Tennessee 4-star TE commit Jonathan Echols re-affirms commitment to the Vols

Franklin (Ga.) native and IMG Academy four-star tight end Jonathan Echols took a lot around over the past few months after committing to Tennessee last July.

He visited other programs, namely Florida, including an official visit earlier this month.

But the nation’s No. 11 tight end is sticking with Rocky Top, announcing on Thursday that he is shutting down his recruitment and is locked in with the Volunteers after official visiting this weekend.

“My recruitment is 100% shut down!” he tweeted along with a video of him in his Tennessee uniform.

My recruitment is 100% shut down! #GBO🍊 pic.twitter.com/4ramPCvBFx

— Jonathan Echols ✪ (@jechols24) June 22, 2023

The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder is the No. 140 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the No. 22 recruit in Florida.

He became Tennessee’s first commitment in the 2024 cycle last summer when he chose Josh Heupel and Co. over offers from Georgia, Alabama, Florida and more.

New tight ends coach has connected well with Jonathan Echols

Between then and now, his lead recruiter, Alex Golesh, left for another job at USF and was replaced by Alec Abeln. Programs like Florida continued to push for him, but the new tight ends coach has built a strong bond with him.

“I have a great relationship with Coach Abeln,” Echols told Volquest earlier this month. “He and my whole family get along, he’s a great guy. He’s a relationship kind of guy and that’s a big deal to me, to be able to relate to him.”

Echols was back in Knoxville again late last month, and his return trip reminded him why he committed in the first place.

“There was nothing really different about this weekend,” he added. “It was just a chance for me to get to come up and hang out with the guys “I was trying to get a couple of guys to come and be teammates with me, trying to build relationships.

… It feels like home here. There’s no pressure. There are great people here, I love this place, love the people around here.”