All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football’s National Signing Day surprisingly encouraging: Five storylines

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 22: Smokey the live Tennessee Volunteers mascot on the sidelines during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won the game 47-21. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /

4. Surprise additions

It started Tuesday night, albeit not with a high school prospect. However, Tennessee football received a commitment from USC Trojans place kicker Chase McGrath. The graduate transfer kicker will help offset the loss of Brent Cimaglia, and that will do a lot for some continuity on special teams as Josh Heupel enters his first year on the job.

More importantly, though, was the Vols securing a commitment from junior college offensive lineman Jeremiah Crawford. It was odd to see UT pick up a commitment given the nature of the program at the time, but Heupel put in the work and helped offset the transfers of Wanya Morris and Jahmir Johnson.

Crawford stands at 6’6″ 300 pounds and is listed as a three-star offensive tackle across all services. A Kansas kid coming out of Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., Crawford’s video suggests he is a solid run blocker but has more to prove in pass protection.

Either way, he clearly has potential. His commitment Wednesday was a big deal, as was McGrath’s commitment on Tuesday. This National Signing Day, the focus certainly wasn’t going to be on addition. It was on the next storyline.

Home/Vols Football