Knoxville, Tennessee, was a scene on October 15th that had not been seen in quite some time by the Volunteer faithful. For the first time in 16 games, Tennessee took down the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide, all on the kick of USC transfer Chase McGrath, who split the uprights as time expired to cap the 52-49 victory in one of the most thrilling games in recent memory.
Hidden in the crowd rushing the field, making his fourth visit to Tennessee, was four-star talent Daevin Hobbs, one of the few top 100 prospects in the class of 2023 that remains uncommitted. “It was crazy,” Hobbs told FanNation about the experience. “It was a big win for the program to beat Alabama. It was an electric environment. Everything was really good.”
Dropping Commitment date soon !
NO DECISIONS MADE YET
— Daevin Hobbs (@DaevinH) October 14, 2022
Just two days after the memorable game, Hobbs posted an announcement on his personal Twitter account. “Releasing commitment details soon,” the tweet read. Just three days prior to his latest announcement, Hobbs declared that his commitment date would be announced soon, although no decision had been made yet.
https://twitter.com/daevinh/status/1582016727411400704
Hobbs is among the most hotly recruited prospects in the class of 2023. He currently holds offers from almost every top school, including Tennessee, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, North Carolina, and just about any other Division I school in the immediate vicinity of Concord, North Carolina.
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On3 Sports projects down to five remaining choices for schools, considering two pending official visits to Alabama and Georgia over the next few weeks. As of now, it’s commonly thought that the decision will come down to Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama.
Daevin Hobbs Scouting Report
Hobbs is currently playing two ways at Jay M Robinson High School in Concord, North Carolina, his first year playing at this level. He opened his season with two long touchdown catches, scoring all 15 of his team’s points in the game himself.
He’s coming up from a lower classification this year and has so far shown no real adjustment was needed to the higher level of competition. Hobbs looks like an ideal prospect who reminds many people of Fletcher Cox coming out of high school.
Strengths:
- Rare movement ability for a player of his size. It looks like he could play some tight end if needed.
- Simply dominated the high school level at Jay M Robinson with his physical presence and size.
- Played basketball and was the MVP of a State Title team as a junior.
Weaknesses:
- Has room to add to his frame to effectively fit as a one or three tech at the FBS level. A year to get his frame up should do the job.
- First-step ability is not ideal. He doesn’t have a great get-off and will have to rely on his power moving after engaging with the tackle. He has room to grow in his ability to learn how to finesse his way into the backfield.
- Has relied on his overwhelming physical gifts to dominate high school and has a lot of bad habits to undo as he plays against players on his level or higher.
Where he best fits
Daevin Hobbs looks as if he would best fit in a 3-4 scheme as a defensive end. He already has the frame for it and can put more weight on playing more 3-tech if a team wants him to play defensive tackle.
Out of the top schools recruiting him, only Tennessee and Ohio State do not currently run 3-man front defenses. They run 4-2 fronts, which uses a slightly different technique and skillset than Daevin Hobbs currently has.
It could be that Hobbs is looking to the future, his potential NFL dreams. 4-3 defensive ends make a lot more money, as they are primarily pass rushers.
If Hobbs is thinking about the future, Ohio State would be his best bet. They will be losing a couple of key pieces over the next year, and their current defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles, not only runs an excellent scheme but develops talent at an extraordinary rate.
If he wants to be the player he is currently and is looking to play as soon as he can, North Carolina makes the most sense. They don’t have a lot of depth, and he could be starting as soon as the 2024 season there. Plus, it’s close to home.
Either way, his commitment announcement is one of the most anticipated ones currently left to be made. Hobbs has the audience at his command, and we’re interested to see where he will go.
