Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 New Jersey DL Sydir Mitchell
A student who plays defensive lineman at the same high school Jarrett Guarantano attended in New Jersey appears to be eyeing Tennessee football for his college career. He is a member of the Vols’ 2023 recruiting class and would address a huge need.
Rocky Top is in the top nine for Sydir Mitchell. A four-star on Rivals and ESPN who is still a three-star on 247Sports and On3 out of Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J., Mitchell is specifically mentioned as a defensive tackle in Rivals and ESPN and a defensive lineman on 247Sports and On3.
Joining Tennessee football on Mitchell’s list include the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Georgia Bulldogs, Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Miami Hurricanes, Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats. He announced the schools Sunday afternoon on Twitter.
I would like to thank all the coaches that have extended scholarship offers to me. All are blessings and I am appreciative. With that being said these are the 9 schools that my family and I will focus on. #HookEm #GigEm #GoDawgs #GBO #BBN #CHOP #GoCanes #GeauxTigers #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/i99U3bpg5B
— Sydir Jr. (@JrSydir) May 1, 2022
Standing between 6’4″ and 6’6″ and weighing in the range of 310 to 350 pounds, depending on the service you go by, Mitchell is clearly going to specifically play defensive tackle. Tim Banks’ nickel-heavy 4-3 base defense does use hybrid tackles who can play on the edge, but Mitchell won’t be one of those.
Despite using four down linemen, Banks has shown a desire to still use players who would be nose tackles in 3-4 schemes at times, so there are plenty of reasons Mitchell would be a great pickup for the Vols. He definitely opens up some options.
With the losses of Matthew Butler, Ja’Quain Blakely and Caleb Tremblay from this past year and with LaTrell Bumphus entering his final year of eligibility, defensive tackle is clearly an area where UT will need help, if nothing else just to build up depth. Mitchell could certainly help with that.
Next. Top five 2023 out-of-state recruits for Vols to pursue. dark
Currently, there are no favorites to land Mitchell on the Rivals Future Cast or the 247Sports Crystal Ball. Rutgers is a plurality favorite on the Rivals Future Cast. On3 has them second behind the Penn State Nittany Lions with the Michigan Wolverines in third, but Michigan nor Penn State made the cut, so Tennessee football clearly has a chance.