Vols Land Commitment of Speedy Alabama WR Marquarius White

After a slow month of June on the commitment front for Josh Heupel's Tennessee program, the Volunteers are starting the month of July off right with a commitment from speedy wide receiver Marquarius "Squirrel" White.

White, a standout at Clay-Chalkville High School (Ala.), recently took an official visit to Tennessee in June, and the Vols surged behind the scenes in his recruitment to overtake several schools and land his commitment.

White's decision ultimately came down to Tennessee and Lousiville in the end, but he had plenty of other suitors throughout the process. The 5'10", 160lbs receiver garnered attention from Alabama and Michigan, among others, during the recruitment.

Despite the national attention from other programs, Tennessee receivers coach Kodi Burns used extensive ties to the area from his time at Auburn to land White.

Below is a look at White's highlight film.

VR2 on SI's take

Tennessee needed this commitment for several receivers. You can never have too much speed, for starters, and White is electrifyingly fast, with as much lateral quickness as straight-line speed. His size raises concerns for many, but I believe Davonta Smith broke the mold on that front last fall. Not to put those lofty expectations against White, but his size is not an issue. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with shiftiness, crisp, polished routes, and a high football IQ. Secondly, Tennessee needed to dip into Alabama and land a recruit. The Birmingham area is full of recruits and is becoming one of the hotbeds in the country, and the Volunteers have not been able to gain much traction there. Tennessee does not always have to go toe-to-toe for the Yellow Hammer state's best recruits, but they do need to be able to pluck quality players like White away from the state when they need to.