Offensive lineman Akporoghene commits to Vols

KNOXVILLE — Tennessee continued adding muscle to its 2019 football recruiting Monday when an offensive lineman with ties to the state made a public commitment to play for the Volunteers.

Chris Akporoghene announced his commitment on Twitter, giving Tennessee its 13th pledge of the class and sixth from an offensive or defensive lineman.

Akporoghene, who is rated as a three-star prospect according to 247Sports.com and a four-star prospect according to Rivals. com, will play his high school senior season at IMG Academy in Florida after transferring from The King’s Academy in Seymour, Tennessee.

At 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, Akporoghene is projected as an offensive tackle in college. He quickly became a standout on Tennessee’s high school football scene the last two seasons after moving to the state from Nigeria.

He joins five-star offensive tackle prospect Wanya Morris of Loganville, Georgia, and fourstar prospect Jackson Lampley of Nashville as the offensive linemen committed to the Vols’ 2019 class.

The Vols also have three defensive linemen, two tight ends, two defensive backs, a quarterback, a receiver and a linebacker committed. The class was ranked ninth in the Southeastern Conference by 247Sports and Rivals on Monday evening after Akporoghene’s commitment.

Verbal commitments are nonbinding, and Akporoghene’s first opportunity to sign a national letter of intent will come in December.

“I’m driven, because football is not just a game for me,” Akporoghene said in a video announcement of his commitment. “It’s an avenue for me and my family. That’s what pushes me. That’s why I wake up every day wanting to be better than the day before. It’s why I have been looking for a place to plant my flag, to find a place that I can call home.”