What could have turned into a disastrous Early Signing Day became a great finish for Tennessee as the Vols picked up two elite commitments. After adding four-star defensive lineman Isaiah Campbell, they flipped a highly touted 2025 linebacker from the USC Trojans.
Georgia prospect Jadon Perlotte, who hails from Buford High School in Gwinnett County, Ga., just outside of Atlanta, committed to the Vols Wednesday evening. UT announced his signing shortly after the news of his decision broke.
Standing at 6’3″ and weighing around 200 pounds, Perlotte is a four-star on 247Sports Composite and a mixture between a four-star and three star across the major ratings. We might call him a fringe four-star, but he’s elite enough to make this a strong finish to the day.
Perlotte joins Timothy Merritt as the two defenders to flip to UT on the opening day of the Early Signing Period. Merritt, a defensive back, flipped from the Miami Hurricanes. For what it’s worth, Campbell was committed to the Clemson Tigers through September. Anyway, Perlotte himself had been committed to USC since July.
With this pickup, UT has finally shored up its linebacker corps. for the future, a place where depth had been an issue ever since Josh Heupel took over. The future is already bright there, and Christian Gass signing Wednesday along with Perlotte means it’s not going anywhere.
A look at Perlotte’s highlight reel showcases his ability to stay home in coverage, which proves his instincts, a key trait to playing linebacker. It was smart of him to show that specifically. However, he also has great closing speed and is extremely physical.
Simply put, Perlotte has all the tools to be successful at the next level, so the Vols clearly got a steal. Not signing two players and suffering one flip is still a concern for Early Signing Day, but adding three commitments and two flips, for the time being, outweighs it.
