Weekly Recruiting Recap (Mar. 22nd-28th)
Lead Story
One of the top in-state defensive prospects of the 2022 class, CPA (LB) Langston Patterson Langston Patterson 6'1" | 210 lbs | LB Christ Presbyterian | 2022 State TN put an end to his recruitment last week when he gave his commitment to Vanderbilt. Staying home to play his college ball in Nashville, Patterson chose the Commodores over other Power Five programs like Stanford, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Tennessee and others. The 3-star linebacker was also Vanderbilt’s first commitment of the 2022 class and it’s a big one for the Commodores to have their 1st commit be a local product.
Patterson is a strong athlete at linebacker that plays sideline to sideline along with the instincts to track down the ball wherever it is. He fits what new Commodores head coach Clark Lea wants in his middle linebacker as Patterson not only produces but he is a strong leader as well.
This commitment too from Patterson could spurn other local products to look harder at the new Vanderbilt program under Lea and see the value in staying home to play their college ball.
Offer King of the Week
‘23 Independence (TE) Ty Lockwood Ty Lockwood 6'5" | 225 lbs | TE Independence | 2023 State TN – Arizona State and Michigan
– It was another good week for this Middle Tennessee product and his continued rise up the recruiting charts as one of the top tight end prospects for the 2023 class. Adding two power offers from the Sun Devils and Wolverines just adds to the already strong list of offers that Lockwood has and he isn’t done. Expect many, many more offers to continue flowing his direction over the coming weeks and months.
Underclassmen Spotlight
– Several guys can be mentioned here this week. Multiple high quality underclassmen received offers but the prospect to mention here is 2023 Mt. Juliet (TN) OT/G Ayden Bussell Ayden Bussell 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Mt. Juliet | 2023 State TN .
The 6’6 lineman added his 1st college offer last week from Vanderbilt and with it being an SEC offer Bussell can bet to see many other Power Five interest and offers come his way in due time. The Golden Bears rising junior is a physical, well built guy that has explosive traits about his game but is yet still green in several areas, so that speaks to how high his upside is. Bussell is also a high caliber student, so he checks several boxes to be a heavily recruited guy.
Watch his offer list explode over the coming months!
Etc …..
– The Tennessee Volunteers and new head coach Josh Heupel targeted two 2023 in-state offensive lineman last week when he offered Baylor School (OL) Brycen Sanders Brycen Sanders 6'6" | 285 lbs | OL Baylor School | 2023 State TN and FRA (OL) Joe Crocker Joe Crocker 6'6" | 310 lbs | OL FRA | 2023 State TN and both guys should remain at the top of their recruiting board going forward.
Heupel and his staff have done solid work thus far going after in-state talent and working to build relationships in hopes of making them future Volunteers. Sanders and Crocker are two big targets to go after as both are considered two of the top offensive lineman in-state for their recruiting class.
– Davidson Academy (TN) two way lineman, Jalen Brockman Jalen Brockman 6'3" | 275 lbs | DL Davidson Academy | 2022 State TN picked up a strong offer last week from Charlotte to go along with offers from Austin Peay and Eastern Ky but with the 49ers now on board, they are the team to beat…for now! Expect Brockman to see his stock continue to rise over the coming months, especially if he is able to hit the college camp scene this summer.
– The elusive first college offer finally arrived last week for CPA (TN) Ath Reid Williford Reid Williford 6'2" | 195 lbs | ATH CPA | 2022 State TN when the Eastern Ky Colonels became the 1st to get on board with this Nashville area standout. Williford is a big time athlete that could play a variety of roles on the next level. Eastern Ky may have been his 1st but they won’t be his last. Williford is also a winner as this Fall he will be defending a state title that he and his CPA teammates won last season.