Tennessee only had a small handful of targets remaining in the 2020 class heading into National Signing Day, and one of those targets is now a Vol.
Four-star athlete Dee Beckwith from Florence, Alabama chose Tennessee over his other finalist, the Florida Gators. Beckwith took official visits to see both the Vols and Gators in January, but he announced his commitment to UT at his school on National Signing Day on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound athlete was back on Tennessee’s campus over the weekend during the final visiting weekend before National Signing Day. He also held offers from Auburn, Oregon, Florida State, Kentucky, and others.
According to 247Sports, Beckwith is a four-star and the No. 358 overall prospect and No. 19 athlete in the 2020 class. On the composite rankings, Beckwith is just outside of four-star range, coming in at No. 389 overall.
At Florence, Beckwith was a do-it-all athlete. He played some quarterback, and he also lined up out wide as a receiver. He was easily the MVP of the Falcons during the season. Beckwith also plays basketball and has a basketball offer with Tennessee, too. It remains to be seen if he’ll see any time on the basketball court along with his football duties, though.
Beckwith’s brother, Camryn, is committed to Tennessee as a walk-on right now. Vol basketball player Lamonte Turner is also Beckwith’s cousin.
With the way Beckwith high-points the ball down the field and the overall toughness he plays with, he reminds me a lot of Jauan Jennings. That doesn’t mean he’ll go on to have the same type of Tennessee career that Jennings had, but with his big frame and overall athleticism, I really think Beckwith is a dynamic option on offense. His versatility makes him even more interesting, and I bet you’ll see him lined up as a traditional tight end, out wide, and as a wildcat quarterback. He’s faster than Jennings was, and he has great initial burst. Beckwith is just extremely athletic and has the perfect frame for a big-bodied receiver.
Beckwith was named the Times Daily’s Class 4A-7A Football Player of the Year for his senior season. In 2019, Beckwith ran for 1,055 yards, totaled 526 receiving yards, and threw for another 589 yards. He totaled 27 touchdowns in his senior season at Florence.
With Beckwith’s commitment, the Vols now have 22 prospects in their 2020 class. Beckwith is projected as a tight end for UT, but he could also play some wide receiver and some wildcat quarterback as well.
