Vols’ top-10 class gets boost from No. 6 DE Ross

Blake Baumgartner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 21, 2023, 08:48 PM ET

Tennessee‘s top-10 class got even stronger Monday night with a commitment from four-star defensive end Jordan Ross.

Ross, who is ranked No. 24 overall in the 2024 ESPN 300, is the sixth-best defensive end in the cycle and is Tennessee’s second-highest-ranked recruit, behind Parkview High School (Georgia) athlete Mike Matthews (No. 5 overall in 2024), who announced for Josh Heupel’s program on July 19.

“I’d say [which school has] the best education, and the relationship with the coaches and seeing how they can develop me into the future,” Ross told ESPN in May about what he was prioritizing most with his decision.

He took official visits to Florida, Georgia, Texas and Tennessee in June, and also considered Alabama.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Ross had a very productive junior season for Vestavia Hills High School (Alabama), recording 49 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 2½ sacks.

“I’ll say my game’s pretty much fast-paced most of the time,” he said. “I look at the little things. I look at the little things before I do anything. I work on my format every practice. I try to work on my get off, to get faster, get off on the same rhythm as the ball.

“I really just watch the O-linemen and how they move. I pretty much just watch film all day at school. I look back at my old game, like against some old schools we played. I look at their technique and how can I do better at my technique.”

Ross is the 11th ESPN 300 pledge for the Volunteers for this cycle, bolstering a class ESPN has ranked 10th.