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After naming Tennessee to his final five just two months ago, four-star defensive tackle Payton Page is down to his final three schools. Oregon and LSU have been eliminated, while the Vols remain alongside of North Carolina and Clemson.
Page made the announcement on Instagram on Thursday.
The 6-4, 342 pound Page lost his five-star status last month, but he’s still inside of the 247Sports Composite rankings’ top 75 at 66th overall. Page is out of Greensboro, North Carolina. Each of his finalists are relatively close to home.
Tennessee offered Page way back in May of 2018. He visited Knoxville last summer before returning this spring for a junior day event ahead of the face-to-face recruiting pause. Page is now well over 30 scholarship offers in total, which includes schools like Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Texas and several other powerhouse programs.
The recruiting dead period is set to last through at least May 31st. After that, expect Page to focus heavily on these three finalists. Page is now dealing with a new defensive line coach at Tennessee after the departure of Tracy Rocker. Developing a relationship with Jimmy Brumbaugh may just be the key for the Volunteers in this recruitment.
On the field, Page has a chance to be a true nose tackle and an instant impact player at the next level due to his size. In 2018 as a sophomore, Page racked up 26 tackles for loss and eight sacks, along with 80 total tackles.