Tennessee is a finalist for one of the more intriguing defensive line prospects in the state of Florida, and he’s announcing his college commitment on Friday.
Emanuel Rogers — who goes by “Manny” — said in a recent interview with Jon Santucci of TCPalm.com that he’s announcing his college choice at noon Eastern on Friday, July 12th. He’ll be deciding between Florida, Florida State, and Tennessee.
The huge 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman plays for Jensen Beach High School in Jensen Beach, Florida and is rated by 247Sports as a four-star and the No. 284 overall prospect in the 2020 class. He’s also the No. 23 defensive tackle and No. 40 player in the state of Florida by those ratings. He’s just outside of four-star range in the 247Sports Composite rankings, coming in at No. 357 overall.
Along with offers from his his three finalists, Rogers also holds offers from Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Miami, Penn State, and Oregon among other programs.
Rogers has only played football for one year, but he was an immediate starter on both the offensive and defensive lines for Jensen Beach due to his freakish athleticism and raw talent.
When looking at his film, Rogers’ strength and quickness immediately stand out. He moves very well for his size, and he uses his superior size to bulldoze past offensive linemen. Rogers has a good base and very long arms, using both to get leverage and to wrangle in ball carriers. He’s definitely raw from a technique perspective, but that’s to be expected since he hasn’t played for very long. Still, the potential is very clearly there for Rogers, and his ceiling is very high.
As a junior last season, Rogers totaled 45 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He also plays basketball for Jensen Beach, and he averaged 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists for the Falcons.
Tennessee currently has just one defensive tackle committed to them in their 2020 class, and that’s four-star Dominic Bailey.
Our Take:
It would be a big surprise to me if Rogers chooses the Vols, but you never know. Florida State appears to be the favorite, and the Seminoles will likely get his pledge. Still, Tennessee’s coaches identified him a while back and offered him, so they stand a chance of landing. The odds are on Florida State, though.
