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Tennessee football: DB commit Jack Luttrell fills huge need for 2023

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s hard to project exactly what the biggest needs will be for Tennessee football in 2023. When they have so many immediate needs at the moment, looking two recruiting classes ahead seems to be a bit premature.

However, that doesn’t mean the Vols can’t get ahead of the curve and land prospects where they no there will be a major void, and that’s exactly what they did over the weekend with their first commitment for the 2023 class. Georgia defensive back Jack Luttrell committed to Rocky Top.

A three-star on 247Sports who is not yet rated on Rivals or ESPN, Luttrell is listed as a safety across the board. The product of Gwinnett County’s Hebron Christian Academy in Dacula, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, announced his commitment to Tennessee football Saturday on Twitter.

Right now, the Vols’ two projected starting safeties are Trevon Flowers and Jaylen McCollough. Flowers will have no years of eligibility left in 2023, and if McCollough leaves after his fourth year playing with UT, he’ll be gone by that year too.

Because of that, Josh Heupel needs to build up his depth at the position to make sure he’s got solid competition to replace both players by that point. Again, while we don’t know where the needs will be on Rocky Top in 2023, it’s safe to say safety will be a huge need.

With his commitment, Luttrell helps to fill that major void. According to Ben McKee and Eric Cain on VolQuest, Luttrell can play man-to-man on the line, drop back in coverage and get physical and tackle on running plays. He actually can play receiver and defensive back and has great hands. Here’s a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Luttrell has great breakaway speed and really good instincts when it comes to knowing where to be and where to cut if he has the ball. That could make him a huge playmaker on defense, and don’t sleep on his ability to make an impact on offense some as well.

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Listed between 6’0″ and 6’1″ and roughly 170 to 185 pounds, Luttrell probably needs to put on some strength to be able to remain physical in the SEC. If he can do that while keeping his athleticism, he’ll become a huge pickup for Tennessee football. There’s obviously plenty of time, as he still has two years of high school ball to play.

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