Wednesday marked the beginning of college football’s first ever early signing period, a three day span in December where recruits are allowed to sign a National Letter of Intent to a school earlier than the traditional signing day in February.
Despite hiring a new head coach just weeks before the period, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have done an excellent job piecing together a respectable recruiting class so far. As of Thursday morning, the Vols have jumped to the 26th ranked class in the 2018 cycle according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and they’ve signed 12 prospects in the class thus far. Five of those players weren’t previously committed and were snagged by Pruitt and his staff.
While all the excitement was going on with the 2018 class, Tennessee extended offers to two athletic 2019 prospects.
Tymon Mitchell, a three-star defensive lineman from Franklin Road Academy in Nashville, picked up an offer from Tennessee on Wednesday.
Blessed and thankful to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee! #GBO ? pic.twitter.com/zS6dXp8etT
— Tymon Mitchell (@Tmitch1567) December 20, 2017
A look at the film of the 6-foot-3, 287 pound lineman shows a raw prospect with the capability to play both over the center and out wide as a defensive end. Mitchell is a strong lineman that is rarely driven off the line of scrimmage and does a good job clogging run lanes. He doesn’t present a huge threat as a pass rusher, but he has plenty of potential to be developed into a capable tackle in Pruitt’s 3-4 defense. He also plays offensive line, and he can be seen collecting several pancake blocks on his tape. He projects as a defensive tackle in college, however.
The offer further echos what Pruitt said in his introductory press conference about taking back the state in terms of recruiting.
Jake Smith, a four-star athlete from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Arizona, picked up and offer from Tennessee on Tuesday. The versatile athlete now has 20 offers already, including one from Alabama.
https://twitter.com/jakesmith27/status/943210935774093312
The 6-foot, 185 pound prospect is a do-it-all kind of player. He returned punts and kicks and lined up at both receiver and running back this past season. Smith is a natural play-maker, is incredibly elusive, and possesses an elite ability to accelerate quickly. He also has the ability to outrun any defender in space at the high school level, clocking a 4.37 40-yard dash time. He’s not that clean of a route runner, but he has very soft hands.
Both of these athletes have been getting a lot of attention over the last month, and Jeremy Pruitt and his staff will continue to give both attention as the 2019 recruiting cycle picks up steam. Rocky Top Insider will continue to update you with information as it becomes available.
This article was written by RTI contributor Charley Collier
