With the dead period over and recruiting beginning to heat back up, the Volunteers are off to a good start – reeling in their fourth commit for the 2023 class in wide receiver Nate Spillman.

The three-star turned heads for the Division II-AA Tennessee state champions this past fall and now becomes the first wide receiver to join the Volunteer staff. Spillman stands in at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and was the go-to guy for Lipscomb Academy in 2021, a team coached by former Super Bowl winning quarterback, Trent Dilfer.

The Nashville, Tenn. native is no stranger to Rocky Top – camping at Tennessee last summer and was in the stands for a couple of games this past fall. Spillman now links up with offensive lineman Ayden Bussell and tight end Ethan Davis as offensive prospects in the class while athlete Jack Luttrell projects as a defensive back.

Spillman becomes the second in-state commit for Tennessee in the class, already matching the total for the signing class in 2022.

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

“He’s the ultimate football player and teammate. They make very few like him. He’s everything you are looking for as a coach. Nate is obviously very talented, but that’s not what makes him so special. He’s talented, but there’s a lot of talented players who aren’t winners. He is the total package.

Along with being long, athletic and tough, he has good ball skills and is a very good route runner. To me, that’s not the headline though. The headline is that he’s one of the toughest guys on the team. He’s a leader on this team. He’s probably the hardest worker on the team and does everything to help you win.

You’re looking for guys who not only will help increase your talent, but who also help you develop a better winning culture. He’s done that for us and he will do that for Tennessee.”

-- Trent Dilfer, Lipscomb Academy head coach

Like the former Pro Bowler said above, Spillman is long and athletic. At the prep level, it’s easy for him to get behind the defense and he can easily be characterized as a big-play guy. Spillman stretches the defense and hauled in several touchdowns in 2021 on simple go-routes or deep posts.

The newest Tennessee commit has good speed, though that’s a point of emphasis at the next level. He runs good routes, but repping more diverse routes will be something to continually work over the next year. Spillman has long strides and bends well when working over the top, cutting off the trailing defensive back in the process.

A four-star, Lipscomb Academy’s play-maker does a great job of finding the ball. He works back to the ball on hitches and digs – while high-pointing the football when it’s more of a 50/50 challenge. His awareness is supreme as he knows exactly where he is in comparison to the sideline or the back of the end zone.

Spillman is a good player. He could turn into a great player and be a nice piece in this Josh Heupel offense down the line.

Two key things. As always, a commitment from an in-state prospect is a win for the Vols – especially considering there were only two that signed from Tennessee in the 2022 class. There’s several other in-state prospects the Volunteer coaching staff are high on and having Bussell and Spillman working together will only help that number grow.

The other is being a position of critical importance for this offensive system. Gone already are Velus Jones and JaVonta Payton. Cedric Tillman will be gone by the time Spillman arrives but there will be several other departing wideouts following the 2023 season as well. Tennessee took four wideouts in last year’s class and would like to add a couple more this go-around.

One other note of importance, Spillman is the older brother of Edwin Spillman – also of Lipscomb Academy. The 2024 outside linebacker is a really nice athlete who lines up in space and also on the edge. Tennessee likes the younger Spillman, who already boasts three SEC offers, and will continue to evaluate the prospect over the next year.

Having big brother on campus should help. Just like it should help with prospect Caleb Herring in this class.

Speaking of the pass-rusher, could he be next to jump in the boat? We think something could happen in spring. As far as wide receivers, the Vols continue to work Justin Brown, Carnell Tate, Noah Rogers, Kyler Kasper, Devin Hyatt and Jacob Page.