Nathan Leacock, one of Tennessee’s top remaining wide-receiver targets in the 2023 class, is ready to reveal his college decision. The rising senior from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C., is planning to make his choice known Friday afternoon, and the Vols are one of his finalists after hosting him on a pair of visits since April.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Leacock is expected to choose between Tennessee, N.C. State, North Carolina and Michigan. He's set to reveal his commitment at 3 p.m. Eastern time during a ceremony at his school.
Leacock is ranked the No. 591 overall prospect and No. 77 wide receiver in the 2023 class and the No. 19 rising senior from the state of North Carolina, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. He's also rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, where he's ranked the No. 92 wide receiver in the 2023 class.
Both predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball point to Tennessee as the favorite to land him. The Vols have been one of the top contenders for him since he traveled to Knoxville for the first time in mid-April to attend their final spring scrimmage, and his official visit to Tennessee the weekend of June 24 only further established the Vols as one of the teams to beat heading into the final weeks before his announcement.
Michigan hosted him on his first official visit, a midweek visit that started on June 14, and he took an official visit to North Carolina the weekend of June 17. He also has been to nearby N.C. State on a number of occasions, including a pair of unofficial visits last month. The Wolfpack have been widely viewed as Tennessee's main competition for Leacock down the stretch, and sources close to his recruitment believe that's still the case going into today's announcement.
But the Vols have impressed Leacock during both of his trips to Knoxville over the past few months, and Tennessee built some momentum with him last month that hasn't faded since his official visit to Knoxville nearly a month ago.
Tennessee wide receivers coach
Kelsey Pope has developed a strong relationship with Leacock in recent months, and five-star Vols quarterback commitment
Nicholaus Iamaleava of Long Beach, Calif., also has taken on an active role in recruiting Leacock to join him at Tennessee. Sources close to Leacock's recruitment believe the opportunity to team up with Iamaleava is one of a handful of reasons he has been high on the Vols.
Landing Leacock could go a long way toward making up for the Vols missing out on a few highly ranked wide receivers in recent months.
Oregon beat out Tennessee for four-star receiver
Kyler Kasper of Gilbert, Ariz. — who reclassified from the 2023 class to the 2022 class — in April, and four-star receiver
Carnell Tate of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., a top-50 prospect nationally, picked Ohio State over the Vols last month. Four-star receiver
Malik Benson, the nation's No. 1 junior-college prospect, committed to Alabama earlier this month after naming Tennessee his leader coming off his official visit to Knoxville the weekend of June 10.
At this point, Tennessee still appears to be the favorite to land Leacock entering the final hours ahead of his scheduled announcement. The Vols have remained optimistic about their chances of landing him, according to sources, while N.C. State has stayed in contact with him this week but doesn't seem to be as confident that Leacock will choose the Wolfpack.
Barring a last-minute shift in momentum, the Vols seem likely to hold off N.C. State and add a coveted wide-receiver target to its 2023 class.
PREDICTION: Tennessee