Jackson Lampley

OL Nashville, TN (Montgomery Bell) 6’4, 300
Committed: 2/8/18
Stars: 4 by 247Sports / 4 by ESPN / 4 by Rivals

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Lampley was the first 2019 commitment for the new staff at Tennessee. He will have a chance to help on the interior of Tennessee’s offensive line, which has all five positions up for grabs this fall. Lampley will be at Tennessee this summer and will begin competing immediately.

Highlights from hudl…

Hear The Sports Animal’s interview with Jackson Lampley…

Hear The Sports Animal’s interview with Jackson Lampley’s high school coach, Marty Euverard…

ESPN:
Natl Rank: No. 206
Position Rank: No. 10 OG
State Rank: No. 4 in TN

247 Sports:
Natl Rank: No. 248
Position Rank: No. 16 OG
State Rank: No. 7 in TN

Rivals:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 14 OG
State Rank: No. 15 in TN

High School
Starred at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tenn.
2018 USA Today Tennessee Preseason All-State selection.
Named to 2018 Preseason All-Midstate football team by the Tennessean.
2017 USA Today All-USA Tennessee Football First Team.
2017 Tennessee DII-AAA All-State selection.
Two-time Tennessean All-Midstate selection who is expected to garner the same honor later this month for a third time.
Part of a Montgomery Bell Academy team posted a 10-2 record, won a regional title and advanced to the DII-AAA state semifinals in 2018.
Blocked for four different rushers that reached at least 250 yards on the ground during his senior season.
Son of former Tennessee offensive lineman Brad Lampley.

-UT Athletics

Wanya Morris

OL Loganville, GA (Grayson) 6’6, 311
Committed: 5/1/18
Stars: 5 by 247Sports / 5 by ESPN / 4 by Rivals

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Morris is Tennessee’s top commit and arguably most important prospect in the 2019 class. He will enroll this spring and compete for immediate playing time. His goal is to start as a true freshman, and he’ll have a good chance to be on the field when Tennessee begins the 2019 season.

Highlights from hudl…

Need to Know:
Selected to participate in the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game.
Ranked No. 7 in USA Today’s High School Football Chosen 25 Rankings.
2018 MaxPreps Preseason First-Team All-American.
Participated in Nike’s “The Opening.”

ESPN:
Natl Rank: No. 7
Position Rank: No. 4 OT
State Rank: No. 2 in GA

247 Sports:
Natl Rank: No. 18
Position Rank: No. 2 OT
State Rank: No. 4 in GA

Rivals:
Natl Rank: No. 32
Position Rank: No. 4 OT
State Rank: No. 3 in GA

High School
Starred at Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga.
2018 Georgia Class 7A Preseason All-State Team selection.
Cornerstone of an offensive line that helped Grayson High rush for nearly 200 yards per game in 2018.
Recorded 73 pancake blocks during his senior season.
Helped lead Grayson to a 10-3 record and an appearance in the state quarterfinals in 2018.
2017 Georgia Class 7A All-State Honorable Mention.

-UT Athletics

Elijah Simmons

DT Nashville, TN (Pearl-Cohn) 6’2, 344
Committed: 7/16/18
Stars: 3 by 247Sports / 3 by ESPN / 3 by Rivals

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Simmons offers plenty of size for the interior of Tennessee’s defensive line. As he works himself into the right kind of shape. Tennessee believes Simmons can provide quality depth for a defensive line that desperately needs it.

Highlights from hudl…

Need to Know:
2018 Region 5-3A Defensive MVP
2017 All-Region 5-3A defensive team selection.
Won state titles in the shot put (49-10.5) and discus (146-8) at TSSAA Small Class Track & Field Championships as a junior.

ESPN:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 55 OG
State Rank: No. 29 in TN

247 Sports:
Natl Rank: No. 997
Position Rank: No. 65 DT
State Rank: No. 33 in TN

Rivals:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 38 DT
State Rank: No. 21 in TN

High School
Starred at Pearl-Cohn High School in Nashville, Tenn.
Recorded 141 total tackles during his high school career, including 13 TFLs.
Helped lead the Firebirds to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Class 3A state semifinals in 2018.
Helped Pearl-Cohn win a Regional Championship all four years he was in high school.
Intercepted one pass during his senior season and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

-UT Athletics

Chris Akporoghene

OL Seymour, TN (IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL) 6’5, 294
Committed: 7/9/18
Stars: 3 by 247Sports / 3 by ESPN / 4 by ESPN

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Akporoghene has improved greatly as a prospect and should continue to grow as a lineman at the next level. He’s a really good athlete, and as he continues to add weight, Akporoghene should compete for a starting position in the future at Tennessee.

Last name pronounced by him: Ah-puh-row-guh-nay

Highlights from hudl…

Need to Know:
2017 TSWA Division II-A All-State selection at The King’s Academy.
2017 Tennessee Football Coaches Association Division II-A All-State selection.
2017 First-Team All-PrepXtra selection.

ESPN:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 43 OT
State Rank: No. 74 in FL

247 Sports:
Natl Rank: No. 2,143
Position Rank: No. 180 OT
State Rank: No. 260 in FL

Rivals:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 38 OT
State Rank: No. 58 in FL

High School
Starred at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior season after transferring from The King’s Academy in nearby Seymour, Tenn.
During his senior season at IMG, started all nine games on an offensive line that blocked for a running attack that averaged over 200 yards per game.
Nigerian native that moved to the United States in 2016 in hopes of playing basketball.

Brian Maurer

QB Ocala, FL (West Port) 6’3, 184
Committed: 6/27/18
Stars: 3 by 247Sports / 4 by ESPN / 3 by Rivals

Josh Ward’s Analysis: Maurer has a good arm and solid athleticism, which he showed off at the Elite 11 camp last summer. Tennessee landed Maurer as several other Power 5 schools pursued him. He’ll have a chance to compete for Tennessee’s backup quarterback position this spring.

Highlights from hudl…

Hear The Sports Animal’s interview with Brian Maurer…

Hear The Sports Animal’s interview with Brian Maurer’s high school coach, Matt Franklin…

Need to Know:
Elite 11 quarterback who starred at West Port High School in Ocala, Fla.
Set the Marion County single-season passing record in 2018 with 3,543 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Finished his high school career with a county-record 7,664 yards and 64 touchdowns.
Participated in Nike’s “The Opening.”
ESPN:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 20 QB-PRO
State Rank: No. 65 in FL

247 Sports:
Natl Rank: No. 446
Position Rank: No. 12 QB-PRO
State Rank: No. 47 in FL

Rivals:
Natl Rank: —
Position Rank: No. 16 QB-PRO
State Rank: No. 64 in FL

High School
As a junior, Maurer completed 223 of 388 passes for 2,512 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Led West Port’s offense to a state-record 876 yards of total offense and 39 first downs in a 77-67 loss to Oconee in 2018, completing 34-of-53 passes for 513 yards and three touchdowns and adding 195 rushing yards and three scores on 15 carries.
The game broke the Florida high school record for total points scored, while West Port’s total yardage ranked in the national high school Top 10.
West Port coach Matt Franklin described Maurer as a strong-armed, accurate passer who also has good mobility and is “incredibly competitive.”

-UT Athletics