as an athlete on some sites but wants to play and is projected as a tight end. Rusty Mansell recently updated his recruitment on UGA’s 247 site and admitted that at this time were he to pick a destination for Gilbert it would have to be Tennessee. There is still time for Gilbert’s mind to change but honestly, Tennessee has done such a bang-up job here that it would surprise me if it did. Gilbert wants to be committed by the time his senior season starts.

A somewhat surprising entry here is Texas DB Kitan Crawford. It seems these coaches are really emphasizing guys they think can play across the defensive backfield in this class and Crawford fits the mold as one of those guys. Listed as a big cornerback at 5’11” 200 lbs. He's’ a guy you could envision at nickel or corner in this pattern-matching defensive backfield. Several different experts have said that Tennessee appears to be in good shape for the #8 athlete in the country per the composite and a guy who previously had a set commitment date but has since blown past it. Not sure when Crawford plans on pulling the trigger which is why he’s on this list but I expect it could be soon.

This next guy was just on campus on back to back weekends, offensive guard James Robinson. He was on campus the first time to shore up his offer from the Vols and the next weekend for an official visit which was expected to cement the Vols as his leader. That was accomplished but Robinson has expressed a desire to continue to take visits to be sure of his decision. Robinson has offers from Auburn, Missouri and Ole Miss in addition to Tennessee.

Another guy Tennessee appears to lead for is scat back Ty Jordan. Jordan is a smaller, shiftier back who Chaney really loves out of Texas. Jordan is a highly rated 3-star player on 247 with offers from USC, Arkansas, Texas, and Oregon. Some are concerned with his size as he’s only 5’7” but he’s compact and well-put-together and will create options for Chaney on offense as he’s a capable pass-catcher in addition to a tough runner between the tackles. Jordan has great speed and is often seen on film outrunning multiple defenders on the way to the endzone. Jordan was just in town on his official visit and left with the Vols as the presumed leader. He does want to visit USC which he has scheduled for the upcoming weekend and is expected to announce a decision shortly thereafter.

Staying on the topic of running backs let’s talk about another guy Tennessee has had their eye on for quite a while in Tee Hodge. Hodge has put on about 30 pounds from last year to this year and is a stout 6’0” 230 lbs. Jeremy Pruitt is known for loving big backs and Hodge fits that mold well. There had been some talk of him maybe looking at playing linebacker given his weight gain and size but Tennessee exclusively wants him as a running back. Hodge has barely taken visits but there are multiple programs pursuing him in addition to Tennessee but as a Maryville kid, the lure of Tennessee is expected to be too much to turn down.

In the Arik Gilbert update, Rusty Mansell gave on 247 he also mentioned that Tennessee led for OLB prospect and teammate of both Gilbert and Tennessee commit Harrison Bailey, BJ Ojulari. There are some questions about Ojulari’s size and whether he would be able to put on the bulk needed to be an EDGE defender in Pruitt’s defense but the expectation is that if he were to commit Tennessee would take him.

A couple of other guys Tennessee will end up with who aren’t in this class are two tight end prospects from in-state: Hudson Wolfe and Jake Brinningstool are both highly regarded 4-star tight end prospects. In fact, Wolfe is a top 100 guy in the 2021 class. Great to know that the foundation for next year’s in-state class will be built on two solid prospects.

The next guys we’ll discuss are all guys Tennessee is in good shape with but many programs are battling for. We’ll start with LB/S Kourt Williams who is deciding sometime this summer. Williams just finished his Tennessee official visit and is visiting Ohio State, presumed his leader headed into his Tennessee OV. Williams is a St. Bosco, CA prospect who looks to play Star in Pruitt’s defense. He was very impressed with the accolades of the coaching staff including Pruitt and Ansley and their record of putting defensive backs in the league. He plays that Star position for his HS defense currently so the transition would be relatively easy for him. Tennesse made a really good move for him this past weekend and his reviews were glowing but Ohio State looms as a real threat. I believe it will come down to whether or not he wants to play in the SEC and where he thinks he will be better developed. He plans on sitting down with his family after this Ohio State official visit and making a decision.

Inside linebacker Noah Sewell’s name is not one we’ve heard much of until late but the 6’2” 266 lbs top 50 prosepct has Tennessee squarely in the mix after a recent unofficial visit to Rocky Top. Pretty much every prospect that visits Tennessee leaves impressed with the school and the coaching staff and Sewell was no exception. The coaches do want to see him lose a few pounds but that isn’t unrealistic for him to do. Not sure what Sewell’s timeframe is for announcing but safe to say Tennessee is going to be a factor.

A name that will be familiar to those of you who follow Tennessee recruiting is Omari Thomas. While Tennesseee had faded with the mammoth Briarcrest Christian defensive tackle for a time they are squarely back in the mix for him after, again, a recent visit to Tennessee. Omari brought his family and they really clicked with the coaching staff and he really can envision himself playing for these coaches.It’s going to be a battle for the big guy all the way to the finish (he’s said he wants to announce at the All-American Game) but you can be sure that Tennessee is now a big factor. Steve Wiltfong of 247 recently said he saw the contenders for Thomas being Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.

Staying in West Tennessee let’s talk about Chris Morris. Tennessee has been a factor for Morris for some time although never truly leading at any time. Some have said Texas A&M is the biggest competition for Morris and I would agree with that. The Memphis Central offensive guard is one of the biggest characters in this recruiting cycle and he’s a guy the coaches badly want to land. Morris, like Thomas, isn’t planning on announcing anything soon. Morris recently told Aggie 247 writer Brian Perroni that he “might” take his official visit to A&M this weekend but he could also save it for later in the season. Regardless it appears he is planning on being in college station for what is a big recruiting weekend for most schools.

A new name to the board is cornerback Kendall Dennis. Dennis visited Tennessee officially this past weekend and enjoyed what he saw and experienced. Dennis is more of a pure corner than some of the guys Tennessee is recruiting and has committed. He told Ryan Callahan of 247 that he definitely intends to give Tennessee one of his official visits later in the fall.

Another guy Tennessee fans will be familiar with is 5-star WR Rakim Jarrett, an LSU commit currently. Jarrett is probably not going to end up at LSU. I believe he will stay closer to home which is the DC area. Tennessee has one of his teammates already committed in 4-star DL Dominick Bailey and is recruiting another in DB Mordecai McDaniel who was just on campus recently and some say he may have had Rakim in tow although that fact has not been publicized. I believe he made that trip. Steve Wiltfong of 247 recently commented that he made a Tennessee crystal ball prediction before Jarrett committed to LSU and he saw no reason as of now to change it. He said things were trending Tennessee’s way.

Tennessee has not given up hope of landing bluechip Alabama commitment Thaiu Jones-Bell. The high 4-star wide receiver was set to commit to the Vols on the morning he committed to Alabama and it hasn’t been fully explained why he changed his mind but the Vols have not stopped recruiting him and have as good of a chance at flipping the stud prospect as anyone not named Bama.

Another guy Steve Wiltfong said Tennessee had a good chance at is ATH Arian Smith. Smith is a likely wide receiver in my opinion and the top 100 prospect would be a great addition to any stable of wide outs. Smith still has all of his official visits which he will use in the fall. He plans on announcing in December or maybe even February.

Finally, there's dual-threat quarterback Haynes King, the #2 dual-threat quarterback and the #32 overall player. (will likely be a 5 star on National Signing Day) Haynes has a top 4 of Texas A&M, Tennessee, Duke, and Auburn and he recently took a tour of all those schools using 4 of his official visits. A&M appears to be the biggest threat to Tennessee due to proximity to his family. Duke should be viewed as maybe a dark horse and that is where he will be visiting this weekend. It's as close to a toss-up between A&M and Tennessee as a recruitment gets but Tennessee has been on him much longer than A&M and he already loves the coaching staff. This will be wrapped up in a matter of days as Haynes wants to have a decision by the time he goes to the Elite 11 Finals where he will battle current Tennessee quarterback commit Harrison Bailey.

In other news, it seems that Tennessee is no longer pushing as hard for outside linebacker prospect Deonte Craig who didn’t measure as well as the coaches thought he would when they got eyes on him. That should be encouraging to fans as it likely means the coaches feel good about other prospects at outside linebacker.

It appears the Vols will not get Ze’Vian Capers back on campus before he announces after a really impressive visit to Auburn. Look for Capers to commit to the Tigers.

While you haven’t heard them mentioned much in terms of Tennessee targets Tennessee is targeting both defensive end Jordan Burch, the number one player in the class, and outside linebacker Sa’vell Smalls who is the #4 player in the class. Brian Niedermeyer, 247’s National Recruiter of the Year last cycle, was recently photographed at a California-based camp instructing Smalls. That guy is relentless.

I hope that helps give you an idea of where recruiting stands at the moment. I’m sure there are names I missed or guys who aren’t on our radar that may still be on the coaches radar so I apologize if our next commitment comes out of nowhere.

(Photo Credit: Brandon Huffman, 247)

Sunday, June 30, 2019

In Season Official Visits

Friday, June 28, 2019

Summer Visits

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

June Recruiting Update