Tennessee football adds JuCo OL Savion Herring to 2022 class

In a surprise move, Tennessee football received a late addition to its 2022 recruiting class Thursday. A week ahead of summer classes, the Vols have added a junior college offensive lineman out of Monroe College in New York’s Westchester County who is initially from New Jersey.

Savion Herring, who graduated from Irvington High School in Essex County, N.J., before attending community college in New Rochelle, N.Y., committed to UT Thursday afternoon. According to 247Sports, he stands between 6’4″ and 6’5″ and weighs 352 pounds.

Initially a member of the 2018 recruiting class out of high school, Herring is not rated on any services for this year. He was last considered a two-star junior college prospect in 2021. With at least two seasons of eligibility left and three years to finish them, Herring announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

The number of years Herring will have to complete his eligibility remains in question. He initially attended Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, before heading back to the East Coast. Ryan Callahan of 247Sports reports that he is petitioning to count his 2019 season in Iowa’s Webster County as a redshirt year.

Back in 2018, Herring committed to the Cincinnati Bearcats before going the JuCo route. He’s finally at the FBS level. On Rocky Top, he brings a good bit of size and even more depth to the interior offensive line, but his length could result in him playing tackle as well.

More versatility up front in Heupel’s system is a good thing for UT, and given the turnover at tackle, notably the departure of Cade Mays, Herring could have an impact earlier than expected if he moves there. Here’s a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Herring’s lateral quickness really stands out for a guy coming in looking to play on the inside, at least at first. That makes him a great fit for Heupel’s system, which is based on tempo but relies on the running game to get things going.

A big help for Tennessee football would be if Herring can take any snaps at center given the lack of depth there behind Cooper Mays, but if he could make an impact at right tackle, he’d still be a huge asset. However, mpre depth in general makes him a good pickup.