KNOXVILLE— The Vols added a late member to the 2013 class with the Friday commitment of Kendal Vickers. A 6-4, 240 pound defensive end prospect from Havelock, NC, Vickers was previously committed to South Carolina but academic concerns derailed his plans to become a Gamecock. Given a 3-star rating by 247Sports composite, Vickers planned to enroll at Georgia Military College this summer, but after some progress in the classroom he worked his way into position to qualify at an SEC school. South Carolina planned on him heading the JUCO route, and when he became eligible, the Gamecocks no longer had room for him in the 2013 class.

He became a Vol due to some even more fortunate circumstances. Tennessee running backs coach Robert Gillespie visited his high school Monday to check on another prospect, 4-star 2014 running back Derrell Scott. Gillespie noticed the physically impressive Vickers and urged him to visit campus. Tennessee’s newest commitment offered his take on how his path to Knoxville occurred. “They (Tennessee) watched my film and wanted to get me down to take an official visit, and I did that. I fell in love with everything. The people are great down here. The facilities are awesome. They are up and coming I think. Everything just fell into place,” Vickers said while visiting Knoxville Friday evening.

He plans on officially signing with Tennessee sometime next week and hopes to enroll in the second session of summer school. An underrated talent by most counts, Vickers gives the Vols added depth on the defensive front. Though he’s not likely to contribute early, Tennessee is facing a tremendous lack of defensive line depth in 2014 and he’ll certainly have a chance to work his way into the rotation by then.