All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Football Recruiting: 5 Remaining 2017 Prospects to Watch for Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Ohio Bobcats and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view during the first half of the game between the Ohio Bobcats and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

This is the top prospect still on the board with a legitimate chance for Tennessee football to grab. LaBryan Ray is a four-star defensive end who could almost immediately step in and replace Derek Barnett.

The 6’4″ 260-pound four-star is the top-ranked player in the state of Alabama on Rivals, and while the Crimson Tide are on his list, the Florida Gators and Tennessee Vols are also on there.

He also just barely missed the list of five-star recruits.

And quite honestly, Tennessee might be his best chance to play early.

After all, a series of injuries and exits leave the rotation much more open this year than it was last year. Florida is not deep in most places, but it is at defensive end. Alabama, meanwhile, is deep everywhere.

However, all sources indicate that the Tide are a clear-cut No. 1 choice at this point, so Tennessee has more work to do if they want to flip his commitment.

The uphill climb to flip Ray is why he is No. 3 on this list and not higher.

Still, his talent is No. 1.

Ray has arguably the best lateral quickness of any defensive lineman ever to come out of high school, making him an extremely elite run-stopper and a guy who could shut down spread offenses.

That unique talent makes SEC teams drool over him, and Tennessee football should not give up on the fight.

Home/Vols Football