2018 four-star defensive tackle Greg Emerson committed to Tennessee on Monday

On Monday at The Opening in Beaverton, Oregon, defensive tackle Greg Emerson committed to the Tennessee Volunteers. Emerson announced his commitment during NFL Total Access’ coverage of the recruiting event.

Emerson is a class of 2018 defensive lineman from Jackson, Tennessee, an attendee of North Side High School. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound lineman ranks fifth among all DTs in America, with only Ohio State commit Taron Vincent, Michael Thompson, Tyler Friday and FSU commit Robert Cooper ahead of him.

Emerson is also the second-best player in the state of Tennessee, with five-star offensive tackle Cade Mays being the only one ahead of him. Mays, like Emerson, is a Tennessee commit as well, as the Vols can lay claim to three of the top four Tennessee recruits in 2018 with only four-star offensive tackle Max Wray being the outlier, as he’s an OSU commit too. He ranks in the Top 100 for 2018, checking in at 76th overall in America.

Tennessee looked like the place for him the whole step of the way, as his 247Sports Crystal Ball was all for the Vols with nine-of-nine predictions. The U.S. Army All-American had offers from Arkansas, Oregon, and LSU among others.

This move boosts Butch Jones’ 2018 class up to fourth in the country. They are just a step behind LSU, who is third in the country and first in the SEC, but they’re certainly gaining on them as it stands. Only Miami and Ohio State are ahead of the two SEC squads at 1 and 2 for 2018, and it’s clear that Jones’ class right now looks terrific.