Tennessee's newest commit proves one trend in Josh Heupel's recruiting

With its most recent commitment, Josh Heupel and Tennessee football remain hot on the recruiting trail. USC running back commit Duane Morris announced he is flipping his commitment to Tennessee after weeks of speculation. 

This is undoubtedly a big recruiting win for Tennessee, keeping a talented in-state running back home and away from a potential Big Ten and National Championship contender in the future. On Monday, On3 Sports' Hayes Fawcett announced the three-star flip to the Vols.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound running back from Murfreesboro could be another dominant back in a line of elite backfield production in the Josh Heupel era. This commitment tells us a lot about what Heupel is targeting in his skill players, whether it be this recruiting class or future recruiting classes. 

Heupel and his staff target skill players who bring an explosive element to Tennessee's offense, and Morris brings much of that out of the backfield. His vision and patience while running the ball are impressive, as he's able to wait for blocks to develop and explode down the field for a big play. 

In the following clip, you can see Morris' vision paired with his patience, topped off with a burst of speed in the back end of the play, taking a play that looked like it might go for five yards to 80 yards and a touchdown.

Since arriving in Knoxville, Heupel has consistently recruited this in his skill players, and it looks like he will continue to emphasize it in the class of 2025 as well. 

Mike Mathews and Boo Carter carry that explosive trait from the past class, and we have already seen a little of that come to fruition in their freshman season. Then, in Heupel's earlier classes, there's Nico Iamaleava, Dylan Sampson, and even James Pearce. We have seen how all those guys play out in Heupel's system. 

Of course, Carter and Pearce aren't involved in the offensive side of things, but their explosive nature has leveled Tennessee's defense from good to great this season. 

Expect Heupel to continue targeting these types of athletes in traditional recruiting and the transfer portal. They have worked out for the Vols so far and continue to get better as each year progresses. 

According to On3 Recruiting, the Vols currently have the No. 9 recruiting class in the country. That's good enough for sixth in the SEC, and the overall class score is 91.81 as we near early signing day. If Tennessee stays there or moves up, it's an improvement from the last class as Heupel continues to get better and better every year on the recruiting trail.