Tennessee’s coaches have been trying their hardest to land an elite cornerback in the 2018 recruiting class. And it appears they’re a finalist for one of their top targets in the recruiting cycle.
Per an interview with Greg Biggins of 247Sports, Olaijah Griffin, a five-star cornerback in the 2018 class, the Vols are among four schools who are his finalists heading into National Signing Day in a week and a half. Tennessee, Alabama, USC, and Oregon are the four teams who are in the final leg of the race to land Griffin’s commitment.
Griffin visited the Vols back on December 15th, and he’s visited USC and Oregon since. And according to Griffin, Oregon did enough on his official visit there to make them a finalist.
“Oregon was great,” Griffin told Biggins. “I think you can put them right up there with Tennessee and USC now for me. I felt really comfortable there and the place has a great vibe to it. I got along well with the players and coaches and I think I would fit in really well there.”
Though it’s been a month and a half since Griffin visited Tennessee, the Vols’ coaches haven’t let Griffin forget about them. Cornerbacks coach Terry Fair visited Griffin on January 15th, and head coach Jeremy Pruitt visited him last week.
And according to Griffin, Pruitt is very knowledgeable and the visit was productive.
“It went really well, coach Pruitt really knows defense,” Griffin said of Pruitt’s in-home visit with him. “He broke down how he runs a defense and it’s easy to see why he has had so much success.
“He knows what he’s talking about and it was great to have that time with them.”
Griffin recently was upgraded to a five-star in the 247Sports Composite rankings, and he’s the No. 3 corner in the 2018 class according to those ratings. He’s also the No. 28 overall player in the class.
Tennessee currently doesn’t have a cornerback signed or committed in their 2018 class. Corner is easily the top remaining need in the Vols’ class, and they have been targeting several highly-rated corners like Griffin, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Eddie Smith, and others.
Griffin is expected to announce his college decision on National Signing Day on February 7th.
