KNOXVILLE -Tennessee added a fourth previously uncommitted prospect to its 2018 football signing class on Wednesday afternoon.
Four-star junior college tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson surprised many by his decision to sign with Tennessee over Alabama.
Wood-Anderson is rated as the top junior college tight end prospect in the 2018 class, according to 247Sports.
The 6-foot-5 Wood-Anderson played this season at Arizona Western College. He visited Tennessee last weekend. Wood-Anderson was the 11th player to sign with the Volunteers on Wednesday, the first day of college football's first-ever early signing period.
He joined offensive lineman Jerome Carvin, running back Jeremy Banks and quarterback JT Shrout as previously uncommitted players that opted to choose the Vols. Wood-Anderson was the 11th player in total to sign with Tennessee on Wednesday.
Tight ends Ethan Wolf and Jakob Johnson from the 2017 roster have exhausted their eligibility. Wood-Anderson could likely compete for immediate playing time. Other returning tight ends for the Vols include Eli Wolf, Austin Pope and LaTrell Bumphus. Jacob Warren, a freshman tight end from Knoxville, also signed with UT on Wednesday.
Players who have signed with Tennessee during early signing period:
1. Tanner Antonutti | offensive lineman | 6-foot-5 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Nashville, Tenn.
2. Paxton Brooks | punter/kicker | 6-foot-5 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | West Columbia, S.C.
3. Ollie Lane | offensive lineman | 6-foot-5 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Corryton, Tenn.
4. Jeremy Banks | running back | 6-foot-2 | Rivals 4-star | 247Sports 3-star | Cordova, Tenn.
5. Jerome Carvin | offensive lineman | 6-foot-4 | Rivals 4-star | 247Sports 4-star | Cordova, Tenn.
6. JT Shrout | quarterback | 6-foot-3 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Newhall, Calif.
7. Kingston Harris | defensive tackle | 6-foot-4 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Bradenton, Fla.
8. Jacob Warren | tight end | 6-foo-6 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Knoxville, Tenn.
9. Brant Lawless | defensive tackle | 6-foot-3 | Rivals 4-star | 247Sports 4-star | Nashville, Tenn.
10. Greg Emerson | defensive tackle | 6-foot-3 | Rivals 4-star | 247Sports 4-star | Jackson, Tenn.
11. Dominick Wood-Anderson | tight end | 6-foot-5 | Rivals 4-star | 247Sports 4-star | Spring Valley, Ca.
12. Jordan Allen | defensive end/linebacker | 6-foot-4 | Rivals 3-star | 247Sports 3-star | Fairfield, Calif.
Allen became the third player from California to sign with the Volunteers on Wednesday night. The junior college defensive end has the body type to play as a bigger linebacker in Pruitt's 3-4 defensive scheme.
The news of Wood-Anderson's signing comes after Jeremy Pruitt's first signing class as Tennessee's football coach took a fortuitous turn for the better in West Tennessee on Wednesday morning.
Carvin, a consensus four-star prospect from Cordova High School, signed with the Volunteers over Florida and Mississippi State.
Carvin was not previously committed to Tennessee. He was joined during the signing ceremony at Cordova High School byBanks, who also chose the Volunteers over several other major programs.
Banks is a three-star running back, according to 247Sports and a four-star running back according to Rivals.
Carvin wore a maroon jacket as he signed, but he pulled an orange Tennessee cap from underneath the table as he announced his decision to cheers from the crowd.
Carvin and Banks were the fourth and fifth players to sign with Tennessee on Wednesday. Carvin is the third offensive linemen in the group.
A third player not previously committed to the Volunteers signed Wednesday morning after Carvin and Banks when quarterback JT Shrout from Newhall, California submitted his National Letter of Intent to play for Pruitt and the Vols.
Shrout had been committed to California. He de-committed Tuesday night to sign with Tennessee.
Previously, quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Michael Penix had been committed to the Volunteers. Both de-committed during the transition from Butch Jones to Pruitt. Quinten Dormady, Jarrett Guarantano and Will McBride each return with starting experience at quarterback.
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Shrout is considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals.
An in-state player who stuck with his commitment to Tennessee through a tumultuous coaching search became the first official member of the Volunteers' signing class on Wednesday morning.
Tanner Antonutti, a three-star offensive tackle from Nashville's Ensworth High School signed with Tennessee in the morning.
Antonutti played some tight end in high school but is projected as an offensive tackle in college. He is among a handful in-state players who remained committed to Tennessee during the transition from former coach Butch Jones to new coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Tennessee's offensive line dealt with a wave of injuries in 2017, which forced several freshmen into prominent roles late in the season. With a new coaching staff in place and several players returning with game experience, competition should be open along the offensive line during spring practice.
Another in-state offensive lineman, Ollie Lane, became third player to sign with Tennessee on Wednesday morning.
Lane, a three-star offensive lineman, signed with the Volunteers at around 10 a.m.
Lane starred at Gibbs High School near Knoxville. He projects as an interior offensive lineman. Lane committed last April and remained committed to Tennessee through the coaching transition from Butch Jones to Pruitt.
The second player to sign with Tennessee during college's football's first-ever early signing period is in position to compete for immediate playing time.
Punter and kicker Paxton Brooks from West Columbia, S.C. signed Wednesday morning after Antonutti.
With the graduation of record-setting punter Trevor Daniel, Brooks figures to compete with Joe Doyle for the right to replace Daniel. Brooks also kicked field goals and handled kickoffs in high school.
Kingston Harris was the seventh player to sign with Tennessee on Wednesday. Harris just committed to Tennessee on Monday after visiting campus last weekend. The IMG Academy product also had offers from Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers, among others.
Jacob Warren, the eighth player to sign on Wednesday, had been committed to the Volunteers since May. The Farragut High School standout will need to bulk up to play tight end at the college level, but his highlight reel shows a skilled athlete with the potential to become a playmaker.
The ninth signee of the day, Greg Emerson, is another in-state product who stuck with Tennessee through the Jones to Pruitt transition. He is the most highly touted of the group. Emerson is listed as one of the top 10 defensive tackle prospects in the class by both Rivals and 247Sports. He did not play as a high school senior in 2017 because of an injury.
Emerson chose Tennessee over offers from many of the nation's elite programs.
Another four-star, in-state defensive lineman signed shortly after Emerson's signing became official.
Brant Lawless starred for Nashville Christian and stuck with the Volunteers through the coaching transition. He had scholarship offers from several other top programs, including Auburn, Florida and Georgia.
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.