One of the Vols’ top defensive line signees in their 2018 class won’t be a part of Tennessee’s roster this fall after all.
According to a report from 247Sports, four-star defensive tackle Brant Lawless has been granted a release from his Letter of Intent with Tennessee and will explore other options.
Lawless, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive tackle from Nashville, never enrolled in classes at the university this summer. It was reported back in early June that he wasn’t expected to enroll as he continued to work on some academic requirements, but at the time Lawless said he wasn’t sure “what is going on.”
Now Lawless will be pursuing other opportunities after finishing up his academic work. It’s expected he’ll look at FCS programs rather than taking the junior college route.
Lawless was the No. 256 overall player, No. 22 defensive tackle, and seventh-ranked player in the state of Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He committed to Tennessee back in May of 2017 and stayed committed to the Vols even after UT’s coaching change. He played for Nashville Christian School.
Tennessee’s other 2018 signee who didn’t enroll this summer, four-star linebacker J.J. Peterson, is expected to be ready for fall camp according to Jeremy Pruitt at SEC Media Days last week. Fall camp begins on August 3rd.
Lawless was part of a trio of in-state defensive linemen who committed to Tennessee in the 2018 class who were expected to come in and add depth immediately for the Vols. Lawless, Greg Emerson, and D’Andre Litaker were all part of Tennessee’s 2018 class at one point. But only one of those trio ended up officially joining the Vols.
Four-star Greg Emerson enrolled early with Tennessee back in January, and he’s the only one of the trio who is officially a Vol. Litaker, who suffered several injuries in high school, ended up decommitting from Tennessee late in the 2018 cycle and recently signed with UT-Martin.
