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Tennessee Football Recruiting: Did Vols Just Sign the Next Johnny Manziel in Will McBride?

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Kentucky Wildcats and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee football got a commitment from Will McBride Tuesday. The only quarterback in the Volunteers’ 2017 class draws parallels to Johnny Manziel.

Butch Jones and Tennessee football finally found their quarterback for 2017 in three-star dual-threat Will McBride.

McBride switched his commitment from Memphis to the Vols late Tuesday night.

He is the third quarterback to commit to the Vols’ 2017 class, but the first two de-committed.

The Texas prospect announced his commitment publicly on Twitter.

A three-star across the board, McBride is a dual-threat and stands somewhere between 6’1″ and 6’2″ while listed at 193 pounds on Rivals. As a little guy who could be a major diamond in the rough, he is already drawing parallels to Johnny Manziel.

Say what you want about Johnny Football, but he was a star with the Texas A&M Aggies. And like McBride, he was a little small at quarterback, only achieved a three-star rating, was a dual-threat, and played in Texas.

They both have a huge amount of confidence as well, which McBride shows by being willing to compete with Jarrett Guarantano, Sheriron Jones, and Quinten Dormady for the starting job with Joshua Dobbs leaving.

And despite their short statures, both have reputations as elite playmakers. Just look at what McBride did in high school with his highlight reel here.

After de-commitments from five-star Hunter Johnson and three-star C.J. Lewis, the Vols may have found a gem.

According to 247Sports, McBride grew up an LSU Tigers fan but desperately wanted to play in the SEC. As a result, he committed to a school where he will have to compete hard to be the starter.

And that shows a ton of mental toughness. After all, he probably had more sure chances to play early elsewhere, including staying with the Memphis Tigers and waiting until Riley Ferguson leaves.

Another sign that he could be great is the simple fact that Mike Norvell, Memphis’s head coach, wanted him in the first place. Norvell is an offensive genius who can scout quarterbacks that are diamonds in the rough.

There is a good chance Tennessee football just stole that diamond.

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