Tennessee has a need at running back in the 2020 recruiting class, and they already have one running back committed to them this cycle. Soon, they’ll be getting an official visit from another back in this class.
Four-star running back Darvon Hubbard out of Surprise, Arizona said in a recent interview with Bill Greene of 247Sports that he knows where he wants to take three of his five official visits, and Tennessee will be getting one of them.
“I still need to firm up the dates for the official visits, but I know I will be taking at least three of them, and those will be LSU, Tennessee, and Purdue,” Hubbard told Greene. “Those dates should all be scheduled this week. I might be taking two other ones, but for now, these are the ones that will happen for sure.”
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Hubbard is rated as the No. 296 overall prospect and No. 22 running back in the 2020 class. He committed to Ohio State back in July of 2018, but on February 21st of this year, he announced his decommitment from the Buckeyes, citing the coaching changes that had taken place.
Now, several other teams have entered the picture in his recruitment. Hubbard says that LSU is “probably the top school for me right now,” but Tennessee is certainly right there.
“They have a very strong program, and I’m very interested in them as well,” Hubbard said of the Vols. “They have really increased their recruitment of me recently, and they are talking to me a lot. I want to get there to see the facilities and meet with all the coaches. I’ve talked to a lot of their coaches so far, and they all seem like good guys. I can’t wait to get up there and see everything.
My best relationship there is with (assistant coach) Tee Martin, and I think they are going to be great this season.”
The 6-foot, 200-pound back also mentioned that Georgia has been talking to him a lot, and they’re one of the many schools trying to get him to go visit.
All in all, Hubbard doesn’t have a time frame for another commitment, but he’s open to the idea of making that pledge on one of the visits if he feels it’s the right move to make.
“I could commit on one of these visits if I find the right school,” he stated. “I don’t want to force anything, and I need to make sure I get this right because it is going to affect the rest of my life.”
Hubbard’s speed won’t wow anyone at the collegiate level, but he’s by no means a slow runner. He blends power and elusiveness together when he runs, and he’s extremely difficult to bring down. Not only that, but Hubbard has really good vision and some adept footwork. He’s great at finding holes to run through, and he can squeeze through them even as they’re closing up. Hubbard doesn’t shy away from contact, either, lowering his shoulder on several occasions to fight for extra yardage.
As a junior, Hubbard ran for 821 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games according to Sports360AZ.com. He did all that while missing nearly a month after injuring his ankle. Hubbard was limited by his injury, but he’s fully recovered now.
Tennessee has one running back committed to them in their 2020 class as of now. Three-star Ebony Jackson from Marietta, Georgia is the Vols’ lone running back commit in this current recruiting cycle. Tennessee is likely to take two — if not three — running backs in this class.
