Tennessee football recruiting: Vols’ top 2024 running back targets
National signing day signaled the end of the class of 2023 and now a focus shifts to the class of 2024 on the recruiting trail.
Tennessee currently has three 2024 commits, headlined by four-stars Jonathan Echols (athlete) and Kaleb Beasley (cornerback).
The Vols have the No. 13 overall class and No. 6 class in the Southeastern Conference, according to the On3 Sports consensus.
Tennessee landed two running backs in the 2022 recruiting class. Three-stars DeSean Bishop and Khalifa Keith both signed with Tennessee last season.
Vols Wire breaks down the top 2024 running back targets for Tennessee. The top running back targets for the Vols are listed below.
Jerrick Gibson
Height: 5-foot-10.5
Weight: 190 pounds
High school: IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
National ranking (On3 consensus): No. 19
Positional ranking: No. 1
State ranking: No. 6
Gibson transferred to IMG Academy for the 2022 season after earning Region 3-AAAAA first-team honors as a sophomore. He averaged over 6.4 yards per carry at Mundy’s Mill High School in 2021.
He participated in the FBU Freshman All-American Bowl and was also named a top performer by 247Sports at the Elite Underclassmen Showcase.
Gibson has been on three unofficial visits to Knoxville in 2022. He was in attendance for Tennessee’s wins over Florida and Alabama.
Had a great time today with @Vol_Football coaching staff. Thanks for the experience.🍊💫 #GoVols #GBO @Vol_Football @VolFBRecruiting @coachjoshheupel @CoachMack_Tenn @IMGAFootball @DonZoloty @maxwellthurmond @CoachWalt_ pic.twitter.com/cHPeriROHJ
— Jerrick4 (@gibson_jerrick) June 19, 2022
Jordan Marshall
Height: 5-foot-10.5
Weight: 190 pounds
High school: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
National ranking (On3 consensus): No. 78
Positional ranking: No. 5
State ranking: No. 2
Marshall earned first-team MaxPreps High School Junior All-American honors last season. He finished the season with 1,951 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns. Marshall was named the Gatorade Ohio Football Player of the Year.
Marshall announced his top-four teams on Feb. 2. Tennessee, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan were Marshall’s top-four.
He has been on four unofficial visits to Tennessee over the past two years, moist recently on Jan. 28. Marshall was in attendance as the Vols defeated Florida.
BREAKING: Four-Star RB Jordan Marshall is down to 4️⃣ Schools!
The 6’0 195 RB from Cincinnati, OH is ranked as a Top 45 Player in the ‘24 Class (No. 4 RB)https://t.co/JlFYBLSILd pic.twitter.com/4lRMzxug9v
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 2, 2023
J'Marion Burnette
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 210 pounds
High school: Andalusia (Andalusia, Alabama)
National ranking (On3 consensus): No. 161
Positional ranking: No. 14
State ranking: No. 8
As a sophomore, Burnette recorded 2,281 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
As a junior in 2022, he rushed for 1,473 yards and 17 touchdowns, leading Andalusia to the Class 4A state championship.
Tennessee is one of 10 schools in Burnette’s recruitment. Auburn appears to be a leader in his recruitment, but the Vols will hope to have Burnette visit in the upcoming months.
𝐴𝐺𝑇𝐺✞
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛．．． pic.twitter.com/83EIY66Q6V— J'Marion ‘‘Phat’’ Burnette (@JMarionBurnette) November 15, 2022
Braylen Russell
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 225 pounds
High school: Benton (Benton, Arkansas)
National ranking (On3 consensus): No. 200
Positional ranking: No. 18
State ranking: No. 2
Russell is a two-time Arkansas all-state selection. As a junior in 2022, he finished the season with 1,643 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns.
He visited Tennessee unofficially last summer.
Russell announced his top-10 teams last week, including Tennessee.
BREAKING: Four-Star RB Braylen Russell is down to 🔟 Schools!
The 6’2 234 RB from Benton, AR is ranked as a Top 75 Player in the ‘24 Class (No. 8 RB)https://t.co/AbmEBuL1uW pic.twitter.com/9xPSiEJY4G
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 10, 2023
Micah Welch
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 195 pounds
High school: Baldwin (Milledgeville, Georgia)
National ranking (On3 consensus): No. 358
Positional ranking: No. 34
State ranking: No. 43
Welch was named the Georgia 4-AAAA Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns last season. He also earned first-team all-state honors.
He has been on three unofficial visits to Tennessee over the past two years. Welch attended junior day Jan. 14 and was also in attendance for Tennessee’s win over Alabama on Oct. 15.
The On3 Sports Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) currently gives Tennessee a 49 percent chance to land Welch. The Vols are the favorite over South Carolina (29.1 percent) and Georgia Tech (13 percent).
#GBO🍊 @coachjoshheupel @maxwellthurmond @CoachWalt_ @CoachMack_Tenn @Mansell247 @ChadSimmons_ @sportsguymarv pic.twitter.com/RtvdnJQAyR
— Micah welch (@Micahwelch20) January 20, 2023
