Tennessee football: Athlete Dee Beckwith commits to Vols for 2020

National Signing Day 2020 got off on the right foot for Tennessee football recruiting. Alabama athlete Dee Beckwith chose the Volunteers.

Maybe this will help them finally beat Florida on the field. Tennessee football beat out the Gators for a key commitment Wednesday morning, one that got things going early for them on National Signing Day 2020.

Demarcus Beckwith, also known as Dee Beckwith, ended up committing to and signing with Rocky Top. The Vols had been the favorite to land him for a while, and it became even more predictable after the other school in the running, Florida, lost assistant Larry Scott, Beckwith’s primary recruiter, to a head coaching job with the Howard Bison.

As a result, Jeremy Pruitt got a major pickup here. Beckwith is out of Florence High School in Florence, Ala., meaning he had a direct connection to Pruitt and his staff, which has lots of guys with Alabama connections. His commitment to Tennessee football was captured on video.

A three-star on Rivals, Beckwith stands at 6’5″ 215 pounds. He is likely going to play wideout, which is a huge area of need for the Vols given the fact that they lot Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway this past year. Josh Palmer and Brandon Johnson are both back, but they are seniors. That leaves Ramel Keyton as the only proven wideout for the future.

Despite being just listed as a three-star, Beckwith is the No. 20 ranked athlete nationally and the No. 16 ranked player in the state of Alabama. Also, he brings an amazing size, and that’s something that Jim Chaney loves in his wideouts anyway.

We saw just this past year how size on the outside can be more important than speed. That is the value Pruitt and his staff expect Beckwith, who is the third athlete in the class, third Alabama commitment and the 22nd commitment overall, to provide. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Beckwith is great at winning jump-balls. He also showed when playing quarterback that he can be very effective running with the ball in his hands. Those two things are exactly what Jennings provided this past year.

Now, we’re not saying Beckwith will replace Jennings. But he’s certainly a guy with the right instincts based on his film. As a result, Tennessee football got a great pickup in this guy, and he should really boost the program going forward.