As we prepare to enter the month of February, it’s crunch time for recruiting in the 2018 class. Signing day is right around the corner, and coaches everywhere are putting in a last ditch effort to strengthen their team’s class. Recruits are taking their last official visits, and Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are making their final push to close out Tennessee’s class with a strong effort.
So at this point it’s too late to offer a new prospect, right?
Maybe not.
Thursday, Tennessee extended an offer to three-star defensive back Brandon Davis. The corner from New Orleans tweeted that he was “beyond blessed” to receive and offer from Tennessee.
Beyond blessed to receive an offer from The University of Tennessee #GoVols🍊 pic.twitter.com/x617EBcj8X
— Brandon A. Davis (@darealbdavis1) January 25, 2018
He excelled in his senior season at John Curtis High School, which led to a lot of recruiting interest late. He had five interceptions and two forced fumbles last season. Prior to the Vols’ offer, he only held three FBS offers. Colorado State, Louisiana Monroe, and South Alabama were the only FBS schools to extend offers to him.
Davis is currently ranked the 72nd best player in Louisiana and the No. 158 corner in the country per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Those ratings aren’t very high, but his film shows off a prospect who deserves higher ratings potentially.
A look at the film shows a prospect worth developing. Davis was named to several all-state teams and the official 5A all district team. I really like his technique. He has great hips and a good back peddle. He is rarely fooled by the opposition and excels in man coverage. He is a physical player and a very sound tackler. Coaches will enjoy his diversity as a player, as he has played both safety and corner in high school. He does, however, need to work on his press coverage, as that is something the new coaching staff will do a lot of.
He is 6 feet tall and weighs 170 pounds. That’s not a bad size, but his strength is something that will come under question. But a year or two in UT’s strength program should be able to help him out immensely.
Overall, he is a good player and definitely worthy of a spot on an SEC roster. Don’t let his offers fool you; Davis is a good player. Credit the coaching staff’s ability to evaluate talent, because they have found another diamond in the rough.
It’s no secret the Vols need help at the corner position. They lack depth there and need immediate help. They are already are heavily pursuing Olaijah Griffin, Isaac Taylor-Stewart, and Eddie Smith, and have a decent chance at all three.
Davis already has a relationship with new Tennessee offensive line coach Will Friend from when he coached at Colorado State, and it’s likely he has one with cornerbacks coach Terry Fair as well since he also coached there. You would have to think that Tennessee stands a good chance of landing him based on the merit of their football program compared to his other offers. It will be an entertaining last week and a half with Davis.
