Vols add first 2017 commitment

Tennessee added its first commitment of 2017 Sunday evening when Durham, N.C., defensive lineman Jordon Riley pulled the trigger for the Vols.

The massive, 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive tackle camped at Tennessee last week in his first ever trip to see Tennessee and immediately clicked with defensive line coach Steve Stripling.

That led to a follow-up call on Sunday that sealed the deal for Riley.

"I was just talking to coach Strip and I told him I wanted to be a Vol. I told him how much I enjoyed myself down at the camp and how much I liked the facilities," Riley told Volquest.com soon after his commitment.

Riley found a bevy of reasons to commit to the Vols nearly 20 months before he will sign a National Letter of Intent, but the biggest reason was he felt like Stripling and the Vols would get the most out of him.

"Just the facilities and the tradition there and they have your best interest in mind and I feel like under coach Strip I feel like I'm just going to get better," Riley explained. "Then, the love from the fans is more motivation and I want to be a part of that. I've been looking for that kind of atmosphere."

The relationship between Stripling and Riley just started early last week when Tennessee offered the Riverside High School playmaker, but he felt like he knew enough about Stripling and his pedigree after spending Friday being coached by the veteran defensive line coach during camp to go ahead and get locked in.

"We've really just now started to get to know each other. But, I really like what he's got going on with the defensive line there. I just want to be a part of it," Riley said. "He's coached at Michigan and Michigan State and he's definitely a top defensive line coach. He's won a lot of games and he's got a lot of spirit and he knows what he's talking about and I can see he knows what he's doing."

Even though there's a long time from when he will eventually sign, Riley feels like he's found the right home.

"I feel like I'm pretty committed. I feel like I saw everything I needed to see. I planned on doing something early so I could focus on getting better and school," Riley said.

A four-star prospect, Riley attributes his budding stardom to his natural size and ability he's displayed after only playing the game one year.

"I just started playing last year and I think I picked it up pretty fast," Riley said. "I feel like I came off the edge and did well. Ninety-nine percent of the time I was bigger and stronger than the other offensive linemen but then I could close on them, too."

A defensive end for Riverside, Riley said he knows he's likely a tackle in the SEC.

"They said they probably see me as a defensive tackle. I just play end in high school because I want to."