The University of Tennessee picked up commitments this weekend from a pair of high school football teammates for the 2020 recruiting cycle – and got another from a player who won’t be a Volunteer for a few more years.
East St. Louis (Illinois) teammates Antonio Johnson and Javontez Spraggins brought Tennessee’s commitment total to eight from the 2020 high school graduating class. Tony Mitchell, who is going into his freshman year of high school, made a nonbinding pledge to the Vols for the 2023 recruiting class.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back, is the No. 11 safety in his class according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings. He chose the Vols over offers from some of the nation’s elite programs, including Southeastern Conference foes Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. In 2018, he had 103 return yards on five interceptions while adding nine receiving touchdowns on 32 catches and a 99-yard punt return for a score.
Spraggins, a 6-3, 300-pound offensive lineman, is rated as a three-star prospect. He had Football Bowl Subdivision offers from Illinois, Iowa State and Missouri.
Despite his youth, the 6-foot, 180-pound Mitchell has impressed a lot of recruiters, with nine offers including from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and West Virginia.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.