Flip Factor: A Look at Several Target Tennessee Could Flip into Their 2021 Class
Tennessee's 2021 recruiting class currently holds 24 prospects, but the Vols are far from finished. There will likely be some natural attrition along the way, and Tennessee has several key targets with guaranteed spots left to decide. Outside of prospects that are weighing a decision, Tennessee could still flip prospects away from schools, and we take a look at them here.
Two key spots that Tennessee has to bring in impact players are offensive and defensive tackle. Tennessee has one offensive tackle committed in Colby Smith, but he could also end up on the defensive side of the ball. Tennessee is in the thick of things for in-state tackle William Griffin, and they have made things interesting for five-star Amarius Mims, but if they miss on either, they could be in trouble. J'Marion Gooch is another in-state prospect the Vols were involved with before he announced a spur of the moment commitment to Auburn. Tennessee remains in contact, and they could certainly be a factor down the stretch. Gooch has given no indication of shutting things down, but for the time being, he is solid with Auburn. Should he choose to take visits, the in-state Vols should at least get a chance to make their pitch. He is certainly a candidate to keep an eye on.
Four-star in-state LB Junior Colson chose Michigan over the Vols in late May, but he has been open about taking his official visits. Tennessee was in a similar situation with Eric Gray, and they closed the deal late in the cycle. Colson loves the coaching staff in Knoxville, but his family ties to Michigan won out in round one. Tennessee will remain a player in this one until it is over, and he will likely give them another look in the form of an official visit later in the year.
Lee Hunter is another Auburn commit the Vols have locked in on. He told me recently that Tennessee was one of the schools coming after him the hardest, and he is building a strong relationship with the staff. At the time, he put the chances of him flipping from Auburn around 40%, but he was unsure of what it would take to get him away. He is hearing from plenty of schools, including Florida State, Georgia, and Alabama. Tennessee has a desperate need at defensive tackle, and they will have to remain involved with guys like this until they completely shut things down.
Dylan Merrell is a new name, and he has a new verbal commitment. He just committed to Duke this week. Tennessee exhausted their recent efforts in pursuit of elite cornerback Tony Grimes, but he left the Vols off of his list of finalists. Merrell is another viable option at cornerback that Tennessee will continue to keep tabs on. He possesses great length, and plays at a high level in Georgia. Tennessee would like to evaluate more here, so a push could come later in the season, but the Vols could certainly factor into this one in the coming months.
Nothing is given with any of these guys, and it is hard to flip a prospect away from a school generally. It usually happens with a de-commitment, and then another commitment. However, when it happens that quickly, the prospect usually has a school in mind. Tennessee will certainly hope to find some of these guys in their 2021 ranks.
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