All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football 2022 early signing period primer

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Tennessee Volunteers live mascot Smokey X preparing to lead the team out during the game between the UTEP Miners and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-0. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: Tennessee Volunteers live mascot Smokey X preparing to lead the team out during the game between the UTEP Miners and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 24-0. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

After an overachieving 2021 season given everything he inherited, Josh Heupel has now reached the most important day of recruiting for his first full class. He’s got to sell the success Tennessee football just had and where the program is going in the future while trying to put most of his 2022 class together for the early signing period.

As part of that period, we will have all the coverage surrounding the event here. This page will include the top stories of the day, including commitments, signings and flips, the list of players committed but who haven’t signed and the list of players who have signed.

Plenty of news will hit throughout the day before Heupel recaps what happened Wednesday night, and then it will be on to focusing on National Signing Day in February. Before getting to that, though, let’s cover the events of the day. Here is all the information you need for Tennessee football recruiting in the 2022 early signing period.

Top stories

Justin Williams commits to and signs with Vols

A four-star running back on Rivals and ESPN but a three-star on 247Sports, Justin Williams became the second running back in the Vols’ 2022 recruiting class Wednesday. He joins Dylan Sampson, who also signed with UT Wednesday.

Tyre West flips from Georgia to Vols 

In the shock of the day, Tennessee football landed a huge pickup at defensive line. Tyre West, a four-star defensive tackle across the board, flipped to Rocky Top after being committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for two weeks.

James Pearce shockingly commits to Vols 

Despite all signs pointing to him heading to the South Carolina Gamecocks, edge rusher James Pearce committed to and signed with UT Wednesday afternoon. Pearce, who hails from Charlotte, N.C., is a four-star on Rivals but a three-star everywhere else.

Commitments (All signed)

Maurice Clipper Jr. 

  • Offensive lineman
  • Four-star (ESPN); Three-star (Rivals, 247Sports)
  • 6’4″; 285-305 pounds
  • Alpharetta, Ga.
  • Milton High School

Brian Grant

  • Offensive lineman
  • Three-star
  • 6’6″-6’8″; 260-278 pounds
  • Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
  • Choctawhatchee High School

Christian Harrison 

  • Defensive back
  • Three-star
  • 6’0″-6’1″; 180-183 pounds
  • Atlanta, Ga.
  • Woodward Academy

Elijah Herring

  • Linebacker
  • Three-star
  • 6’2″; 220-230 pounds
  • Murfreesboro, Tenn.
  • Riverdale High School

Tayven Jackson

  • Quarterback
  • Four-star
  • 6’4″-6’5″; 185-195 pounds
  • Greenwood, Ind.
  • Center Grove High School

Joshua Josephs

  • Edge rusher
  • Four-star (247Sports); Three-start (Rivals, ESPN)
  • 6’3″; 205-215 pounds
  • Kennesaw, Ga.
  • North Cobb High School

Cameron Miller

  • Wide receiver
  • Four-star (Rivals, ESPN); Three-star (247Sports)
  • 6’1″-6’2″; 185-205 pounds
  • Memphis, Tenn.
  • Memphis Academy of Health and Sciences

Addison Nichols 

  • Offensive lineman
  • Four-star
  • 6’5″; 301-318 pounds
  • Norcross, Ga.
  • Greater Atlanta Christian School

Charles Nimrod

  • Wide receiver
  • Three-star
  • 6’1″-6’3″; 180-186 pounds
  • Bentonville, Ark.
  • Bentonville High School

James Pearce

  • Edge rusher
  • Four-star (Rivals); Three-star (247Sports, ESPN)
  • 6’4″-6’5″; 220 pounds
  • Charlotte, N.C.
  • Julius L. Chambers High School

Kalib Perry 

  • Linebacker
  • Three-star
  • 6’3″; 215 pounds
  • Georgetown, Ky.
  • Great Crossing High School

Jordan Philllips (Enrolled)

  • Defensive lineman
  • Three-star
  • 6’2″-6’4″; 290-300 pounds
  • Ocoee, Fla.
  • Ocoee High School

Masai Reddick

  • Offensive lineman
  • Three-star
  • 6’3″-6’4″; 278-330 pounds
  • Detroit, Mich.
  • Case Technical High School

Dylan Sampson

  • Running back
  • Four-star (247Sports); Three-star (Rivals, ESPN)
  • 5’9″-5’10”; 175-180 pounds
  • Geismar, La.
  • Dutchtown High School

Jourdan Thomas

  • Defensive back
  • Three-star
  • 6’0″-6’2″; 188-190 pounds
  • Montgomery, Ala.
  • Montgomery Catholic Prep

Kaleb Webb

  • Wide receiver
  • Four-star (Rivals, 247Sports); Three-star (ESPN)
  • 6’2″-6’4″; 185-195 pounds
  • Powder Springs, Ga.
  • McEachern High School

Tyre West

  • Defensive lineman
  • Four-star
  • 6’3″-6’4″; 280 pounds
  • Tifton, Ga.
  • Tift County High School

Marquarius White

  • Wide receiver
  • Three-star
  • 5’10”-5’11”; 155-165 pounds
  • Pinson, Ala.
  • Clay-Chalkville High School

Desmond Williams (Junior College)

  • Defensive back
  • Three-star
  • 5’11”; 185-190 pounds
  • Forsyth, Ga.
  • East Central Community College (Decatur, Miss.)

Justin Williams 

  • Running back
  • Four-star (Rivals, ESPN); Three-star (247Sports)
  • 5’11”-6’0″; 200-206 pounds
  • Dallas, Ga.
  • East Paulding High School

It’s safe to say that the Vols are in a much better position right now than they were when Heupel took over back in January for Jeremy Pruitt as the program was suffering a wave of decommitments and transfers. Those problems persisted as he tried to put together this 2022 class early on.

However, going 7-5 despite low expectations has helped significantly, and Rocky Top has truly begun to make some gains on the recruiting trail. They now have time to cash in on their most recent momentum and build an even better class.

Entering the day with this class ranked in the top 25, Heupel already overachieved what many thought was possible for Tennessee football. Securing a winning record and getting out of the NCAA investigation certainly helped with that. Now he’s got two months to built on it even more, and watch out for what he might be able to pull off.

Home/Vols Football