Five-star defensive lineman Leonard Taylor names Tennessee to top five

Tennessee’s class of 2021 already has a heavy emphasis on the defensive front seven, and they’re in the mix for another elite prospect coming out of the weekend. Five-star defensive lineman Leonard Taylor named Tennessee to his top five schools on Sunday night, also including Florida, LSU, Auburn and Miami.

The 6-4, 255 pound defensive tackle is the fourth ranked player in the 2021 class, per 247Sports. Taylor is out of Miami, Florida and currently sits as the second ranked player in the Sunshine State.

Tennessee offered Taylor in May of 2019 and he visited Knoxville the next month. His teammate Brashard Smith joined him on that visit, who recently also named Tennessee to his top schools after decommitting from Florida.

As a junior last season, Taylor accumulated 68 tackles and 11 sacks. He added 26 tackles for loss along with two interceptions.

Tennessee currently holds commitments from four-star defensive tackle KaTron Evans and three-star defensive tackle Isaac Washington. The Florida Gators hold four crystal ball projections for Taylor and remain the perceived leader for the elite defensive line prospect.

Tennessee holds commitments from two top 50 defenders in Terrence Lewis and Dylan Brooks. The Volunteers are also heavily in the mix for five-star linebacker Smael Mondon, who will announce his decision next month.

The Volunteers are up to 24 total commitments in their 2021 class, which sits at No. 2 nationally behind Ohio State.