One of Tennessee’s top 2016 targets gave the Vols some good news on Sunday afternoon, which also happened to be the one-year anniversary of when he originally committed to Tennessee before later re-opening his recruitment.
Four-star defensive lineman Emmit Gooden announced via Twitter that the Vols are in the lead for his services, putting the Vols in the driver’s seat heading into spring evaluations for the 6-foot-3, 270-pounder who is viewed among the best, if not the best, prospect in Tennessee.
This time last year I committed to The University Of Tennessee and as of today I have them as my leader #Vols #GBO pic.twitter.com/WaUzNNzXRW
— TheRealEmmitG93 (@TheRealEmmitG93) February 15, 2015
Though Gooden decommitted from Tennessee a couple months after his original commitment, the Vols have always remained in the picture for the Brownsville, Tenn. native. He named UT, Mississippi State, Ohio State, Alabama and Ole Miss his top five on Jan. 3 of this year, and has always had the Vols and Bulldogs right at, or near the top, of his list.
The Vols are fairly loaded with young defensive linemen, but Gooden is the level of player that could likely find his way into any recruiting class and any rotation at the college level. He’s among the top in-state targets for the Vols, joining the likes of defensive back Joejuan Williams and linebacker Daniel Bituli.
Rankings:
Rivals.com: ★★★★
Scout.com: ★★★★
247Sports: ★★★★
ESPN.com: ★★★★
Film:
