Vols Football 2015 Offers: Defensive Ends

Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Corey Miller (80) sacks Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Maxwell Smith (11) in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

This weekend, the Tennessee football team saw 3 more players join their 2015 recruiting class on Saturday and a 4th pledge his commitment on Sunday night, bringing their total to 17 players committed for 2015. Another player, punter Tommy Townsend, committed yesterday, boosting the total to 18. Who might be next to join these 18 commits?

Well you need only read on, and we can provide you with some possibilities.

Last week, we broke down the linebackers the Vols have offered so far for the 2015 class. Now we’ll move into the front-line and look at the all-important pass rushers.

Next up on our position breakdown: Defensive ends.

Butch Jones and his staff have currently offered 37 strong and weak-side defensive ends for the 2015 class, and of those 37, only 11 have committed elsewhere. Jones and his staff have made the defensive line a huge priority for the future, and this recruiting class reflects that.

So far, the Vols have 2 strong-side defensive end commitments for 2015, 4-star Andrew Butcher and 3-star Dylan Jackson.

Butcher, a 6-2, 250 lbs end from Alpharetta, Georgia, is ranked the No. 242 overall player in the country and the 9th best strong-side defensive end according to 247Sports. He chose the Vols over Alabama, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and others.

As a junior, Butcher totaled 79 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, and forced an astounding 8 fumbles. He’s expected to threaten for playing time immediately once he joins the Vols next fall.

He is joined by Dylan Jackson, a product of Maryville High School right outside of Knoxville. Jackson, a 6-6, 245 lbs defensive end, has immense size and has been a force for local powerhouse Maryville. He is ranked the No. 22 player in the state of Tennessee by the 247Sports composite rankings.

Jackson has been committed to the Vols since mid January, and since then he’s only received more attention, picking up offers from Alabama and Stanford since then. He’s insisted his allegiance remains with the Vols, however.

Will these two exceptional players have any fellow defensive ends join them in this class? Well, we’ll inform you as to Tennessee’s chances of landing additional defensive end commitments.

All stats and rankings are from 247Sports unless stated otherwise.