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Tennessee football recruiting: 4-star 2019 safety Jaylen McCollough 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 a big pickup for 2019 on Friday. Four-star Georgia safety Jaylen McCollough announced his commitment to the Volunteers.

The Jeremy Pruitt era is set to begin for Tennessee football very soon, but the Vols continue to build on it for next year. On Friday, they further shored up their secondary in recruiting with a huge pickup for the 2019 class.

Jaylen McCollough, a four-star defensive back from Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Ga., announced Friday that he was committing to the Vols. He announced his commitment to Rocky Top on his Twitter account.

Ranked a top 150 player overall nationally, Rivals has McCollough as the No. 11 safety overall and the No. 17 player in the state of Georgia. He committed to the Vols over the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Auburn Tigers, and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

According to MaxPreps, McCollough sometimes doubles as a running back and defensive back in college. Known by his nickname as Tank, he has worked on special teams as well, so the guy is just an overall athlete. And he already brings good size when you consider the fact that he is 6’1″ 190 pounds and not even a senior in high school yet. Here’s a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, he has great breakaway speed. But what really stands out is his ability to get physical and tackle guys up front as a safety. On top of that, he can shift position quickly, which will be great when it comes to defending misdirection plays. The guy can basically double as a linebacker with his physicality, and a hard-hitting safety like that is what the Vols need.

With two seniors and a junior who could leave early as the main guys in the safety rotation for this year, McCollough helps to fill a huge incoming void. That’s a huge boost for Pruitt and Kevin Sherrer going into next year.

Due to McCollough’s commitment, Tennessee football now has three defensive backs for its 2019 class, and they are all four-stars on Rivals. The other two are Anthony Harris and Tyus Fields. Also, McCollough, the 19th commitment in the class, makes for the eighth commitment from the state of Georgia and 10th four-star or five-star commitment.

Next. 10 Vols freshmen most likely to play in 2018. dark

The Vols’ recruiting class moved into the Top 10 on Rivals after McCollough’s commitment. It came in at No. 8 on Friday morning, and that’s a huge deal. It’s also now fifth in the SEC behind Alabama, the Georgia Bulldogs, the Texas A&M Aggies and the LSU Tigers. So Tennessee football is rolling on the trail right now, and they’re doing this coming off a 4-8 season with somebody who has never been a head coach before.

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