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Tennessee football 2022 early signing day recap: The good, the bad, the unexpected

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

Disappointments that were expected

DeMario Tolan stays committed to the LSU Tigers.

This one provided Tennessee football with the most hope, and DeMario Tolan was the best player on this list. A four-star linebacker across the board out of Orlando, Fla, Tolan had been committed to the LSU Tigers since July. However, the arrival of Brian Kelly kept up hope that he would flip.

Although there was hope that he would flip, there was still an extra layer, which would be him having to flip to the Vols. That didn’t happen for Rocky Top on either front, as not only did he not flip, but he did sign with LSU.

Gabriel Jacas flips from Tulane Green Wave to Illinois Fighting Illini.

Similar to Tolan, Gabriel Jacas was a guy people were hoping would flip, but then securing him after the flip was another battle. A three-star edge rusher across the board, Jacas did flip from the Tulane Green Wave, which wasn’t unexpected.

However, the Vols didn’t land Jacas. Instead, the Port St. Lucie, Fla. prospect committed to the Illinois Fighting Illini. Given Tulane being a Group of Five school, he was always going to flip, but UT not landing him is a bit of a disappointment.

Darren Agu stays committed to the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Honestly, nobody expected Darren Agu to land with Rocky Top, and he has been committed to the Vanderbilt Commodores since July. The three-star edge rusher across the board out of Rabun Gap, Ga., remained committed and signed with Clark Lea’s program Wednesday.

Note: Junior college defensive back Marquise Gilbert and four-star receiver C.J. Smith were two other players the Vols could have targeted. However, they committed this week, to the Auburn Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs respectively, so by committing this week, there wasn’t even the slightest chance that they would flip, so they didn’t make this storyline.

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