Austin Kendall (Photo courtesy of 247sports.com)KNOXVILLE -- Perhaps Tennessee football coach Butch Jones knew something last month when he named quarterback as a position of need for the Volunteers' 2016 recruiting class.
Austin Kendall, a four-star prospect out of North Carolina, was committed to Tennessee at the time and had been since last August.
That changed Tuesday, however, when Kendall announced on his Twitter account that he had reopened his recruitment.
"I want to thank everyone at the University of Tennessee," Kendall posted. "From the coaches to the fans, I want (to) thank them for the great opportunity they offered me. Having said that and after much thought, I've decided to reopen my recruitment."
According to Rivals.com, Kendall is the nation's No. 27 overall player and No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the 2016 class. As a junior at Cuthbertson High School in the Charlotte area, he threw for 4,461 yards and 49 touchdowns. His list of suitors includes Kentucky, Clemson, Auburn, Florida and Michigan, among others.
Kendall's older brother, Ryan, is a wide receiver at Kentucky.
Since Kendall committed to Tennessee last summer, the Vols have changed offensive coordinators, from Mike Bajakian to Mike DeBord, and added three quarterbacks to their 2015 class. Quinten Dormady and Jauan Jennings were both committed by the time Kendall gave the Vols his pledge, but Tennessee added a commitment from Sheriron Jones in December.
Kendall visited Tennessee two weekends ago.
Tennessee has continued to recruit quarterbacks, and one of its top targets is Jarrett Guarantano, a four-star dual-threat prospect out of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey.
The No. 108 overall player and No. 6 pro-style quarterback for the 2016 class, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Guarantano has an offer list that includes Ohio State, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Michigan State and others.
Despite missing time with a wrist injury as a junior, Guarantano threw for 1,030 yards with nine touchdowns and nine interceptions and added 258 rushing yards and four touchdowns runs.
Guarantano's father, Jim, told NJ.com last month that Jarrett is down to a final three of Ohio State, Rutgers and Tennessee.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.