Two Tennessee Commits Earn Georgia High School All-State Honors
Much of the University of Tennessee’s past success on a national scale can be attributed to one thing: the program’s long track record of success on the recruiting trail inside the State of Georgia. It is no secret that some of the greatest Volunteers to ever play in Neyland Stadium hailed from the Peach State — from older Vols who helped the National Championship become clad in Big Orange such as Jamal Lewis to more recent legends who have contributed to the program’s history such as Eric Berry, many have all come from one place: Georgia.
In fact, without the Vols’ pipeline in Georgia, it is unlikely that they would have ever come close to reaching the summits that they did during the 1990’s, which is why it is so clear that Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt is urgently trying to strengthen it in hopes of luring more elite Peach State talent to Rocky Top. That effort has come with much success, as the former University of Georgia defensive coordinator has landed many of the state’s top recruits throughout his first three seasons in Knoxville — from bringing in 5-Star quarterback Harrison Bailey out of Marietta to reeling in 5-star offensive lineman Wanya Morris out of Grayson; it is clear that the Vols are becoming a force to be reckoned with throughout the state’s biggest hotspots for high school talent.
Jeremy Pruitt — accompanied by some of his ace recruiters — have also been extremely active in the State of Georgia during the 2021 recruiting class, as Tennessee has already landed three players from the state thus far. It was recently announced that two of those players, Cody Brown and Miles Campbell, earned Georgia High School All-State honors — solidifying their status as some of the state's top recruits.
Brown, whose team made it all the way to the Georgia State High School Semi-Finals, is one of the top running backs in the entire country, and has a multitude of prestigious universities pursuing his services. The Parkview High School student athlete earned offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, and many others — as he has had universities flock towards him since rushing for 1,676 yards off of 214 carries during his team’s long run in the playoffs last season. Brown also rushed for 1,588 yards during his sophomore season and 430 yards as a freshman — earning a total of 53 touchdowns throughout his high school career.
Brown’s interest in the Volunteers skyrocketed after the university announced former running back legend Jay Graham would take over for David Johnson — who had recently elected to join Mike Norvell’s coaching staff at Florida State University. “Honestly, my priority went up when Coach Graham came,” Brown told Sports Illustrated’s Matthew Ray prior to committing to Tennessee. “I have the highest respect for him, and he knows what he is talking about. Literally, his first day at Tennessee working was a Junior Day, and I was there. We spent the entire day together, and we were breaking down film, practice film, drills, and automatically, I knew I could play for this guy.”
Standing at 6’0’’ and weighing in at 227-pounds, Brown offers physicality and toughness at the running back position — two characteristics that Tennessee’s staff has been very vocal about their admiration for. He will join speedster Eric Gray — who would be a junior during Brown’s freshman season — in the Volunteers’ back-field, adding both talent and depth at the position.
Miles Campbell also earned All-State Honors after a breakout Junior season — earning over 20 offers in recent months; some of which from a few of the nation’s most successful College Football programs. Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, and many others offered the rising senior, but in the end his decision came down to four schools: the University of Tennessee, Georgia Tech University, Florida State University and North Carolina State University — with the under-the-radar prospect ultimately choosing to commit to the Volunteers, who were by far the nation’s hottest team on the recruiting trail at the time.
Campbell will play tight end at the University of Tennessee, and has received over 1,153 yards during his two seasons receiving passes through the air. The multi-position athlete also racked up 7 tackles on the defensive side of the ball during his Junior season along with 2.5 sacks.
Campbell spoke with Sports Illustrated prior to publicly announcing his commitment to the Vols regarding what factored into his decision back in May. “It was just them prioritizing me from day one as their top tight end target; just their ability in the development process as a player and as a man,” Campbell told Matthew Ray after informing VR2 of his decision to commit to Tennessee. “They have done a pretty good job, they’ve stayed in contact about twice a week.”
“You would never even know Coach Niedermeyer was not the tight ends coach anymore because he still kept in contact with me and built a relationship,” continued Campbell. “I have built a relationship with Coach Niedermeyer, Coach Osovet, Coach Chaney, and Coach Pruitt, so that is pretty good.”
Despite Campbell’s strong relationship with Brian Niedermeyer, he has still grown close to the Vols’ new tight end coach Joe Osovet — who was recently promoted to the position during the offseason. “(Coach Osovet) was a pretty big factor,” said Campbell. “I am fairly new to the position, and he is fairly new to coaching it, so we will get along pretty well."
The only Vol Commit from the Peach State who did not make the High School All-State team was wide-receiver Julian Nixon, who attends Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia — which came as a surprise to some in the recruiting industry. Nixon earned offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and others but ultimately decided to join Campbell and Brown in Knoxville.
Despite not earning All-State honors, Nixon was one of Tennessee’s biggest priorities during the COVID-19 lockdown, as they attempted to reel him in relentlessly. “(Being a priority) was one of the biggest factors,” Nixon told Sports Illustrated while detailing his commitment in Mid-April. “Tennessee and their fanbase have been loyal to me over the years, and I appreciate how they kept it real with me. they want me at a Jauan Jennings type position — like deep ball, go get it type of guy — someone they can rely on, I hope to bring a Natty to Knoxville.”
With the Vols building another decent class from the Peach State, and with head coach Jeremy Pruitt continually working hard to strengthen the Vols’ pipeline in Georgia, the Vols could improve much faster than some have been led to believe as they continue to quickly stockpile elite talent from some of the nation’s most recruiting-rich states.