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Can five-star offensive tackle Amarius Mims be the crown jewel of Tennessee's 2021 recruiting class? Tennessee has been active with Mims for months, and the Vols have held steady. A newfound sense of life in the recruiting world for the Vols over the last month has opened the door even more for Tennessee to make a move in his recruitment. Mims breaks that down here. 

There has been speculation that Tennessee has been playing catch up in this recruitment for a while or not had the opportunity to recruit Mims because he has been focused elsewhere, but he said, "Tennessee has been recruiting me hard since they gave me an offer." 

Tennessee hosted Mims on a visit in January, and he had a chance to look at the program and what the Vols could offer him. With the COVID-19 shutdown, Tennessee has somewhat of an even playing field, and he is hearing the pitch from Tennessee's offensive line coach, Will Friend. 

Mims said on Friend's success with Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright early in their careers, "It is great to me because I want to get in and make an early impact." 

It may be some of Tennessee's most recent commitments that make the biggest impact on Mims recruitment for Tennessee. He said, "I am very cool with Cody (Brown), Kamar (Wilcoxson), and Terrence (Lewis). I would like to play with those guys."

At one point, it was believed Mims and Brown were a package deal. Less than a month ago, Brown told Sports Illustrated's Blayne Gilmer, when asked if he and Amarius Mims were definitely going to end up at the same school, Brown said back, "Yea wherever he goes is where I'm going and vice versa." You can see that full interview here.

So, what does Tennessee have to do to remain a serious contender for Mims? According to him, just keep on keeping on. Mims said, "the same thing they have been doing, just recruiting me hard." 

Mims is set to announce his college decision in October, and he will likely trim his lists of finalist again before that decision. His current list of finalists is featured below. 

Amarius Mims Top 10 via social media 

Amarius Mims Top 10 via social media 

The 6'7, 315lbs prospect from Bleckley County HS (GA) has a case to be the number one player in the nation for 2021, but as it stands, Mims is rated as the nation's number 2 prospect and the top offensive tackle in 2021, according to Rivals.com