IMPACT ANALYSIS: Christian Harrison is Tennessee’s 15th commit for 2022

With just over two weeks until National Signing Day, Tennessee’s 2022 class is starting to take shape as the Vols secured their 15th verbal pledge on Monday and the second in as many weeks with three-star cornerback Christian Harrison.

Harrison, the son of three-time All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, chose the Volunteers over Florida and Nebraska. Harrison stands in at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds and is a former Liberty commit who has picked up nine offers since mid-October.

The College Park, Ga. native becomes the fifth defensive pledge for Tennessee and the first defensive back in the class. He was in Knoxville a couple of times this fall, most recently this past Saturday to take in part of Tennessee’s win over Vanderbilt.

Here’s a detailed look at what a Christian Harrison commitment means for Tennessee.

“Christian is an amazing athlete. He brings an exceptional amount of athleticism to his game. He’s extremely fluid in his movement. It’s almost natural in the way that he moves as a defensive back, which allows him to be an exceptional man-coverage guy. He’s got very good ball skills because he plays receiver for us as well. He’s got good top-end speed as well as the pedigree of what he comes from.

His best football is in front of him. I think he is a little bit of a late bloomer, so I’m excited to see how he develops over the coming years.”

- Ryan Davis, Woodward Academy DBs coach, Special Teams Coordinator & Director of College Recruiting

Blame it on the good genes, Harrison has a nose for the football. Even when put on an island for Woodward Academy, the cornerback has a knack for finding tackles at or around the line of scrimmage. He’s physical with his hands and does a great job of punching the football while securing the tackle. The Tennessee pledge also packs a punch when tackling and doesn’t shy away from contact.

As for coverage skills, Harrison displays good speed to run with wideouts in man-coverage. He presses well on the line of scrimmage and keeps up with receivers on the initial backpedal. The three-star plays off-man, too, and doesn’t let a cushion soften his coverage. In zone, Harrison has great eye discipline and (again) good closing speed to get across the field to help on balls over the middle.

He’s versatile and could help out in other spots in the secondary. At the prep level, Harrison plays wide receiver and shows great ball skills when high-pointing the football. The prospect is also great after the catch. All these traits translate over to the defensive side of the football.

With the commitment, Harrison becomes the first defensive back of the class. Corner is a position of need as well with Alontae Taylor and Kenneth George Jr. both moving on. Look for the Peach State native to compete early for reps and to add initial depth at a position that is slim.

Tennessee returns veteran Warren Burrell and transfers Kamal Hadden and Brandon Turnage – though the latter has been working inside of late. The Vols also bring back De’Shawn Rucker and Tyus Fields at the position.

Now that Harrison is in the boat, Tennessee will continue its pursuit of JUCO cornerback Marquise Gilbert – who took an official visit with the Vols over the weekend – while Michael Caraway Jr. is being vetted. Fellow JUCO defender Desmond Williams got a visit from the staff on Monday, JUCO cornerback Keionte Scott – who took his official in Knoxville two weeks ago – is still on the radar, though the momentum there has slowed.

Other defensive backs to keep an eye on: Michigan commit Kody Jones, Boston College commit Amari Jackson, Mississippi State commit Jourdan Thomas and Jeremiah Caldwell.

Harrison has spoken highly of Tennessee in recent weeks, so closing this one out comes as no surprise. Here’s what he told Rivals earlier this month after releasing his top-3 of Tennessee, Nebraska and Florida:

“Their program is going up. Coach Heupel came in and changed things around quickly. It is going up there. Coach Martinez and I have a good relationship. He’s a great dude. The whole group came over from UCF. Coach Martinez has put 45 DBs in 20 years into the NFL. That stood out to me. If I go there, I know they will get me where I want to go.

“Coach Heupel has done great tings at Tennessee. I can see them getting back to the SEC Championship level really soon.”