2018 four-star Brendon Harris commits to Tennessee

Four-star Brendon Harris is the latest to join the Tennessee Volunteers’ class of 2018.

Harris, a native of Chattanooga, plays safety and is regarded as one of the best at his position. 247Sports’ Composite rankings have him at No. 16 in the country and he also ranks as the fourth-best player in the state of Tennessee.

All indications prior to Harris’ commitment were that he was headed to Knoxville. His Crystal Ball was all the way for the Vols, as all six predictions made had him playing for Butch Jones. This despite fielding offers from the Georgia Bulldogs, Clemson Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes among others.

The addition of Harris aids the Vols in quite a few ways. They’ve jumped up to seventh in the 2018 recruiting rankings and are still second behind LSU in the SEC. In addition, Harris is now the second-best player in the class, with five-star tackle Cade Mays still leading the way.

Mays and Harris also share common ground in another department as both are instate recruits. Butch Jones has been doing a stellar job with pursuing talent from the state, as three of the top five recruits are all Vols commits. Ma Wray, a four-star offensive tackle, is an Ohio State commit while defensive tackle Greg Emerson remains uncommitted. For what it’s worth, the four predictions made in his Crystal Ball are all for Tennessee. Brant Lawless, a four-star defensive tackle, is the eighth-best player in the state and is also a Vols commit, so it goes without saying that Jones is doing a good job of keeping talent in state right now.

The back end of the defense is an experienced unit that will be losing some continuity in the next two years, so getting Harris into the fold will be helpful going forward. Right now, Todd Kelly Jr., Micah Abernathy, Emmanuel Moseley and Rashaan Gaulden are all at least juniors, with Kelly Jr. and Moseley being seniors and Gaulden being a redshirt junior. They represent the projected starters for the Vols this year and with keeping senior Justin Martin involved, the Vols will see an exodus from the secondary after this season. Getting Harris helps to fill a need that will likely continue to be addressed this spring and summer as they look toward the future.