KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee football program welcomed six more Vols on National Signing Day to increase its 2018 signing class to 20 newcomers.
“We’re excited about the 20 young men that we’ve added to this class,” Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt said at Wednesday afternoon’s press conference. “These guys are going to lay the foundation for the next four to five years. These are the guys that wanted to be a part of what we’re trying to get done, and we’re excited to have them.”
The 2018 class features players from Tennessee (nine), Georgia (four), California (three), Florida, South Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Pruitt and his staff signed 14 recruits, including seven early enrollees, during the Early Signing Period in December.
Pruitt and his assistant coaches will discuss each of the 20 signees at Wednesday night’s 2018 Tennessee Football Signing Day Celebration presented by First Tennessee Bank at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with a live stream HERE.
Here are the six Vols who signed on National Signing Day:
Trevon Flowers
Freshman, DB, 6-1, 185
Tucker, Ga. / Tucker HS
Composite Ranking: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 84 S
State Rank: No. 100 in GA
247 Sports: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 58 S
State Rank: No. 72 in GA
Rivals: 3-star
High School
- Originally committed to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky
- Took a three-year break from high school football to focus on baseball but played his fall 2017 senior season of football, starring at free safety for Tucker High School
- Helped lead the Tigers to a 12-2 overall record and the Georgia Class 6A State semifinals as a senior in 2017
- Three-sport star who also played basketball, earning GACA Class 6A North All-State honors for the 2016-17 season
- Chose Tennessee over several Power 5 offers, including Clemson and Kentucky
Kurott Garland
Freshman, DL, 6-3, 250
Conyers, Ga. / Heritage HS
247 Sports: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 42 SDE
State Rank: No. 101 in GA
High School
- 2017 AJC Class 6A Honorable Mention All-State Defensive Lineman
- 2017 GSWA Class 6A Second Team All-State Defensive Lineman
- Played in 12 games for Heritage High School and made 125 tackles, including 82 solo. He sacked opposing quarterbacks 12.5 times, caused one fumble and caught one interception
- Led Heritage High School to the second round of the state playoffs
Emmit Gooden
JUCO – Junior, DL, 6-4, 305
Brownsville, Tenn. / Haywood HS / Independence C.C.
Composite Ranking: 4-star
National Rank: No. 17
Position Rank: No. 7 DT
State Rank: No. 4 in TN
ESPN: 4-star
National Rank: No. 37
Position Rank: No. 9 DT
247 Sports: 3-star
National Rank: No. 36
Position Rank: No. 10 DT
State Rank: No. 5 in TN
Rivals: 4-star
National Rank: No. 14
JUCO
- 2017 NJCAA Second Team All-American
- 2017 Stats: 81 tackles, 6.5 TFL, one sack
- 2016 Stats: 55 tackles, 13.5 TFL, four sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery
- Helped Independence C.C. finish the 2017 season ranked No. 5 nationally after finishing the year with a 9-2 overall record
- Helped lead Independence C.C. to the Kansas Jayhawk Conference league title and its first-ever bowl victory with a 30-20 win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in the 2017 Midwest Bowl Classic
High School
- Was a three-year starter at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee
- Career High School Stats (MaxPreps): 29 GP, 213 tackles, 81.0 TFL, 24.5 sacks
- Named Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Class 4A Lineman award winner as a senior in 2015
- Named 2015 All-West Tennessee Lineman of the Year
- 2015 TSWA Class 4A All-State selection
John Mincey
Freshman, DL, 6-4, 255
Homerville, Ga. / Clinch County HS
Composite Ranking: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 38 SDE
State Rank: No. 79 in GA
ESPN: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 69 DT
State Rank: No. 87 in GA
247 Sports: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 39 SDE
State Rank: No. 92 in GA
Rivals: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 40 SDE
State Rank: No. 68 in GA
High School
- Named to Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) Class A (Public) All-State team in 2017
- Named to Georgia Sports Writer’s Association (GSWA) Class A (Public) All-State first-team defense in 2017
- Collected Defensive Player of the Year honors from Region 2-A
- Helped lead Clinch County to a 12-2 record and the GHSA Class A-Public State Championship in 2017, the program’s seventh state title
- Also played basketball for Clinch County
- ESPN scouting report described Mincey as flashing “strong point of attack skills with ability to fire out, uncoil and shoot hands and use his reach to press blockers”
- Held numerous Power Five offers and chose Tennessee over Arkansas, South Carolina and Auburn among several others
JJ Peterson
Freshman, LB, 6-2, 231
Moultrie, Ga. / Colquitt County HS
Composite Ranking: 4-star
National Rank: No. 48
Position Rank: No. 3 OLB
State Rank: No. 7 in GA
ESPN: 4-star
National Rank: No. 44
Position Rank: No. 1 OLB
State Rank: No. 7 in GA
247 Sports: 4-star
National Rank: No. 74
Position Rank: No. 8 OLB
State Rank: No. 8 in GA
Rivals: 4-star
National Rank: No. 71
Position Rank: No. 5 OLB
State Rank: No. 9 in GA
High School
- Selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
- Competed at the Nike The Opening Finals
- Named to the All-USA Georgia First Team by USA Today
- Named to Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) Class 7A All-State first team as a senior in 2017
- Named to Georgia Sports Writer’s Association (GSWA) Class 7A All-State second-team defense in 2017
- Was an GSWA Class 7A All-State Honorable Mention as a junior in 2016
- Led Colquitt County High School to the GHSA Class 7A state championship game in 2017
- Totaled 199 tackles (28 TFLs) and 14.5 sacks in three seasons at Colquitt County
- Had a career-year in 2017, making 110 tackles, including 19 TFLs and five sacks, while forcing one fumble and recovering three loose balls
- During his junior campaign, he totaled 59 tackles and 6.5 sacks
- Made 30 tackles as a sophomore, including four TFLs and three sacks
- Selected Tennessee over offers from several schools, including Alabama, Auburn and Florida
Cedric Tillman
Freshman, WR, 6-3, 205
Las Vegas, Nev. / Bishop Gorman HS
247 Sports: 3-star
Position Rank: No. 180 WR
State Rank: No. 10 in NV
High School
- Played for national high school powerhouse Bishop Gorman during his junior and senior seasons
- 2017 Stats (MaxPreps): 14 GP, 37 catches, 774 yards, 7 TD
- Helped lead Bishop Gorman to its third straight USA Today High School Football National Championship in 2016 after posting a 15-0 record and extending the school’s win streak to 54 games
- Helped lead Bishop Gorman to a pair of Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) Class 4A State titles in 2016 and 2017
- Earned second-team NIAA All-State honors as a senior in 2017
- Earned first-team All-Southwest League honors as a senior in 2017
