Tennessee’s new coaching staff has been targeting bigger running backs who can combine strength and speed into one package. And the Vols got some good news about one of their top running back targets who fits that mold perfectly.
Marcus Major is a four-star running back out of Oklahoma City, and he just put out his top seven schools moving forward in his recruitment. And Tennessee made the cut along with some other SEC schools.
1st I want 2 thank God for da talents & gifts that he has given me 2 play this game I love. 2nd I want to thank my parents & coaches for everything they have done 4 me during this process. Last I want 2 thank every coach that has offered me a scholarship, But I’m cutting it to 7. pic.twitter.com/tRL67u5rpM
— MDMJ…$5 (@Md24jr) May 5, 2018
The Vols join Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and USC as Major’s top schools going ahead. He also holds offers from Michigan, Minnesota, Memphis, Baylor, and others.
Tennessee is actually the most recent school to offer Major, giving him a scholarship offer back on March 20th. But they’ve done enough in that time to be considered one of his top schools. Major recently unofficially visited Oklahoma in mid-April, and Jeff Traylor, the associated head coach and running backs coach for Arkansas, visited Major in April as well.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Major is the No. 326 overall player and the No. 20 running back in the 2019 class. Those ratings also have him listed as the fourth-best player in the state of Oklahoma. Arkansas and Oklahoma are the early perceived favorites for him.
Major’s recruitment has picked up a lot of steam in 2018. He holds 15 scholarship offers as of now, and 11 of those have come since the beginning of 2018. And it’s easy to tell why schools are targeting him when you look at his film.
The 6-foot, 200 pound Major has the rare blend of speed and power that colleges love in running backs. He has the elusiveness to make defenders miss, but he also has the ability to lower his shoulder and blast through a tackle or just simply power past a defender trying to bring him down. He’s also a very effective weapon in the passing game and shows good awareness as a pass catcher. It remains to be seen how good he is at pass blocking, and that’s usually the biggest transition a running back has to make from high school to college.
As a junior, Major ran for 1,250 yards and 33 touchdowns on just 100 carries. He helped lead Millwood High School to a perfect 14-0 season and a state title.
Tennessee doesn’t currently have a running back committed in their 2019 class, but they’ll likely try to add at least one back if they can. Expect Major to be one of the Vols’ top targets at the position in this cycle.
