One of the Tennessee Vols' top remaining 2024 recruiting targets is four-star wide receiver Amari Jefferson. 

Jefferson, 6-foot-/200 lbs from Chattanooga, TN, is rated in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 3 player in the state of Tennessee and the No. 16 athlete in the nation. 

The talented recruit is set to announce his commitment on August 5. And the general feeling is that Jefferson is down to Alabama and Tennessee with the Crimson Tide holding a slight lead. 

That "slight lead" for Alabama, however, doesn't mean much. It's really anyone's guess as to where Jefferson, who plans to play college baseball in addition to college football, will commit. 

(Jefferson is actually committed to Tennessee for baseball, but that's not a giveaway in regards to his looming decision.)

While it's never ideal to go head-to-head with Alabama in a recruiting battle, there are a couple of things working in Tennessee's favor that could lead to the desired outcome for the Vols. 

Jefferson recently spoke to the Chattanooga Times Free Press about his upcoming commitment and he revealed that baseball and his family will play a big role in his decision. 

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"Just talking it over with my parents," said Jefferson when asked how he'll make his decision. "Really just making a collective decision. Because I ultimately don't want to make a decision that they're not really behind. I think really just talking through with my parents figuring out the best situation for us as a family."

As for playing baseball in college, that's still something that's definitely at the front of Jefferson's mind. 

"It's very important," said Jefferson when asked about playing baseball in college. "I mean, that's been my goal, ever since I can remember, to do both at each school. I mean, ultimately, it is a football decision because that's what's paying for the full scholarship. But yeah, I'd say it's a huge part of it."

I don't want to speculate on what Jefferson's family wants for him, but I'd say being close to home would be a big selling point for the Vols. It's a lot easier to make the drive from Chattanooga to Knoxville than it is from Chattanooga to Tuscaloosa. 

And I think the baseball stuff speaks for itself. Tennessee is one of the hottest baseball programs in the county and they're sending players to the MLB draft left and right. When you combine the current state of Tennessee's baseball program with the the gambling scandal that recently took over Alabama's baseball program, it's pretty easy to see advantage Vols written all over this aspect of Jefferson's recruitment. 

Again, you can never count out Nick Saban and Alabama — there's a reason that some folks feel like they're in the lead — but there are a lot of factors in this recruitment that are in Tennessee's favor. We'll have to wait until August 5 to find out Jefferson's decision, but the Vols are very much in this recruiting battle. 

Former UT QB Tayven Jackson makes strong statement about Vols’ coaches after transferring to Indiana

Former Tennessee QB Tayven Jackson made a strong statement about Vols’ coaches after transferring to Indiana

Featured image via Chris Day/The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK