The Ole Miss decommitment put the Tennessee football Volunteers in his top six.
Nothing makes Tennessee football fans happier than stealing a recruit away from Lane Kiffin. Well, they may have their chance to do just that after making the cut for a player who had initially committed to the Ole Miss Rebels.
Rocky Top made the top six for Mississippi athlete MJ Daniels. At 6’3″ 191 pounds, Daniels is likely to play cornerback, but he is listed as an athlete on Rivals, where he also has a three-star rating. On 247Sports, he did earn a four-star rating.
Coming out of George County High School in Lucedale, Miss., Daniels committed to Ole Miss back in November and then decommitted on June 1. They are still on his list along with Tennessee football, as are the Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, Indiana Hoosiers and Minnesota Golden Gophers. He released the schools on Twitter.
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Recently, the Vols have been trending with numerous defensive backs, particularly ones listed as cornerbacks specifically on Rivals or 247Sports. Daniels is the fourth defensive back in three days to trim his list and have Rocky Top on it.
There’s obviously a reason for that. Shawn Shamburger is a senior. Baylen Buchanan is a senior. Both are the two main nickel backs, assuming Buchanan can return. So they are gone after this year, and Shamburger may be the Vols’ best player.
Meanwhile, Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor are the two starting cornerbacks, and both are juniors. Thompson is a guy you might say is actually likely to leave early given how elite he is, and Taylor is one great season away from potentially being able to do the same thing.
As a result, Jeremy Pruitt needs some immediate help at defensive back, particularly cornerback. Tyus Fields and Warren Burrell are the future, but he needs more, even with three defensive back commitments for 2021. Daniels could help with that, and he provides great size, assuming that’s the position he stays at.
Currently, Ole Miss is the unanimous favorite to land Daniels on the Rivals Future Cast, and Texas A&M is the favorite by a plurality on the Rivals Fan Future Cast. However, there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions. As a result, things are wide open with him, and Tennessee football definitely appears to be in the running.