One of the top offensive linemen in the 2021 recruiting cycle has the Vols among his top teams moving forward in his recruitment.
Dylan Fairchild, a four-star offensive lineman who plays for West Forsyth down in Cumming, Georgia, tweeted out a list of his top six teams on Friday, and Tennessee was included along with Georgia, LSU, Auburn, South Carolina, and Penn State.
❗️❗️TOP 6❗️❗️ @RecruitGeorgia @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong247 @Mansell247 @WestForsythFB @Hayesfawcett3 @AABonNBC @ErikRichardsUSA recruitment still 100% open pic.twitter.com/7Lu1rSxoYN
— DylanFairchild51 (@DylanFairchild6) May 8, 2020
According to 247Sports, Fairchild is the No. 42 overall prospect and No. 2 guard in the 2021 class. The composite rankings list him as the No. 158 overall player and ninth-best guard in the cycle. He holds nearly two dozen scholarship offers, recently adding one from Alabama this month. Two other SEC schools to recently offer Fairchild that also failed to make his top six were Arkansas and Mississippi State.
The last place Fairchild was able to visit before the COVID-19 pandemic was Knoxville. He came up for a Junior Day event along with several other high-profile visitors like five-star edge rusher and current Vol commit Dylan Brooks on March 7th.
Tennessee was one of the first schools to offer Fairchild, giving him their offer back on August 31st of last year. At that time, Fairchild only had offers from Jacksonville State and South Carolina.
Not only is Fairchild a standout on the football field, but he’s an impressive high school wrestler, too. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound lineman is a two-time all-state wrestler and was named the state heavyweight champion last year.
On the football field, Fairchild shows off really good movement and a quick first step when moving back to absorb pass rushers. He has a great, even build and has room to add several more pounds and still retain his athleticism. You can tell he excels at wrestling because he’s able to manhandle defensive linemen with ease, showing off some good strength and athleticism. Fairchild has the ability to play at tackle or guard, and he also plays defensive tackle for West Forsyth.
As a defensive lineman, Fairchild registered 12 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery as a junior according to MaxPreps. He ended his junior season as a wrestler with a perfect 47-0 record.
Tennessee currently has 18 commitments in their 2021 class, but only one of those is from a projected offensive lineman. Four-star offensive tackle Colby Smith is UT’s lone offensive line commit thus far, and he committed to the Vols earlier this week.
