The Vols have a big need for pass rushers in the 2020 recruiting class, and they’ve sent out offers to several defensive ends and outside linebackers in this cycle. Tennessee sent out another offer to another pass rusher on Friday, and he’s one of the hottest names on the recruiting trail currently.
Noah Arinze is a 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive end who plays for Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri. He’s added tons of offers over the last few weeks, and he added one from the Vols on Friday.
Thankful to receive an offer from the University of Tennessee. #SBG #Critcal #EliteOrNothing pic.twitter.com/bgLtamqFU3
— NoahArinze (@ArinzeNoah) June 14, 2019
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Arinze is the No. 520 overall prospect and No. 18 weak-side defensive end in the 2020 class. He’s risen dramatically in the rankings over the last few months, going from the No. 1,702 overall player in mid-April all the way to a borderline top-500 overall prospect now.
Arinze has exploded on the recruiting trail after impressing at the St. Louis regional camp for Nike’s The Opening and garnering attention from various Power Five programs in the process. Arinze ran the 40-yard dash in 4.83 seconds, the shuttle in 4.59 seconds, and showed off an impressive 35-inch vertical leap all while impressing in various drills.
Back on May 27th, Arinze released a list of top 10 schools. Since then, though, he’s added even more offers.
Texas, North Carolina, and Tennessee have all offered since Arinze released his top 10, and those are just the latest in a slew of new offers over the last month and a half.
Since the beginning of March, Arinze has added offers from 13 different schools, including the four teams mentioned above and other teams like Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kentucky.
Arinze’s original top 10 consisted of Wisconsin, Iowa State, Illinois, Arizona State, Missouri, Kansas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Ball State.
On the field, Arinze plays like a wrecking ball and is a force to try and stop. He has very good speed for his size, and he’s relentless. He’s very strong and wraps up very well on tackles. Arinze plays mostly off the edge for Webster Groves, but he’s also on punt coverage on special teams, and he excels at racing down returners and preventing big plays. Arinze also plays on offense as a tight end, showing off more of his versatility and athleticism in the process.
As a junior, Arinze totaled 83 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two fumble recoveries.
Tennessee currently has a commitment from one defensive end in their 2020 class, and that’s from four-star JUCO product Jordan Davis.
