Tennessee landed its biggest football commitment of the 2023 signing cycle Friday afternoon.
Literally.
Shamurad Umarov, a 6-foot-6, 337-pound offensive lineman from Denmark High School in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, announced his destination with a Twitter post of “Go Vols!!” Umarov revealed Michigan State, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee as his four finalists on May 1, and the four-star prospect took visits to each of those schools last month.
Tennessee’s staff, specifically offensive line coach Glen Elarbee, factored into his decision.
“The coaches just made such a huge impact, and they’ve treated me and acted the same way since the first day I met them,” Umarov told 247Sports.com. “That’s a really big deal, because throughout the recruiting process, the coaches can really switch up.”
Umarov is the nation’s No. 31 offensive tackle and the No. 347 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings. He is Tennessee’s 16th commitment, with his nonbinding pledge bumping the Volunteers up to sixth in the 247Sports team rankings behind Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Clemson and Penn State.
Tennessee’s commitment crop, which is headed by five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, is followed nationally by Southeastern Conference counterparts Arkansas, LSU and Georgia.
Umarov is of Turkish descent and is originally from Russia but moved to the Peach State as an infant. When asked by 247Sports what he has been told by Tennessee’s coaches, Umarov said, “They said my size and measurements are already there and that my lower half is already built for the college level.”
In other Tennessee athletic news Friday, pitcher Chase Burns was named by D1 Baseball as the national freshman of the year. Burns compiled an 8-2 record for the 57-9 Vols and posted a 2.91 earned run average.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.