George Uko will visit Tennessee

One player who many Vol fans are yet to hear a lot about is one of the biggest risers on the charts this spring and summer. Don Lugo High School in Chino, Ca has a 6’4”, 295 kid who is athletic enough to play tight end on offense but strong enough to be known as one of the top five defensive tackles in the country. While many people outside of the west coast are not very aware of Uko and his skills, coaches throughout the country are pursuing the run stopper to shore up the interior of their defensive line.

The fact that Uko is able to play tight end, and do so effectively is a testament to his hard work and more so, his athletic ability. In fact, at a camp earlier this summer, George tested his athletic skills at a combine and not only ran a 40 yard dash at just over 5 seconds (5.03), he also had a vertical jump of 32 inches. From years of experience on the combine circuit, I can testify that the mark he set is out of this world. His explosiveness and his technique are the two things he always gets praised for but he continues to work hard on all aspects of his game. “I want to get better. I know I’m good and I feel like I can step in anywhere and do good things but that doesn’t mean I’m cocky. It just means that I am confident. That is something I think you need as a player, otherwise you’ll get abused out there.”

There were rumors about George committing to Pete Carroll and USC as little as two weeks ago, but George shot those rumors down in a hurry. “Well, to be honest, I was thinking about it. I know how they are and how well they do every year and to be a part of that would be special. They just don’t lose it seems like. If they do, it is to a team that knows them and catches them off guard. When they play anyone else across the country, they handle them pretty easily.” Despite all of that praise, it wasn’t enough to make George pull the trigger.

“My father actually really wants me to go to USC because he likes everything about it and I can understand that, but when I sat down and thought about it, I realized I’d be selling myself short by pulling the trigger so early. There are some schools I really want to check out and some I need to see again.” George has already seen Oregon and really enjoyed his experience in Eugene and has another trip scheduled for November, but until then, he has three other trips planned, including one to Knoxville in just a few weeks.

“Yes sir, I will be heading out to Knoxville in the not too distant future. I am really excited about that because there are a lot of good things about Tennessee and their program. The coaches they have in place are just incredible. I really like Coach O, he crazy man (laughs) and Coach Monte is a legend so it will be good to meet them all and see what UT is all about.” Since the interview, George has scheduled his official visit to UT for the weekend of the Georgia game.

Right now things are up in the air for George and his future is looking bright wherever he winds up. He is definitely one to keep an eye on for Tennessee fans and we will be sure to keep you up to date on his recruitment from here on out.

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