Tennessee’s first camp of the year on June 1 gave the Vols a chance to see
Will Stallingswork out in person. Within a few days, they had set their sights on him in hopes of addressing their need at running back in the 2023 class.
It didn’t take long for Stallings, a rising senior at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, to be sold on Tennessee. He announced his commitment to the Vols on Sunday afternoon, less than two weeks after they gave him his first SEC scholarship offer on June 6.
Blair Angulo, a 247Sports West region recruiting analyst, said Tennessee is getting a “physical” back in the 6-foot, 222-pound Stallings, who also has been recruited by some teams as a possible linebacker.
“The Vols are getting one of the more physical players in the entire West region,” Angulo said of Stallings, who has received offers from more than a dozen schools. “Stallings thrives on contact, lowers his shoulder to bulldoze through defenders and runs with a full head of steam.”
Stallings was timed at 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash during Tennessee’s camp earlier this month, when he made the cross-country trip from Las Vegas in hopes of earning an offer from the Vols.
He’s ranked the No. 91 linebacker in the 2023 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. Despite currently being rated by 247Sports as a linebacker, Stallings has plenty of versatility and has “a bright future” at running back, Angulo said.
“He’s been a versatile player at the high school level, at first rated at running back, then athlete, then linebacker,” Angulo said of Stallings. “But he’s got a bright future as a ball carrier at the next level. We could see Stallings carve out a role as a short-yardage speciality back early in his college career with a chance to develop into a three-down back.”
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Pittsburgh are among the other programs that have extended offers to Stallings. He also participated in a camp at Texas A&M on Friday and has drawn interest from other teams.
“While all the Power Five schools out west have not really recruited Stallings or found a spot for him on either side of the ball, we could see him turning into another sneaky good pickup at Gorman for the Vols, similar to the coup that
Cedric Tillman turned out to be,” Angulo said, referring to the former Bishop Gorman standout who’s now a star wide receiver at Tennessee.
