Tennessee Vols could get a big win against Nick Saban and Alabama before the season even starts
The Tennessee Vols could be the recipients of some great recruiting news early next week. Tennessee is one of four schools in the mix to land 2024 five-star edge rusher Jordan Ross, along with Alabama, Florida, and Texas. Ross, 6-foot-4/230 lbs from Birmingham, AL, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 2 edge rusher in […]
The Tennessee Vols could be the recipients of some great recruiting news early next week.
Tennessee is one of four schools in the mix to land 2024 five-star edge rusher Jordan Ross, along with Alabama, Florida, and Texas.
Ross, 6-foot-4/230 lbs from Birmingham, AL, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 2 edge rusher in the nation and the No. 1 player in the state of Alabama. He's also rated as the No. 12 overall player in the nation.
The highly coveted five-star recruit is set to announce his commitment on August 21.
And there's a good chance that he chooses Tennessee.
247Sports' Steve Wiltfong offered an update this week on the battle for Ross and he seems to think that the "buzz" has been around the Vols.
"The buzz has been around Tennessee for a lot of the cycle," wrote Wiltfong. "The Vols prioritized Ross early, gotten him to campus several times, he has a great relationship with the staff and he also loves the fanbase."
"Seems like Tennessee is in a good spot but can’t rule out Alabama," added Wiltfong.
On3's Chad Simmons also thinks the Vols are sitting in a good spot with Ross.
“With the final four of Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, I would say the team that’s really been attached to his name the most has been the University of Tennessee,” said Simmons earlier this week.
"I like where Tennessee’s at….Texas and Alabama can’t be counted out, but with less than a week to go the Vols are in a good spot," added Simmons.
This would be a landmark recruiting win for the Vols if they can secure a commitment from Ross.
Not only would Tennessee be adding an elite pass rusher to their roster that could eventually be a first round selection in the NFL Draft, but they'd also be stealing a player from Nick Saban's backyard.
Beating Saban in a head-to-head battle for the top player in the state of Alabama, who happens to be a defensive player, would send a signal to the rest of the SEC that Heupel and the Vols aren't going away anytime soon.
Winning this battle, especially beating Alabama for 2023 four-star linebacker Arion Carter during the last recruiting cycle, could also send Saban into a state of agitation that we haven't seen yet from the five-time SEC coach of the year.
In order to take the Crimson Tide down a notch, the Vols have to start consistently winning big recruiting battles against Bama. We're starting to see that happen on a more consistent basis over the last year.
If Tennessee can close the deal with Ross, it will be one of Heupel's biggest gets yet as the head coach at UT.
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