21 defensive recruits to know for ‘21: No. 2 five-star Payton Page

Tennessee is in a position to land some high quality recruits in the 2021 class if they carry the momentum from this past season onto the recruiting trail. One prospect that the Vols have their eye on is Payton Page of Dudley High School (NC).

Page is rated as the sixth overall prospect in the nation and number three defensive tackle. He measures in at 6’4, 315lbs.

Payton Page has included the Vols in his top list of schools from the time he started releasing lists, and this is in large part due to a strong relationship with Brian Niedermeyer. However, when Page visited the Vols for their last cookout of the Summer in July, Tennessee made an impression that has kept them squarely in the mix for this recruitment.

Page has previously told VR2’s Matt Ray that he is intrigued by the pitch to become the face of Tennessee’s defensive front. However, the Vols are going to have their work cut out for them in this recruitment as Page released his top 5 schools today and their competition includes Oregon, North Carolina, Clemson, and LSU.
Tennessee does seem to have some momentum with Page that should carry them down the stretch to decision day.

Analysis- Page is a dominant defensive tackle at the high school level. As a defensive lineman the highest compliment that you can get is to consistently demand double teams. Page does that, but then he has the ability to defeat them with his athleticism and sheer strength. The athleticism that Page has is what sets his game apart from most. He has the ability to take on two blockers and defeat them to make a play, or he takes the proper pursuit angles on an outside carry to make an impact on the play. There are not many prospects that play at the size or with the motor that Page does. He will be one of the most coveted prospects in America for the duration of the 2021 class.

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