Jaylen Ellis has been committed to Baylor a little over a year now, but that commitment is far from solid. When he initially committed to the Bears, they were one of his only offers. He has since seen his stock rise exponentially, and the offers have flooded in, including one from Tennessee on May 24th.
As the offers have come in, Ellis has been working through the recruiting process, though he is still committed to Baylor. The Vols, however, are one of a handful of schools that have been working very hard to try and flip him.
“I’m still strong with Baylor, I still enjoy them,” explained Ellis. But those new offers have “opened his mind up to new schools.”
He is currently rated as a three-star by the 247Sports Composite ratings. He has risen yet again in the updated rankings after a strong showing in Nike’s The Opening and is now the 538th-ranked prospect in the nation and the No. 64 receiver.
Ellis expressed his thankfulness that his hard work is beginning to pay off, and he said enjoyed his time at The Opening. “It’s a blessing for me, it’s a dream of mine,” said Ellis, “being able to compete against the best in the nation… it was really fun.”
Now that the offseason is winding down, he is beginning to reach the final stages of his recruitment, and Tennessee is still in the thick of things. Ellis plans on taking official visits to Baylor, Arizona and Tennessee. When he does visit Knoxville, it will be his first time on campus both officially or unofficially.
The Texas receiver has also developed a good relationship with the Vols’ coaching staff. “They’re always hitting me up, every day, Coach Pruitt is always texting me,” Ellis revealed. “Being able to build that relationship has been really cool.”
Ellis believes he can contribute early and often, and the Tennessee coaching staff has enforced those beliefs. They have been pitching to him early playing time, which has really caught his attention. They see him as someone that can line up outside and take the top off of the defense.
Comfort, however, is the most important factor to Ellis. “(I want to go) somewhere that’s going to be a good fit for me, that will give me all the opportunities I need,” Ellis added. “Each university has special things, but I have to feel like I’m home. I want my parents to feel that on the visits, … like it’s a good place to go.”
Baylor still appears to be the favorite for Ellis. It will be hard for the Vols to pull him out of his home state, but anything can happen between now and signing day. An official visit to Knoxville could prove to be very beneficial for Pruitt and his staff.
Ellis hopes to wrap up his recruitment by the end of his senior season, so there should be more clarity in December. He’ll be looking to build off his junior year where he caught 56 passes for 1,248 yards and 14 touchdowns.
