Top JUCO linebacker says “Tennessee is No. 1” on his list right now

Tennessee hosted a big time visitor over the weekend. The No. 1 JUCO linebacker in the country Lakia Henry paid a visit to Knoxville and it apparently went pretty well. Henry told Jesse Simonton of Volquest.com that the Vols were currently No. 1 on his list right now.

Henry is a 6-1, 227 pound linebacker coming out of Dodge City Community College. He is currently ranked as a four-star recruit — the second rated JUCO prospect in the country. Henry racked up 110 total tackles last year, 13 of which resulted in a loss. He also added 2.5 sacks to his tally.

That production has some of the top teams in the land after him. Tennessee is currently battling it out with Alabama, Nebraska, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. 247 Sports’ crystal ball projections point to an even 50-50 split between the Vols and the Tide.

Tennessee was able to wrestle JJ Peterson away from Alabama during the 2018 cycle. They’ll have to do that again here for Henry. Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Dillon Bates are playing out their final year of eligibility this season, so adding Henry would help from a numbers standpoint.

More importantly, Henry would add another playmaker to the teeth of the defense which already will feature guys like Peterson, Daniel Bituli, Quart’e Sapp and Will Ignont.