University of Tennessee Athletics
#DOMIN18: Vols Add JUCO All-American Johnson, Finish with 14 Early Signees
December 19, 2017 | Football
| Name | Star Rating | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Allen | LB | 6-5 | 230 | Fairfield, Calif. / Armijo HS / City College of San Francisco | |
| Tanner Antonutti | OL | 6-5 | 260 | Nashville, Tenn. / The Ensworth School | |
| Jeremy Banks | RB | 6-2 | 215 | Cordova, Tenn. / Cordova HS | |
| Paxton Brooks | P | 6-5 | 170 | West Columbia, S.C. / Airport HS | |
| Jerome Carvin | OL | 6-4 | 330 | Cordova, Tenn. / Cordova HS | |
| Greg Emerson | DE | 6-3 | 280 | Jackson, Tenn. / North Side HS | |
| Kingston Harris | DL | 6-4 | 272 | Orlando, Fla. / IMG Academy | |
| Jahmir Johnson | OL | 6-5 | 290 | Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep Institute Charter HS / Rhode Island / Arizona Western College | |
| Ollie Lane | OL | 6-5 | 285 | Corryton, Tenn. / Gibbs HS | |
| Brant Lawless | DL | 6-3 | 285 | Nashville, Tenn. / Nashville Christian School | |
| JT Shrout | QB | 6-3 | 190 | Newhall, Calif. / William S. Hart Senior HS | |
| Alontae Taylor | WR | 6-0 | 182 | Manchester, Tenn. / Coffee County Central HS | |
| Jacob Warren | TE | 6-6 | 211 | Knoxville, Tenn. / Farragut HS | |
| Dominick Wood-Anderson | TE | 6-5 | 245 | Spring Valley, Calif. / Steele Canyon HS / Arizona Western College |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee football program added a 14th member to its 2018 Early Signing Class on Wednesday after one of the nation's top junior college recruits, Jahmir Johnson, announced he will join the Vols next year. Johnson signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) last week during the Early Signing Period, but waited to announce his decision until he was with family during the holiday season.
UT will add several more Vols during the traditional National Signing Day on Feb. 7.
Johnson starred at Arizona Western College where he captured NJCAA First Team All-America honors in 2017. He was rated a four-star recruit and the nation's No. 2 junior college offensive tackle prospect.
A Philadelphia, Pa., native, Johnson started his career at Rhode Island, where he redshirted in 2016, before transferring and excelling at Arizona Western this past fall.
Johnson's signing gives the Vols and head coach Jeremy Pruitt three junior college players as a part of the 2018 class. He joins Arizona Western teammate Dominick Wood-Anderson, the nation's top JUCO tight end, and four-star linebacker prospect Jordan Allen of City College of San Francisco.
Overall, the 14-member Big Orange early signing class features eight members from the state of Tennessee, three Californians, one player from Pennsylvania, one player from Florida and one South Carolina native.
Seven of the newest Vols have been selected for postseason high school all-star games, including U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant Greg Emerson, a defensive end, and Under Armour All-America Game selections Paxton Brooks, the nation's No. 2 punter, and Alontae Taylor, one of the nation's Top 50 recruits according to ESPN.
"We are very excited to welcome this group of outstanding young men who signed with us today," Pruitt said on the first day of the early signing period on Dec. 20. "They are terrific football players, who also display exceptional character off the field. We appreciate the commitment they have made to the University of Tennessee. They will be the foundation for our first signing class here. We said we were going to build a fence around the state and this is a good start. We also know that Tennessee is a national brand, and it's exciting that some of these players from across the country will be wearing the 'T' on their helmets. We hope to have a few more guys sign these next two days, too.
"We know we still have a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail, as we will sign several more players in February, but today is a great way to begin. We will get back to work when I return in January. I want to thank Vol Nation for all of the support these first two weeks on the job. I am honored and humbled to be your head coach, and I'm looking forward to devoting all of my time to our football team following the College Football Playoff."
The Vols have signed five of the state of Tennessee's Top 10 football recruits, according to Rivals, with Cordova High School teammates Jerome Carvin (No. 8) and Jeremy Banks (No. 9), and 2017 Tennessee Titans District II-A Mr. Football Brant Lawless (No. 10) joining Taylor (No. 4) and Emerson (No. 3).
Tennessee announced the signing of Allen, ESPN's No. 9 JUCO recruit, last Thursday, and Taylor inked to the Vols on Friday.
Tennessee inked 11 newcomers on Day 1 of the Early Signing Period on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
The class also features a pair of Knoxville area stars in Gibbs offensive lineman Ollie Lane and Farragut tight end Jacob Warren.
California quarterback JT Shrout rocketed up recruiting boards this season and is ranked as the No. 14 pro-style quarterback in the nation.
Additionally, the Vols signed one of the Nashville area's top recruits in offensive lineman Tanner Antonutti and national prep powerhouse IMG Academy defensive lineman Kingston Harris.
After being named head coach on Dec. 7, Pruitt had just 10 days to put together a signing class before the dead period began on Dec. 18, limiting contact with recruits. Pruitt, who was named 247Sports Recruiter of the Year in 2012, and members of his coaching staff worked tirelessly to secure the Early Signing Period class.
Jahmir Johnson
JUCO – R-Sophomore, OL, 6-5, 290
Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep Institute Charter HS / Rhode Island / Arizona Western College
Composite Ranking:
Natl JUCO Rank: No. 21
Position Rank: No. 4 OT
State Rank: No. 4 in PA
JUCO - Arizona Western (2017)
- ESPN JUCO Top 50 Recruit (49)
- 2017 NJCAA First Team All-American
- 2017 All-Western States Football League (WSFL) First Team
- 2017 All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) First Team
- Helped lead Arizona Western to a 9-1 season (7-0 in conference play) and the NJCAA National Championship game in 2017
- Anchored an offensive line that paved the way for a Matador offense that ranked second in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference with 39.7 points per game and third with 456.3 yards of offense per game.
Rhode Island (2016)
- Redshirted before transferring to Arizona Western
High School
- Helped lead Imhotep Institute to and undefeated season in 2015 and the PIAA Class 3A State Championship
- Named to 2015 Class 3A All-EasternPAFootball.com District 12 Honorable Mention
- Signed with Rhode Island coming out of Imhotep in the class of 2016 and redshirted
Alontae Taylor
Freshman, WR, 6-0, 182
Manchester, Tenn. / Coffee County Central HS
Composite Ranking:
Natl Rank: 118
Position Rank: No. 23 WR
State Rank: No. 5 in TN
High School
- ESPN 300 Recruit (46)
- Qualified for 2018 Nike Football The Opening Finals
- Invited to play in 2018 Under Armour All-American Game
- Played in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic and was named MVP of the East Team after throwing the game-winning TD on a double-pass
- 2017 TSWA Class 6A All-State team
- 2017 Region 3-6A Athlete of the Year
- 2015 MaxPreps Sophomore Second Team All-American
- Caught 11 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown and completed 24 passes for 391 yards and three touchdowns during his senior campaign.
- Rushed for 1,409 yards on 141 carries and 21 TDs in 2017
- Rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and returned a kickoff 88 yards for another score on Oct. 20, 2017 to become the Red Raiders' all-time leader in career rushing yards and career touchdowns.
- Totaled 1,368 yards rushing with 17 touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 168 yards and had 30 tackles as a junior to go along with 123 yards and a touchdown through the air.
- During his four-year career at Coffee County Central High School, he totaled 8,225 yards on offense and 75 touchdowns, including 6,000 career rushing yards.
Jordan Allen
JUCO - Redshirt Sophomore, LB, 6-5, 230
Fairfield, Calif. / Armijo HS / City College of San Francisco
Composite Ranking:
Natl JUCO Rank: No. 25
Position Rank: No. 2 DE
State Rank: No. 4 in CA
JUCO - City College of San Francisco (2017)
- ESPN JUCO Top 50 Recruit (9)
- 2017 Stats (JUCO): 9 GP, 27 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 8.0 TFL, 2 pass breakups
- Tied for team lead in sacks and was fourth on the team in TFLs during his lone JUCO season at City College of San Francisco
UC Davis (2016)
- Redshirted before transferring to City College of San Francisco
High School
- Played wide receiver and defensive back at Armijo High School in California
- Named All-Monticello Empire first team as a senior after catching 50 passes and hauling in eight receiving touchdowns
- Caught nine receiving touchdowns as a junior
- Had seven interceptions and earned All-League honorable mention honors as a sophomore
- Also starred on the basketball and track & field teams earning All-League honors in both
Dominick Wood-Anderson
JUCO - Junior, TE, 6-5, 245
Spring Valley, Calif. / Steele Canyon HS / Arizona Western College
Composite Ranking:
Natl JUCO Rank: 11
Position Rank: No. 1 TE
State Rank: No. 2 in CA
JUCO - Arizona Western (2016 & 2017)
- ESPN JUCO Top 50 Recruit (15)
- 2017 NJCAA Second Team All-American
- 2017 All-Western States Football League (WSFL) First Team
- 2017 All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) First Team
- As a sophomore at Arizona Western in 2017, posted 31 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns
- Helped lead the Matadors to the 2017 NJCAA Championship game
- As a freshman at Arizona Western in 2016, posted 14 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns
High School
- Played quarterback at Steele Canyon and as a junior in 2014, completed 50 of 104 passes for 814 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also rushed 48 times for 120 yards and three scores.
- Named to 2014 Cal-Hi Sports third-team juniors offense
Greg Emerson
Freshman, DE, 6-3, 280
Jackson, Tenn. / North Side HS
Composite Ranking:
Natl Rank: 114
Position Rank: No. 7 DE
State Rank: No. 4 in TN
High School
- ESPN 300 Recruit (281)
- Invited to play in 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl
- Led North Side High School to 2016 State Playoffs
- Participated in Nike's 2017 "The Opening Finals" in Beaverton, Oregon
- Rated the No. 1 recruit in Tennessee in the Spring of 2017 by The Tennessean
- Did not play in 2017 due to injury
Brant Lawless
Freshman, DL, 6-3, 285
Nashville, Tenn. / Nashville Christian School
Composite Ranking:
Natl Rank: 254
Position Rank: No. 21 DT
State Rank: No. 8 in TN
High School
- ESPN 300 Recruit (165)
- Named 2017 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football for District II-A
- 2017 Division II-A West Region Defensive Player of the Year
- 2016 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Finalist for District II-A
- 2016 TSWA Class 1A All-State Team
- No. 3 on The Tennessean's 2017 "Dandy Dozen" Prospect List
- 2017 Stats (Max Preps): 49 total tackles, 16.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks/
- Totaled 110 total tackles, 32 TFLs and four sacks in first three years at Nashville Christian
- Helped lead Nashville Christian to the school's first state title in 2015
Jacob Warren
Freshman, TE, 6-6, 211
Knoxville, Tenn. / Farragut HS
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 32 TE
State Rank: No. 21 in TN
High School
- Played in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic
- Helped lead Farragut HS to the 2017 TSSAA Division I Class 6A second round
- Helped the Admirals come back from a 35-7 deficit in the 2016 Class 5A State Championship game to defeat Independence High School, snapping its 29-game win streak.
- As a senior in 2017, posted 39 catches for 659 yards and eight touchdowns
- Caught 29 passes for 479 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior in 2016
Jerome Carvin
Freshman, OL, 6-4, 330
Cordova, Tenn. / Cordova HS
Composite Ranking:
Natl Rank: 366
Position Rank: No. 25 OT
State Rank: No. 11 in TN
High School
- Played in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic
- 2017 All-Region 7-6A Team
- 2016 All-Region 4-6A Team
- Liberty Bowl High School Player of the Week in October of 2017
- Attended the New Orleans Nike Opening Regional Camp and the Under Armour All-American Camp in 2017
- Helped lead Cordova High School to 371.9 yards per game, a 12-2 record and the Class 6A state semifinals as a junior in 2016
- Helped lead Cordova to an 8-3 record and the Class 6A playoffs as a senior in 2017
Jeremy Banks
Freshman, RB, 6-2, 215
Cordova, Tenn. / Cordova HS
Composite Ranking:
Natl Rank: 86
Position Rank: No. 5 DT
State Rank: No. 2 in TN
High School
- Played in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic
- Career Stats (MaxPreps): 339 carries, 2,773 yards, 120.6 ypg, 48 TDs
- 2017 Stats: 198 carries, 1,941 yards, 194.1 ypg, 32 TDs
- 2017 TSWA Class 6A All-State team
- 2017 All-Region 7-6A first team
- Helped lead Cordova High School to an 8-3 overall record and the 2017 state playoffs in Class 6A
- First Memphis area player to score 7 touchdowns in a game since 2011, doing so in the 2017 Region 7-6A Championship game against Arlington
Kingston Harris
Freshman, DL, 6-4, 272
Orlando, Fla. / IMG Academy
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 77 DT
State Rank: No. 176 in FL
High School
- Spent first two seasons at Orlando Christian Prep before transferring to national powerhouse IMG Academy for junior and senior seasons
- Career Stats (MaxPreps): 30 GP, 133 total tackles, 9.0 sacks, 11.0 TFL, 2 forced fumbles
- Totaled 40 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles during his two seasons at IMG Academy while having to split playing time on a loaded defensive line
- Totaled 93 tackles, 6.0 TFL and 5.5 sacks in two seasons at Orlando Christian Prep
- Named a 2015 SSAC All-Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore in 2015
- Helped lead OCP to a runner-up finish in the Sunshine State Athletic Conference (SSAC) as a freshman in 2014
- Also starred on the basketball team at Orlando Christian Prep
JT Shrout
Freshman, QB, 6-3, 190
Newhall, Calif. / William S. Hart Senior High School
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 26 pro-style QB
State Rank: No. 72 in CA
High School
- Attended the QB Collective Camp in July and was identified as one of the top quarterbacks there by NFL coaches and scouts in a loaded field of QBs that included top 2018 and 2017 prospects
- Longtime NFL quarterback Sage Rosenfels said of all the quarterbacks at the QB Collective, Shrout would be "the guy who could step in on day one and fundamentally work within an NFL system …. His drop was smooth. His fundamentals were very efficient and he throws a great ball."
- Led Hart High School to an 8-4 record and the Southern Section Division 3 Quarterfinals as a senior in 2017, his only season as the school's starting quarterback
- 2017 Stats (MaxPreps): 211-of-414 passing for 3,064 yards, 27 Passing TDs, 262 rushing yards, 4 Rushing TDs
Ollie Lane
Freshman, OL, 6-5, 285
Corryton, Tenn. / Gibbs HS
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 33 OG
State Rank: No. 29 in TN
High School
- Invited to play in 2017 Toyota East West TN Football All-Star Classic
- 2017 TSWA Class 5A All-State team
- Region 2-5A Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2016 and 2017
- 2016 Class 5A All-State Offensive Lineman
- 2016 All-PrepXtra Football First Team
- Anchored a Gibbs offensive line that finished 8-4 in the second round of the 5A playoffs in 2016
Paxton Brooks
Freshman, P, 6-5, 170
West Columbia, S.C. / Airport HS
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 9 P/K
State Rank: No. 33 in SC
High School
- Ranked as the No. 2 punter in the 2018 Class according to Kohl's Professional Camps
- Won a punt off to earn the second spot in the 2018 Under Armour All-American Game
- 2016 Class 4A All-Region Kicker/Punter
- 2016 Midlands Punt Leader
- 2016 The State's All-Midlands Second Team Kicker
- 2015 Class 3A All-Region Kicker/Punter
- 2014 Class 3A All-Region Player
- Attended 2017 National Scholarship Camp, repeatedly hitting 50-60 yard punts
- Attended the Southern Showcase Camp
- Averaged 41.8 yards per punt and connected on 8-of-10 field goals, including a 51-yarder against North Augusta and was 45-of-48 on extra points in 2016
- Served as Airport High School's starting kicker and punter
Tanner Antonutti
Freshman, OL, 6-5, 260
Nashville, Tenn. / The Ensworth School
Composite Ranking:
Position Rank: No. 58 OT
State Rank: No. 23 in TN
High School
- 2017 Division II-AAA East/Middle All-Region Team
- 2016 Division II-AA Mr. Football semifinalist
- 2016 Division II-AA East/Middle All-Region Team
- 2016 TSWA Division II-AA All-State Team (DL)
- The Tennessean All-Midstate Second Team selection in 2016
- Primarily played tight end during his high school career, but made the switch to offensive tackle during his senior season at Ensworth
- Allowed less than five sacks in 10 games at offensive tackle
- Reeled in a seven-yard reception to cap Ensworth's 21-20 Week 11 win over rival Montgomery Bell Academy during 2016
- In 2016, he made eight catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns while also anchoring an offensive front that produced 345.1 yards and 27.3 points per game
- 2014-16: 13 receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He's also registered 36 tackles — 14 for loss — with eight sacks, eight pass deflections, a pair of forced fumbles and a recovery.
