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Tennessee football: 4-star 2020 S Keshawn Lawrence commits to Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football recruiting got an in-state secondary commitment Monday. Four-star Nashville, Tenn. safety Keshawn Lawrence chose the Volunteers.

After a very good recruiting class at defensive back in 2019, Jeremy Pruitt is not resting on his laurels. He has been beefing up Tennessee football there for 2020, and on Monday, he took another step towards doing that.

Pruitt and the Vols secured a pickup from Keshawn Lawrence out of Ensworth High School in Nashville. His commitment comes just three days after four-star 2020 Knoxville offensive lineman Cooper Mays announced his committed to UT.

A four-star on Rivals himself for 2020, Lawrence is the No. 128 ranked player nationally, the No. 7 ranked player at his position and the No. 4 ranked player within the state. He announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

With Lawrence’s commitment, Tennessee football now has two defensive backs for its 2020 class in four-stars Antonio Johnson and Art Green and an athlete who is likely to play defensive back in three-star Lovie Jenkins. Green is a junior college transfer.

On top of that, Lawrence is the 11th commitment for the Vols’ 2020 class. They had gotten up to No. 21 before the weekend after Mays’s commitment but were back down to No. 28 on Monday before this news broke. So this pickup is another boost for that ranking.

The Vols have been a favorite to land Lawrence for a while. At 6’2″ 128 pounds, he has always been an elite target. His unique size make him a perfect get at defensive back. Rivals lists him specifically as a safety. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

light. Related Story. Top 10 2020 prospects for Vols to pursue

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As you can see, he’s great in coverage and able to stay with defenders for a long time when the quarterback holds the ball. That actually shows that he has cornerback skills. In addition to that, he’s very good with the ball in his hands, which means he could double as a return specialist.

One big question, though, may be about how good he is at tackling. That wasn’t on display too much and could be the reason he is a four-star and not a five-star. But when you look at football instincts and athleticism, Lawrence is a great pickup.

As a result, Rocky Top is in great shape for the future with this guy joining Pruitt’s group of elite defensive back recruits. That was going to be a need for the Vols in the future, but the 2019 class with six commitments and now the 2020 class with likely four helps to massively alleviate that concern.

Next. Projecting the Vols' 2019 2-deep depth chart. dark

This also shows that Pruitt is picking things up in recruiting. Not only is Lawrence the second four-star commitment in four days for 2020, he is the third overall in three days when you count four-star 2021 Alabama wide receiver Jordan Mosley, who committed Saturday. Just like last year, Tennessee football has things going on the trail for the summer.

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