Tennessee football makes cut for elite 2023 DE Daevin Hobbs

Wild crowds on hand to see Tennessee football beat the Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide is naturally going to have an impact on recruiting, and now, the Vols are trending for a prospect who was on hand for both. It may give them a shot against his home state school.

Defensive end Daevin Hobbs, a four-star across the board out of Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, N.C., recently included the Vols in his top six. The North Carolina Tar Heels have been the favorite for the 2023 Cabarrus County prospect, but UT is making a push.

In addition to UNC and Tennessee football, Hobbs has the Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines on his list. He announced the schools and that his commitment date would be Black Friday, Nov. 25, on Twitter Wednesday.

Standing in the range of 6’4″ and 6’5″ while weighing in the range of 260 to 270 pounds, Hobbs could end up being an edge rusher like Tyler Baron and Byron Young or a hybrid defensive lineman, which Dominic Bailey plays and Caleb Tremblay and Ja’Quain Blakely played last year. It really depends on what his coaches will want.

Obviously, this year, it would help the Vols if Baron and Young became even more explosive if that’s where he’s more likely to end up. They have had big moments so far, but those moments haven’t been consistent, largely because they have played teams great in pass protection.

Currently, UNC is the unanimous favorite on the Rivals Future Cast and all three Crystal Balls on 247Sports, one with a high confidence interval and two with medium confidence intervals. However, the Vols and UNC are tied on the Rivals Fan Future Cast, and On3 has UT as a slight favorite by a plurality.

Taking all that into account, UNC should be the favorite, but Tennessee football appears to be making a huge push. More explosive success from the edge rushers or Bailey could be what puts the Vols over the top. Well, UNC losing a few could help too.