Tennessee would like to sign three perhaps four corners in its 2018 class, so where does that leave Rivals250 prospect Jaylon King?
The 4-star defensive back from Ensworth (Tenn.) camped at Tennessee the Friday before 'Orange Carpet Day,' and then attended the summer event the following afternoon. King said he relished the opportunity to work with the Vols new defensive backs coach Charlton Warren, focusing on some different back-peddling techniques during the workout.
The camp went well. It was my first time getting to work with coach Warren since hes been here, King said.
It was good working with him. He had some nice tips.
Mainly a quarterback in high school, King is still learning the nuances of playing corner. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound in-state product has the requisite tenacity to play the position and said "the transition hasnt been bad."
"Even though I played mainly quarterback last year, Ive been training and working out on the weekend with defensive back coaches, King explained.
Thats whats really been keeping me in shape and being able to camp at a high performance at DB.
Tennessee loves Kings length and competitiveness, but the Vols continue to evaluate whether the DB's speed translates to corner in college. There's real concerns there, and Tennessee had similar questions about in-state defensive back Rayshad Williams, who recently committed to Vanderbilt.
Because of that, King's standing with Tennessee remains in a bit of flux, but the Vols' top options are dwindling it's a three-team race for Horn and Jordan Miner is leaning toward Penn State with a decision coming in the next week. Still, Warren has proven he's comfortable going outside the box and trusting in his evaluations. Ingle and Cross wowed the UT assistant during workouts, earning spots in the 2018 class. Other names could emerge later this summer, too.
Tennessee remains in consistent contact with King, and like a lot of other in-state prospects, he's hearing the same "stay home" message.
They want me to support the home team, King said. They lost their No. 1 corner Cam Sutton and they have three seniors that are supposed to be leaving after next year, so (if) I got there its going to be a battle between freshmen, sophomore and a couple juniors who havent played as much.
King camped at Vanderbilt and Notre Dame last week, and the Commodores, as well as UT, Louisville and Georgia Tech round out his Top 4. An offer from the Irish could make things interesting, as well. He plans to visit several programs again after the dead period and then make a decision.
Im probably going to finish up (visiting) Louisville and Vanderbilt and then probably make a decision out of those four schools, he said.
Whether that timeline fits with Tennessee's plans remains to be seen though.
