What to make of Tennessee and the Brant Lawless development
No Brant Lawless
Defensive lineman signee Brant Lawless intended to be on campus May 28 and start classes on June 1. However, he’s still at home in Nashville, Tenn., and his future with Tennessee might be in jeopardy, according to a report by Volquest’s Austin Price.
“I’m not really sure what is going on,” Lawless told Price. “It’s frustrating.”
Lawless attended Nashville Christian School, a private school, which means his grades are almost assuredly in order. That’s likely not what is holding him up.
The coaching staff souring on him likely isn’t the case either. When Jeremy Pruitt took over, he and his staff ran off all the Butch Jones commits they didn’t want. Lawless never got the idea that the staff didn’t want him, and Pruitt isn’t one to mix words. If Tennessee didn’t want him, it wouldn’t have let him sign on National Signing Day.
Having spoken to Lawless multiple times in the past year since he committed to Tennessee, there aren’t any character issues that I’ve seen. He’s a pleasant young man who always seemed excited to get to Rocky Top and try to leave his mark on the program.
It’s probably not fair to speculate past that as to why he hasn’t made his way to campus. He probably will miss the July term as well, which means August could be his enroll time. That would put him so far behind that Lawless might be forced to look elsewhere.
The 4-star prospect was recruited by Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, so there is talent there.
Potentially losing Lawless means the in-state defensive line haul which was once the strength of the 2018 class now may be left with only Greg Emerson. Lawless and Emerson were committed along with D’Andre Litaker. The trio seemed poised to lock down the defensive line for years to come.
Litaker tore an ACL in his right knee during his senior season after tearing the left one a year prior, and he didn’t end up signing. Now Lawless’ holdup leaves only Emerson who made it to campus.
Lawless’ situation is a tough one, especially if matters don’t get resolved at Tennessee. He’s an in-state player that Tennessee fans should root for regardless of where he ends up playing
Just a guess but is sounds like an academic clearinghouse issue.
