Tennessee football: Ranking Vols 2018 junior college transfers by potential impact

Jordan Allen, like Emmit Gooden, was a four-star defensive lineman in the last recruiting class who Jeremy Pruitt picked up. But to fit Pruitt’s and Kevin Sherrer’s new system, he’s now moved to outside linebacker.

Tennessee football would appear to already have two starters there in Jonathan Kongbo and Darrell Taylor. However, Allen is going to be right there in the mix. He was a top target of Pruitt’s, so you know the coaches want to use him.

At 6’4″ 242 pounds, Allen comes from City College of San Francisco. He initially went to UC Davis in 2016, where he redshirted. Then he transferred to JuCo, and he broke out into a star. Through nine games, as a defensive end, Allen had 27 tackles, four and a half sacks, eight tackles for a loss and two pass breakups.

With his size, he’s also very versatile. After all, he played wide receiver in high school. That’s probably why Pruitt wants to use him at outside linebacker. He can wreak havoc, and he’s good enough in pass coverage.

Allen is ahead of Gooden not just because of those things, though. He has multiple opportunities to play because there is a chance he moves back to defensive end if Pruitt needs him there. That’s an advantage for all the edge rushers. On top of that, although he may be behind Kongbo and Taylor, there’s nobody behind him. Greg Emerson could potentially threaten Gooden.

Overall, Allen was a huge pickup for Pruitt and his staff. Look for him to make an impact with the Vols right away. And don’t be surprised when it happens. He’s already getting a lot of action, and he was the perfect recruit to fit Pruitt’s system.