From Rocky Mountain High to Rocky Top.
The Tennessee Volunteers picked up a massive offensive lineman commit late Tuesday night with the addition of Arvada, Colorado's Dan Skipper, a 6-foot-10, 297-pound freak of nature who projects as an offensive tackle for the Vols. Rarely is it that you see a kid a couple biscuits shy of three bills who needs to add several pounds, but you also rarely see 6-10 football players.
As a rising high school senior, no less.
Despite having less-than-ideal height to play anywhere besides tight end, Skipper spent two days Knoxville earlier this spring and wowed coaches with his athleticism and ability, earning an offer during the spring evaluation period that immediately propelled UT to the top of a list that included offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, Vanderbilt, Oregon State, Duke, Missouri, Northwestern, Tulsa, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Virginia and Wyoming.
Some powerhouse programs such as Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma were still evaluating Skipper but had not yet offered. He recently went on a whirlwind, nationwide tour of schools, and the Vols stood out.
Skipper told Ryan Callahan of GoVols247 that he's likely finished with the recruiting process. He spoke highly of UT offensive line coach Sam Pittman, and he will now focus on his senior year.
On film, Skipper unbelievably looks like he plays with a pretty low center of gravity ... really low for his height. He also looks athletic and even a bit skinny. He could stand to add weight and strength, most certainly, and there's always a concern when you play in an area not known for its football that the competition will be a shock. But the Vols are to a point depth-wise on the offensive line where they won't need Skipper to get snaps next year. He can come in, hit the weight room, learn the system and compete for playing time down the road.
The Colorado native plans to major in engineering in Knoxville, and he is expected to enroll next summer. Skipper is universally rated as one of the three best prospects in his state and a three-star by every service. He is the third UT offensive lineman commit in this class, joining Cleveland, Tenn.'s Austin Sanders and Knoxville's Brett Kendrick.
Perhaps Skipper became a certain take after Brad Henson pledged to Virginia today, or Skipper possibly would have been a guy UT wanted regardless. Anyway, the chips fell right for Skipper to make the move, and he did when he pulled the trigger tonight. The Vols are expected to take at least one more offensive lineman and possibly even two, if the right players wanted to come. As of now, Tennessee's top offensive line targets on the board appear to be Reeve Kohler and Christian Morris.
Welcome to Big Orange Country, Mr. Skipper!