Signing day got a little sweeter for the Tennessee football staff when the Volunteers held on to elite linebacker JJ Peterson on Wednesday afternoon.
A four-star prospect according to 247Sports, Peterson is rated at as the 48th best player in the 2018 class. He signed with the Volunteers during a ceremony at Colquitt County High School in south Georgia just a few hours after the Vols were spurned by another elite linebacker from that region, Quay Walker.
Peterson, who had been committed to Tennessee for a month, was pursued heavily by Alabama as signing day approached.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, Peterson is the highest-rated player to sign with Tennessee from the 2018 recruiting class. He pulled an orange cap from beneath a table during the ceremony.
Just after Peterson announced his signing with the Volunteers, Olaijah Griffin committed to Southern California over Tennessee. Griffin, the third-best cornerback in the 2018 class, would have been a major addition for the Volunteers.Tennessee lost out on elite linebacker Quay Walker from south Georgia when Walker signed with Georgia at a ceremony at Crisp County High School late in the morning.