The recruiting focus may be on the 2019 class right now as the early signing period is fast approaching, but the Vols received good news from one of their 2020 targets this week.
Jermaine Burton, a four-star receiver out of California, revealed his top five schools via twitter Thursday afternoon. The Vols, along with a few other SEC schools, made the cut.
Official Top 5… RIP KC (1994-2014?) The only way is up because I’m not going down…. pic.twitter.com/XeUUJALD65
— Jermaine Burton Jr.? (@_OfficialJBD) December 13, 2018
Miami, Alabama, LSU, and Georgia round out the rest of the top five.
Burton currently lives in Calabasas, California and plays for Calabasas High School. His roots are in the south, however. He is originally from Hapeville, Georgia and just moved out west. In fact, he went to Marietta High School, the same high school as current Vol commits Ramel Keyton and Harrison Bailey.
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Burton is currently rated 58th in the country in the 2020 class per the 247Sports composite rankings. He is the 10th-ranked player in California and the 10th-ranked wide receiver in the nation. He holds offers from over a dozen schools.
On the field, Burton is an elite receiver. He is certainly a play-maker, and he uses his 6-foot-1, 193-pound frame to his advantage. He is explosive at the top of his routes, and he has strong hands. His body control is impressive, and he does a good job battling corners for contested balls. He is quick, has good footwork, and he runs a variety of routes well. Burton has a high football IQ and blocks effectively. He is one of the most complete players in the 2020 class.
As a junior this past season, Burton caught 35 passes for 785 yards and 13 touchdowns according to MaxPreps. He averaged over 22 yards a reception, and he also returned a kick-off for a score.
Alabama is currently seen as the favorite to land the talented receiver’s pledge, but there is still a long way to go in his recruitment. Tennessee has to be happy to be in the final five schools vying for his services, and having elite quarterback Harrison Bailey as part of their 2020 class should certainly help as well.
