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Tennessee football makes cut for 2022 DB, Vols QB’s former teammate

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 18: Detail view of footballs lined up on the field before the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won 31-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 18: Detail view of footballs lined up on the field before the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won 31-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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National Signing Day for 2021 is this week, and it’s safe to say Tennessee football lost all the momentum for its upcoming recruiting class thanks to the 2020 season, the investigation and the firing of Jeremy Pruitt. Now, new head coach Josh Heupel has to build from scratch.

However, Heupel has a bit to work with already, and he may be able to use current or incoming players to start working on future classes. With four-star early enrollee Kaidon Salter, that may be exactly what he’s already doing.

Jalon Peoples, a 2022 defensive back, is at the same school Salter came out of, Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, Texas. The two were teammates, and Peoples now has Tennessee football in his top five along with the Baylor Bears, Indiana Hoosiers, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Ole Miss Rebels. He announced the schools Saturday night on Twitter.

Standing at 6’0″ 175 pounds, Peoples is listed as a four-star on Rivals. However, he is a three-star on 247Sports and 247Sports Composite and is not yet rated on ESPN. Across all three recruiting services, he is listed as a cornerback.

Currently, the Vols have no commitments in their 2022 class. New York defensive end Jimmy Scott had been committed since August, the program’s only commitment, but he decommitted two days after the news that Jeremy Pruitt was fired.

There has been a wave of decommitments and transfers throughout this offseason, and it hasn’t ended with the coaching change. In fact, some signees in the 2021 class appear to want out, leaving Heupel’s work cut out for him.

That doesn’t mean that he can’t keep working towards his 2022 class, and Peoples would be a solid pickup. Currently, he has no favorites on the Rivals Future Cast, but Nebraska is the favorite by a plurality on the Rivals Fan Future Cast, and Baylor is the unanimous favorite among two predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball.

Next. Five reasons Josh Heupel hire could work out for Vols. dark

As a result, Tennessee football is likely the underdog at this point. However, nobody appears to be a strong favorite at this point, and the Vols do have an advantage with Salter on their roster. There’s no reason for them to not keep pursuing him.

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