Five-star wide receiver Jadon Haselwood has narrowed his focus down to just four teams. Haselwood, who is rated as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2019 class according to 247Sports, eliminated Miami from his list of suitors and is down to just four finalists for his decision: Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State.
Haselwood was once committed to Georgia, but he decommitted from the Bulldogs in the beginning of October. Since then, teams have upped their pursuit of the 6-foot-2, 196-pound receiver from Ellenwood, Georgia. Haselwood has already signed financial aid agreements with his four finalists, but those are non-binding. He plans on making his college decision public on Saturday at the All-American Bowl Game, and he intends to sign with that team on February 6th on National Signing Day.
Oklahoma’s potent passing attack over the last few years has them in the race for Haselwood, and he clearly still likes the Bulldogs’ coaches and program even after decommitting from them. Florida State offers up a pass-heavy offense that can be productive as long as they get their offensive line problems fixed.
But why is Tennessee in the mix for the five-star receiver?
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According to Haselwood, he appreciates how Tennessee’s coaches approach recruiting and have kept it “real” with him. There’s also the fact that he believes he would stand out in UT’s receiving room.
Per a quote from Jesse Simonton of Volquest, Haselwood thinks that UT “ain’t got no real dogs” in their receiving corps, and that’s the reason the Vols are in his top four.
Tennessee LB signee Quavaris Crouch spent today chatting up 5-star WR target Jadon Haselwood.
The No. 4 prospect signed financial aid paperwork with the Vols and will announce a decision Jan. 5.
“They ain’t go no real dogs at receiver right now. That’s why they’re in my Top 4.” pic.twitter.com/K78w7qW5ij
— Jesse Simonton (@JesseReSimonton) January 2, 2019
This past season, Tennessee threw for just 2,357 yards and 15 touchdowns as a team. Their 196.4 passing yards per game average ranked 97th in the FBS and was the 14th-fewest passing yards per game among Power Five teams. The Vols’ leading receiver was Marquez Callaway, who hauled in 37 passes for 592 yards and two touchdowns. His 592 receiving yards were just 19th among SEC receivers, and his 37 receptions were tied for 20th in the conference.
Many Vol fans would argue with Haselwood’s point about Tennessee not having any “dogs” in their receiving corps by pointing out rising redshirt senior Jauan Jennings. The 6-foot-3, 221-pound receiver has made plenty of big plays for the Vols in his collegiate career and always gives 100 percent effort whether he’s running routes or blocking down the field.
This past season, Jennings caught 30 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t play a ton in every game and missed UT’s match-up against Charlotte because of nagging injuries all season, though.
Regardless of his comments, the Vols have to feel good about Haselwood including them in his list of finalists. It appears as though Oklahoma is the favorite to land Haselwood’s commitment on Saturday, but Tennessee’s coaches and current four-star athlete and Vol signee Quavaris Crouch have been doing their best to get the five-star to believe in Tennessee.
The All-American Bowl Game will begin at 1:00 PM Eastern on Saturday, January 5th. It will be televised on NBC.
