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Tennessee football flips elite 2022 Georgia DL Tyre West

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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In the first major surprise for Tennessee football of the early signing period, the Vols flipped an elite defensive lineman for 2022 from a rival SEC school in his home state. They also flipped him over another school that was supposed to land him.

Tyre West, a four-star defensive tackle across the board, committed to and signed with the Vols Wednesday after being committed to the Georgia Bulldogs for two weeks, according to Eric Cain of VolQuest. This was a huge pickup.

A flip was always possible for him, but the Florida State Seminoles were the overwhelming favorites to land him. Instead, West is heading to Tennessee football. Coming out of Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga., West stands between 6’3″ and 6’4″ and weighs 280 pounds.

Given the fact that the Vols will lose at least three defensive linemen after this year, maybe more, with Matthew Butler the most notable among them, they need immediate help shoring up the depth there. West does just that.

Rodney Garner deserves a ton of credit for this pickup. Prying a guy like West away from Georgia and FSU when he’s right between both schools to get him to Knoxville, Tenn. is a big deal. Also, West can help out immediately.

Although his size suggests he’s more of a hybrid, that’s honestly what Butler was for a while. As a result, Tim Banks and Garner will be able to figure out lots of different ways to use him. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, West has impressive speed for a defensive lineman, and he’s great at reading the quarterback. This reel was before he fully grew into his size, which is why he plays lots of end, but that’s where being a hybrid can translate into SEC play.

Next. Vols' 2022 early signing period primer. dark

With West, Tennessee football now has two defensive tackles for 2022, as Jordan Phillips also signed with the Vols on Wednesday. Add in edge rusher Joshua Josephs, and Josh Heupel is shoring up his talent up front.

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