According to On3, Tennessee football added its first offensive lineman to the 2025 class when Antoni Kade Ogumoro committed Tuesday evening.
Ogumoro, listed at 6-4, 320 pounds, is the first of approximately 4-5 offensive linemen that the staff hopes to sign this cycle. He is rated as a three-star interior offensive line prospect and the ninth-best player in his current home state of Oklahoma. He played high school basketball in North Carolina before going to Oklahoma in November.
247 includes offers from other colleges such as Kansas State, Iowa State, Missouri, Oklahoma, TCU, North Carolina, and NC State, among others. He visited the Tar Heels three times, once as recently as April, but stated it ultimately came down to a Tennessee/Oklahoma decision, with the good guys coming out on top, according to Ryan Callahan’s piece about the pledge.
The review from 247’s recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks sounds encouraging — as if Ogumoro is a rising talent — and even suggests some potential future position versatility, which we know this staff likes.
“Unverified size but looks the part physically on tape,” Brooks stated. “A large base with a strong lower-body drive train that boosts run-game strength. Punching consistency can be improved, although heavy hands are noticeable. Pulls and climbs while promoting functional athleticism. Can be a force moving forward to the next level. When engaged, gets the hips involved and consistently outperforms high school targets. Multi-sport athlete who has played basketball and had limited throws reps (shot put and discus). He has also received significant two-way snaps. Can enhance balance and body control. Sometimes it plays out over his feet. Because of his tackle expertise and mauler-like field demeanour, he has the potential to add roster flexibility. P4-caliber offensive lineman with promising pad experience and a desirable multi-sport and two-way background who may have hidden long-term potential.”
His Hudl tape seems promising, as you can see the big man play on the inside and outside of the line, smashing players in front of him, and then getting to the second level and driving a back-seven defender downfield like he’s just pushing a broom at the warehouse. But I’m not a coach, and I surely don’t have the credentials to provide any genuine insight or criticism. If you are more familiar with base-level or advanced evaluations, please share them in the comments. He appears athletic on camera, which could be owing to him being a basketball player much of his childhood, beginning his football career in his sophomore year of high school and shifting to the offensive line last season. Oh, and he competes in the shot throw and discus events for the track and field team.
Tennessee first offered Ogumoro in early November of last year, his first SEC offer, and it appears that the Vols have been the team to beat ever then. He came for his junior day in early February, and not long after, 247’s Ryan Callahan had some positive feedback from an interview after the visit.
Right now, they’re absolutely at the top — like, (No.) 1 right now,” said Ogumoro, who accepted a scholarship offer from Tennessee on November 12 and now has offers from at least 13 colleges. “They were pretty much that way (before the visit) — just as they were over the phone, and I got that vibe from them.
“But they really finished it off going into that visit and seeing, ‘Oh, yeah, these guys are for real.'”
Apparently, UT OL Coach Glen Elarbee travelled to Oklahoma last Wednesday to see Ogumoro, knowing that the lineman had set a decision date for today. I believe that final visit cemented the deal.
Tennessee still has a lot of work to do in recruiting offensive line prospects, but this appears to be a good, high-ceiling foundation. We’ll see how it all plays out, but the Vols are in a nice place with a few people right now: David Sanders (the No. 2 overall player in the country, with some claiming UT has momentum. Sanders visited UT on two consecutive weekends in April: the weekend before the Orange and White Game and the following weekend when the game was played. Rumours suggest he may return this weekend for one more trip before beginning his official visits); Jaelyne Matthews (all six 247 crystal-ball picks have Tennessee winning here); Dontrell Glover, Mal Waldrep (allegedly here on an official visit), and others who are still undecided, interested, and/or leaning toward the Vols.
The following few months will be frantic on the recruiting front.
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