Every time Tennessee gets a commitment in either football or men’s basketball, we will write up an impact report looking at what that recruit does well, what we feel can be improved, and what his projected impact with the Vols could be over the next few years.
Latest Commit: Edwin White, ATH
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 175 pounds
School: UMS-Wright Prep (Alabama)
Home Town: Mobile, AL
Football Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 606 overall, No. 42 S
247Sports: No. 42 S
Rivals: 5.6 rating
Notable Offers: Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Kansas
What we like:
If you want to talk about a kid who can do it all, that’s Edwin White. The multi-sport athlete plays in all three phases for UMS-Wright, and he’s a difference-maker everywhere on the field. White has scored on offense, defense, punt returns, and kick returns in his high school career, and he’s the true definition of a “ball hawk” on defense. White is almost always at the right place at the right time to make an interception or big play on defense. He has great awareness and vision, and he shows good pursuit and breaking ability on the ball. He’s a dynamic returner with the ball in his hands on defense or special teams, and he’s shifty enough to make some big plays on offense, too. White isn’t afraid to lay the lumber, either, as he makes a number of hard hits on his highlight film. He’s aggressive, but not to the point where he over-pursues or commits too quickly.
Places to improve:
White’s speed won’t wow you, but he’s not exactly slow, either. He just doesn’t have the elite speed to take him to that next level, but he does show a good burst. White excels in zone coverage and as a hard hitter, but I’d like to see some more work from him in man coverage to see what he can do there. As a safety, he wouldn’t be asked to play as much man coverage as he would if he were a corner, but it’s still an important trait to have. The few times his highlights do show him in man coverage, he does a good job there, though.
Analysis:
Simply put, White is a play-maker. It doesn’t matter where he is on the field, he’s going to find a way to affect the game. He intercepted nine passes as a junior and has picked off 18 passes in 43 games in high school. He’s returned two punts for scores and two kick-offs for scores, and he’s amassed nearly 250 tackles in three years of high school. He may not have the rating of an elite prospect, but I think Tennessee got a steal as long as they hold on to him. The Vols offered him back in December of 2017, not long after Jeremy Pruitt was hired as UT’s head coach. He’s been on Tennessee’s radar for a long time, and he has the potential to be a good player. I’m not sure how much of an impact he’ll have right away as a freshman in 2021, but I really like the ceiling he has.
