Tennessee has a need for speed on both sides of the ball. They’ve tried to add some more of that in the 2019 class, but they’re really trying to correct that issue in the 2020 class. And UT just sent out an offer to a speedy and dynamic athlete out of Texas this week.
Devon Achane is a four-star prospect who plays for Fort Bend Marshall out of Missouri City, Texas. He’s added a lot of offers this month, and he picked up another on Tuesday when Tennessee extended a scholarship offer to him.
Blessed to receive an Offer from the University of Tennessee #Govols? @MarshallBuffs @CoachYACJohnson @JoeHamilton__ @ErikRichardsUSA @SWiltfong247 @247Sports @EJHolland247 pic.twitter.com/o8g4AGn5oW
— Trained To Go? (@ffvmousvon_) January 23, 2019
According to 247Sports, Achane is the No. 252 overall player and No. 33 player in the state of Texas. The 247Sports Composite rankings have him as a three-star and the No. 511 overall prospect in the 2020 class. He’s listed as a wide receiver by 247Sports, but he plays more running back in high school.
And given his size, that makes sense.
Achane is listed as just 5-foot-9, 170 pounds. But what he lacks in size, he more than makes up for in speed and play-making ability. And it’s why schools like Georgia, LSU, Florida State, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Houston, and others have extended offers to him recently.
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When looking at Achane’s film, his speed immediately stands out. No, he won’t be able to outrun every defender in the college level like he does in high school, but he has game-changing speed. Not only that, but he’s very hard to bring down. He has a low center of gravity, and he uses that to his advantage both as a running back and a receiver. He has good vision and anticipation too, and he can see holes closing and knows how to hit them in time. He’s also a dangerous special teams weapon in the return game, and that’s where his vision really gets shown off. His lack of size is an obvious knock against him, and he doesn’t run many actual routes, so it’s weird that he’s listed as a wide receiver by recruiting services. But as a running back and just as a pure athlete and play-maker, he’s exceptional.
Achane has put up some eye-popping numbers in high school so far according to MaxPreps. As a junior, he totaled 1,361 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns on just 127 carries, giving him a 10.7 yard per carry average. He also caught 26 passes for 642 yards and seven scores. On special teams, he returned three kick-offs and two punts for touchdowns, giving him 42 total scores in 16 games last season.
In 29 career games for Fort Bend Marshall, Achane has run for 2,557 yards and 48 touchdowns on 206 carries, giving him an average of 12.4 yards a carry. He also has 58 receptions for 1,236 yards and 12 touchdowns. He even plays some defense, and he has an interception and a few passes defended as a defensive back.
If you don’t trust his speed in his highlight film, then know this: He’s been timed running the 100-meter dash in 10.82 seconds as a sophomore according to Mile Split.
Tennessee will need some more speed at the skill positions in the future, and Achane brings that. He may not have ideal size, but you can’t teach speed and the type of instincts he has. The Vols won’t be the only top program pursuing him this cycle.
