Tennessee football: Three four-star 2020 Memphis linebackers commit to Vols

Jeremy Pruitt had a big night recruiting in-state for Tennessee football. Three 2020 linebackers from one Memphis high school committed to the Volunteers.

Looks like three more players will be heading East on Interstate 40 to play for Tennessee football next year. The Vols had a huge night on the recruiting trail in Memphis for 2020, and that city alone may have given them their best night of the year for 2020 recruiting. Also, it all came from one high school and players at one position.

Three Whitehaven linebackers, two inside linebackers and one inside linebacker, all committed to the Vols. All of them are four-stars, and two of them were decommitments from other SEC schools closer to Memphis just this week.

Bryson Eason got the ball rolling first, although it was late in the night. A 6’2″ 230-pound inside linebacker who is a top 200 ranked player nationally, he announced his commitment to Tennessee football on Twitter.

Less than two hours after that, though, the Vols got their other two splash commitments. Martavius French, another inside linebacker at 6’3″ 235 pounds, who just decommitted from the Arkansas Razorbacks two days ago, also committed to UT. He is another top 200 player on Rivals who announced his commitment on Twitter as well.

Sealing the deal for Tennessee football was another Whitehaven prospect. Tamarion McDonald, a 6’2″ 215-pound outside linebacker, had decommitted from the Mississippi State Bulldogs that day. Another four-star on Rivals, he announced his commitment to the Vols on Twitter as well.

So in one night, Rocky Top took its commitment number from 14 to 17 and its number of four-star commitments from six to nine. And they did it all from one high school in the southwest corner of the state. All of these guys are huge pickups.

Eason, who first committed, is the No. 182 ranked player nationally on Rivals, the No. 11 ranked player at his position and the No. 7 ranked player in the state of Tennessee. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

As you can see, Eason has incredibly lateral speed, is willing to tackle hard, and can also play very well in coverage. He is everything Jeremy Pruitt needs in a linebacker, so his commitment is a huge pickup for the Vols.

With ratings almost identical to Eason, French is the No. 180 ranked player nationally, the No. 10 ranked player at his position and the No. 7 ranked player in the state of Tennessee. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

French is more of a north-south player who uses his vision. His understanding of where to go to find the ball carrier is a huge deal, and as you can see from the highlights, he has great instincts in that regard.

Finally, there’s McDonald. He’s the No. 28 ranked player nationally at his position on Rivals and the No. 13 ranked player overall in the state of Tennessee. But he has no general national ranking. Here is a look at his highlight reel.

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For an outside linebacker, acceleration is the name of French’s game. He takes a second to get in the right position because he has solid vision, and then he explodes. That’s a great asset for a linebacker, so he will be another solid pickup.

All of this happened in the midst of the World Series and the start of the NBA season. It seems like the biggest earthquake in sports, though, happened for Tennessee football, and while it came from Memphis, it wasn’t caused by the New Madrid Fault.

Getting three four-star commitments at the same position for 2020 from the same high school is insanely impressive. Pruitt scored huge here, and despite the Vols’ 2-5 record, it serves as further proof of him truly building a program.

Before this season, Pruitt noted that there is skill for the Vols at linebacker but not enough depth. Well, UT now has four players at that position committed when you add Marietta, Ga. prospect B.J. Ojulari, another four-star.

So what’s clear is he’s addressing that, especially when you consider the fact that Tennessee football will still have Henry To’o To’o, Quavaris Crouch and J.J. Peterson next year. Also, with these Memphis commitments, it upgrades the news of UT linebackers from the area after the dismissal of Jeremy Banks earlier this year. This is all good news for Rocky Top.