Four-star outside linebacker J.J. Peterson committed to Tennessee at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. The Moultrie, Georgia native is the No. 8 ranked overall player out of the Peach State, and ranked No. 2 at his position and No. 43 overall in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite.
4-star linebacker recruit J.J. Peterson commits to Tennessee
The Georgia native had a lot of SEC offers to choose from, but has officially signed his National Letter of Intent.
247Sports
His senior campaign speaks for itself, with Peterson claiming 110 total tackles (19 for loss), five sacks, and two pass breakups. Coming off a junior campaign that included 59 total tackles, Peterson nearly doubled his efforts ahead of his collegiate debut, and garnered a lot of interest from top-level FBS programs.
SB Nation’s Alabama site, Roll Bama Roll, were hoping a coaching connection could lure Peterson to the Tide.
At outside linebacker, Peterson would fit right into the Alabama scheme. The U.S. Army All-American is looking like a strong lean to Bama but outgoing Tide DC Jeremy Pruitt was the lead recruiter. His Colquitt County head coach is Rush Propst, who you may recall had Pruitt on his staff in their days back at Hoover.
However, Pruitt took the head coaching job at Tennessee.
The 6’1.5, 210-pound pass rusher held offers from teams like Auburn, Georgia, Clemson, and Michigan. His commitment to the Alabama Tide had strengthened throughout the latter part of his recruitment.
Why so many teams wanted Peterson
Peterson flashes all over the field due to his excellent speed. He identifies where the play is going and gets there early thanks to his quickness. And he arrives with bad intentions, looking to punish ballcarriers. Peterson has the size that could allow him to play early. And he has the physical ability to stay on the field during passing downs. Expect him to also be a strong special teams contributor. — Bud Elliott
