Last week, the Vols landed a big commitment in the 2019 class from four-star receiver Ramel Keyton. This week, the Vols offered another talented receiver and current Baylor commit, Jaylen Ellis. The Bears flipped KD Cannon from the Vols last year, and now Tennessee will be trying to return the favor with Ellis.
Ellis tweeted that he is “beyond blessed” to receive an offer from Tennessee earlier this week. They became his 21st overall offer.
ALL GLORY! Beyond blessed to receive an offer from Tennesse ?#GoVols pic.twitter.com/Nu6OM5fXV1
— jaylen ellis 4 (@J4ylenellis) May 24, 2018
The Round Rock, Texas native is ranked by 247Sports as a composite three-star. He’s the 619th-best player in the country, the No. 81 receiver in the class, and the 75th-ranked player in the state of Texas.
While Ellis may currently be committed to Baylor, his commitment is anything but firm. He committed to Baylor nearly a year ago, and at the time, they were one of his only offers. Now that interest in him is peaking, he is beginning to reconsider his options. In a recent interview with local news, he mentioned that the new attention he is getting from big name programs is causing him to consider all his options.
He now holds offers from Michigan, Oregon, Michigan State, Arizona, Missouri, TCU, UCF, Houston, and others.
If he were to flip his commitment, it would likely be sooner rather than later. He has mentioned previously that he wants to have things out of the way for his senior year so he can focus entirely on football. Oregon and TCU are two other schools to keep a close eye on in his recruitment. Ellis grew up an Oregon fan, and his family has built a good relationship with the TCU coaching staff.
On the field, he has game-changing speed. That’s what immediately stands out to coaches and scouts on his film. He can take the top off a defense. At 6-feet, 180 pounds, he is strong enough to beat physical press coverage at the line of scrimmage. That is a deadly combination for opposing defenses as it is nearly impossible to stop him in man coverage without an elite corner. He can single-handedly change the game plan and alignment of the defense, which can change games for his team. He is a crisp route runner, and he has sure hands.
During his junior year at Cedar Ridge High School, Ellis caught 58 passes tallying over 1260 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He also had 7 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Tennessee has an uphill battle ahead of them. It will be challenging for them to pull him away from Baylor and out of the state of Texas. They do, however, have plenty of momentum on the recruiting trail, and they are easily one of the best program to offer him. Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are excellent recruiters and could definitely pull it off.
