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Tennessee football recruiting: Henry To’oto’o picks Vols on National Signing Day

By Caleb Calhoun

30 Oct 1999: The band leader of the Tennessee Volunteers marches on the field at halftime during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated the Gamecocks 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport
30 Oct 1999: The band leader of the Tennessee Volunteers marches on the field at halftime during the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated the Gamecocks 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /
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Tennessee football recruiting scored big on National Signing Day 2019 with four-star California linebacker Henry To’oto’o committing to the Volunteers.

Despite reports of him trending to the Alabama Crimson Tide over the weekend, Tennessee football got a very positive pickup on National Signing Day. Linebacker Henry To’oto’o out of Concord, Calif. announced his commitment to the Vols for 2019 Wednesday afternoon.

To’oto’o, who comes from De La Salle High School, the same high school Kevin Simon went to, chose UT over the Tide along with the Washington Huskies, the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes. He was recruited by Brian Niedermeyer and credited Simon for helping him with the decision.

A four-star on Rivals, To’oto’o stands at 6’2″ 210 pounds and joins Quavaris Crouch as two elite commitments to Jeremy Pruitt who could step in and fill upcoming voids at inside linebacker. Here is a look at his announcement.

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At the time of his announcement, To’oto’o was Tennessee football’s 20th signee and 21st commitment after three-star defensive tackle LeDarrius Cox flipped his commitment to the Ole Miss Rebels and four-star safety Anthony Harris remained unsigned. His commitment was a bit of a surprise after reports over the weekend suggested Alabama had made a late surge for him.

With Quart’e Sapp leaving and Daniel Bituli and Darrin Kirkland Jr. about to be seniors, it was crucial for Pruitt to score another inside linebacker in this class. Whether or not that was To’oto’o or Tennessee native Chris Russell didn’t matter, but he had to get somebody.

To’oto’o is the better of the prospects. He was among the top two prospects the Vols were pursuing on National Signing Day and one of the few people above a three-star rating on Rivals the Vols had a legitimate chance with. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, the guy has incredible vertical speed and can jet through gaps to pick up sacks. He also has enough awareness to run down guys with the ball on designed plays. The one question of his is how he can handle pass coverage, which is more important in Pruitt’s system for inside linebackers than it is outside linebackers.

But To’oto’o already brings an amazing skills set to Tennessee football. The Northern California guy has played both sides of the ball in college, rushing for 489 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries, an average of just under nine yards a carry, and catching four balls for 91 yards through nine games this year, according to MaxPreps.

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Considering his versatility, he should be able to make an immediate impact in Pruitt’s system. This is some of the best surprising recruiting news the Vols have had in a while, and they have every reason in the world to celebrate such a pickup. With such an addition, the Vols boost their 2019 recruiting class significantly and fill a big need at the same time.

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