With the regular season over, Tennessee’s coaches are now in a full-out sprint in recruiting until the early signing period. The Vols’ coaching staff are out and about across the US visiting prospects, and they’re also sending out new offers in the 2020 class and in future classes. One of Tennessee’s offers went out to a 2020 prospect who just recently hit the open market again.
Van Fillinger is a four-star defensive lineman who plays for Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah. He committed to Texas over the summer on July 18th, but he just announced his decommitment from the Longhorns on Sunday, December 1st. The very next day, Fillinger tweeted out that the Vols had extended a scholarship offer to him.
Blessed to receive an offer from Tennessee #GoVols pic.twitter.com/4Hq0luAUYC
— Van Fillinger (@van_filli) December 2, 2019
According to 247Sports, Fillinger is the No. 137 overall prospect and No. 8 strong-side defensive end in the 2020 class. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound lineman is a four-star in the Composite rankings too, coming in at No. 285 overall.
Along with both Tennessee and Texas, Fillinger also holds offers from LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA, and Utah among others.
Fillinger is a dynamic athlete who was timed running a 4.94-second 40-yard dash and a 4.25-second shuttle at a regional camp for Nike’s The Opening back in May. He also showed off a nearly 32-inch vertical leap at the camp. He’s been invited to the Polynesian Bowl and the All-American Bowl both.
On film, Fillinger is a monster. He regularly disrupts double-teams and shows promise both as a pass rusher and a run stopper. Fillinger actually plays at defensive tackle for Corner Canyon, which gives him a lot of positional versatility. He has a variety of moves already and uses them well. Fillinger is strong and tenacious, showing off a high motor and a knack for making plays all over the field. He possesses good awareness and has a good reach as well.
As a senior, Fillinger helped Corner Canyon to a perfect 14-0 record and a state title. He totaled 88 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble in those 14 games according to MaxPreps. In three years of playing time, Fillinger amassed 188 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 22.5 sacks, four interceptions, four fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns off interceptions returns.
Tennessee has a need for explosive defensive linemen, and Fillinger certainly fits that bill. If the Vols can gain some traction with the western lineman, then his recruitment could be one to watch. Right now, Utah seems to have a lot of momentum with him, however.
The Vols currently have one defensive tackle and one defensive end committed to them in their 2020 class. Four-star Dominic Bailey is UT’s lone DT commit while three-star Jimari Butler is Tennessee’s DE commit.
