Army Bowl: Rivals100 LB Peterson picks Tennessee
Rivals100 linebacker J.J. Peterson announced his commitment to Tennessee during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The move comes after a whirlwind courtship between the Vols and Peterson, and happens despite the fact that Peterson has never visited Knoxville.
However, he has a pair of former high school teammates on Tennessee's roster and his bond with new head coach Jeremy Pruitt combined with the chance to see the field early made Peterson comfortable enough to make his decision official.
What it means for Tennessee
This marks another head-to-head win for Tennessee over Alabama on the recruiting trail and is the biggest piece of the Vols' defensive class in 2018. Peterson is exactly the type of linebacker that will be needed to anchor the school’s new defensive identity and it’s likely that he has a chance to play early and often this fall.
Peterson’s combination of size and athleticism is hard to find and it’s not often you see a future SEC linebacker returning kickoffs for touchdowns, but that’s exactly what he did in Georgia’s highest classification over the past three seasons.
Landing Peterson is a win not only from a perception standpoint, but from an on-field standpoint as well.
What it means for Alabama
What is going on with the Tide? Obviously, Alabama is doing just fine as it gets set to play for the national championship on Monday night but the combination of losing Pruitt and now losing one of the top linebackers on the board is a tough pill to swallow. Because Peterson is committed and not signed it’s likely the Tide won't give up on him, but he said that it’s likely his trip to Knoxville next weekend will be the only official he takes.
Nick Saban is set to do an in-home visit with Peterson following the conclusion of the dead period, but that appears in flux as well. With limited options on the market thanks to the Early Signing Period, it will be interesting to see where Alabama looks to fill Peterson’s spot in the class.
