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Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 Houston area edge rusher Braylan Shelby

By Caleb Calhoun

The Vol Walk before a football game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football Bp
The Vol Walk before a football game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football Bp /
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Getting elite talent out of Texas is going to be even more difficult now with the Longhorns joining the Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC, but that doesn’t mean other schools can’t try. Tennessee football is doing just that with a Houston-area prospect for 2023, and it’s at least paying off early.

Edge rusher Braylan Shelby out of Friendswood High School in Galveston, Texas has the Vols in his top 10. A four-star on Rivals and On3 and a three-star on ESPN and 247Sports, Shelby is listed as an outside linebacker on Rivals and ESPN and an edge rusher on 247Sports and On3.

Joining Tennessee football, Texas and Texas A&M on Shelby’s list are the LSU Tigers, Arkansas Razorbacks, USC Trojans, Auburn Tigers, Florida State Seminoles, Florida Gators, and Miami Hurricanes. He announced the schools with a video on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

It’s not fully clear where Shelby would play at the next level, but all signs point to him being a pure edge rusher similar to Byron Young, Roman Harrison and Tyler Baron. He stands at 6’5″, and Rivals, 247Sports and On3 all have him weighing 235 pounds.

On the other hand, he is listed at 205 pounds on ESPN, which is why that outlet has him as an outside linebacker. The size he gets to will play a huge role in where he plays with the Vols, but his listing on most services and the needs on Rocky Top is what makes edge rusher the most likely spot for him.

After all, Young and Harrison will both be gone at the latest by the 2024 season, which is when Shelby would be a sophomore, and while linebacker does have its issues, Josh Heupel has recruited well there. As a result, Shelby would fit right in on the edge.

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Currently, there are no 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, and there is no favorite on the Rivals Future Cast. Texas is the favorite on the Rivals Fan Future Cast, but it’s by a plurality, and On3 has USC as the favorite, so in reality, everybody is in the running to land him. That gives Tennessee football as much a chance as anybody.

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