Last Saturday was a big day for the Tennessee Football department. Not only did the Vols host Junior Day for the class of 2023 recruits, but Tennessee also had move-in day for their class of 2022 early enrollees. In total, Tennessee has welcomed in 18 new faces.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tennessee welcomed in linebacker Elijah Herring, lineman Jordan Phillips, cornerback Dee Williams, lineman Tyre West, linebacker Jackson Hannah, and lineman/tight end Titus Rohrer.
On the offensive side, it is quarterback Tayven Jackson, lineman Addison Nichols, running back Justin Williams, wide receiver Kaleb Webb, wide receiver Cameron Miller, wide receiver Marquarius “Squirrel” White, wide receiver Chas Nimrod, lineman Mo Clipper Jr., lineman Brian Grant, lineman Gerald Mincey, tight end Charlie Browder, and legacy quarterback Navy Shuler.
New semester. New faces.
Meet our early enrollees ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NxCZAd5X3X
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 24, 2022
Additionally, Tennessee did post a video of the move-in process from a cold Saturday in Knoxville.
Welcome home, fellas!#GBO pic.twitter.com/CO9j4r66KT
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 22, 2022
See Also from RTI: Recapping Tennessee’s Transfer Portal Activity (So Far)
Tennessee Early Enrollees
Elijah Herring, Linebacker
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Three-star
247 Sports: Three-star
Herring is an in-state recruit from Murfreesboro, TN, and is ranked as the 26th player in the state of Tennessee from On3’s consensus rankings. The Riverdale High School standout has been a longtime Tennessee commit, officially making his announcement all the way back in the middle of April.
Herring was recently on campus on Dec. 3 for a big recruiting weekend, which was followed up with his signature on Wednesday. Herring’s brother, Caleb Herring, is an edge rusher from the class of 2023 and is the top-ranked player in the state of Tennessee for his class.
Jordan Phillips, Defensive Lineman
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Three-star
247sports: Three-star
The Florida defensive lineman committed to Tennessee in late June after taking visits to Knoxville, Georgia Tech and Maryland earlier in the month. Phillips took a visit to Florida in September but stayed strong to his Tennessee pledge.
Phillips ranks as the nation’s 687th best player and 79th best defensive lineman according to the On3 consensus rankings. The defensive lineman’s path to early playing Tim is slim with the Vols’ defensive line depth being one of their best positions on the team.
Desmond Williams, JUCO Cornerback
ESPN: Three-star
On3: No JUCO rankings
Rivals: Not Ranked
247sports: Three-star
Williams became Tennessee’s third defensive back commit after choosing the Vols over Mississippi State earlier this month. The Georgia native earned all-conference honors at East Central Community College in Mississippi last season.
The 5-foot-11 corner ranks as the eighth-best junior college player on both 247sports and ESPN. Tennessee’s cornerback depth was weak this season and the Vols lose Alontae Taylor and Theo Jackson to the NFL Draft this offseason. Williams isn’t a sure-fire instant impact player, but Tennessee is banking on it as the corner has just two years of eligibility.
Tyre West, Defensive Lineman
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247 Sports: Four-star
Tennessee earned the talented defensive tackles commitment on signing day as West flipped his commitment from Georgia to UT. West was poised to flip away from the Bulldogs but Florida State looked like the likely destination before a late Tennessee push.
West ranks as the 141st best player and 21st best defensive lineman in the country according to the On3 consensus rankings. With his signature, West becomes the highest-ranked signee in Tennessee’s 2022 class.
Jackson Hannah, Linebacker, Transfer from Nebraska
Formerly a three-star recruit in the class of 2019, Hannah went to Nebraska from the jump. However, in December of 2021, Hannah entered the transfer portal. Then, on Monday, Hannah announced that he would be transferring to play football in Knoxville at the University of Tennessee.
Titus Rohrer, Defensive Lineman/Tight End
Tayven Jackson, Quarterback
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Four-star
After striking out on Ty Simpson and Sam Horn — a pair of highly ranked quarterbacks with UT connections — Heupel and his staff did a fantastic job of getting involved and earning a commitment from a highly sought-after quarterback. Jackson held offers from Texas A&M, Michigan, Florida, and a handful of other big-name schools.
The Greenwood, Indiana native ranks as the nation’s 205th best player and 14th best quarterback in the On3 consensus rankings. Jackson led Center Grove High School to a state championship this season. The four-star quarterback will sit behind Hendon Hooker for a season before competing for Tennessee’s starting job ahead of the 2023 season.
Addison Nichols, Interior Offensive Lineman
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Four-star
Josh Heupel and offensive line coach Glen Elarbee earned the pledge of the Norcross, Georgia lineman in July. Nichols chose the Vols over a top three that included North Carolina and Ohio State.
The Greater Atlanta Christian School standout ranks as the nation’s 155th best player and the 15th best player in the state of Georgia in the On3 consensus rankings. Tennessee expects to return four of its five starting offensive linemen and all three of its interior linemen. from a season ago. Like most offensive linemen, immediate playing time will be unlikely for Nichols.
Justin Williams, Running Back
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Three-star
The four-star running back is Tennessee’s biggest pick-up early on signing day as the Vols outlasted Auburn to land the running backs commitment Wednesday. Williams was originally committed to West Virginia before de-committing earlier this fall.
Williams ranks as the nation’s 222nd best player and the state of Georgia’s 21st best player according to the On3 consensus rankings. The Dallas, Georgia native has the chance to be an instant impact player.
Kaleb Webb, Receiver
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Four-star
The talented receiver is the latest Tennessee commit entering the early signing period, choosing the Vols over Michigan and Louisville. The Georgia native’s recruitment blew up this fall after a breakout senior season. Webb was committed to East Carolina but de-committed after three visits to Knoxville this fall and winter.
The 6-foot-3 receiver ranks as the nation’s 253rd best player and the state of Georgia’s 23rd best player according to the On3 consensus rankings. Webb earned a reputation as a strong returner in high school and with Velus Jones Jr. and a handful of receivers graduating, Webb will have an opportunity to earn early playing time.
Cameron Miller, Receiver
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Four-star
247sports: Three-star
Miller was one of Tennessee’s highest-rated commits when he decided on Tennessee in July. The Memphis receiver held offers from nine SEC schools including Auburn and Ole Miss and 20 schools in total.
The 6-foot-1 receiver ranks as a four-star and the nation’s 449th best player according to the On3 consensus rankings. Like all of Tennessee’s incoming receivers, Miller will have a chance to earn early playing time. However, the receiver played his high school ball in a low classification at Memphis Academy of Health Sciences. The adjustment to the SEC could be a challenging one.
Marquarius “Squirrel” White, Wide Receiver
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Three-star
247 Sports: Three-star
Squirrel White has been a Tennessee commit since July, but that wasn’t the end of his recruitment by a long shot. As the season went forward, White continued to draw more attention from the top schools in the SEC, which is a positive nod towards Heupel’s original recruiting assessment. Even though White has taken visits to Auburn and Georgia in the last month, the speedy wide receiver is still locked in with Tennessee.
White, a 5-foot-10, 155-pound receiver from Pinson, AL is ranked as the 50th receiver in the class by On3 consensus rankings. Additionally, he ranks as the 14th ranked player coming out of the state of Alabama.
Chas Nimrod, Receiver
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Four-star
Rivals: Three-star
247sports: Three-star
The Bentonville, Arkansas native committed to Tennessee in August after visiting Knoxville in July. The talented receiver also visited Kansas State, Illinois, Utah State and Washington State in June. Nimrod was a frequent visitor at Tennessee after committing, unofficially visiting for the Tennessee Tech and Ole Miss games before officially visiting last weekend.
Nimrod ranks as a four-star and the nation’s 405th best prospect according to the On3 consensus rankings. The 6-foot, 181-pound receiver isn’t likely to find playing time next fall.
Maurice Clipper Jr, Interior Offensive Lineman
ESPN: Four-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Three-star
247sports: Three-star
The Alpharetta, Georgia native committed to Tennessee in July after taking official visits to Knoxville, Virginia Tech and Louisville in June. The 6-foot-4, 305 pound guard is a mauler who played his high school ball at Milton.
Clipper ranks as the nation’s 702nd best player and 55th best interior offensive lineman according to the On3 consensus rankings. With Tennessee’s returning offensive line depth and Clipper’s need for polish, the Georgia native likely won’t see playing time for a few years.
Brian Grant, Offensive Tackle
ESPN: Three-star
On3: Three-star
Rivals: Three-star
247sports: Three-star
The Florida offensive lineman was one of Tennessee’s first commits, giving his pledge to Josh Heupel and the Vols before even visiting campus. Grant held offers from BYU and Maryland.
Grant ranks 835th best player in the country according to the On3 consensus rankings. The Fort Walden Beach native is a project that won’t see immediate playing time in Knoxville.
Offensive Tackle Gerald Mincey – Florida Transfer
- Formerly with Florida
- Three-star 247 prospect
- Immediate eligibility with four-years remaining
- Entered the portal on Nov. 29
- Committed to Tennessee on Dec. 15
Tight-End Charlie Browder – UCF Transfer
- Former commit of Josh Heupel and his staff while at UCF
- Formerly with UCF
- Three-star 247 prospect
- Immediate eligibility with four-years remaining
- Entered the portal on Dec. 29 & committed to Tennessee on Jan. 11
Quarterback Navy Shuler – Appalachian State Transfer
- Son of legendary Tennessee QB Heath Shuler
- Formerly with Appalachian State
- Three-star 247 prospect
- Immediate eligibility with four-years remaining
- Entered the portal on Dec. 10 & committed to Tennessee on Dec. 19
