The Vol’s relentless pursuit of offensive lineman in the 2019 class has seen plenty of positive results as the cycle progresses. Now the Vols just got more good news as they cracked the top 5 for a tackle they’ve been after for just a short amount of time.
Tennessee just offered Chris Akporoghene of Bradenton, Florida on June 12th. And on Monday, he listed the Vols in his top 5.
Gods plan…. pic.twitter.com/98H59KRhFD
— Chris Akporoghene ???? (@yomzking) June 18, 2018
The threestar prospect named Oregon, Texas, Nebraska and Duke as the other favorites to land his services come signing day.
Per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Akporoghene is the 73rd-ranked tackle in the nation and the 105th-ranked player in Florida. It is likely the next update to 247Sports’ rankings will see him move up quite a bit and maybe even push him up to a four-star.
While he currently plays for IMG Academy, he originally hails from Seymour, Tennessee and has plenty of local roots. He played for The Kings Academy in east Tennessee for his first three years of high school. He moved from Nigeria to pursue a career in football three years ago, though his family was not able to come with him.
His recruitment has heated up a lot in the past six months, and he even was one of the lineman MVPs at the Rivals camp.
At 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, he has the right size for an SEC lineman and could probably still put on more weight. Even with his size, he has really good body control. He fires off the ball hard and manages to drive opponents well. His footwork isn’t terrible, but it’s also not great. It’s definitely one of the areas he needs to improve the most. But he is a steady pass blocker, and his strength is blocking in the run game. His biggest problem is his pad level. He consistently plays football way too high up, which gives the defenders an advantage in the battle for leverage. He is, however, a solid prospect with plenty more growing to do.
The Vols currently have two offensive linemen committed in their 2019 class and are looking to add a few more. Five-star offensive tackle Wanya Morris and four-star Jackson Lampley make up Tennessee’s current offensive line commitments.
Despite getting in late, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have to love their chances with Akporoghne. He and his parents love the area and the school. He has become a priority for the Vols’ coaching staff as they look to add several offensive linemen in this cycle, and the Vols are in good shape as he prepares to commit next month.
