As he observed Canada Day — independence day for Canadians — with family before returning to the Baylor School campus to begin preseason practice, Jamyan Theodore decided to give Tennessee fans a reason to celebrate as well.
Theodore, an all-state cornerback for the Red Raiders who’s rated a consensus 3-star prospect by all major recruiting outlets, announced his verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee. He became the third commitment for the Vols on Tuesday, after four-star Jackson (Mississippi) Academy teammates T.J. White (linebacker) and Dereon Albert (defensive line) made their announcements earlier in the day, and he is the seventh pickup by UT since last Friday.
“Today is like the Fourth of July for us Canadians, so knowing Tennessee was already getting a couple of others coming in, I wanted to help make it a big day for the fans and the program and go ahead and make my announcement,” said Theodore, who chose the Vols over Kentucky, Ole Miss, Louisville and Wisconsin among others. “I also thought it was good to commit now because I don’t want to have any distractions for the season. I want to fully concentrate on helping Baylor be as good as we can be this season and just focus on that.”
The 6-foot, 171-pound Theodore burst onto the state scene last season when he intercepted three passes — returning one 32 yards for a touchdown — in a regular-season showdown with rival McCallie. He also intercepted a Blue Tornado pass in the BlueCross Bowl and finished the season with five interceptions, 12 pass breakups and 30 solo tackles to earn Division II-AAA all-state recognition. He did not give up a TD reception in 13 games.