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DeSanto Rollins talks 'electric experience' seeing Tennessee, netting offer

DeSanto Rollins was among a trio of Louisiana prospects to visit Tennessee on Monday, joining 4-star athlete Joel Williams and 4-star defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy on a trip to checkout Rocky Top.

While Williams and Roy are well-established recruits in the 2020 class, Rollins, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound athlete, is a new name on Tennessee’s board.

A few weeks ago, the Parkview Baptist School (La.) recruit picked up his first college scholarship from Louisiana-Lafayette and on Monday, he left Knoxville with his first SEC offer.

“I was overwhelmed,” Rollins told Volquest when David Johnson delivered the news.

“I didn’t know what to say. I was totally surprised. I didn’t expect it.”

Rollins started his high school career at Trinity Episcopal in Mississippi, but after the school closed in 2017, he moved to Baton Rouge to play for Parkview Baptist. Lining up as a defensive end, nose tackle and tight end, he finished his junior year with 63 tackles, 6 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles as an All-State performer. With his film just now getting out, Rollins believes his recruitment “is about to take-off.”

“Parkview is a bigger school,” he explained. “Trinity 1A, while Parkview is a 4A school. That put me on the map as far as recruiting.”

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Since picking up the Tennessee offer, Rollins has heard from Kansas State, Baylor and Texas, where he’ll visit in April. LSU has been in contact for a few weeks, too, while Tulane, Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss all appear to be on the verge of extending a scholarship.

Rollins said his offer from Tennessee is as “an athlete,” as the Vols “love my athleticism and ability to play offense and defense.

“I can play nose tackle, d-tackle, tight end. I play basketball too and they saw the video of me dunking. And they said, ‘Wow.’ They were amazed by it.”

Rollins called his first look at Tennessee “an electric experience,” wow by the campus, the facilities and the town itself. He got the usual tour of the academic center and the athletic complex, but the most memorable part of the trip was a film session with with quality control analyst Brandon Deaderick.

The former Alabama lineman showed Rollins how he would be used as a 3-technique tackle in Tennessee’s scheme, moving him around to multiple spots. They went over pass rush moves and specifically watched clips of Kyle Phillips and NFL star Aaron Donald.

“He really emphasized the play of (No. 5). How he hustled to the ball and made plays.”

Rollins left Knoxville holding Tennessee in very high regard. His recruitment is just now getting started, but he’s already planning to return to Rocky Top in the summer.

“They invited me to camp. They want me to come down and work with them,” he said.

“I’ll be back. I’m just not sure about the dates yet.”

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