KNOXVILLE—Thursday afternoon the Vols picked up a commitment from 247Sports 4-star defensive end Joe Henderson. The 6-4, 225 pound prospect from Shaker Heights, Ohio became the 14th pledge in Tennessee’s 2014 class and pushed the class to No. 1 nationally according to Rivals and No. 2 in nation per 247Sports. Henderson holds offers from Louisville, Kentucky, Arkansas, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Michigan State, and others.

Henderson visited Knoxville two weeks ago and immediately named Tennessee as one of his favorite teams. Vol tight end coach Mark Elder served as the primary recruiter for Henderson, with defensive line coach Steve Stripling also contributing to his recruitment. Rivals, Scout, and ESPN have Henderson as a 3-star prospect, while 247Sports awards him 4-stars.

Henderson runs a 4.5 40-yard dash and possesses excellent speed off the edge. He’s exactly the type of player Tennessee DC John Jancek likes to utilize at end and he should have an opportunity to see the field early. The Vols will lose six of their top eight defensive linemen after this season (McCullers, Smith, Couch, Miller, Walls, and Hood) and desperately need depth on the defensive front. Look for Jones to try to sign six defensive linemen in this class.

You can view highlights of Henderson here:

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