4-Star DE BJ Ojulari Commits To 2020 Class

The Vols needed someone to take Darrell Taylor’s place after the 2019 season and it looks like they have found their guy in 2020 commit BJ Ojulari.

According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Ojulari is the 10th-best weakside defensive end in the country and Georgia’s 17th-best senior. The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Georgia native chose Tennessee over Alabama, Clemson, LSU, and Auburn on Friday.

Ojulari and the Vols go back all the way to 2018. Tennessee offered him - at the time he was a sophomore in high school - a scholarship and the two parties remained close over the last 18 months.

“I just believe in their coaching staff and their defensive coaches,” Ojulari said before his announcement. “And then Coach Pruitt, since Day One, he was recruiting me to go there. Ever since he got there, he was recruiting me.”

It wasn’t just Pruitt that paved the way for Ojulari’s commitment though. Both Harrison Bailey and Ramel Keyton are former teammates and both players played a big role in the process. Brian Neidermeyer, the Vols’ stud recruiter, had a hand in things, as well.

“And then Coach Niedermeyer, our area recruiter, he’s very passionate about recruiting. And then I also fell in love with the school. It’s not too far (away). And then, of course, Harrison and them recruited me, too, so that’s a big plus.”

As mentioned earlier, it’s practically guaranteed that Ojulari will have an early role in the defense. The plan is for him to enroll in January in order to get a head start on his freshman year.

The Vols now have 14 commits for the 2020 class and they hold the 22nd-ranked class in the nation.