Tennessee’s coaches are hoping to close out the 2019 recruiting cycle strong. That starts next week when the early signing period gets underway on December 19th. The Vols are targeting several players who will be signing in the early signing period, and one of those prospects is currently committed to SEC East rival Georgia.
Trezmen Marshall is a four-star linebacker from Homerville, Georgia who has been committed to the Bulldogs since late April of this year. Even though he’s been committed to Georgia for over half a year, he’s continued to listen to Tennessee’s sales pitch. He unofficially visited Tennessee twice during the season, and he’s remained in contact with UT’s coaches.
With the early signing day rapidly approaching, Marshall is still committed to the Dawgs. But he’s leaving the door open for Tennessee for one more week.
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In an interview with Dawg Nation after his high school team, Clinch County, won the state title for their district, Marshall was asked about his recruitment. During the game, he wore Georgia gloves and said beforehand that “his coaches” from Georgia were there to see him.
When asked if he had any updates on his recruitment, Marshall replied jokingly with “Go Vols!” But he followed that up with an explanation.
“Nah, I’m playing, go Dawgs,” Marshall continued. “We’ll find out, signing day is coming soon, so we’ll find out.”
Marshall also jokingly said that the reason he wore Georgia gloves was because “I didn’t have any Tennessee gloves.”
Though he began the interview joking around with Dawg Nation’s reporter, it became evident as the interview went on that Marshall was being serious about still letting Tennessee speak to him and recruit him.
When asked if his commitment to Georgia would be his final decision, Marshall didn’t come out and directly say “yes.” He also said that Tennessee co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach Keven Sherrer holds a lot of influence with him.
“I think I’ve decided, but I got a week, so you never know,” Marshall said. “We’ll find out on signing day.
“Coach Sherrer can pull now. Coach Sherrer can pull, so we just gotta find out and see. It’s hard to fight against Athens, but Coach Sherrer can pull.”
Sherrer coached at Georgia from 2014-17 and was Marshall’s main recruiter while he was with the Bulldogs. Marshall formed a strong bond with Sherrer, and he’s the biggest reason why Tennessee is still in it with the talented linebacker.
“If I had to choose right now, it still would be ‘Go Dawgs,'” Marshall explained. “I just gotta talk to Coach Sherrer to find out some things. Like I said, he can pull, and I love Coach Sherrer. He’s the one that got me to commit to Georgia, so I’m going to hear him out.
“If it’s the right stuff, then I guess I’m going to Tennessee, so I’m just waiting.”
Marshall added that one of the main reasons he’s remained committed to Georgia is because Nolan Smith, the No. 1 overall player in the country in the 2019 class, elected to remain with the Bulldogs and sign with them. Marshall stated he and Smith are good friends, but he still said he has “a choice to make” regarding his own future.
“I’ve still got some sorting to do, but like I said, I’m still ‘Go Dawgs’ right now,” Marshall stated.
The 6-foot, 236-pound linebacker is the No. 122 overall player and No. 7 inside linebacker in the 2019 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He plans to sign during the early signing period and will enroll early.
