Tennessee continues to find themselves in a good spot with a number of highly-rated prospects in the 2019 recruiting cycle. And that trend continued late Thursday night.
JJ Weaver, a four-star pass rusher in the 2019 class, posted to Twitter on late Thursday night his top six teams in his recruitment. The Vols made the cut along with Miami, Louisville, Kentucky, Purdue, and Cincinnati.
First and foremost I would like to say God is good, putting me and my family in this position i am in today? thank you to all the coaches that have gave me a chance and believe in my hard working talent?? this is my top 6️⃣ @RivalsDave @SWiltfong247 #15forfreddie pic.twitter.com/33NEKiH2RZ
— JJ Weaver (@jjtimeee) August 17, 2018
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound athlete from Louisville, Kentucky is the No. 308 overall player and the 20th-ranked strong-side defensive end in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He holds offers from his top six schools and also has offers from Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, and others.
Weaver got his offer from Tennessee from the Vols’ previous coaching staff in August of last year, and he took an unofficial visit to Tennessee during last football season. It doesn’t seem like he’s had a ton of interaction with the Vols’ new coaching staff since they took over, but he still thinks highly enough of UT to include them in his top six teams.
The athletic pass rusher plays a variety of roles for Moore Traditional School. He plays on the defensive line, linebacker, wide receiver, and sometimes even tight end. And he’s been a very successful player in high school.
Looking at his film, Weaver’s speed and athleticism immediately catch the eye. He’s a lengthy, tall defender who uses that size and exceptional speed to his full advantage. He has a solid knowledge of the game, and his versatility is what makes him stand out. He’s a bit of tweener right now, but he’s likely going to bulk up and add more weight to his 6-foot-6 frame to be a defensive end in a 4-3 system or a bigger outside linebacker in a 3-4 system. He has too many good skills as a pass rusher to make him a big, run-stopping defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, but he could still be a good player there as well.
Weaver is expected to announce his college decision on November 3rd of this year.
The Vols already have a few commitments from pass rushers in their 2019 class. It’s unclear just how focused UT’s new staff is on Weaver, and it does look like Louisville and Purdue are the teams to beat for him. Still, it never hurts to have good relationships with as many pass rushers as you can in any given class.
