Recruiting: John Curtis cornerback Brandon Davis commits to Tennessee

Newly-minted Tennessee Volunteer head coach Jeremy Pruitt vowed to not repeat the same mistake. He told John Curtis cornerback Brandon Davis that he resembled former LSU All American Tyrann Mathieu, a player that Pruitt chose not to recruit at Alabama as an assistant.

Pruitt, who served as the defensive coordinator at Alabama for the past two seasons to cap a tenure on on the Crimson Tide staff from 2007-2012, classified the 5-foot-11, 165 pound Davis as a tenacious playmaker with a chip on his shoulder and a hard nosed competitor much like the Honey Badger.

Tennessee captured a commitment from Davis to cap a weekend visit to their campus.

Davis and his family took in the sights and sounds of Knoxville this past weekend. Prior to this weekend, the only official offers on the table for Davis has come from Colorado State, South Alabama and ULM. The Vols jumped into the forefront with an offer.

“They rolled out the red carpet,” explained the excited recruit about his trip to Tennessee. ” The coaching staff and team are so much family oriented , much like John Curtis. They understand what it takes to win, much like John Curtis. I’m comfortable there. It’s an honor to play there in the SEC. To play at the highest level, I can’t wait to get there.”

Florida, SMU, West Virginia and Tulane all expressed interest, but none presented an offer.

The Vols have 19 commitments for 2018 with 14 already secured in the early signing period. Davis is the lone cornerback in the class, a position Pruitt promised to address.

Davis recorded 13 interceptions the past three seasons including three returned for scores. He possesses outstanding hips for a corner, making good breaks on the ball. Davis has a high football IQ and the ability to mirror receivers. He has displayed good footwork and aggressiveness to the ball in flight.

One concern during the recruiting process was the fact that Brandon not only excels on the gridiron but baseball as well. The All-State shortstop batted .343 last season with 41 runs, 22 RBI, 12 doubles and three homers for the state champion Patriots. Defensively, he is a vacuum on the infield. He could be selected in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft in June.

Pruitt promised the Davis family that he is going to visit with the Tennessee baseball coaches and talk about Brandon’s two-sport potential in college at a later date. Pruitt is not ruling out the possibility of SEC baseball for Davis.

Regardless of what Davis has in store for the future, he currently sound sold on Tennessee.

“I loved what Tennessee does in the community. They work to give back. I can’t wait to get there and give someone a smile on their face.”