4-Star OT Ryan Johnson Commits to Vols

The Vols just added Ryan Johnson, a huge offensive tackle, to the 2016 class. Butch Jones is piling up the bricks. PHOTO: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

With most of the spots in the 2015 recruiting class already filled up, Butch Jones and his staff have started to turn more attention to the 2016 class, and that became apparent early Saturday morning when the Vols added another brick to their foundation.

Four-star offensive tackle Ryan Johnson committed to the Vols via Twitter on Saturday morning. Johnson plays at the Brentwood Academy in middle Tennessee and is another coveted in-state commitment.

It was still early in the recruitment process for the 6-6, 270 lbs 2016 tackle, but he had already garnered a lot of attention from top schools. He was being looked at by Miami, Michigan, and Notre Dame, and he had received offers from Kansas State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama. He chose the Vols over Alabama and Ole Miss, his other two finalists.

Johnson is rated the No. 240 overall prospect in the 2016 class according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, and they list him as the 5th best player in the state of Tennessee.

The offensive line has been one of the biggest points of emphasis in the 2015 and 2016 classes, and Johnson fills a major need moving forward. After the 2015 season, both tackle positions figure to be in dire need of depth and a potential starter, and Johnson could be the early favorite to do either of those.

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