5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis decommits from Tennessee

Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images
Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Tennessee Volunteers suffered a major blow to their 2021 recruiting class after 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis backed off his verbal pledge on Monday. 

The No. 1 inside linebacker in the country is no longer Tennessee-bound. Unfortunately for Jeremy Pruitt and his coaching staff, the Vols received the news on Monday that 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis has backed off his verbal pledge and won’t be heading to Tennessee.

Lewis was set to be the jewel of Pruitt’s 2021 class, but with the early signing period arriving later this month, Lewis made it clear he wants to rethink things before making a final call. The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder has picked up more than 40 offers throughout his recruitment. Now, which teams will be in play to potentially land him?

https://twitter.com/Notoriou2__/status/1333573671194030081

Multiple schools will be working overtime to try and sign 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis

While this is a bummer for Tennessee, Lewis made it clear he isn’t eliminating the Vols from consideration. They will remain one of his top schools, but he wants to make sure he is fully set with his decision before he sends in his National Letter of Intent to the program of his choice.

In addition to Tennessee, schools to watch moving forward include Texas A&M, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Florida, Alabama and others. If you’re an assistant coach from one of these programs, you have no excuse but to start working overtime in trying to lure Lewis to your school.

The Florida native is ranked the No. 17 player in the country for 2021 and is expected to compete for immediate playing time as a true freshman next season. Because of his size and speed, recruiting analysts have even said he has the potential to be a first-round NFL draft pick down the road. First, though, he’ll have to have a standout college career to make that happen.

For now, it’s completely up in the air where he’ll be making plays for the next few years. We should find out in the next few weeks.

Next. 50 best college football uniforms. dark

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.