Keshawn Lawrence, Elijah Howard commit to football Vols

KNOXVILLE - The University of Tennessee football program continued its recent run of recruiting success with the addition of 2020 four-star safety Keshawn Lawrence from Nashville and 2021 athlete Elijah Howard.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Lawrence gave his nonbinding pledge to the Volunteers over offers from 22 other programs, including LSU, Miami, Alabama and Auburn.

He totaled more than 760 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense last season at Ensworth but will add to what is already a talented defensive back group for the Vols. They already have commitments from four-star safety Antonio Johnson, four-star junior college cornerback transfer Art Green and three-star cornerback Lovie Jenkins.

Lawrence is Tennessee's 11th commitment for the 2020 recruiting cycle, and second in the past four days, following three-star offensive lineman Cooper Mays.

Howard will play this season at Baylor in Chattanooga after spending the 2018 season at Knoxville Webb. Mississippi State, Purdue, Virginia and Virginia Tech were among his suitors. He becomes the second player to commit for Tennessee's 2021 recruiting cycle, joining four-star wide receiver Jordan Mosley, who pledged over the weekend to join the Vols.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.

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