KNOXVILLE—The Butch Jones train kept on rolling down the line with the Wednesday commitment of kicker/punter Aaron Medley. A 6-2, 170 pound prospect from Lewisburg, TN, Medley trains with former Vol kicker James Wilhoit. Jones offered him Tuesday and he pulled the trigger less than a day later.

Medley has offers from Texas A&M and Oklahoma, and has received interest from LSU, Arkansas, Ohio State, and Notre Dame. Wilhoit had high praise for Medley on “The Swain Event” on Tennessee Sports Radio, “At this point you could argue he’s the best kicker in the country, his offers say that. He’s a top five kicker, punter, kick off, and field goal guy. With Palardy graduating, they’re going to need somebody to give them some options. He was too talented (for Butch Jones) to pass up. Aaron’s better than me, he really is. He has better height on his kicks than I did, his motion is smoother.”

Wilhoit’s praise of Medley continued, “I really feel confident he’ll be the field goal kicker and the kickoff guy, and can grow and develop into the (starting) punter. He’s a top 5 to top 7 punter in this class. His best punt can compete with anybody in the country.” We’ll link Wilhoit’s complete interview on “The Swain Event” once the podcast is up.

Chris Sailer, who runs kicking camps across the country, also showered Medley with compliments, “Aaron is an extremely talented punter. He has the size, strength, and athleticism to be dominant at this positon. He has proven that he can hit a huge ball. Aaron is a outstanding kicker. A great looking athlete with a strong leg. Very smooth and accurate off the ground. Kickoffs are big time.  A fine young man with a great attitude and work ethic.”

Without a doubt, Medley is one of the top 2014 kicking prospects in the nation. His commitment gives the Vols 13 members in the 2014 class; a class currently ranked third nationally by 247Sports and Rivals. Expect him to step in and earn a starting spot as a true freshman.