'19 JUCO LB Lakia Henry (Former UT commit)

#526
#526
On Saturday, they won’t have a large number of prospects in town, but importantly, linebacker commit Lakia Henry will be in Knoxville to take his official visit. It’s obvious that the Vols need help at linebacker and keeping Henry in the fold is important. Tennessee is also working on additional options (more on those in a moment) but this weekend is critical for Henry and Tennessee. He’s listening to others schools (mainly Arkansas, Auburn and Ole Miss) and plans to take some visits (possibly Alabama, but the Tide haven’t pushed there lately, and Florida). Henry will be an EE, graduating and signing in December.
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-VQ
 
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#527
#527
"It went really well," Henry said. "It was a great visit. I really enjoyed myself. The defense played really well during the game and I enjoyed the atmosphere. It was really amazing and nice to watch."

Other schools continue to pursue Henry, but he's remained solid to Tennessee. What has pushed him to remain so faithful to the orange?

"Tennessee is just the place for me," Henry said. "I'm really close with all the coaches. We have built relationships over the few months. They keep in contact with me on a daily basis and they check on my academics. They have nice facilities and they show me a lot of love."

Tennessee is hoping to add instant impact with the linebackers they sign in the 2019 class. They continue to chase prospects at the high school level, with Henry being the key piece currently committed at the position.

"I'm going to be a big factor the moment I come in," Henry said. "I plan on working hard and I plan on getting better, bigger, faster and stronger. I feel like I can help a lot in the run game. I think I can help stop that. I'm good sideline to sideline mentality."

Henry has built strong relationships with the Tennessee staff with Vol assistant Kevin Sherrer leaving a big impact on him. He hears the message loud and clear from both Sherrer and head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

"They tell me they need leaders and guys that want to come in and change the program," Henry said. "I feel like I bring all those things they are looking for. I think I bring speed, leadership and I feel like I can come in and turn Tennessee into a winning program."

Henry continues to hear from Arkansas, Florida and Auburn the most consistently. They want to get him on their campus for visits, but is that a real possibility after his visit to Tennessee?

"Probably not after this one," Henry said. "If I do, I don't even know what it would be. If I do, I'll let everyone know."
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--VQ

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#531
#531
Tennessee commitment Lakia Henry, a four-star linebacker from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, used his first official visit to return to Knoxville over the weekend for the first time in almost six months. It was his first time attending a game at Neyland Stadium, and sources said the visit made a strong impression on him. He has built strong relationships with the Vols’ coaches, including quality control analyst Joe Osovet and defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer, and Tennessee has made it clear to him that he has a chance to make an immediate impact on its defense next year.

At least a few other SEC teams, including Arkansas, Florida and Auburn, have stayed in contact with Henry. Arkansas and Florida offered him last month. Alabama also has been in the picture at times, although the Crimson Tide haven’t made a strong push for him to this point. The big question moving forward is whether he will visit any of those schools leading up to signing day. His answer has changed at times in recent weeks, but coming off his official visit to Knoxville, there’s at least a legitimate chance he won’t end up traveling to other schools down the stretch.
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-Callahan
 
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#536
#536
“Everything went real good,” said Henry, who’s ranked the No. 4 overall junior-college prospect and No. 1 juco inside linebacker in the industry-generated 247Sports Composite for the 2019 class. “They showed me why I committed there. It was really nice. I enjoyed myself.”

“That's what Coach Pruitt told me when I was there,” Henry said. “He told me I’m still a need for Tennessee. I’m not a want. They’re still keeping up with recruiting me themselves. They’re still recruiting the hardest — still, out of everybody. They still feel the same way about me coming in and playing right away. "Me coming in early and studying the defense is going to be the biggest thing because I’m coming in, in May, not December.”

Coming off the visit, Henry said there are a few reasons he still feels good about his longstanding commitment to Tennessee. “Really, the coaching staff, man, and the people,” he said. "You’ve got a lot of people behind you helping with a lot of decisions you make, so that’s big.”

Henry, a native of Vidalia, Ga., said he plans to visit the Vols again within the next few months, adding that he’s “going back again before I sign,” although he’s not sure when he will be able to take another unofficial visit to Knoxville. “It’ll probably be around January,” he said. “We’re going to try January. … They’ve got a lot of dead period, so we have to figure it out.”
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#539
#539
One thing I notice in his mid season highlights. When he tackles the runner stops or falls backwards not forwards. Something Pruitt really harps on our current team for not doing enough of
 
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