Lovie Jenkins made a visit to Knoxville on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he announced that he wanted to be part of Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class.
Jenkins, a three-star cornerback who plays for Ocoee High School in Ocoee, Florida, announced on Wednesday afternoon that he has committed to the Vols in the 2020 class. He added in a note on a graphic in his tweet that he “won’t say respect my decision, just accept my decision.”
It’s Time To Paint The Picture Get The Vision & See It Clear???…….. pic.twitter.com/nVYstEolfN
— Lovie Jenkins#️⃣1 (@Lovie1k) June 12, 2019
The 6-foot, 185-pound defensive back picked up an offer from the Vols back on April 24th and took his first visit to campus this week. It was there that he decided to go ahead and pull the trigger on his commitment.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Jenkins is the No. 807 overall prospect, No. 61 cornerback, and No. 107 prospect in the state of Florida in the 2020 class. Don’t let his ranking fool you, though; Jenkins has picked up tons of interest from top-tier programs in college football lately.
Since February of this year, Jenkins has added over 30 scholarship offers, including ones from Notre Dame, Miami, NC State, Missouri, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, UCF, and Vanderbilt. Jenkins took an unofficial visit to several schools in the last few days before stopping by UT, including Vanderbilt, Louisville, and UCF.
Not only is Jenkins a stud on the football field, but he also runs track for Ocoee. He ran the 100 meters in 11.15 seconds and the 200 meters in 22.30 seconds.
As a football player, though, Jenkins has a lot to like.
Jenkins has played both safety and cornerback for Ocoee, and he hits hard like a safety no matter where he lines up. He has a great vertical leap, and his athleticism separates him from other prospects, as does his speed. Jenkins is tenacious and has good hips. He’s also a superb return specialist, as he takes multiples kick-offs and punts back for scores on his highlight film, showing off his great vision and natural return instincts in the process.
As a junior last season, Jenkins totaled 60 tackles, six tackles for loss, three interceptions, and 15 pass breakups. He scored four total touchdowns as well. As a side note, his Ocoee squad took on Tennessee 2019 quarterback signee Brian Maurer’s West Port High School team last year and won 77-67.
With Jenkins’ commitment, the Vols now have nine total public commitments in their 2020 class. Jenkins gives Tennessee their second commitment from a projected cornerback. He joins No. 1 overall JUCO player and four-star cornerback Art Green as UT’s two cornerback commits right now. The Vols also have a commitment from four-star safety Antonio Johnson. The talented defensive back announced his commitment to Tennessee on Friday along with teammate and three-star offensive lineman Javontez Spraggins.
