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As work ends on the class of 2020 this week, the grind is just beginning for the the class of 2021. Tennessee got a little bit of good news on Sunday night, landing in the top choices for a receiver target out of Atlanta.
Jaquez Smith, a four-star, top 150 prospect, included Tennessee in his top six schools.
My brain it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I sit there and have to face myself and tell myself, You’re a failure.I think that’s almost worse than death...TOP 6 #GoDawgs #GoVols #RollTide #GoCats #GoBuffs #GoGophers pic.twitter.com/KqG973UrF2
— Jaquez Smith (@jaquezsmith21) February 3, 2020
Minnesota, Georgia, Kentucky, Colorado and Alabama joined Tennessee in Smith’s top six.
The 6-1, 190 pound receiver ranks as the 137th overall player in the 2021 class, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Tennessee offered Smith nearly two years ago in the opening months of the Jeremy Pruitt era. That early work now has the Vols in his top choices.
Smith holds offers from just about every SEC school you can think of, and then some. Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Florida and Notre Dame are just a few schools on his offer list to this point.
Tennessee saw Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway exit the program this year, while Brandon Johnson and Josh Palmer will do the same after this season. By the 2021 season, the receiver room will be totally flipped and opportunity will be wide open for someone like Smith to come in and play right off the bat.
Can the Vols wrestle him away from Georgia? That seems to be the biggest obstacle right now. File this one away as a battle to monitor this summer.