Fourth Football Commitment Puts Tennessee Recruiting in the Consensus Top 20

The 2024 Tennessee football recruiting class picked up its fourth commitment on Saturday night with three-star athlete Marcus Goree Jr.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect is a terrific in-state player that comes from Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee, just about 80 miles southwest of Knoxville. Goree Jr. is a standout player that can play defensive back or receiver. Goree Jr.’s speed, size, versatility, and flexibility make him a fascinating prospect in the class of 2024.

Goree Jr. makes for Tennessee’s fourth commitment in the class. Four-star athlete Jonathan Echols and three-star defensive lineman Carson Gentle were the first two in the class back in July 2022, who were then followed by in-state four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley in October after the win over Alabama.

After Goree Jr.’s commitment on Saturday night, Tennessee’s recruiting class sits in the Top 20 on each of the three major recruiting platforms here in the very, very early stages of the 2024 recruiting class.

247 Sports‘ team rankings are the highest on Josh Heupel’s recruiting class, ranking Tennessee at No. 15 across the nation. On3 Sports has Tennessee back at No. 16, and Rivals has the Vols at No. 18 in the nation.

More from RTI: Tennessee Laying The Groundwork For Strong Instate Recruiting Class

ATH Jonathan Echols

• Consensus four-star
• 6-foot-4, 230 pounds
• IMG Academy – Bradenton, FL
• After hitting the scene as an impressive EDGE rusher, Echols has stated that he intends to play the tight-end position in college, according to 247’s Andrew Ivins. 247 also compared Echols’ game to that of NFL tight end Noah Fant, who is the cousin of former Tennessee tight end/jack-of-all-trades Princeton Fant.

CB Kaleb Beasley

• Consensus four-star
• 6-foot, 179-pounds
• Lipscomb Academy – Nashville, TN
• One of the top-ranked players from the state of Tennessee, Beasley is a versatile and hard-hitting defensive back. Tennessee and Josh Heupel landed Beasley over the likes of Notre Dame, LSU, and Oklahoma.

ATH Marcus Goree Jr.

• Consensus three-star
• 6-foot-1, 170-pounds
• Bradley Central – Cleveland, TN
• A very talented athlete located just outside of Knoxville, Goree Jr. is a player that seems tailor-made for this Tennessee coaching staff. Goree Jr.’s speed and size give him the versatility to play both offense and defense, depending on where the coaches feel as though they can use him best.

DL Carson Gentle

• Consensus three-star
• 6-foot-3, 241-pounds
• McCallie School – Chattanooga, TN
• Carson Gentle is a strong and powerful prospect, partially due to his background in wrestling, shot put, and discus throwing. Gentle is ranked as a Top 20 player from the Volunteer State as the second player in the 2024 class to commit to Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Vols.