Georgia 4-star commit Tyre West visiting SEC rival this weekend

Earlier this week, On3 reported that Georgia defensive line commit Tyre West was receiving a heavy late push from Florida State to flip him. A day later, he was spotted on a visit at the Seminoles’ practice.

But FSU isn’t the only school looking to get involved. Sources tell On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons that West will visit Tennessee this weekend. The Vols host South Alabama tomorrow night.

Simmons says he still likes Florida State as the favorite to flip West, the No. 89 prospect in the On3 Consensus.

“There’s a lot of buzz around Tyre West ending up at Florida State,” Simmons said earlier this week. “Florida State has been recruiting him hard since the spring. He’s been to Tallahassee, and he plans to go back before signing period.” 

Both the Vols and Seminoles are expected to get official visits before the early signing period opens on December 15. West has been committed to Georgia for nearly a year, but it appears both programs at least have his ear.

Florida State is selling early playing time to Tyre West

One of the Seminoles’ biggest pitches to Tyre West is the opportunity to come in as a freshman and see significant playing time, Simmons says. Florida State doesn’t have nearly the depth that Georgia does along the defensive line, and West could see immediate action.

The Bulldogs already have two of the top 10 defensive linemen in the 2022 class committed: five-star Mykel Williams and four-star Bear Alexander. They also remain in contention for five-star Shemar Stewart and four-stars Nyjalik Kelly, Hero Kanu and Christen Miller. Georgia also signed three defensive linemen each in the 2020 and 2021 recruiting cycles.

And despite a less than stellar second season under head coach Mike Norvell, the Seminoles have put together a top-15 recruiting class that has the chance to rise in the rankings over the next few weeks. Florida State has five-star athlete Travis Hunter already in the fold, as well as four-star wide receiver Sam McCall. On3’s No. 1 overall prospect, Marvin Jones Jr., is coming off a visit to Tallahassee. And the Seminoles are right in the mix for a handful of other top-300 prospects.

Tennessee looking to ahead to defensive line haul

The biggest target on Tennessee’s board — both literally and figuratively — is five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen. The No. 2 overall prospect in the On3 Consensus, Nolen just committed to Texas A&M on Nov. 6. But the Volunteers, whose campus is just 30 minutes from Nolen’s home, are still making a push for him. Simmons says that it will be a fight all the way up until Nolen puts ink to paper on his National Letter of Intent.

The Vols have the nation’s No. 25 recruiting class, but only hold one commitment from a defensive lineman. Tyre West and Nolen would be massive additions this late in the cycle, and they would be a much-needed recruiting boost for first-year head coach Josh Heupel.