Tennessee Football: Players to Watch in High School All-American Games

Having Tennessee commitments in the high school All-America games over the holidays has become a staple during Butch Jones' two full recruiting cycles as the Volunteers' head football coach.

This season is no different.

The Vols have nine current commitments participating in the two established high school showcases—the Under Armour All-America Game and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Three more UT commits are in the two other all-star games.

Numerous other targets will be playing in those games as well, and at least three UT targets could announce their college of choice during the televised contests. 

Here's a list of the All-America games and the players to watch for all you Tennessee fans.

Under Armour All-America Game

Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida; Friday, Jan. 2, 4 p.m. Eastern time 
TV: ESPN2

Credit: 247Sports

This is the big one to watch if you're a Tennessee fan. The only problem is you probably won't be watching it live.

It is scheduled to start just 40 minutes after the Vols kick off in the TaxSlayer Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Still, it may not be a bad idea to set your DVR, as six UT commits and other targets are playing.

Commits

Preston Williams 6'4", 191-pound WR Hampton, Georgia

Williams won't play due to a knee injury suffered during the regular season, which is a shame considering the 5-star talent and the nation's fifth-ranked receiver could have had another opportunity to showcase his skills against the nation's best on national television. 

Shy Tuttle 6'3", 320-pound DT Lexington, North Carolina

The Vols desperately needed to shore up the interior of the defensive line this season, and they did so with the additions of 5-star Kahlil McKenzie and Tuttle, a highly ranked 4-star player who has the potential to be a disruptive force on the inside. After performing well for the North Carolina squad in the Shrine Bowl, the quiet Tuttle will try to make some noise in St. Pete. After the game, he'll head to Knoxville as an early enrollee.

Andrew Butcher 6'2", 242-pound DE Alpharetta, Georgia

After an outstanding senior season that saw him win Defensive Player of the Year honors in one of the most dominant regions in the state of Georgia as well as first-team all-state, Butcher will be roaming the defensive front with Tuttle. He is also slated to be an early enrollee in Knoxville, and he has the potential to make an immediate impact for UT.

Micah Abernathy 6'1", 187-pound CB Norcross, Georgia

Abernathy is a rangy cornerback who chose the Vols over in-state Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama and others. He represents yet another massive win for Jones in the state, and he's the third Georgia boy who'll head to UT playing in this game. He is a dynamic athlete who is somewhat new to the cornerback position, so it'll be interesting to see where he plays in this game.

Jack Jones 6'5", 290-pound OT Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Jones is one of the offensive linemen who'll probably be counted on early in Knoxville out of necessity. With the Vols desperately needing offensive tackles to come in and at least provide depth in 2015, Jones will get an extended look once he arrives on campus. This will be a good opportunity to see whether he's athletic enough to battle those long, talented defensive ends.

Marques Ford 6'4", 220-pound DE Gibsonton, Florida

Though he didn't receive any offers from the "Big Three" in Florida or have the big sheet that a lot of talented Florida defenders boast during the recruiting process, UT believes it got a steal in Ford. He wasn't highly regarded when he chose the Vols over Rutgers, Arkansas, Boston College and others. But after a strong senior season, he got invited to a high-profile all-star game, and it'll be interesting to see how the defender stacks up. He is yet another UT defensive lineman who'll be on the field.

Targets

Vols fans also may want to watch a long-shot target in the game, though it's unlikely he will be playing in Knoxville.

Memphis University School offensive tackle Drew Richmond was one of Tennessee's top targets in the 2015 class for more than a year, but he spurned the Vols to commit to Ole Miss. He has seemed solid since that pledge, and there doesn't appear to be any movement between Richmond and UT.

But it'll be interesting to see how he performs on such a high level. Tennessee fans will be watching to see what they missed out on.

U.S. Army All-American Bowl

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas; Saturday, Jan. 3, 1 p.m. Eastern time 
TV: NBC

Credit: 247Sports

Commits

Kahlil McKenzie 6'4", 319-pound DT Concord, California

The jewel of Tennessee's class and a future defensive cornerstone will be on display on the West squad in the form of defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie.

He's the nation's 10th-ranked overall player in the class, and though he didn't play his senior season due to transfer rules in California, he's expected to immediately help the Vols. It's going to be interesting to see how the layoff affected him.

Darrin Kirkland Jr. 6'2", 235-pound MLB Indianapolis, Indiana

One of the biggest coups for UT came after Michigan coach Brady Hoke was fired. That's when middle linebacker Kirkland re-opened his recruitment. He ultimately chose the Vols over Texas and Ole Miss, among many other offers, and he will have a golden opportunity to replace A.J. Johnson in the middle of UT's defense as a true freshman.

He has the sideline-to-sideline speed and the tackling ability to help right away, and he'll line up on the second level behind McKenzie for the West. Despite all the Jim Harbaugh talk swirling around his former destination, the midterm enrollee told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required) that he's solid to UT.

Tommy Townsend 6'1", 175-pound P Orlando, Florida

Another player who will have the opportunity to step in and start for the Vols is Townsend. UT loses senior punter Matt Darr to graduation, and it has no clear-cut leader to take over punting duties. Townsend—whose brother punts for the Florida Gators—has the skills to fill that role.

Targets

Everybody wants to know who Tennessee's biggest remaining target will pick, and currently, Nashville defensive end Kyle Phillips is slated to make his announcement during the game. Though UT has long been thought of as a favorite to land his services, most of the late movement in the 247Sports Crystal Ball points to LSU.

That would be a big blow to UT's strong class.

Another top target for the Vols is another defensive end: Fairburn, Georgia's D'Andre Walker. UT already has a strong haul on the defensive line, but landing either Phillips or Walker would make this arguably the best defensive line recruiting class in school history.

Walker told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required) that he also was going to announce during the all-star game between Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn. Signing him or Phillips would be a major score for UT.

Other All-America Games

Credit: 247Sports

The Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl will be televised by FoxSports1 on Jan. 4 at 9 p.m., and it will be worth watching for Tennessee fans.

Stud defensive end commitment Darrell Taylor will be playing in the game as well as offensive line targets Patrick Allen and Mike Horton as well as quarterback target Sheriron Jones.

Jones, according to GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required), "recently has emerged as a top priority for Tennessee and has referred to the Vols as his leader since parting ways with the Gators."

While Phillips may be the biggest name left on Tennessee's board, Allen is arguably more important. With offensive coordinator Mike Bobo leaving Georgia to be the head coach at Colorado State and taking O-line coach Will Friend to be his offensive coordinator, Allen is far from solid on his Georgia commitment.

He was originally scheduled to announce his final decision between UT and UGA during the game, but Callahan said it's unclear whether he'll follow through with that decision.

Midstate UT commits Kyle Oliver and Vincent Perry will play in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl along with Miami commit and UT offensive line target Tyree St. Louis, but that game is not televised.

All recruiting information gathered from the 247Sports composite rankings, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.