Tennessee picked up another commit this week with local tight end Jacob Warren, who became the 11th member of the Vols’ 2018 class. Warren’s pledge filled a key need at tight end and also added another in-state feather to the staff’s cap. Warren has a lot of potential, but the next 9-10 months will be very important in his development to determine how soon he’ll see the field at Tennessee. The opportunity is certainly there, though, as current depth concerns have made tight end a priority in the 2018 class. The Vols hope to pair Warren with either Dominick Wood-Anderson, James Mitchell or Tommy Tremble. The latter two prospects are slated to be back on campus this summer. Tennessee is hoping to get the JUCO sensation, Wood-Anderson, to Knoxville soon as well.
Warren’s commitment also added another interesting development to Tennessee’s current class: Lots of future early enrollees. Like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State and others last year, Tennessee hopes to sign double-digit mid-term guys this December.
Warren, along with Cade Mays, Ollie Lane, Adrian Martinez, Alontae Taylor and Michael Penix all plan to be early enrollees. Brant Lawless at Nashville Christian is looking into it, too, although he’s unlikely to get clearance from his school. Meanwhile, top target Greg Emerson is another mid-term hopeful, as is Jerome Carvin.
The benefits are obvious for both the player and school, so if Tennessee can close to half its class to enroll in January, it could pay huge dividends for the next several seasons.