Tennessee picked up its 24th football commitment for the 2021 signing class Monday and its third from within the state, receiving a nonbinding pledge from Hardin County tight end Hudson Wolfe.
The 6-foot-6, 240-pounder from Savannah is a four-star prospect and the nation's No. 9 tight end and No. 225 prospect overall in the 247Sports.com composite rankings. He announced his decision via an interview with Rivals.com that he posted on Twitter.
"There are a bunch of reasons," Wolfe told Rivals. "They've won in the past, and I'm confident that we'll be back there to win again. I'm also happy to represent my home state."
Wolfe is no stranger to Knoxville, pointing out that Tennessee's 31-24 double-overtime loss to visiting Oklahoma in 2015 remains "the greatest fan experience I've ever been a part of."
Tennessee's commitment crop is No. 3 in the 247Sports team rankings behind Ohio State and Clemson.
The other listed in-state commitments for the Volunteers are Brentwood High School receiver Walker Merrill and Baylor School running back Elijah Howard. Neither Rivals nor 247Sports list Bradley Central receiver Tray Curry as a Tennessee commitment.
Curry committed to the Vols late last month on his Instagram page.
Contributed photo / Hudson WolfeArtis promoted
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt announced Monday that A.J. Artis has been promoted as the team's director of football sports performance. Artis has been a member of Tennessee's strength and conditioning staff since 2018 and replaces Craig Fitzgerald, who accepted a similar position with the New York Giants earlier this spring.
"A.J. understands the standard we expect in this role and will continue to push our strength and conditioning efforts to the forefront of college football," Pruitt said in a release. "Since he first joined our staff in 2018, he has helped instill physical and mental toughness in our program through his contagious energy, hard work and innovation. Our players have tremendous respect for him, and I have no doubt they will continue to develop under his mentorship."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSPaschall.