Tennessee already has several highly-rated prospects committed to them in their 2021 recruiting class. But not all of the prospects who commit or sign with the Vols are ranked highly initially. Thanks to head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s reputation as a quality talent evaluator, however, several of UT’s commits over the last few years have received ratings bumps some time after committing to the Vols. Take Roman Harrison and Jimmy Calloway in UT’s 2020 class for example.
Right now, 10 of Tennessee’s 23 commits in their 2021 class are rated as four-stars or higher on 247Sports. The Vols have a handful of commits in contention for a bump to four-star status as well, and one of those appears due for a ratings boost in 247Sports’ next update.
Charles Power of 247Sports wrote an article looking at a group of tight ends who will be getting bumps in their rankings later this month. The staff at 247Sports has been looking over tons of junior year film and getting measureables from coaches in lieu of in-person evaluations because of the lack of camps and practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 247Sports Rankings Council meets weekly and has been focused on taking deep dives through each position group in the 2021 cycle,” Power wrote. “The absence of in-person spring evaluations via camps and practices have shifted focus to closer inspection of junior seasons and video along with time to nail down any other useful information (measurables, athletic testing, etc.). Not dissimilar from the approach of college football staffs, we’ve used this time to gather new information and devote more time to evaluating as many top prospects as possible.”
Miami commit Elijah Arroyo was the consensus top choice among the group of tight ends that 247Sports’ staff looked at that weren’t already rated highly. But right after Arroyo, who is currently a three-star prospect, was one of Tennessee’s tight end commitments.
Miles Campbell committed to the Vols on May 18th, choosing Tennessee over offers from Auburn, Florida, Michigan, Miami, Florida State, and many others. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound athlete burst onto the scene as a junior last season, and he looks like the ideal fit for Jim Chaney’s offense at Tennessee.
And according to Power, Campbell should expect to see a jump in his rankings soon.
“Similar to Arroyo, Campbell’s well-rounded game as a pass catcher jumps out among the tight end group,” Power wrote. “He’s a high-volume target for his high school (54 catches for 620 yards, seven touchdowns) and lines up at multiple receiver spots. Campbell has some nuanced ability as a target as he is able to create some separation via quickness within his routes. He’s continued to show that skill set during offseason workouts. He’s a stoutly-built 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and also shows some encouraging signs as a blocker.”
Campbell plays for South Paulding High School in Douglasville, Georgia, and he plays on both sides of the ball, lining up as a wide receiver and tight end on offense and as a pass rusher on defense.
Right now, Campbell is barely inside the top-500 prospects in the 247Sports Composite rankings, coming in at No. 493 overall. He’s rated as the 20th-best tight end and the No. 37 recruit in the state of Georgia. The regular 247Sports rankings have Campbell rated even lower, ranking him 666th overall, No. 25 among tight ends, and 45th in the state of Georgia.
But as Power points out, Campbell is expected to make a pretty big rise up those rankings in the coming weeks.
The next 247Sports rankings update will come on June 17th and will focus mostly on the offensive side of the ball. Last month’s rankings update was primarily looking at defensive prospects.
Terrance Ferguson, a huge tight end out of Colorado, was also mentioned as a prospect ready for a rankings bump by Power. The Vols are in contention for Ferguson, who recently included Tennessee among his group of five finalists in his recruitment. Ferguson is a four-star in the composite rankings, but he’s ranked considerably lower in 247Sports’ own rankings right now.
