Though Daniel McCullers never lived up to his billing, the Vols could use more plays like this from their defensive linemen. PHOTO: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
In our quest to bring you the most complete coverage on Tennessee’s recruiting efforts for the 2015 class, we have been breaking down all the offers the Vols have extended position-by-position and showing you potential players the Vols could land. Earlier this week, we detailed and broke down the defensive ends.
Now we move to the trenches and cover the “big nasties” of the defense: The defensive tackles.
The Vols have excelled at the defensive tackle position in the past with stalwarts like John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth wreaking havoc in the middle. But recently, the Vols have had a dip in the talent and dominance in the position, and it’s shown through lack of sacks and disruption in the opponent’s backfield.
Many believe the Vols won’t ascend to what they once were until they can have those dominate defensive linemen in the middle once again. Butch Jones seems to agree, as he and his staff have made defensive tackles a huge priority for 2015 and have targeted some of the best talent at that position.
Currently, the Vols hold one commitment from a defensive tackle, and he pledged his services to the Big Orange only this past weekend.
Quay Picou, a 4-star defensive tackle according to 247Sports, was one of 5 commitments the Vols received in a three day span, and he looks to be the kind of tackle the Vols have been looking for.
Picou, a 6-3. 287 lbs Buford, Georgia prospect, held offers from Ohio State, Missouri, Cincinnati, Miami, Ole Miss, and Kansas State among others. He had been garnering attention from some of the top programs in the country, and Georgia was expected to extend an offer to him soon had he not committed early.
Will the Vols add any other defensive tackles to the 2015 class? They are in the running to land some big names in the group, and we’ll show you who to keep an eye on moving forward.
All stats and rankings are from 247Sports unless noted otherwise.