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.
Bumphus, out of Hardin County on the state's southern border with Alabama and Mississippi, is an athletic 6-3 tight end or defensive end who went to both of Tennessee's in-state satellite camps this month and boasts an offer list that includes Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oregon, Southern California and Penn State.
Taylor is a four-state athlete in the 2018 class. He'd been committed to Vanderbilt for more than six months when he reopened his recruitment last month. The 6-foot, 180-pound Taylor plays quarterback for Coffee County, but his quickness and elusiveness suggest he'll play wide receiver or cornerback in college.
According to 247Sports.com, Gray (fifth), Jackson (12th), Bumphus (20th) and Fant (21st) are among the state's top-ranked 2017 prospects, while Taylor joins Knoxville Catholic offensive lineman Cade Mays as 2018 pledges for the Vols.
Tennessee dipped into Georgia to land Henderson, a former UCLA commitment who projects as an outside linebacker and had offers from LSU, Michigan, Arkansas, California, Mississippi State, North Carolina and others.
While the Vols were trending with Henderson and all four of those in-state players, the other three commitments were more unexpected.
The 6-6 Lawson from North Augusta, S.C., had offers from South Carolina, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others, and he has the size and frame to play inside or outside on the defensive line.
Tucker, who visited Tennessee in April, is a mammoth 6-6, 330-pound offensive lineman out of Roswell, Ga. He chose the Vols over South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, Louisville and others.
Running back Coleman gave the Vols a second 2017 commitment from Louisiana, joining defensive back Cheyenne Labruzza. Tennessee gave the 6-1, 200-pounder his first major offer in February after Coleman led his powerhouse West Monroe team in rushing. He's a well-rounded player capable of becoming an every-down back.
Beyond the commitments, Tennessee hosted a number of top targets this weekend, most notably five-star wide receiver Tee Higgins, a potential dual-sport college athlete who has a basketball offer from the Vols; running back Cam Akers, a former Alabama commitment; and 2018 quarterback prospect Emory Jones, who visited Ohio State this past week.
Tennessee's 2017 recruiting class is now up to 17 commitments.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com