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Tennessee football: Vols in top 5 for 4-star local 2020 RB

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the inside of Neyland Stadium during 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 inside of Neyland Stadium during 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 made the cut for an in-state running back. The Volunteers are in the top five for four-star Knoxville, Tenn. APB Elijah Young.

In-state all-purpose running backs are becoming a focal point for Tennessee football, and Jeremy Pruitt has been recruiting accordingly. He is now step closer to getting another such player committed to the Vols.

Knoxville running back Elijah Young announced his top 5 on Tuesday, and the Vols were on the list. He could be the fourth running back commitment in four years from within the state, and the third all-purpose commitment in four years.

Included on Young’s list with Tennessee football were the Kentucky Wildcats, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Missouri Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. He announced those five schools with a video on Twitter Tuesday.

A four-star on Rivals, Young is listed at 5’9″ 164 pounds. He hails from South Doyle High School and is ranked the No. 13 player in the state of Tennessee and the No. 21 player at his position across the country.

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As an all-purpose back, he can also play wide receiver. Sure, he probably needs to put on some weight to play college ball, but there’s plenty of time for that. He’s not a four-star on multiple services for no reason.

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Tennessee football already has a mainstay all-purpose back in Ty Chandler, who hails from Nashville. Their 2019 recruiting class had a commitment from four-star all-purpose back Eric Gray, who comes from Memphis. Young’s commitment as a guy from Knoxville would really make a statement on the Vols having a staple within the state for all-purpose backs.

Sure, Gray is the back in waiting, but Chandler has a chance to leave early for the NFL after this year, which will then give Gray a chance to leave early if he can show his skills. And if Young takes a redshirt, that will give him two to three years to get significant playing time on Rocky Top.

Right now, the Vols remain the overwhelming favorite to land him on the Rivals FanFutureCast, and the only Crystal Ball Prediction on 247Sports has him going to Knoxville as well. There’s no general Rivals FutureCast yet.

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However, Pruitt and co. appear to be in great shape to land Young, and he would be the perfect addition to the system the Vols run on offense. Chandler’s success last year and Young’s ability to make an impact at receiver probably make Rocky Top a selling point for him. He’ll probably need to see how Jim Chaney utilizes such backs first, though.

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