You can never have too many talented edge rushers in football, and the Vols are trying to add as many as they can to their roster. UT did a good job securing a few outside linebacker/defensive end prospects in the 2020 cycle, and they’ve made that an even bigger priority this year.
On Tuesday, another one of Tennessee’s edge rusher targets included the Vols in his trimmed-down list of schools.
Naquan Brown, a four-star weak-side defensive end from Virginia Beach, tweeted out a video showing his six finalists on Tuesday afternoon, and the Vols made the cut. Tennessee joined LSU, Penn State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh.
FINAL 6… pic.twitter.com/z5S8hDAeXO
— Naquan Brown™ (@quanbrown_4) June 9, 2020
— Naquan Brown™ (@quanbrown_4) June 9, 2020
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound defensive end plays for Ocean Lakes in Virginia and holds over two dozen scholarship offers. But he’s ready to focus on just six schools as his finalists.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Brown is the No. 201 overall prospect, No. 11 weak-side defensive end, and No. 7 recruit in the state of Virginia in the 2021 cycle.
Tennessee extended an offer to Brown back in January, and while he hasn’t visited Knoxville yet, he’s hoping to take a virtual visit to see UT and talk more with Tennessee’s coaches sometime in the near future. Brown has given Tennessee a ton of love on Twitter in the last couple months, and the Vols have been making him a priority, too.
Brown is a gifted athlete who plays on both sides of the ball at Ocean Lakes, and he excels as both a pass catcher and an undersized defensive end. He plays fast and aggressive, and he’s dynamite off the snap of the football. Brown is very athletic and capable of playing a number of positions at the next level, though he’ll definitely need to add more mass to his frame. He has great speed off the edge.
As a junior this past season, Brown totaled around 70 tackles, 12 sacks, and 11 tackles for loss on defense.
Right now, Tennessee only has one weak-side defensive end committed to them in their 2021 class, but they have multiple potential outside linebacker/edge rusher options currently committed. Top-40 prospect Dylan Brooks is the lone weak-side defensive end pledged to the Vols, but Tennessee also holds commitments from five-star outside linebacker Terrence Lewis, four-star outside linebacker Aaron Willis, and three-star strong-side defensive end Darrell Jackson.
