Tennessee has added a couple of commitments since my last recruiting update, and that has helped to make the recruiting picture a little bit clearer as well. First, let's look at the two new names on the board.
Paxton Brooks was the first to join the class on the 17th. Brooks has been ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a 3-star kicker, although he is expected to punt for Tennessee. According to Kohl's Professional Camps, Brooks is the #2 punter in the nation in the class of 2018, averaging 41.8 yards per punt during his junior season. Brooks is currently awaiting the update to the specialists on 247Sports as well as awaiting rankings from Scout and Rivals. ESPN has Brooks as the #5 kicker in the nation and the top rated punter. The 6-5, 170 pound has been working on improving his hang time, something the Vols staff has asked him to do. He will likely compete with current freshman Joe Doyle for the punting job next season as they vie to be the player to replace senior Trevor Daniel.
Up next was Shocky Jacques-Louis, who pulled the trigger for Tennessee yesterday. The 6-1, 175 pound wide receiver is a former and now future teammate of freshman linebacker Shanon Reid. Among his many offers were Kentucky, South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, and Georgia. As a junior, Jacques-Louis had 20 receptions for 314 yards and 5 receiving touchdowns along with a touchdown on a kickoff return and one on a punt return. He is a player who fits the mold of what the staff was looking to add this cycle, a speedy receiver who can make deep plays. He should be the last receiver in the class.
Now, Tennessee's staff, one way or another, is of the belief that they can squeeze 24 into this class. I don't see how, but they've proven their magical ability to exceed expectations with their past classes, so at this point I'm assuming they have some plan of attack for this. That means that without attrition, they have two spots remaining. One of those two spots seems likely to go toward a defensive end. The other spot left in the class likely has two possibilities: Jerome Carvin or a defensive end. Under the number crunch, in order to take Jaycee Horn or their seeming backup plan in Dashon Bussell, they would probably have to cut loose someone somewhere. I don't know that they have this as high a priority at this time as some might think, and they could very well be pursuing another corner as a luxury rather than a necessity. Another option could be adding Carvin and dropping another offensive line commit.
Of course, the staff is likely to have a couple battles ahead of them to keep certain guys in the fold. Anthony Grant, Lyn-J Dixon, and Dorian Gerald are players who certainly haven't closed the door on looking around at other options. That's not to say that any of them are likely to flip, as at this time I wouldn't consider any of them imminent threats to decommit, but it's something to keep an eye on. South Carolina, Louisville, and Florida are teams pursuing Gerald. Clemson is certainly pursuing Dixon, and Georgia has offered Grant.
Some are still holding out hope for Tennessee to get 25 into the class, but at this point I'm not seeing that as being realistic so much as wishful thinking. However, if that were to happen, it would certainly help with the numbers as Tennessee would be in a situation where they could add needs and luxuries to round out the class. I'm not currently seeing anything that I would consider an imminent commitment, but as we've continued to see with this cycle, anything is possible.
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