Tennessee’s newest commitment has every reason to be excited about playing for the Vols. Nathan Leacock, who committed to Tennessee on Friday, will be a part of one of the nation’s top offensive systems in 2021 and play alongside five-star quarterback prospect Nico Iamaleava. The table is set.
The Vols should be equally excited. Tennessee solidified themselves as one of the top ten classes in the nation when Leacock, a three-star prospect from Millbrook High School in Raleigh, N.C., announced he would be a Vol on Friday.
Here are three things to know about Leacock:
Varied options
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver had taken official visits to Michigan and North Carolina. There’s not much in common between the Wolverines, Tar Heels and Vols. Tennessee was always thought to be the leader for Leacock’s service so it was no surprise that the Vols landed him when they did.
Leacock took official visits to see the Vols, Wolverines and Tar Heels. However, he didn’t venture to off on recruiting visits very often. It seems that Leacock had made up his mind to commit to Tennessee long ago.
Kudos to Kelsey
Receivers coach Kelsey Pope was very aggressive in landing Leacock and, more importantly, making sure that he didn’t continue to explore other options. Pope got Leacock sewn up before another program could improve their position.
Pope wasn’t the only coach instrumental in Leacock’s decision. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh were also very involved.
It takes two?
The Vols only have two receivers committed for the 2023 class after signing four receivers last season. Will the Vols take another receiver in the 2023 class? That’s a bit complicated.
Tennessee has missed out on a few receiver prospects to other SEC teams, such as Alabama and Arkansas. With a strong class in 2022, the Vols might be comfortable with fewer receiver commitments in the 2023 class. The Vols currently have 19 commitments so there isn’t much room left in Tennessee’s 2023 class.
