Versatility, whether that’s on offense or defense, has already been a big point of emphasis with Jeremy Pruitt and his coaching staff at Tennessee. And they extended an offer to a very versatile, very talented player in the 2019 class on Thursday.
Marcus Washington is a four-star wide receiver out of St. Louis, Missouri, and Tennessee’s coaches gave him a scholarship offer on Thursday.
Blessed to receive an offer from Tennessee?? #PoweredByTheT pic.twitter.com/f2JrEv1VMT
— Marcus Washington (@_MarcusW11) April 26, 2018
Washington is one of the top receivers in the 2019 class. The 247Sports Composite rankings have him listed as the No. 58 overall player and No. 9 receiver in the class. He’s also the second-best player in the state of Missouri by those rankings. Tennessee’s offer was just the latest in a long line of offers Washington has picked up in his recruitment. He holds nearly three dozen offers, including ones from Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Ohio State, Auburn, Florida, and many others.
Though he’s rated as a wide receiver, Washington is also a skilled safety and plays both sides of the ball for Trinity Catholic in St. Louis. It’s possible the Vols may be recruiting him to play either or both of those positions in college.
Tennessee also extended an offer to Washington’s teammate, three-star offensive tackle Ira Henry. The 6-foot-5, 320 pound Henry is the No. 835 overall player and No. 70 tackle according to the 247Sports Composite, and he has offers from Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Nebraska, and others.
Washington’s film shows off his versatility and superb athleticism. He blends height and speed beautifully, and he’s a big target in the passing game who can also beat a defender with his speed. Washington has solid body control and plays physically despite not having ideal size just yet. He’s 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and he looks, from a body perspective, a lot like Justin Hunter did at Tennessee. On defense, Washington has some very good instincts and can read quarterbacks fairly well. He’s a play-maker on both sides of the ball, and he forced several turnovers his junior year on defense at safety.
As a junior, Washington caught 29 passes for 637 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games according to MaxPreps. He also had 32 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, six passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery on defense. He returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown as well.
It’s easy to see why Washington is so highly-rated and why so many teams want him. He’ll likely play receiver in college, but he’s a gifted athlete and could excel on either side of the ball. Expect Tennessee to do their best to sway him to move eastward and play at UT.
