A big win for Tennessee on National Signing Day in February was Dee Beckwith choosing the Vols over rival Florida.

“Tennessee continued showing me the most love throughout the whole process,” Beckwith remembered. “Knoxville is closer to home for me. My parents have some friends who graduated from there – so I’m connected.

“It just felt right.”

At the time, Jeremy Pruitt only had two true receivers signed in the class. Malachi Wideman ended up joining Beckwith in signing with the Vols later in the day – but the need was certainly there, considering the loss of Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Tyler Bryd.

“They definitely put it in my head early on that there would be an opportunity to play as a freshman,” Beckwith said. “They said if I work hard and fine tune the offense, I could come in and play because of everyone they just lost. The coaches said I have the tools to succeed.”

Beckwith, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, has the frame and speed to be a matchup nightmare for Tennessee. The basketball star, and cousin of former Vol standout Lamonte Turner, has a walk-on spot reserved for him on Rick Barnes’s roster.

He has also been clocked in the 4.4 second range in the 40-yard dash.

The Vols also have a need at tight end with the departure of senior Dominick Wood-Anderson, who signed on as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks, and the thought was Tennessee would move Beckwith around - sometimes plugging him in on the line of scrimmage.

“That really was never a part of the conversation. I mean, I’ve never played that position,” Beckwith admitted. “They want to take advantage of my athleticism by matching me up against smaller corners or in the slot against slower linebackers.”

The Florence, Al. native said Tennessee has compared him to Taysom Hill of the New Orleans Saints and wants him to be used as a weapon on the offensive side of the football.

“It was an exciting time when they were recruiting me,” Beckwith said of the UT coaching staff. “They made everything comfortable for me and my family. I assume that’s what they are doing with the guys in this next class, too, because they are picking up commits like crazy.”

Pruitt and staff are off to the races for the 2021 class – coming off a span where the program nailed down eight commits in less than two weeks. The Vols are up to 18 known pledges and sit at No. 2 in the nation.

“It’s good to see other players wanting to come here and play with us,” Beckwith said. “They want to be on our side. They see we have something good going on here and want to add to it.”

Amid the unusual coronavirus era, Beckwith is staying busy before reporting to campus. The soon-to-be-Vol has video workouts he goes through weekly and is doing strength and conditioning with his personal trainer.

His father, who owns a landscaping business, is also ensuring there is no down time for the former three-star.

“I just want to come in and make a big impact early on,” Beckwith said of his upcoming freshman campaign. “I want to set the pace for next year’s freshman and become a leader quick so other guys in my class can look up to me.”

What’s on the playlist? “A little bit of everything. Lil Baby. Moneybagg Yo. Whoever is hot at the moment.”

Favorite football memory? “It was my senior year and there was real heavy rain in the area. All the other games nearby were postponed, but since we had turf, we went ahead and played. It was against Sparkman, at home, and just a great atmosphere to pick up a win in.”

Favorite athlete? “In football, it’s Cam Newton. In basketball, both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.”

Favorite teams: “I’ve always been a Lakers fan since Kobe. I like the Ravens in football because of Lamar Jackson.”

Go-to pregame meal: “A loaded ham sandwich with a bag of chips and Gatorade.”