Steve Wiltfong Reports Tennessee Trending For Nwaneri

247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong recently shared that the Tennessee Volunteers are trending for 2024 five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri.
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The Tennessee Volunteers have been in good standing with five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri since they offered him. The coaching staff and family environment have played a big part in his interest, and defensive line coach Rodney Garner continues to build a strong relationship with him.

However, they have never felt like the leader in this recruitment. Nwaneri is a Missouri native that had several midwestern programs interested since his freshman season, giving them a jump start on the Vols. That is until he recently visited, and now 247Sports Director of Scouting Steve Wiltfong shares that they are the team to beat for Nwaneri.

Nwaneri has exceptional hand-to-eye coordination for someone of his size. He's listed at 6-5 and 245 lbs. yet he gets off the ball quickly and routinely gets his hands in the correct place. Offensive lineman attempt to swat his hands away, but Nwaneri can quickly counter that. He may rip through, transfer his leverage into a swim move, or push his hands through his assignment's chest.

Good defensive linemen pack a strong punch in their hands, but that doesn't consistently work in college. The best have several counters they can revert to, and Nwaneri has many. He plays with an evenly distributed base and explodes off the line. Nwaneri can move forward while making sudden, explosive lower-body movements. This throws offensive lineman off, and he uses his hands to do the rest. Lee's Summit North went 12-2 and won the state title in 2022. Nwaneri played most snaps and did something new each week, showing a unique commitment to the game plan, preparation, his coaching staff, and teammates.

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Evan Crowell
EVAN CROWELL

Evan Crowell is the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, basketball, and recruiting. He previously worked as the lead publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Gamecocks Digest.