The commitments are beginning to roll in for Josh Heupel and the Tennessee coaching staff as Knoxville Catholic standout Trevor Duncan becomes the seventh member of the 2023 class. A four-star versatile lineman, Duncan made the call Friday morning and is now the second pledge of the week for Tennessee – joining fellow in-state trench player Nathan Robinson.

The Vols won out for the local product over Kentucky and Virginia Tech.

Duncan joins a Volunteer class consisting of five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, four-star tight end Ethan Davis, three-star defensive back Jack Luttrell, three-star offensive lineman Ayden Bussell, three-star wide receiver Nate Spillman and three-star defensive lineman Nathan Robinson.

The 6-foot-6, 275 pounder becomes Heupel’s fourth in-state pledge and the second four-star.

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

“You look at him physically and it kind of speaks for itself. The best part about Trevor is he is low maintenance in every part of who he is. He practices his tail off. He’s not a social media darling, which is kind of unheard of in this day in age. That kind of sums up who he is. He goes to work every day. He’s always the last one to leave the weight room. I’m super excited to be able to coach him.

You look at how mammoth he is – 275 and wears it extremely well. There’s not much body fat. They will probably want him to put on 20-30 pounds, depending on what they want to do with him position wise. The biggest piece of who he is would be the versatility on offense and defense. He’s the kind of kid that’s going to be OK with whatever they think is best for him and that speaks to who he is.

He’s got that ‘pop’ to him. He’s got the twitch that normal kids don’t have. He’s going to continue to improve that every single day.

-- Korey Mobbs, Knoxville Catholic head football coach

The first thing that jumps off the charts when evaluating the tape is his length. At 6-foot-6, Duncan has great extension. He utilizes that extension to create separate between him and the blocker – allowing him to decipher the play, spot the ball and then go and make the play. At defensive end, his ability to squeeze the end man on the line of scrimmage on a down block is next level. It’s teach-tape and it usually leads him to the ball or on a great pursuit to the ball.

Duncan shows great burst off the line of scrimmage and usually beats his opponent on simple strength at the prep level. Still, he stays low and has good technique and is a good contain player. Once he’s at the next level, he’ll begin to add individual moves to his pass-rush and that will elevate his ability to get to the quarterback.

The lineman is versatile. He’s more polished on the defensive side of the football, having learned from Korey Mobbs (Catholic head coach) who has coached five players who have played different positions at the SEC level – including former All-American, Derrick Brown. He’s also learned from VFL and former Catholic defensive coordinator, Robert Ayers.

But Duncan could very well find himself at offensive tackle when arriving at Tennessee. He’s more raw at the position, but he possesses everything Glen Elarbee seeks in a tackle at this level. He’s long, athletic, has great feet and is good at getting up to the second level of the defense. Duncan has experience on the offensive line and will continue to refine his craft on that side of the football as a senior this fall.

It’s another win for Heupel, who keeps an in-state prospect from joining the likes of a neighboring state. With four commitments coming from the home state, Tennessee’s second-year head coach has now doubled his entire in-state haul from the 2022 cycle.

With the extra year of [COVID] eligibility still hanging around for upperclassmen, it’s tough to sometimes predict who could still be here a year in advance. Still, Tennessee could lose starting right tackle Darnell Wright after this season. Reserve Dayne Davis will have graduated and will have a decision to make on his playing future. But Tennessee suffers from a lack of depth at the position right now. If Duncan is placed on the offensive side of the ball, he’d have an opportunity to challenge for a backup role potentially heading into the 2023 season.

On defense, the Vols could be without Byron Young and Tyler Baron on the edge after the 2022 campaign. There’s always a rotation on the defensive front, so there’s no reason the local talent couldn’t find a role as a freshman, once he adds some weight. He’s an athlete and athletes find the field at this level.

You can never have enough offensive linemen or defensive linemen as it’s a line of scrimmage league. Tennessee gets a prospect who can play both. It’s up to the Vols to figure that out once he arrives in the summer of 2023.

For now, Duncan must continue to refine his craft, add some good weight and help Tennessee recruit other in-state and out-of-state prospects for the Class of 2023.