Tennessee’s strong start to the 2016 recruiting class suffered a minor setback on Thursday morning when Newnan, Georgia’s Emanuel Bridges announced on Twitter that he was decommitting from the Vols and opening up his recruitment.
https://twitter.com/Kashh_Kidd/status/565876736227696640
https://twitter.com/Kashh_Kidd/status/565877679363088385
Bridges later tweeted that Tennessee is still in the running to earn his signature next February on National Signing Day, claiming that his decommitment is just a “step back” for him to weigh his options and be sure of his ultimate decision.
The 6’2, 215-pound outside linebacker originally committed to the Vols on November 23rd following an unofficial visit to Knoxville to take in Tennessee’s 50-16 win over Kentucky. Heading into that visit, Bridges had named a top-3 of Clemson, Ole Miss and Tennessee, and his decision to announce his commitment to the Vols so quickly came as a bit of a surprise.
Bridges claims early offers from Alabama, Clemson, Michigan State, Nebraska and Wisconsin – among others – so the recruiting process should really pick up for him in the wake of his decommitment from Tennessee.
The loss of Bridges leaves the Vols with six committed players in the 2016 class, which was ranked 10th nationally ahead of Bridges decommitment. Bridges was ranked No. 520 in the country, No. 40 at his outside linebacker position and No. 45 in the state of Georgia for the 2016 class.
Here’s a look at his junior highlights:
