Yet another highly rated player de-commits from Tennessee following Butch Jones firing

After Tennessee announced the firing of coach Butch Jones on Sunday, the Vols’ 2018 recruiting class immediately started taking some big hits.

WR Shocky Jacques-louis and fellow commit Tanner Ingle de-committed from the school, and on Sunday afternoon, a talented JUCO defensive lineman followed suit.

As you can see in his announcement on Twitter, Dorian Gerald, a 3-star JUCO defensive end, decided to reopen his recruitment in the aftermath of Jones’s firing:

I’d like to announce that I am opening my recruitment back up! I would like to thank the staff for giving me an amazing opportunity but i have to make the best decision for me and my family!

— Dorian Gerald (@TopNotchDG) November 12, 2017

According to the 247Sports composite, Gerald is the No. 1 JUCO strong-side defensive end in the class of 2018 and the No. 2 overall JUCO recruit from the state of South Carolina.

Whoever Tennessee hires next will have his job cut out for him trying to pick up the pieces and replenish the now-depleted group of recruits. It’ll be interesting to see if the Vols can get a coach with enough name recognition to get some of the top players back.