A week after stealing a wide receiver from the Georgia Bulldogs out of the Atlanta area, Tennessee Football beat out UGA in another recruiting battle. Once again, the Vols scored a win at a position where Josh Heupel continues to stack up talent.
Christian Gass, a four-star edge out of Covington, Ga., announced his commitment to UT on his Instagram page Saturday. Coming out of Eastside High School in Newtown County, Gass stands at 6’3″ 215 pounds and is a bit of a hybrid between an outside linebacker and a defensive end.
Either way, he’s a guy who will be rushing the passer around the edge for Tennessee Football. The Vols beat out UGA and the USC Trojans for him, cementing Heupel’s ability to recruit the best players against the top programs elsewhere.
Similar to the commitment of Atlanta wide receiver Travis Smith Jr. a week ago, the Vols weren’t going to open the NIL checkbook for Gass. After all, they are loaded at edge rusher for the next three years. It wouldn’t be worth the money when they have needs at other spots.
Meanwhile, Gass would have to know that he won’t get on the field immediately with the Vols, and once again, Georgia is his hometown team. All of this means is that the Vols beat out UGA because of who they are as a program, not any sort of playing time or NIL selling point.
With Gass and Smith, Heupel clearly has Tennessee Football rolling on the trail. Gass’ highlight reel shows an elite ability to jump the snap but also enough agility to play in coverage, which is why Heupel and Tim Banks will have options as to where to put him.
Currently, Tennessee Football has 18 commitments for 2024 now and is once again flirting with a top 10 class. While they have four defensive ends committed, there are no linebackers outside of Gass, so it’s likely he fills a void there. Either way, UT just beat out Kirby Smart for a defensive star.
