MURFREESBORO— One emerging aspect of Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee’s recruiting efforts this spring has become how much early effort the Vols are putting into the 2021 class. One clear focus on that front has been the pursuit of Memphis prospect Dietrick Pennington.
Pennington (6-foot-5, 310 pounds), from Evangelical Christian in Cordova is holding an early offer from the Vols and has already gotten plenty of attention from the staff.
“Tennessee came by my school a couple of time this spring. They’ve been talking to me about getting to some camps this summer. I might come in June,” Pennington said of the Vols’.
“I really like the facilities there and the people around the program. I like the coaches there. I primarily talk to Coach (Tracy) Rocker. He’s a good guy. We talk about things that I can work on on the field. I feel like I can talk to him about anything or if I need help with something.”
A mammoth prospect who plays both ways in high school, Pennington could project on either side of the line of scrimmage at the next level. Tennessee’s pursuit to this point seems to be focused on the defensive side, as evidenced by Rocker taking the lead in his recruitment.
Pennington, who’s also holding early offers from Arkansas and Ole Miss, recently participated in NIKE’s The Opening regional event in Murfreesboro where he was one of the standout performers.
He worked with the defensive line at the event and relished the opportunity to go up against some of the best offensive line prospects in the South.
“Sure, you get amped up going against the kind of guys that are here. I love going up against the best guys,” he said of the opportunity.
"When I first start out, since we go two times in a row, I give it all I’ve got the first time to see what they do and then build off of that. If they do the same thing then I know what I want to do to counter them. “Since I play both ways it also shows me how I can work on my offensive game as well.”
The chance to go against top-flight competition was something that Pennington appreciated and something he feels like is going to help him in his development as a player.
“It’s great because it really helps to show where you’re at when you’re going against some of the best guys in the country,” he said. “It helps to show me things I need to work on, especially with the coaches giving you the kind of feedback you get. Like today they told me I wasn’t flipping my hips enough. I would come off the ball really well and then get stuck because I’m not flipping my hips.”
