On the heels of his best friend and teammate Bryson Eason committing to Tennessee, 4-star prospect Martavius French pulled the trigger for the Vols on Tuesday night, too.

The 6-3, 240-pound linebacker, who projects to play outside or defensive end for the Vols, decommitted from Arkansas on Sunday and has been considered a UT lean ever since his official visit to Knoxville for the Georgia game.

Here’s a closer look at what his addition means…

SCOUTING REPORT

"French's stock really rose during his junior season as he became the team's biggest playmaker on defense. During the camp season he showed his ability to move and cover in space and he and Eason fit alongside each other very well. French is also always around the ball and a tackling machine and could play inside or outside at the next level."

— Woody Wommack, Rivals.com Analyst

HOW WILL FRENCH FIT IN WITH THE VOLS?

French has mostly played inside linebacker for Whitehaven, but the Memphis native projects to slide outside — as both a linebacker and defensive end in Tennessee's 3-4 system. After a junior season where he filled in for Eason, who was battling an ankle injury, French has been especially disruptive playing alongside his best friend in 2019.

After recording 80 tackles last fall, French already has 11 tackles for loss in five games this season. He's shown a better ability to play in space and could project as a disruptive presence off the edge.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR TENNESSEE?

With a slow start to the 2019 season, Jeremy Pruitt & Co., shifted its focus for the 2020 class on in-state targets, and French became a priority in recent months.

The Vols are looking to build a pipeline from Memphis to Knoxville and landing the Whitehaven trio is a great foundation for the 2020 class. They haven't given up on Chris Morris who recently committed to Texas A&M, but more importantly, French and Eason are longtime friends with 4-star end Omari Thomas.

With Eason, French and McDonald on board, the Vols can now focus on Thomas, Morris and Jay Hardy and Tyler Baron to close out an impressive in-state crop of big bodies this cycle.