Tennessee football: Vols in top six for 2021 South Carolina DL

Defensive line is still a huge part of Tennessee football recruiting. The Volunteers made the cut for lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins out of Gaffney, S.C.

With a two-week haul of elite prospects, Tennessee football was back to making gains with players from rival SEC states on Monday, particularly on the defensive line. Hey, that’s where all the success starts in the conference, as Jeremy Pruitt stated when he took the job.

The Vols made the cut for two defensive linemen, starting with Alabama’s Trinity Bell and then with Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins out of Gaffney High School in Gaffney, S.C. On Rivals, Ingram-Dawkins is listed as a strongside defensive end. He is a defensive tackle on 247Sports.

Ingram-Dawkins had Tennessee football in his top six along with the the South Carolina Gamecocks, Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Bulldogs, Penn State Nittany Lions and North Carolina Tar Heels. He will be committing Sunday at 3 p.m. and announced his list on Twitter.

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A three-star across most major recruiting services, including Rivals, Ingram-Dawkins is the No. 4 ranked player in the state of South Carolina. He is, to be fair, a four-star on 247Sports specifically, so there is clearly value he brings.

Whether he plays strongside defensive end or defensive tackle, he would play up on the line in Pruitt’s system. After all, he is 6’6″ 300 pounds, so he immediately adds size in every way possible to the unit up front.

Of course, Pruitt has two strongside defensive ends and two defensive tackles committed already, but at least five people on the line will be gone after this year, and depth was already an issue last year. As a result, he clearly needs to do everything he can to keep that line loaded.

Currently, South Carolina is a majority favorite on the Rivals Future Cast, the Rivals Fan Future Cast and the 247Sports Crystal Ball to land Ingram-Dawkins. However, Tennessee football could definitely make a push with its recent momentum, so watch out for where he goes.