Top elite prospects for Vols at DE (No commitments yet)
Tyler Baron; 4-star
6’4″ 250 lbs; Knoxville, Tenn.; Knoxville Catholic High School
The loss of Jordan Davis can be made up for if Tennessee football ands Tyler Baron. As a four-star local prospect, Baron is a top 100 player nationally, the No. 6 ranked player at his position and the No. 3 player in the state. He is already a solid size for defensive end and likely to put on more weight in the future.
UT is competing with the Oklahoma Sooners, Ohio State Buckeyes and Virginia Tech Hokies to land him, but they are the unanimous favorites in the 247Sports Crystal Ball and the Rivals FutureCast to land him while being the majority favorites in the Rivals FanFutureCast. So they have to lock him down.
Jacolbe Cowan; 4-star
6’5″ 252 lbs; Charlotte, N.C.; Providence Day High School
Another four-star defensive end the Vols are making a play for, Jacolbe Cowan is a top prospect out of North Carolina. He is even higher rated than Tyler Baron, as the No. 88 player overall and the No. 5 player at his position.
The Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, North Carolina Tar Heels, Georgia Bulldogs are all also in contention to land him. No official predictions have been made yet, but the Vols are the favorites on the Rivals FanFutureCast by a slight majority. So watch out for him.
Jay Hardy; 4-star
6’5″ 250 lbs; Chattanooga, Tenn.; McCallie School
We’re back to in-state guys, and Jay Hardy is another elite prospect at defensive end for Tennessee football. As a top 150 player, the No. 9 player at his position and the No. 5 player in the state, Hardy clearly has a ton of talent. And he is a Chattanooga prospect, where Reggie White came from, so as an in-state prospect with that pipeline, the Vols have to secure him.
The Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners and Ole Miss Rebels are all competing with the Vols to land him. There are no RivalsFutureCast picks, but UT is a unanimous favorite in the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions and a majority favorite on the Rivals FanFutureCast. So he’s another elite in-state prospect the Vols have a great chance at.
Tre’vonn Rybka; 4-star
6’5″ 265 lbs; Dickson, Tenn.; Dickson County High School
Yes, Tennessee football is in serious running for quite a few elite defensive ends from within the state this time around. The Vols have another one in Tre’vonn Rybka, who comes from the middle part of the state in Dickson County. A four-star, Rybka is the No. 20 ranked player at his position and No. 14 ranked player in the state.
Only the Vols and Kentucky Wildcats are the competitors for him. Meanwhile, there is only one 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction on him so far, and it has him going to the Vols, as do a plurality of predictions on the Rivals FanFutureCast. But the Rivals FutureCast is picking UK, and given the state of competition at the position for 2020, it makes sense for that to be the case.
Zykeivous Walker; 4-star
6’4″ 257 lbs; Ellaville, Ga.; Schley County High School
Zykeivous Walker is actually the best player on this list. Another top-notch defensive end, he’s a four-star on Rivals, the No. 86 ranked player overall and the No. 4 ranked player at his position. Jeremy Pruitt will be looking to continue his pipeline into Georgia with this guy, but it’s going to be incredibly tricky.
The Vols are competing with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs to land him. Meanwhile, Georgia is the unanimous favorite in the Rivals FutureCast and 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions and the majority favorite on the Rivals FanFutureCast.