Tennessee’s momentum on the recruiting trail continues to pick up steam.
According to current Tennessee offensive tackle commit Chris Akporoghene, he’ll be visiting the Vols this weekend when they play their last home game of the season against Missouri. He’ll also have one his teammates from IMG Academy coming with him, and that teammate is none other than Nolan Smith, the No. 1 player in the 2019 recruiting cycle.
The number one player in the country is coming with me to rocky top this weekend! He wants to see what makes Tennessee so special.
Vol national let’s show @SmithNoland2 some REAL love #govols #vfl ??? pic.twitter.com/SLo84jqLVX— Chris Akporoghene Jr. ???? (@yomzking) November 13, 2018
Smith is currently committed to Georgia and has been since January of 2017. He’s the top-rated player and top-rated defensive end in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound defensive end holds offers from the top programs in the country, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida, and, of course, Georgia.
As a senior, Smith has totaled 47 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and six quarterback hurries according to MaxPreps. He originally played for Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia but transferred to IMG Academy.
Akporoghene played for The King’s Academy in Knoxville before he transferred to IMG Academy. While there, he’s played with several talented prospects in the 2019 class such as Smith, five-star running back Trey Sanders, and five-star offensive tackle Evan Neal among others. Akoporoghene committed to the Vols over the summer in early July, and he’s a composite three-star lineman.
Tennessee not only has a connection with Smith thanks to Akporoghene, but they also have a link to IMG Academy on their coaching staff. Running backs coach and former Heisman-winning quarterback Chris Weinke worked as a director and a coach at IMG Academy after his playing days in the NFL were over. He served there from 2010 to 2014 before being hired on as the quarterbacks coach for the Rams in the NFL. He then served as an offensive analyst at Alabama in 2017 before Tennessee hired him this past offseason.
Smith is one of three five-star players currently committed to the Bulldogs, though they’ve had two other five-star players decommit from them in the last month. Five-star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood decommitted from Georgia at the beginning of October, and five-star running back John Emery did the same in late October.
Tennessee currently only has one five-star committed to them, and that’s offensive tackle Wanya Morris.
