The Vols have offered a ton offensive tackles in the 2019 recruiting cycle and have commitments from two linemen already. And they found themselves in the top five for a highly coveted offensive lineman this week.
Warren McClendon, a four-star lineman from Brunswick, Georgia, announced his top five schools on Twitter. He went with five SEC schools for his finalists, and the Vols made the cut.
TOP5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ue6jjVNPY2
— Warren McClendon Jr (@wcmcclendonjr) May 30, 2018
Tennessee offered McClendon all the way back in April of 2016 under Butch Jones, and despite a coaching change, he has remained heavily interested the entire time. South Carolina is currently considered the favorite, but his recruitment is still wide open, and it looks like he’ll end up in the SEC wherever he goes.
Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, McClendon is the 248th-best player in the 2019 class. He also ranks as the No. 26 offensive tackle and 28th-best player in Georgia. Along with this top five schools, McClendon also holds offers from Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, and other top schools.
McClendon is a force on the offensive line. He can be counted on to run block and pass block at an exceptional level. He does a good job of keeping his hands inside, and his footwork is fundamentally sound. When he gets a good base underneath him and his heels in the ground, he is capable of really driving the defender off the ball. His biggest problem right now is pad level. A lot of his technique is still very raw. At 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, he has the kind of frame that offensive line coaches fall in love with. He had a very successful junior season at Brunswick High School and will look to do more of the same in his senior campaign.
Georgia and South Carolina both have a leg up with the connections McClendon has to the programs already. He had a cousin and uncle play at Georgia, and another cousin of his is the offensive coordinator at South Carolina. So both those programs figure to feature prominently for McClendon.
Tennessee has already added Wanya Morris and Jackson Lampley to the 2019 offensive line class, but it is a position that badly needs to be restocked, and the Vols would love to add McClendon. He still might take an official visit to Knoxville, but wherever he ends up, he plans to sign in April and enroll early.
