Tennessee football: Vols top five 2020 National Signing Day targets

3. Malachi Wideman (Florida State Commit)

Wide Receiver; 6’5″ 190 pounds

Venice, Fla.; Venice High School

We’re sticking with wide receivers. And the player Tennessee football should target above Ger-Cari Caldwell is one who is already committed to another school. However, so many other things need to be taken into account, and those different things are why we have this guy higher up on the list. There’s a real chance UT gets him to flip Wednesday as well.

Malachi Wideman committed to Florida State back in May of 2019. He clearly committed to Willie Taggart’s program, and while Mike Norvell may be implementing a similar system, there doesn’t seem to be the same connection there. As a result, UT has been pushing for him hard, and he took a visit to Rocky Top in early January.

Since then, analysts have been predicting a flip. In addition to having a real chance with his guy, beyond even what they have with Caldwell, Wideman is a four-star receiver on Rivals. He has another inch on Caldwell, meaning his potential appears to be a bit greater. There’s a reason he’s a top 10 player at his position nationally and rising.

If the Vols steal Wideman, it would be an amazing coup on their end. Jeremy Pruitt could really be making a push for a top 10 class at that point, something the Vols haven’t secured since 2015. With them on the fringe for that ranking now, Wideman could be a surprise pickup that pushes them into that upper-echelon.