Vols Ink Elite Edge Rusher Dylan Brooks As Final Signature of Early Signing Period

Dylan Brooks had a surprise in store for Vols fans to close out the end of the year.  He had maintained that he would like to wait until February before signing his Letter of Intent, but that was not the case. He signed during the early period and announced the news today. Auburn had attempted to contact Brooks which forced his hand. 

Brooks signed with Tennessee during the early signing period, and the elite edge defender completes a solid early signing period for Jeremy Pruitt as the University announced it to end 2020. 

Brooks has been one of the very best at keeping his recruitment quiet. In fact, he kept his initial commitment to the Tennessee staff quiet for weeks. He recalled to VR2 on SI, "I was silently committed for about two or three weeks before that. I was on the phone with Coach Pruitt, and I was like Coach Felton, I am fixing to silently commit. We got on the phone with Coach Ansley, then we were all on Zoom, and I told all three of them. When I got my edit, I went public. I told JJ I was going to come, and then I posted it on April 26th, and it just blew up."

Brooks is now going to get the chance to be a part of something that he believes is a great opportunity. "I just like the opportunity they offered me, and Coach Pruitt being a defensive mastermind knowing how to setup things."

Brooks is currently rated as the 18th best player in the country, according to Sports Illustrated All-American.

SIAA analyst, Edwin Weathersby said about Brooks, "Brooks is another player that is high on both our Edge board and overall board. He combines ideal length with solid activity with his mitts, including a chop and a powerful longarm stab. After he routinely reduces ground quickly on blockers, the long-framed Brooks shows enough ability to bend at entry points, before using a long stride to close and finish. With his length, Brooks can be a nightmare for passers trying to manipulate throwing lanes, as his arms and mitts present difficult obstacles. The future Vol also can be productive in the run game, showing solid scheme-read traits and mental processing, plus quick-shed ability versus tight ends and running backs. Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is defensive-minded at heart, and Brooks has the skill set to be a cornerstone defender on the edges in Knoxville."

Brooks has been a fixture in Tennessee's 2021 class, and he is one of the most important pieces in 2021. Brooks has an immediate path to the field, and he can make an impact on the edge for Tennessee. The Vols could still lose Deandre Johnson, and they have already dismissed Kivon Bennett earlier in the year, so the opportunity to play early is there.

He helped Handley High School to a football state championship and will now turn his efforts to winning a state title in basketball. Brooks told VR2 on SI earlier today, "we've got a chance," when asked about the potential of winning another state title.