Jake Briningstool 'blessed' with Vols offer, shines at Opening Regional

MURFREESBORO — Jake Briningstool embraces being Ivan Drago’s doppleganger, but he prefers the baby Rob Gronkowski comparisons from his high school coach Matt Daniels.

The 6-foot-6, 205-pound tight end from Ravenwood was among the most impressive underclassmen at the Nashville Opening Regionals last weekend and the 2021 prospect recently picked up a Tennessee offer, something he told Volquest was “so exciting.”

“It’s kind of the hometown, you know, home-state school. It was very exciting. It’s a blessing to have that opportunity.”

Briningstool now holds more than 10 offers, with Oregon, Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas recently joining the mix. After his latest camp performance, his offer list looks primed to grow considerably this summer.

Still, the news that he had a scholarship from the Vols caught him off guard earlier this month, as Daniels told him to give Tee Martin a call. He did, and Tennessee’s wideouts coach told the Ravenwood standout they loved his size and ability to stretch the field. As a sophomore, Briningstool had 22 catches for 256 yards and a touchdown in just six games. He’s one of several underclassmen at Ravenwood, a potential state title team in 2019, that Tennessee has keen interest in, joining outside linebacker Junior Colson.

“They like how I can run routes but stay in and block,” he said of his skill-set.

Briningstool visited Rocky Top twice in the last six months, attending the loss to Missouri and then coming back for a Junior Day in February. On his latest visit, he got the chance to meet tight ends coach Brian Niedermeyer, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and head coach Jeremy Pruitt, saying, “It went really well. I had a great time seeing the facilities. I had a good conversation with the coaches.”

Briningstool is a former Michigan native and Michigan State legacy, as his dad played linebacker for the Spartans. MSU was the first Power 5 program to give him a scholarship, but the 2021 prospect is taking an “open mind” approach to the recruiting process. He plans to camp at several places this summer, including Alabama and Clemson. He will be back at Tennessee some time soon, too.

“Definitely,” he said.