Tennessee Football Recruiting: Vols hoping to flip speedy quarterback
Last week, the Tennessee Vols were able to convince four-star safety Doneiko Slaughter to flip his commitment from Arizona State to UT. The Vols are hoping they have some magic left up their sleeve this week. 2020 three-star athlete Jimmy Holiday, who has been committed to TCU since August, announced late Monday evening that he […]
Last week, the Tennessee Vols were able to convince four-star safety Doneiko Slaughter to flip his commitment from Arizona State to UT.
The Vols are hoping they have some magic left up their sleeve this week.
2020 three-star athlete Jimmy Holiday, who has been committed to TCU since August, announced late Monday evening that he plans to sign his national letter of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
Holiday, 6-foot-1/180 lbs from Madison, MS, is rated by Rivals as the No. 15 player in the state of Mississippi and the No. 27 athlete in the nation.
While Holiday is listed by Rivals and 247Sports as an athlete, he's being recruited by Tennessee as a dual-threat quarterback.
Holiday told Rivals that UT's "whole offensive coaching staff" recently came to visit with him. The talented three-star recruit mentioned that Pruitt sees college football changing and believes the Vols will need a quarterback like Holiday in the future.
From Rivals:
He's (Pruitt) straight forward about everything….The thing I liked the most is that he said the game is changing and that he would be a fool to not see it changing and that before long he will need this type of quarterback.
According to 247Sports, Holiday runs the 40 yard dash in 4.38 seconds — that's the kind of elite quarterback speed that can drive opposing defensive coordinators mad.
It's worth noting that Vols wide receiver Jauan Jennings was recruited as an athlete/quarterback by UT's previous coaching staff.
However, I'd count on Holiday sticking at quarterback with the current staff. Pruitt has made "trust" a central theme of his recruiting pitches. And so far, Pruitt has built plenty of trust with his players. True freshman linebacker Henry To'o To'o told reporters on Tuesday that Tennessee's coaches have done "everything" they promised during his recruitment.
I can't see Pruitt promising Holiday the chance to play quarterback and then moving him to wide receiver or safety (unless, of course, that's something Holiday wants to do).
Speed at the quarterback position is extremely important in the SEC, which is why I think it's a smart move for the Vols to do their best to swipe Holiday from TCU.
I'm sure UT offensive coordinator Jim Chaney can find some very creative ways to use the dynamic athlete in his offense.
Featured image via 247Sports
