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Tennessee football: 4-star 2020 Illinois Safety Antonio Johnson commits to Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football recruiting picked up its second East St. Louis, Ill. prospect Friday evening. Four-star safety Antonio Johnson picked the Volunteers.

Hours after East St. Louis offensive lineman Javontez Spraggins committed to Tennessee football Friday afternoon, his teammate also announced his commitment to the Vols. And he plays on the other side of the ball.

Defensive back Antonio Johnson committed to the Vols Friday evening. This means that Jeremy Pruitt went to Illinois to secure commitments from the two units for 2020 that were his strongest in the 2019 class.

Johnson was the more highly touted prospect, but he also helps the Vols at a position of need for the long-term future. The prospect from the heart of Big Ten country announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

A four-star on Rivals, Johnson is a top 100 player nationally. He is the No. 6 ranked player at his position and the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Illinois. So his commitment to the Vols is a huge deal.

The addition of Johnson means the Vols have added two players already for the month of June, and they now have two four-star defensive backs added when you include junior college transfer Art Green. So Jeremy Pruitt is clearly stocking up in the secondary again.

Related Story. Top 10 2020 prospects for Vols to pursue. light

Coming off a year in which he had three four-star commitments and two three-star commitments at defensive back, Pruitt clearly is building up a ton of depth there for Tennessee football. Johnson also brings unique size, standing at 6’3″ 180 pounds. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Johnson has an incredible amount of speed and athleticism and can play both sides of the ball. His official position is strong safety, which is understandable given his unique size. He is the type of player who could immediately start.

Next. Projecting the Vols' 2019 2-deep depth chart. dark

So Tennessee football got a huge addition in this guy. Being able to play receiver but being a true strong safety shows he can play the field but also get physical, which is the perfect type of player. Being coached by Pruitt and Derrick Ansley will only make him more impressive.

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