Tennessee 'the team to beat' for 4-star EDGE Jordan Ross
Birmingham (Ala.) Vestavia Hills four-star EDGE Jordan Ross will become the latest blue-chip recruit to come off the board on Monday night, as he’s set to announce his commitment at 8 p.m. ET on the On3 YouTube channel.
The 6-foot-4.5, 215-pounder will choose between Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. With just hours remaining until his decision, On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman says there is a favorite to land the The No. 34 overall prospect and No. 4 EDGE in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking.
“Right now I really look at Tennessee as the team to beat,” Spiegelman said on Monday’s edition of The Inside Scoop.
Ross has taken five trips to Knoxville, including an official visit on June 23. Florida also received an OV, but a move from Alabama to Rocky Top seems to be in the cards. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), Tennessee has the best odds to land the EDGE at 30.1%.
“Tennessee has long been considered a top three school for Ross and the Vols have been trending since the official visit in June,” wrote On3’s Chad Simmons. Ross has always been open to leaving his home state and the Vols hope to capitalize on that Monday night.”
Tennessee searching for recruiting win on the defensive line
Tennessee and Josh Heupel have made plenty of waves on the recruiting trail this cycle. The Volunteers’ class features 19 total commits and currently ranks No. 9 in the nation and No. 6 in the SEC, according to the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Ranking.
That class hasn’t been formed without some misses, however, specifically on the defensive line. Tennessee was a player in the sweepstakes for Lee’s Summit (Mo.) North Five-Star Plus+ DL Williams Nwaneri, who pledged to Missouri on Aug. 14. The Vols were also trending at one point for Lake Cormorant (Miss.) four-star DL Kamarion Franklin, who chose Ole Miss on Aug. 19.
Of Tennessee’s 19 pledges, three are on the D-line: Springfield (Mo.) Glendale four-star EDGE Kellen Lindstrom, Rome (Ga.) Model 9-12 three-star DL Jeremias Heard and Chattanooga (Tenn.) McCallie three-star DL Carson Gentle. Adding a player of Ross’ caliber would prove vital.
Buzz remains “in favor of the Volunteers”
“They obviously have a pressing need along the defensive line, they’ve swung and missed at a couple of key targets,” Spiegelman said. “Jordan Ross has been at the top of their board for several months and as his decision nears, there’s been a lot of buzz in favor of the Volunteers, especially down the stretch.”
“It has been great,” Ross told Volquest of his relationship with Tennessee in May. “They stay in contact with me every day. They are wanting me to come back to Rocky Top, and I can’t wait to get back to Rocky Top. When I was at Rocky Top in January, that was an amazing atmosphere, and I have never seen anything like that.”
Ross would be Tennessee’s second highest-ranked commit in the class, behind Lilburn (Ga.) Parkview five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews, the No. 14 prospect in the cycle. The class also features 12 four-stars, highlighted by Nashville Lipscomb Academy cornerback Kaleb Beasley and Savannah (Ga.) Calvary Day quarterback Jake Merklinger.