KNOXVILLE - The Tennessee football program picked up its 18th commitment for the 2020 recruiting cycle Friday from three-star recruit Jimari Butler, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound defensive end from Mobile, Alabama.
Butler had not played football since eighth grade but returned to the sport after focusing on basketball and has 18 sacks this season.
Despite his long layoff from football, Butler has received more than 10 collegiate offers since the beginning of the season, including from Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, Ole Miss and TCU.
His addition fills a need for the Volunteers' recruiting class after the losses of B.J. Olujari, who flipped to LSU, and Jordan Davis, a junior-college prospect who pledged early to the Vols but is now committed to Mississippi State.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.