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Tennessee makes top eight for four-star Virginia linebacker

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•07/10/23•

GrantRamey

Chris Cole
(Jeremy Johnson/On3)

Four-star linebacker Chris Cole has Tennessee in his top eight. He announced the list Sunday on social media with the Vols joined by Southern Cal, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Miami, Penn State and Notre Dame.

The 6-foot-2.5, 210-pound Cole, out of Salem High School in Salem, Va., moved up the No. 51 overall in the On3 rankings on Monday. He’s the No. 4 linebacker in the class and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Virginia. 

In the On3 Industry Rankings, which weighs different ratings across the football recruiting industry, Cole is ranked No. 53 overall, No. 5 at linebacker and No. 1 in Virginia.

He’s teammates at Salem High School with Tennessee commit and four-star running back Peyton Lewis, who announced his commitment to the Vols on May 27. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Lewis is the No. 182 overall payer in the On3 Industry Ranking. He’s ranked No. 14 among running backs and is No. 3 in the state of Virginia.

Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class is currently ranked No. 13 national and No. 6 in the SEC, with a class score of 90.49. The Vols have 16 total commitment, with 10 four-star prospects and six three-stars.

Since June 17, Josh Heupel and his staff have added five commitments, with four-star interior offensive lineman William Satterwhite being the latest addition on Friday afternoon, picking the Vols over Clemson. There were four in June, over a two-week stretch, and two more added in May.  

The class of commitments is led by four-star cornerback Kaleb Beasley, the No. 108 overall prospect in the country, and four-star quarterback Jake Merklinger, the No. 136 overall player. Four-star wide receiver Braylon Staley, the No. 101 overall player in the On3 ratings, committed on June 30 and four-star tight end Jonathan Echols, the No. 173 overall player and the No. 13 tight end, was the first commitment in the class last summer.

Defensive lineman Jeremias Heard in Monday’s rankings update became a four-star prospect and moved inside the top 300 nationally.

The 6-8, 293-pound Heard, out of Rome Georgia has moved into the On300 rankings as the nation’s 292nd overall prospect. He is No. 27 among defensive lineman and No. 35 overall prospect from the state of Georgia for the 2024 class.

Other four-star commitments include athlete Boo Carter, interior offensive lineman Max Anderson, edge rusher Kellen Windstorm, safety Marcus Goree and Satterwhite. 

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