The University of Tennessee was gifted two defensive anchors to add to their 2023 recruiting cycle. Highly touted defensive end Chandavian Bradley and linebacker Jalen Smith announced they will take their talents to Knoxville, TN. The two prospects become Tennessee’s third and fourth recruits in the past four days, joining wide receiver Cameron Seldon and offensive tackle Shamurad Umarov.
Bradley chose the Volunteers over SEC rivals South Carolina and Texas A&M. He is the highest defensive recruit for the Volunteers and the second-best overall, trailing quarterback Nicholaus Iamaleava. Mike Ekeler earns credit for bringing in the DE.
Smith picked Tennessee over 40 schools, such as LSU, USC, and Texas. Linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary is responsible for the three-star’s recruitment.
“I mean, even from just that one visit that we went to, you could kind of tell the family atmosphere and just the atmosphere in general. Even with it being summer and people being gone, you can kind of tell from the energy that they really care about their people.”
-Chandavian Bradley on why he chose Tennessee
A Dive Into Tennessee’s New Commits
Bradley is the No. 1 player in the state of Missouri. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound DE attends Platte County High School in Platte City, MO. He guided his team to a 9-3 record, and a Missouri Class 5 playoff appearance.
He competed in track and field and basketball during his sophomore year. Bradley recorded a 24.34 200, a 5-10 high jump, and a 41-foot triple jump.
The defensive end ranks No. 47 on ESPN’s Class of 2023 Top 300 and earned a scout grade of 86. He is the fourth-best DE in the country.
https://twitter.com/chandavian23/status/1546222779263029251?s=20&t=Mj3nBdITSliSVIa633ycRw
Smith does not rank on ESPN’s 300 but is 439th in the nation according to 247Sports. The three-star prospect is placed at No. 40 among all linebackers.
Playing football at Grayson High School in Loganville, GA, he set a single-season record with 173 tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in his junior season. Smith captured all-county and all-state honors for his incredible display.
The linebacker ran track in his sophomore year, recording PRs of 12.17 in the 100-meter dash, 25.00 in the 200-meter dash, and 23.62 in 110-meter hurdles.
In Conclusion
Smith and Bradley’s commitments give Josh Heupel’s program a total of 18 recruits and sit at No. 5 on 247Sport’s national recruiting list.
In Heupel’s first season as head coach in 2021, the Volunteers finished with a 7-6 record and placed third in the SEC with a 4-4 record in conference games.
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Good stuff! VFL!