Signing day is less than a month away, and the Tennessee coaching staff has been working tirelessly to improve their class as the date approaches. While the primary focus is on the 2018 class right now, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have been extending offers to several players in the 2019 and 2020 classes as well.
This week, several top prospects have been offered a scholarship by the Vols.
2020 running back Kendall Milton out of Clovis, CA picked up an offer Tuesday from the Vols. The four-star running back tweeted about it Tuesday night.
https://twitter.com/therealkmilt/status/950944191533608961
At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Milton has the capability to run with power. In his Sophomore season he rushed for 1,429 yards and 18 touchdowns, averaging nearly seven yards per carry. His film shows a diverse back who is able to run inside and off tackle. He has quick feet and a good burst. He has offers from over 10 schools already, including Arizona, USC and Washington. The Trojans are the crystal ball favorites early in his recruitment.
NaNa Osafo-Mensah became the latest Texan to get an offer from the Vols Tuesday night, tweeting out the news to his followers.
Blessed to say I have received my 19th offer to play football for the University of Tennessee #GoVols #iroNClad pic.twitter.com/6Fu9gfyEys
— NaNa Osafo-Mensah (@NaNaOsafo2) January 10, 2018
The four-star outside linebacker is a top-100 player in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He just completed his junior season at Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth, Texas where he was a nightmare to opposing offenses all season. He is a big prospect standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 230 pounds. Osafo-Mensah is a natural play-maker. He does a good job playing both the run and the pass, and he never stops his feet. He has the ability to play as both a hand-in-the-ground defensive end as well as a stand up outside linebacker. He is the kind of edge rusher that could be a focal point in a Jeremy Pruitt’s 3-4 defense.
He currently hold offers from over 20 schools, with plenty of big names making a run at him. LSU and Texas A&M are currently seen as the favorites.
2019 offensive lineman Triston Miller was offered a scholarship Wednesday night and tweeted about it that evening.
Blessed to receive my 5th from University from Tennessee #SEC @gridironjrj @coachwitman1866 pic.twitter.com/qX1NTvoNP6
— Triston Miller (@tristonmiller55) January 11, 2018
Tennessee marks the first SEC offer for the strong tackle. At 6-foot-6. 280 pounds, he certainly has the size of an SEC lineman. Currently, he has not been ranked by recruiting services, but he will be soon. I would anticipate him being at least a three-star prospect in the 2019 class. He committed to Wake Forest on December 13th, but the Vols were just the fifth school to offer him, and they’re easily the biggest name. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine Tennessee being able to flip him down the line. Miller is from Charlotte, NC and plays for Charlotte Country Day High School.
Also receiving an offer Wednesday night was 2019 defensive tackle Jowon Briggs. His head football coach, Gerry Beauchamp, tweeted the news out Wednesday evening.
Fresh off a national title, new head football coach @JeremyPruittTN and @Vol_Football have offered @briggsjowon0 #workingharderthanever pic.twitter.com/06OOgDAPGZ
— Gerry Beauchamp (@CoachBeauchamp) January 11, 2018
Briggs is a four-star defensive tackle, and he’s one of the top-rated players in the 2019 class. He is the 4th-ranked defensive tackle in the class in the 247Sports Composite rankings, and they have him as the No. 65 overall player in the class as well. New defensive line coach Tracy Rocker is currently his lead recruiter for Tennessee.
The 6-foot-2, 275 pound defensive tackle from Cincinnati, OH plays for Walnut Hills High School. He does a good job owning the point of attack and resetting the line of scrimmage. He is very versatile, capable of both stopping the run and rushing the passer. All the top schools in the country are interested, and Notre Dame and Ohio State are seen as the favorites to land his commitment.
All these prospects are a reflection of the kind of recruits Tennessee’s new staff wants to target. It will be interesting to see how Tennessee will factor into the equation for all these prospects.
