On the recruiting trail for Tennessee football, Josh Heupel is targeting a 2022 prospect from the area where he spent the past three years, as head coach of the UCF Knights. It recently showed signs of paying off.
Wide receiver Chandler Smith announced Tuesday that the Vols had made his top 10. UCF was on that list too, to be fair. A three-star on Rivals and 247Sports out of Bishop Moore Catholic High School in Orlando, Fla., Smith stands at 6’3″ 180 pounds.
Joining Tennessee football and UCF on Smith’s list were the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Auburn Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Arkansas Razorbacks, West Virginia Mountaineers, Michigan Wolverines and Iowa State Cyclones. He revealed the schools on Twitter.
𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 🔟...✍🏽 I have God,my Parents,my Coaches and teammates to thank for this. Was not an easy decision to make. To every Coach who offered me the opportunity to be a part of their program, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for believing in me.#AGTG pic.twitter.com/zpebms5TWz
— ㄈㄅ (@cjavonsmith1) March 30, 2021
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Obviously, despite being a three-star, the impressive prestige of many of the schools offering Smith makes it clear he’s a desirable prospect. Outside of the Florida schools, though, UT may have the best connection with Heupel. Also, Kodi Burns as wide receivers coach could help them recruit against Auburn.
Since those four schools would appear to be the biggest competition for Smith, the Vols could be in a great position to land him. Although they have a loaded group of sophomore wide receivers with potential, the lack of proven production and this being Velus Jones Jr.’s final year mean that Heupel has work to do to restock this class.
Landing a guy like Smith could help with that. His size alone is a huge advantage, as he could join Malachi Wideman, Ramel Keyton and Cedric Tillman to make for four guys 6’3″ or above on the 2022 roster. Add in the allure of Heupel’s offensive schemes, and this could be a perfect match.
Currently, there are no favorites to land Moore on the Rivals Future Cast or the 247Sports Crystal Ball. However, while it’s unscientific and only by a plurality, Tennessee football is the favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast. As a result, keep an eye on Smith going forward. He could be a major part of Heupel’s first full recruiting class.