RTI recruiting contributor Landon Steffy is the author of this article
It was a busy weekend on the recruiting trail for the Vols. Tennessee hosted several elite prospects over the weekend, and they picked up a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jalin Hyatt on Saturday while he was on his visit. While focusing on the 2020 class, Tennessee also set their sights on the 2021 class over the weekend. Several of the prospects visiting were in the 2021 class, and UT offered an elite West Coast defensive tackle at the start of the weekend.
Per his Twitter account, Tennessee offered composite four-star defensive tackle Victory Vaka from Westlake Village, California. He stands at 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 315 pounds. He plays for Westlake High School.
Very grateful to have received an offer from the University of Tennessee!! Thank you!! @CoachLolohea #GBO #GoVols pic.twitter.com/HXW9OGpBFK
— Victory (@victoryvaka) July 26, 2019
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Vaka is the No. 195 recruit in the 2021 class and comes in as the 17th-best defensive tackle in his class. He looks set to be one of the premier defensive tackles in the country in the 2021 cycle.
Vaka has earned numerous offers already as just a high school sophomore. He already holds offers from LSU, Michigan, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State, and Vanderbilt among others.
The first thing that stands out about Vaka on film is his massive frame easily getting by opposing offensive lineman. He seems to excel at run stopping, often times shedding his man even while taking on a double team and stuffing the runner in the backfield. Vaka possesses good strength and also has a very good bull rush technique. He is likely just now settling into his frame and will likely have to work on conditioning. But there’s a lot of talent there with him.
According to MaxPreps, Vaka had 43 total tackles and a fumble recovery in eight games as a sophomore.
While it’s still very early on in this recruitment, Vaka has already visited Arizona State and LSU this year. Tennessee will likely push for a on-campus visit for this season and host him for one of their premier junior days. With defensive tackle being a need in the 2021 cycle, Tennessee will likely take several lineman in its upcoming classes.
