What’s next for Tennessee’s surging 2021 class?

Tennessee is the talk of college football right now. With nothing else going on, the entire industry has been forced to recognize what the Volunteers are doing on the recruiting trail. Eight commitments in the last nine days have shot Tennessee from 13th to 2nd nationally in the class rankings, sending out a powerful message that a sleeping giant could finally be coming out of its coma.

Five-star defenders Terrence Lewis and Dylan Brooks now headline the class, along with four-star running back Cody Brown and four-star receiver Julian Nixon. Fellow four-star prospects Kamar Wilcoxson and Colby Smith have also joined the class and have ramped up efforts to recruit others to do the same.

Tennessee is up to 18 commitments to this point — space remaining in the class could become a legitimate issue in the coming days. Why? Well Tennessee isn’t done with this surge just yet. Here are a few names to monitor over the next several days.

QB Kaidon Salter

The four-star dual-threat passer out of Texas will make his decision on Sunday, May 10th. After playing catch-up with Baylor and Arkansas, Tennessee has surged to the front in this recruitment. Tennessee went down a few different avenues to find their quarterback in the 2021 class — the Volunteers are expected to land one on Sunday.

LB Aaron Willis

Joining Salter on May 10th will be four-star linebacker Aaron Willis. The Baltimore native has been trending in Tennessee’s direction over the last couple of weeks and will make a decision this weekend. Alabama, LSU and Maryland are other teams in the mix here, but Willis is expected to be a Vol.

DT Katron Evans

Yet another blue-chipper, Evans could give Tennessee an impact player in the defensive interior. The 6-4, 320 pounder would fit Jeremy Pruitt’s objective of making the Volunteers beefier and longer up front. Evans is also out of Baltimore, playing with Willis at St. Frances Academy. I’ll let you connect those dots.

OT Amarius Mims

Mims is the potential wildcard in this class. The five-star, top ten prospect has been the main focus of recent Tennessee commits who have begun trying to help add to the class. Mims has been a Georgia lean for some time, but there does seem to be some real momentum here for Tennessee. Something to keep in mind here is the relationship between he and four-star running back Cody Brown, who committed to Tennessee on Sunday. The two are tight and have discussed plans to play together at the next level before. Could that actually happen in Knoxville instead of Athens?