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: Kamar Wilcoxson, DB
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds
School: IMG Academy (Florida)
Home Town: Lilburn, GA
Rankings
247Sports Composite: No. 266 overall, No. 14 S
247Sports: No. 237 overall, No. 13 S
Rivals: 5.8 rating, No. 246 overall, No. 12 S
Notable Offers: Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Ohio State
What we like:
Wilcoxson has superb speed, and he uses that to close in on the ball quickly and keep up with faster wideouts. His frame and body size is more like a safety, but he has the ball skills to play cornerback, and he posted on Twitter shortly after his commitment that he’ll be playing corner in college. His versatility is a huge plus to his game, and having a safety’s ball skills at the corner position isn’t a bad thing at all. The rangy defensive back doesn’t shy away from contact, and he’s an asset in the special teams game both as a coverage guy and a returner.
Not only is Wilcoxson a talented defender, but he plays on offense too. His ability as a receiver translates well to the defensive side of the ball, and it’s a big reason why he has such exceptional ball skills.
Places to improve:
I’d be curious to see how Wilcoxson plays in man coverage and press coverage. Most of his film shows him in zone or in the back of the secondary as a safety. It’s clear he wants to play corner, and Tennessee likely views him that way as well. I trust Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley’s evaluations of defensive backs, so I’m sure his man coverage skills are something they’ve seen or discussed with him. I’d also like to see him get a little quicker on his back peddle, but his hips are fluid and he moves very well and has the quickness to keep up with speed receivers and the size to defender bigger targets as well.
Analysis:
Tennessee’s secondary for 2021 is a big mystery right now. Will both Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor declare for the NFL Draft a year early? What if only one does? What if both stay?
There’s a good chance that at least one of UT’s starting cornerback spots will be open in 2021, and Wilcoxson should be able to compete for that job along with Keshawn Lawrence, Warren Burrell, and others. I don’t know that he starts as a true freshman, but I think he can at least make a noticeable impact on special teams immediately, and I like his ceiling as a cornerback over the next few years.
