Tennessee needs more speed on their football roster. They addressed that some in their 2019 recruiting class, but they’ll continue to try and fix that problem in their 2020 class. On Monday, Tennessee hosted a speedy athlete out of Georgia in the 2020 cycle and gave him a scholarship offer.
After that offer, the Vols have vaulted to the top of that athlete’s list, too.
Jontavis Robertson is a three-star athlete who plays for Jones County in Gray, Georgia. In an interview with Chad Simmons of Rivals, he said Tennessee’s offer surprised him while he was on his visit to Knoxville.
“The offer surprised me,” Robertson said. “I spent the most time with coach (Chris) Rumph and coach (Derrick) Ansley, and I wasn’t expecting an offer early into the tour, but after hearing the coaches talk to me for a while, I started having a feeling I was going to get one.”
Robertson picked up the offer on Monday, adding that to his growing list of offers after his junior season. Along with the offer from Tennessee, he also has offers from Kentucky, Nebraska, Baylor, Kansas State, Duke, and Louisville among others.
So thankful & more than humbled to have received an offer from The University of Tennessee! Special shout out to @WR_Coach_Toomer for ALWAYS telling me since Day 1 that I was a special player! Love you Coach Toom! pic.twitter.com/UK5E7dQD0O
— Jontavis Robertson ひ (@yo_jonta) February 25, 2019
His trip to UT’s campus and the offer he got from the Vols during his visit made Tennessee one of his top two schools.
“This offer and visit puts Tennessee right up there with Duke for me at the top,” Robertson told Simmons. “The connection with the coaches, the family feel and the brotherhood stood out to me. Everyone feeds off each other, plus everyone is always vibing with each other, so I like that a lot.”
The 5-foot-11, 183-pound athlete is rated as the No. 675 overall player and No. 121 wide receiver in the 2020 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Robertson primarily plays wide receiver for Jones County, though he’s capable of playing other positions as well. He told Simmons that Tennessee wants him to play both sides of the ball, using him as a receiver and defensive back.
If you want to talk about speed, then look no further than Robertson. His highlight film shows off some absurd quickness down the field and on screen passes. He not only has elite, game-changing speed, but he has a solid understanding of routes and has good recognition of coverages. That football IQ coupled with his speed makes him very dangerous when the ball is in his hands. He doesn’t have the height to compete for a lot of jump balls or go up against bigger corners, but he just has an extra gear that most other players don’t. Not only that, but there are several plays on his film of him blocking defenders, showing off his willingness and ability as a blocker for other receivers.
In 11 recorded games as a junior on MaxPreps, Robertson caught 53 passes for 921 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding two scores on the ground as well. In 21 recorded games in high school, Robertson has 1,349 receiving yards and 14 scores on 80 receptions.
Tennessee currently has five players committed to them in their 2020 class, but only one is at a skill position. Three-star wide receiver Antonio Barber has been committed to the Vols since late April of last year. The Vols also have four-star quarterback Harrison Bailey committed to them.
