KNOXVILLE – Tennessee’s summer recruiting under football coach Butch Jones often has been highlighted by the two annual “Orange Carpet Day” events, but the Volunteers had not had one as productive as Saturday’s.
Tennessee tallied a whopping eight commitments as 2017 prospects Tre Lawson, Princeton Fant, Theo Jackson, LaTrell Bumphus, Trey Coleman, Jordan Tucker and Jaquan Henderson and 2018 athlete Alontae Taylor all publicly picked the Vols.
Tennessee continued its in-state momentum – started last Sunday with the commitment of LaVergne athlete Maleik Gray, who chose the Vols over Alabama and Florida State – with the pledges of Fant, Jackson, Bumphus and Taylor.
Fant, a 6-foot-2, 208-pound wide receiver, is a teammate of Gray at LaVergne. Tennessee in February was the first to offer him a scholarship and since made him a priority as the likes of Ole Miss, LSU, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Miami followed with offers. Fant, who missed his junior season with a knee injury, had been on Tennessee’s campus multiple times prior to his commitment.
A 6-2 safety out of Nashville’s Overton High School, Jackson, like Fant, long has liked the Vols before pulling the trigger on Saturday. Jackson attended Tennessee’s satellite camp at Tennessee State this month and visited Knoxville on two occasions. His length is his best attribute, and he’s versatile enough to play cornerback as well.