Next Commit Coming Soon?
Bryce Harvey
It’s the last day of May and it seems many of Tennessee’s targets are commiting anywhere but UT. In the past month, Tennessee received only one of their 6 commitments in the 2020 class and is currently sitting at number 30 in the recruiting rankings. Naturally this makes Tennessee fans skeptical on if this staff truly has what it takes to recruit and rebuild this program. These fans can put their minds to ease; Rome wasn’t built in a day. It is only the end of May and the majority of prospects are still either uncommitted or ‘soft commits.’ This is one of the best recruiting staffs in the nation and nobody can doubt that as they have proven it time after time. However, they do need some time to adjust to recruiting for Jeremy Pruitt instead of recruiting for the Nick Saban’s and Dabo’s of the football world. That is not meant as a knock on Coach Pruitt in anyway other than just saying those coaches are more proven and experienced than he is. It is not time to panic though. There is still plenty of time for the staff to recover and catch up to other teams before the final bell on signing day.
So where could the next commitment come from? The Vols are slated to host several targets over the next few weeks who are definitely on commitment watch in my opinion. Let’s start with the high profile QB target in Haynes King. Haynes is a 4 star out of Longview, TX and measures in at 6’3, 185 pounds. Yes, Tennessee does already have a commitment from a top 100 QB in Harrison Bailey however, the Vols only have 3 scholarship QBs on their roster going into the 2019 season. As a reference, the elite SEC programs like Georgia and Alabama usually have about 5 scholarship QBs on their rosters. So Tennessee could definitely add some much needed depth with two of the top 5 QBs in the class and some much needed star power too. Haynes has been dubbed the next Johnny Manziel or Baker Mayfield of college football because of his play style and his record breaking state championship run this past season with Longview. He is set to take an official visit to Texas A&M the weekend of May 31st and then Tennessee the following weekend of June 7th. From everything I have heard/read it is a race between Tennessee and Texas A&M with Auburn and Duke close behind. It will be tough to get Haynes out of the state of Texas with Coach Jimbo Fisher hot on his trail but, I believe Coach Chaney and Coach Pruitt have enough pull and the glaring need for some star power at the QB position is enough to get Haynes on rocky top come 2020. If this comes to fruition, be prepared for Harrison Bailey to either decommit or transfer in a couple of years. Harrison has said multiple times over he is willing to compete once Guarantano leave however, Haynes is just better when it comes down to pure athletic ability. I believe either QB would be great for UT but, the deciding factor will be Haynes ability to make nothing into something with his legs.
Another name to keep your eye on is in-state offensive lineman Chris Morris. Morris is from Memphis Central and ranks as a 4 star prospect according to 247 sports. His build of 6’4, 287 pounds is perfect for an offensive guard at the college level. Morris’s agility and ability to handle some of the nation’s top pass rushers at The Opening Regional in Nashville a couple of weeks ago was very impressive. Pruitt has preached his intentions to own the state of Tennessee again when it comes to recruiting its top talent. This would be an excellent opportunity to reach into Memphis for a top talent and possibly restart the pipeline to Knoxville. Tennessee has some work to do with Morris as 247’s crystal ball points to Arkansas as the favorite but, I believe he wants to stay instate and he ends up a Vol.
The final prospect we will be talking about in this article is strong side defensive-end Tyler Baron out of Knoxville. Tyler transferred from Ensworth Academy, in Nashville, to Knoxville Catholic this past spring in order to be with his dad. He’s the son of Patrick Abernathy, who work in player development on Pruitt’s staff. He recently released his top 8 and included Tennessee along with Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Oregon. Tyler has yet to take one of his five official visits however, he has taken the 20 minute drive to UT’s campus multiple times over the past few months and likes what he has seen so far. Many consider him all but signed for the Vols and so do I. He’d be a great fit in Coach Pruitts defensive scheme and would bring a much needed burst of energy to Tennessee’s defensive front for years down the road. This is a MUST get for Coach Pruitt’s staff.
The commitments will come and there is no need to hit the panic button yet. However, if Pruitt and his staff do not double their commitments from 6 to 12 by the end of summer there will be panic in Knoxville.