The Tennessee football Volunteers lost a 2021 junior college running back.
Are cracks beginning to show in the giant recruiting wave Tennessee football enjoyed back in the spring? Well, news that hit the stands over the weekend may suggest that, although the makeup of the roster may suggest it’s not a big deal.
Tiyon Evans, a running back out of Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kan. and initially a prospect from South Carolina, had been committed to the Vols since April 30. The JuCo prospect for 2021 is a three-star on Rivals and a four-star on 247Sports.
At 5’9″ 225 pounds, the product of Hartsville High School in Hartsville, S.C. has now decommitted from Tennessee football. He announced his decision to move away from Rocky Top over the weekend on his Twitter account.
After having a conversation with my mother I’ve decided to De-commit from the University of Tennessee and open my recruitment back up. I graduate in December and have 3 years or eligibility.
— Tiyon Evans (@darealballer_15) September 20, 2020
Given his potential, this could be a devastating loss. However, Jeremy Pruitt has done a pretty good job loading up on running backs for the future that, at the moment, it shouldn’t be too much to worry about on paper.
Remember, Eric Gray is only a sophomore this year. Tee Hodge, Jabari Small and Len’Neth Whitehead are all freshmen who were part of the 2020 class. Then there are Jaylen Wright and Cody Brown, members of the 2021 class. Altogether, that makes six running backs likely to be in the system for at least the next two years.
Simply put, Pruitt has loaded up at the position, and he also has running backs of all kind. Small and Gray are all-purpose backs. Whitehead and Hodge are power backs. Brown and Wright are complete backs, and Brown has superstar potential. Given Pruitt’s desire to go four-deep and Jim Chaney’s history of using multiple running backs, this is a perfect collection.
As a result, while this hurts UT’s overall recruiting rankings and brings its commitment list down to 25 people, it’s still not too much to worry about. Evans’ commitment to Tennessee football over the South Carolina Gamecocks was a bit of a shock to begin with.