Commitment Tracker: Top Seniors Off The Market

<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Some of the best prospects from our TN2027 recruiting class recently came off the board by making commitments and we break down some of those decisions here. The top O-lineman in this class committed and so did one of the best receivers in the state. Some under the radar prospects made decisions as well. Check out our breakdown below in our latest commitment tracker! </h2>     (QB) [player_tooltip player_id='1142902' first='Cooper' last='Newman'] - Sevier Co.    * Committed to UConn *   - A multi-year starter and 2024 state champion, Newman decided to take his name off the open market in favor of committing to the UConn Huskies. The Smoky Bears signal caller saw UConn as a place where he could potentially see the field early in his career and a fit that could develop him further as a passer and player. Newman ultimately chose the Huskies over Charlotte, Maryland, Michigan St., North Carolina, Northwestern, Troy and many others. Throughout the entire recruiting process, Newman was a highly sought after guy, so this is a big win for UConn as they won out over several Power Four programs. The Huskies did the work and got their man and potentially their quarterback of the future with this East Tennessee pocket passer.    Talent Acquisition: Ranked 30th overall and 4th among the quarterbacks, Newman is a true pocket passing gunslinger that shows excellent pocket awareness while keeping his eyes down field, looking for the open receiver. When things break down, Newman has enough athleticism to gain positive yards with his legs or extend the play overall. The Smoky Bears quarterback shows accuracy and timing that can certainly improve with more development. Newman is also a winner that has led his Sevier Co. football program to a lot of victories. It will take time for Newman to get acclimated to the college life and the college game but down the road, he should have a shot at being the UConn starting quarterback.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/cnewman-e1781629414256.jpg?w=884" alt="" class="wp-image-2115092" style="aspect-ratio:0.8623098726496068;width:223px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    (RB) [player_tooltip player_id='905235' first='Khamoni' last='Williams'] - Southwind   * Committed to West Virginia *   - One of the top Memphis area prospects in this year's class found his college home in West Virginia and on paper, it looks like a tremendous fit between Williams and the Mountaineers. The Jaguars senior running back took an official visit to West Virginia earlier this month and after deliberating for a little while, Williams decided that playing in the Big 12 was the move for him. This West Tennessee talent decided to go with the Mountaineers over plenty of strong offers that included Florida St., Louisville, Kentucky, Maryland, Memphis, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and several others. I do like the fit here between the two parties as Williams is built and runs like a West Virginia running back. A little time will be needed to get his feet wet but eventually, Williams should earn a spot on the two deep somewhere early in his college career.    Talent Acquisition: Downhill, powerful running is what you get here with Williams. Standing 5 '11 and 200 plus pounds, the Jags ball carrier is hard to tackle and once he gets going, Williams becomes even tougher to bring down. He shows flashes of contact balance but does need to work on that further. Increasing his agility and gaining more speed are two more areas that Williams must develop while at West Virginia. The power profile is certainly there with room to enhance all his athletic tools. How Williams can see the field early with West Virginia is inside the red zone where his power and strength could produce touchdowns. This is a solid pickup by the Mountaineers as they might have found their power back of the future.    - - - - -    (WR) [player_tooltip player_id='1556594' first='Lawrence' last='Britt'] - Lausanne   * Committed to Missouri *   - Throughout the entire 2027 recruiting process, Britt has been a known name with tons of big time programs in pursuit but in the end, this Memphis area prospect chose to ride with Missouri and play his college ball in the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers coaching staff spent a lot of time recruiting Britt and their efforts won out, especially over some time level programs. In the end, the Lynx wideout chose Mizzou over Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Vanderbilt and many others. The fit with the Missouri offense and their coaching staff proved to be too tough to pass up. This was a big recruiting win for the Tigers as they landed someone with playmaking abilities that could carve out a role early in his career as long as Britt continues to progress in the right direction.    Talent Acquisition: What the Tigers are getting with Britt is a natural athlete, a playmaker that can stretch the field or take short passes and turn them into long gains. The Lynx wideout is a smooth runner that gains steam once he gets moving. Once he is into open space, Britt turns on his second gear and separates from his defender. I could also see the Tigers using Britt and his speed on special teams as a return man. What the Memphis area prospect must work on is his route running and ball skills. Those two areas are solid but to become an All-Conference guy, Britt must improve in those two areas. He must also get bigger and stronger as well. If the Lynx pass catcher can continue developing at a proper rate, finding a starter role and potentially earning All-SEC honors is very possible.    - - - - -    (OT/G) [player_tooltip player_id='1159814' first='Antonio' last='Keefer'] - Southwind   * Committed to Ole Miss *   - Ranked as the top O-line prospect in the state by Prep Redzone Tennessee, Keefer was a big fish still sitting on the open market until the Jaguars big man decided to roll with the Rebels. After a long process and obtaining tons of offers, Keefer ultimately committed to Ole Miss over LSU, Memphis and Ohio State. This Memphis area prospect went with the Rebels because of their status in the SEC, the fit with their offensive line and how close Ole Miss is to home. I see this as a big win for the Rebels because Keefer is a legit talent that could develop at multiple positions up front and eventually become a multi-year SEC starter. I fully expect Keefer to remain solid with Ole Miss until the end as they check too many boxes for the Southwind offensive lineman and his future development.    Talent Acquisition: The Rebels might be getting a future stud and All-Conference performer here with Keefer but only if he continues developing at the rate he is currently on. The Jags O-lineman is a wide based blocker with the athleticism to play tackle in college or at worst, slide inside to guard. Keefer is a powerful young man with strong hands that holds up well at the point of attack while also being able to drive opposition off the ball. He sports an agile lower base and good footwork that could allow him to remain outside at tackle. Keefer will need time to continue forming his body and filling out his frame but I wouldn't be surprised to see this West Tennessee product starting his sophomore season.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/05/akeefer.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-2199869" style="width:207px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    (OG/C) [player_tooltip player_id='1133950' first='Cash' last='Freeman'] - Baylor   * Committed to East Carolina *   - The anchor up front for the Red Raiders offensive line, Freeman saw his stock steadily rise throughout the off-season months where he had several strong suitors in pursuit but in the end, he committed to East Carolina. This future college center chose the Pirates over Arkansas St., Jacksonville St., Liberty, Marshall, MTSU, Toledo, Troy, Tulane and several others. The Red Raiders big man ultimately saw the fit best with East Carolina as a place he could develop and eventually carve out a role as the team's starting center. Freeman is a prospect that I could see garnering bigger interest before we reach signing day. He is a clean prospect that does a lot of little things right while having enough physical size that could generate more interest and offers, though I personally like the fit with the Pirates.    Talent Acquisition: I really like the pickup here by East Carolina as they targeted a prospect that could come into camp next year and immediately fight for a spot on their depth chart. Freeman is rock solid in the middle, an anchor that is tough to push backwards and someone that executes with strong technique. You don't see many bad snaps on film and you don't see Freeman move out of position too often either. The Red Raiders senior is a solid athlete as well that can develop that area further as he matures. If center doesn't work out, Freeman is a versatile guy that could provide snaps at guard. I could easily see Freeman move up in our updated Fall rankings as long as he continues to perform like he has while increasing his game play.    - - - - -    (Ath) [player_tooltip player_id='1595026' first='Parker' last='Emerson'] - Brentwood   * Committed to Navy *   - The Bruins had to lean on Emerson a ton last year but it paid off as this Williamson County native pushed his game to new heights, which landed him on the college radar. His work last year and in the off-season led the Bruins two-way prospect towards earning an opportunity with the Naval Academy. Emerson pledged to the Midshipmen recently, choosing them over offers from Army, Dartmouth, Eastern Ky and Princeton. He saw the chance to be with Navy too good of an opportunity to pass up as Emerson may be looking for something after his football career but before then, this Brentwood senior will have a shot to play a ton with the Midshipmen. I believe they got themselves a potential starter here with Emerson and someone that will do his job and play hard each time he steps onto the field.    Talent Acquisition: Watching how Emerson performs this Fall season will go a long way towards what position I think he will play during his college life. I can easily see this Mid-Tennessee product excelling and starting at either receiver or safety while at Navy. Emerson brings nice size to the field along with good ball skills and a physical nature that speaks toward his defensive upside. The Bruins senior is a crafty receiver that uses his body to shield off defenders then allow his strong hands to haul in the catch. Over on defense, Emerson is a sure tackler that displays good instincts and deceptive range. Increasing his speed is the biggest area to improve for Emerson and something that could help him a ton on either side of the ball.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/06/pemerson2.jpg?w=819" alt="" class="wp-image-2228865" style="aspect-ratio:0.8005930318754633;width:202px;height:auto" /></figure>   - - - - -    (LB) [player_tooltip player_id='1318538' first='Roman' last='Jennings'] - Brentwood Academy   * Committed to Liberty *   - Liberty came down to Middle Tennessee and potentially got themselves a steal, a future starting linebacker with Jennings, who is still growing and developing his game, so his best ball may be in front of him. It was a long process where Jennings picked up tons of good options but it was the Flames that won out and landed this 6'3 225 pound inside linebacker. The Eagles senior defensive prospect ended up committing to Liberty over offers from Coastal Carolina, Colorado St., Jacksonville St., Miami OH, MTSU, Southern Miss and Wake Forest. The Flames coaching staff did a great job of targeting Jennings early on and pursuing him as a wanted man. Their efforts paid off as they could be getting a multi-year starter with Jennings that could wind up being a defensive captain and leader.    Talent Acquisition: Sporting college size with room to get bigger, Jennings is an intriguing talent for the next level as he brings a lot of physical tools and upside to the field that could be developed much further. This Mid-Tennessee product competes hard, playing a physical brand of football along with range to make tackles sideline to sideline. Jennings excels right now at stuffing the run but shows the athletic upside to become effective in pass coverage. The biggest areas to work on moving forward for Jennings is increasing his agility, explosion and speed. Enhancing those traits will help get the Eagles linebacker on the field sooner than later while at Liberty but also turn him into a fearsome defender that could one day compete for All-Conference honors.    - - - - -    (S) [player_tooltip player_id='1641243' first='Malik' last='Dean Jr.'] - Germantown   * Committed to Memphis *   - One of the top safety prospects from our TN2027 class decided to stay home to play his college ball and it might turn out to be a good decision by both parties. The Red Devils defensive back recently took an official visit to Memphis and after thinking about it for a few days, Dean Jr. decided to commit to the Tigers and play his college ball at home. This 6 '2 hard hitting safety committed to Memphis over offers from the likes of Georgia St., Jacksonville St., Southern Miss, UAB, UNLV and Western Ky. Dean Jr. was also receiving interest from bigger programs as well and I wouldn't be surprised to see some Power Four programs get involved before he's signed on the dotted line. As things sit right now, this is a great pickup by Memphis, adding a talented back end defender that is far from a finished product but has the potential to become an All-Conference starter down the road.    Talent Acquisition: The first thing you recognize about Dean Jr. is his size. The Red Devils safety has the college look with a frame that can put on an additional 20 to 30 pounds and still be effective. Where Dean Jr. fits best on the back end is at boundary safety where he can work the box versus the run while also being able to play in coverage. This guy is a violent hitter that closes fast. Dean Jr. could stand to get faster, quicker but I think he will get there with further development. This Memphis area prospect brings high character and work ethic to the field, which is a big point why I like Dean Jr. and believe he will eventually carve out a starting role on the Tigers defense. I like this addition by Memphis and think keeping homegrown talent in their backyard is key towards continuing their winning ways and the Tigers might have found a gem here with Dean Jr.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/04/mdean2-e1781629466880.jpg?w=748" alt="" class="wp-image-2164075" style="aspect-ratio:0.8385744234800838;width:220px;height:auto" /></figure>