The Vols continued to make waves in recruiting on Friday, adding another talented defensive back to their 2019 class thanks to a commitment from one of the top safeties in the cycle.
Jaylen McCollough announced his commitment on Friday, and he chose the Vols over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State, Florida State, South Carolina, and many others.
C?MMITTED ‼️‼️#T19 #PruittEra pic.twitter.com/16xn1AtAgr
— Jaylen McCollough (@Jay_Mccollough2) August 17, 2018
McCollough, who goes by the nickname of “tank” in high school, is rated as the No. 131 overall player and No. 10 safety in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He came to Tennessee’s big recruiting cookout during the last weekend of July, and the Vols made up a lot of ground in his recruitment over the last few months. McCollough was once strongly considering Alabama, but Tennessee continued to pursue him and now have his commitment.
The talented safety hails from Powder Springs, Georgia. He’s now the seventh player in Tennessee’s 2019 class from the state of Georgia.
At 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, McCollough has the size and strength to play in the SEC right away. He can creep into the box and play physical, hard-nosed football, but he is also exceptional in coverage. The combination of his strength and track speed makes him a Swiss army knife of a safety. He tackles well and can come up and lay the lumber on ball carriers. He is the kind of player that is really valuable to a defense, and he also has a great football IQ. In college, he could bulk up and play linebacker even.
As a junior, McCollough did a little bit of everything for Hillgrove. He totaled 85 tackles, three sacks, six pass breakups, and three interceptions on defense. He also ran for 750 yards and seven touchdowns on offense.
With his pledge, the Vols now have 19 commitments in their 2019 class. McCollough is the second true safety in Tennessee’s 2019 group, joining four-star safety Anthony Harris. Tennessee now has eight players rated as four-stars or higher in their class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
