Tennessee received some more good fortune this weekend as its second commit in the span of two days pledged to the Big Orange Sunday afternoon. Three-star linebacker Jeremiah Telander, who has long been linked to the Volunteers, made it official following a successful visit weekend in Knoxville.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound native of Gainesville, Ga. becomes the 12th commit of the 2023 cycle, the seventh on the defensive side of the football and the first inside linebacker of the class. Telander now joins fellow defensive pledges John Slaughter, Jack Luttrell, Sylvester Smith, Caleb Herring, Nathan Robinson and Trevor Duncan in the group.

Having tripped to Knoxville multiple times since the calendar flipped to 2022, the Vols won out over North Carolina, while Louisville was also in the mix.

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

“Jeremiah brings everything to the table – from one end of the spectrum to the other. He’s got mindset, leadership – he’s just got ‘it.’ It’s one of those things that you can’t really say what ‘it’ is, but he’s got it. You talk about the intangibles, being a competitor and always striving to chase winning with competitive greatness – that’s him every day. It’s not just some days, but every day.

His football knowledge is unbelievable, but then his knack for understanding situations in football is great. He’s a very physical football player who is a great athlete. He can play anywhere on the field and thats the thing that makes him so valuable because there’s so many things in his skillset that is so large.

I’m so excited for him.”

-- Josh Niblett, Gainesville head football coach

How many middle linebackers are known for returning kicks for touchdowns? The list is short – but that’s Telander’s game at the prep level. The new Volunteer commit won’t be asked to line up deep on the kick return unit while in Knoxville, or at wideout or tight end on offense, but his athleticism allows him to make plays all over the field.

The linebacker dominated as a junior last fall, racking up 137 tackles, 33 stops for loss with three interceptions and three forced fumbles – all from the middle of the defense. His instincts are superb, and he displays a great first step – always using his momentum to carry him forward to the ball.

Acceleration through the line of scrimmage, making plays in then backfield, is a common part of his game. Telander’s plant-foot to get back into the middle-third or hook-curl in passing situations is great, showing the ability to change directions in a hurry. The defensive play-maker deciphers plays quickly and is able to close space between him and the ball-carrier both from in the middle or off the edge in a blitzing situation.

The best part of his game? He’s made to play linebacker. He runs the ally well – meaning, he moves laterally with the play, closing space in the process to make the tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage on an outside zone or sweep. He reads through his keys at the line of scrimmage and reacts well to his keys out of the backfield.

Telander has the size to play inside linebacker in Tim Banks’ scheme, but can afford to add on some more weight once he gets into a collegiate strength and conditioning program. His strength, though raw, is impressive and will serve him well taking on offensive linemen.

It’s the first inside linebacker of the class. With the addition, the Vols now have a commitment at every level of the defense – and all positions are accounted for, outside of cornerback. Tennessee has had a nice run on defensive commits of late, as five-of-the-past-six pledges hail on that side of the football.

With Telander now in the boat, all eyes will be on Grayson standout linebacker Jalen Smith – who will be announcing his commitment on July 10 with Tennessee sitting in a great spot. Priority cornerback target Cristian Conyer will also be making his call on July 3, and the Vols look to have gained back the momentum from Kentucky in that one.

Tennessee’s defensive committed class is already taking shape but will continue to be on watch over the next few weeks.

Back to Telander, the linebacker pledge adds another body to what will be a revamped position room. Jeremy Banks, Juwan Mitchell and Solon Page are entering their redshirt senior campaigns this season while Aaron Beasley will be a true senior in 2022. The room is set to turn over and there will be a need for underclassmen to step up and take on a snap load in 2023.

Telander might not be ready right away for that challenge, but he’s another body for depth purposes who could push for playing time. The Vols will still have Elijah Herring, William Mohan, Kwauze Garland and Kaleb Perry returning in 2023.

Look for the new Tennessee commit to come in and work for special teams snaps right away while tying to earn a rotational role in the middle of the defense sooner rather than later. The Vols liked Telander’s makeup from the beginning and the Peach State native has been feeling the Vols for quite some time now.