As the season progresses, schools’ recruiting efforts tend to not only focus on the 2019 class, but the 2020 class and those beyond once the year is coming to a close. This week the Vols offered Wisdom Asaboro, a defensive tackle from Matthews, North Carolina with an interesting background.
Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports first reported that Tennessee offered Asaboro via twitter.
Matthews (NC) Covenant Day School 2019 lineman Wisdom Asaboro adds a #Tennessee offer: https://t.co/b4M1t2OyoN @RyanCallahan247 #Vols
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) October 24, 2018
The monstrosity of a lineman stands at a whopping 6-foot-8, 280 pounds, but he’s surprisingly athletic for his monstrous size. He plays for Covenant Day School and is a class of 2020 prospect. He is not currently ranked by 247Sports, but Rivals has him ranked as a three-star.
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In the last two weeks, Asaboro has seen his recruitment take off. Not only have the Vols offered him, but he’s picked up offers From North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia all in that time frame, and he will be in Columbia this weekend for the Gamecocks’ match-up with the Vols.
Thanks to a program called AccessToSuccess, he was able to come from Nigeria to the United States to pursue athletics. Asaboro is currently in his first full year of organized football, and his high school has recently discovered through his transcripts from Nigeria that he has already graduated from his high school in Nigeria, presenting a unique situation. Because of this, even though he is technically a junior in high school in North Carolina, he could potentially reclassify as a class of 2019 recruit.
While he has seen a sudden uptick in interest on the football field, he is also a very talented basketball player, which is just another testament to his athleticism. If he wanted to, he could likely have the opportunity to play college basketball, as Georgetown recently came to visit him. It will be interesting to see how this affects his recruitment.
A look at the limited film available on Asaboro shows just how good he can be. He is a very raw player, but he is full of potential. His motor is excellent, as he plays 100 MPH from the start of the play all the way through the echo of the whistle. His speed is exceptional, especially for a defensive tackle. He can be seen chasing down the running back more than 40 yards down the field. His awareness and general football IQ aren’t quite there yet, but he is physically dominant and will only get better at a college with good coaching and a great weight program. His pad level is very high, and his footwork is choppy, but he has plenty of natural ability. He likely projects to a defensive end at the next level. He is already a great tackler and presents a good speed rush off the edge.
While Asaboro may not be on a lot of people’s radars across the country at this point in time, that is sure to change very quickly. He will soon become a hot commodity, and is a very intriguing prospect. It is good that Tennessee got in on him early, and it will be interesting to see how his recruitment progresses.
If he stays in the 2020 class, the Vols would have more time to develop a relationship with him. But if he reclassifies, then it looks like there will be a rush to try and sign him by several programs.
