UT Vols

KNOXVILLE - Eric Lauderdale gave Tennessee's recruiting class another nice boost on Sunday night.

The junior college receiver, who played last season at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., by way of Fayette County High School in Georgia, verbally committed to the Volunteers nearly a month after making an unofficial visit to campus.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder announced his commitment via Twitter.

After record-setting high school career south of Atlanta, Lauderdale caught 60 passes for 916 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games for the Gauchos last fall. Arkansas, Miami, Arizona State and Wisconsin were among the schools that had offered him a scholarship. One of the top junior-college players overall and at his position, He's rated as a four-star prospect by 247sports.com, which ranks him fourth among receivers and 21st overall, and Rivals.com.

Lauderdale is the second junior-college receiver to pledge verbally to the Vols, joining Kameel Jackson, the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Blinn (Texas) College player who committed to Tennessee in late April. Among their 19 public commitments, the Vols have commitments from three prospects classified as athletes: Florida's Brandon Powell, Nashville's Vic Wharton and Maryland's Neiko Creamer. Tennessee's 2014 class remains atop the Rivals.com team rankings and now sits fifth according to 247sports.com and Scout.com.

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com or 901-581-7288. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/patrickbrowntfp.