Tennessee football makes cut for 2022 in-state LB Elijah Herring

The Murfreesboro, Tenn. linebacker has the Tennessee football Volunteers in his top four.

While the work is not done for 2021, Tennessee football is beginning to trend for its 2022 recruiting class. As everybody was celebrating Christmas, the Vols got one step closer to adding to that class with a nearby prospect.

UT made the top four for Elijah Herring, a three-star outside linebacker on Rivals and 247Sports. Herring, who comes out of Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn., stands at 6’2″ and somewhere between 220 and 225 pounds.

Joining Tennessee football in Herring’s top four are the Vanderbilt Commodores, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The in-state prospect announced his schools on Twitter during Christmas afternoon.

As of this announcement, the Vols only have one player committed for their 2022 class, three-star defensive end Jimmy Scott. Assuming Jeremy Pruitt is still around during that time, Scott and Herring could both be playing outside linebacker positions and serving different roles.

Pruitt has been trying to rebuild depth among his edge rushers for years on the recruiting trail for Rocky Top, and numerous things have gotten in the way. Dismissing outside linebacker Kivon Bennett earlier this season is one of those things.

However, there is a group of young, promising guys on the end and at outside linebacker, including Tyler Baron, Roman Harrison and Morven Joseph. Herring has a great chance to fit into that group if he commits to UT. Edge rushers tend to thrive in Pruitt’s system, even if nobody else works out in a particular year.

There are no favorites to land Herring on the Rivals Future Cast or the 247Sports Crystal Ball. However, Tennessee football is the favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast by a majority. As a result, keep an eye on what Herring does, especially with Vandy hiring a new coach and Coastal Carolina’s coach, Jamey Chadwell, now a hot commodity for a bigger job.