Tennessee football in top six for Baltimore edge rusher

Defensive stars from Baltimore, Md. are still a focus for Tennessee football recruiting. Jeremy Pruitt’s Volunteers made the top six for a weakside end.

Jeremy Pruitt made a splash over the weekend when Tennessee football secured two four-star commitments out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. Well, he’s now got the Vols trending for another prospect from that school.

Terrance Butler, a weakside defensive end, announced on Wednesday that the Vols were in his top six. A three-star on Rivals, Butler would be following in the footsteps of his teammates, linebacker Aaron Willis and defensive tackle KaTron Evans, if he committed to Rocky Top.

In addition to Tennessee football, Butler had the Maryland Terrapins, Syracuse Orange, FIU Panthers, Michigan State Spartans and Minnesota Golden Gophers in his top six. He announced his list on Twitter.

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At 6’5″ 225 pounds, Butler is the No. 24 ranked player in the state of Maryland. He would definitely help Pruitt continue to build depth at edge rusher, which has been a major priority for him with this class.

Pruitt has been working on building up depth for his two outside rushers not playing up on the line ever since he arrived on Rocky Top, and with Darrell Taylor gone and Deandre Johnson a senior it’s more crucial than ever. He started with Roman Harrison in 2019, then he added Tamarion McDonald and Morven Joseph in 2020.

With this class, Pruitt added four-star Dylan Brooks. Harrison, Joseph and Brooks are all listed as weakside defensive ends who just play off the line in a 3-4 scheme, and that’s what Butler is, while McDonald is a true outside linebacker who would play on the other side. Simply put, Butler would certainly help bolster that depth.

Currently, there are no favorites to land Butler, although Michigan State and the Boston College Eagles of all teams are tied as favorites in the Rivals Fan Future Cast. Tennessee football could definitely be in play for him, and given their recent pickups, he may be giving the Vols another serious look.