Tennessee has hosted a ton of recruits over the last few days during the first open weekend after the lifting of the most recent dead period. The Vols have had a few 2020 recruits on campus, but the majority of the prospects visiting have been players in future classes. None of those prospects are rated as highly as the offensive tackle who is in Knoxville today, though.
Five-star offensive tackle Amarius Mims from Cochran, Georgia tweeted out on Monday that he will be in Knoxville today for a visit. It’s the first time Mims has been on UT’s campus.
Tennessee Today?@Vol_Football @CoachWillFriend @CoachJPruitt @ChadSimmons_ @MattDeBary
— 〽️ I 〽️ S (@amarius_mims) January 20, 2020
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle who plays for Bleckley County High School is rated as the No. 13 overall prospect and No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2021 class per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He holds offers from most of the top programs in college football, including Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Clemson, USC, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, and others.
For a while, Mims was thought to be a strong Georgia lean because of his relationship with then-UGA offensive line coach Sam Pittman. But with Pittman leaving Georgia to become the head coach at Arkansas, Mims’ recruitment has taken a curve, and the Vols are trying their best to get heavily involved with him. Getting him on campus is the first step, and this is his first time getting to see UT’s facilities and campus. The Vols offered Mims in January of 2019, and offensive line coach Will Friend has been Mims’ primary recruiter.
Mims has been invited to the Under Armour All-American Game and the Polynesian Bowl both.
The junior already has official visits planned to LSU and Oklahoma in April, and Tennessee hopes that this unofficial trip to Knoxville will eventually get them another look for an official visit down the line.
Tennessee currently has four prospects committed to them in their 2021 class. Four-star wide receiver Jordan Mosley, three-star cornerback Jay Jones, three-star athlete Nate Evans, and three-star running back/athlete Elijah Howard are all pledged to UT. Offensive tackle figures to be a big area of emphasis for the Vols in the 2021 cycle.
