Jeremy Pruitt’s defenses at Alabama featured a platoon of defensive lineman to rotate in and out for maximum effectiveness. And it appears that he is trying to build similar depth now with the Vols. Tennessee signed seven defensive lineman in the 2018 class and have received 2 defensive lineman commits this week.
Now another highly-rated defensive lineman has the Vols as one of his top remaining schools.
DJ Dale, a huge defensive tackle from Alabama, tweeted out a graphic of his top five schools in no particular order. And the Vols were included in his list.
Top 5 in no specific order!??? pic.twitter.com/spCYRlea7G
— Dj Dale (@ddale44) April 5, 2018
Dale is a composite three-star per 247Sports, but the regular 247Sports rankings have him as a four-star. He is the No. 197 overall player and No. 10 defensive tackle in the 2019 class per the 247Sports rankings.
The 6-foot-3, 330 pounder from Pinson, Alabama has had an impressive career so far at Clay-Chalkville High School and will be looking for more of the same his senior season.
Dale is a physically dominant player and fits the role of the the classic run stuffing tackle in the middle of the defense. He has the size and strength to take on double teams and free up space for linebackers for plays. He isn’t a bad pass rusher either, and he is surprisingly quick for his size. He has keen spacial awareness and can bully opposing offensive lineman.
He took an unofficial visit to Knoxville back on March 15th and has been high on the Vols for a while. Tracy Rocker is the lead recruiter for him for the Vols, and Dale has developed a good relationship with UT’s defensive line coach.
Alabama is currently the favorite to land Dale’s commitment, but Tennessee isn’t far behind. He would be a huge commit for Tennessee, and Pruitt will continue to pull out all the stops to get him in orange and white next year.
