Tennessee football: Top five 2023 out-of-state recruits for Vols to pursue

4. Tomarrion Parker – Defensive end

Phenix City, Ala. (Central High School)

Normally, with the changing landscape of the sport and defensive schemes, defensive ends are labeled as either edge rushers or defensive linemen. After all, they usually need the versatility to also line up in the middle at defensive tackle or at outside linebacker in addition to defensive end.

However, Tomarrion Parker truly is a defensive end. His versatility actually leads to the possibility that he could play any of the three roles for Tennessee football, and it will depend on where Tim Banks wants to place him when he arrives. Coming out of Lee County in Alabama, Parker would be a huge steal for the Vols.

Standing at 6’4″ and weighing in the range of 255 to 260 pounds, Parker is listed as a four-star across the board. He is considered a defensive end on ESPN, a strongside defensive end on Rivals, a defensive lineman on 247Sports and an edge rusher on On3.

Simply put, where he lands truly depends on the scheme the coaches run. Jeremy Pruitt would have kept him specifically at outside linebacker, but Parker, who has the Vols in his top five, will fill any void UT has among those roles. That makes his potential through the roof, and he’s somebody Rocky Top definitely needs to go after.