On the same day elite in-state defensive lineman Jay Hardy surprisingly committed to Auburn over Tennessee and his other finalists of Georgia, Florida, and Georgia Tech, Tennessee’s coaches sent out a scholarship offer to a new defensive line target in the 2020 class.
Yaya Diaby, a three-star defensive end in the junior college ranks, tweeted out on Wednesday that the Vols had extended an offer to him. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive lineman plays for Georgia Military College and is originally from Atlanta, Georgia.
Extremely blessed to receive an offer from The University of Tennessee ?@rmchester00 @CoachDHughes2 @BurksBlitz @JuCoFootballACE pic.twitter.com/6kmiSISWCs
— Yaya Diaby (@greatyaya4) November 6, 2019
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Diaby is the No. 4 JUCO strong-side defensive end in the 2020 class and the No. 2 JUCO player in the state of Georgia. The only JUCO player in Georgia rated higher than him is offensive tackle Trevor Reid, who is Diaby’s teammate at Georgia Military College. Reid is committed to Louisville.
Georgia Military College has two players committed to Louisville on their roster. Along with Reid, outside linebacker Marvin Dallas is also committed to the Cardinals.
As for Diaby, he holds Power Five offers from Louisville, Colorado, and West Virginia. He also has offers from UCF, Hawaii, Charlotte, Western Kentucky, and Liberty.
In high school, Diaby played on both sides of the ball and was built more like a wide receiver/tight end. But since going into the JUCO ranks, he’s added more weight to his 6-foot-4 frame and projects as a pass rusher.
Diaby has long arms and a lot of athleticism. He’s capable of making some explosive plays, and he has a good deal of toughness to him, too. He’s raw from a technique standpoint, but there’s plenty of potential for him there, too. He has great burst off the snap and plays till the very last echo of the whistle can be heard. Diaby can even fight through double teams and is relentless in his effort.
In his first year with the Bulldogs at Georgia Military School, Diaby totaled just 19 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks in nine games according to the school’s website. But this season, Diaby exploded. He currently leads a stout Bulldog defense in tackles with 54, and he has the most tackles for loss on the team as well, racking up 16 in 10 games so far. Diaby has five sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup, too. Georgia Military College’s defense is only allowing 12.7 points a game and is giving up just 60.2 rushing yards per contest, and Diaby is a big reason why.
Tennessee has extended offers to a number of JUCO prospects over the last week, and Diaby is just the latest.
The Vols currently only have one defensive lineman committed to them in their 2020 class, and that’s four-star defensive tackle Dominic Bailey. Four-star cornerback Art Green is Tennessee’s lone JUCO commit in their 2020 class as of now.
