Tennessee lost Vols legacy recruit Kenneth Simon II to Alabama earlier this spring, but there's a new development in his recruitment

Tennessee lost Vols legacy recruit Kenneth Simon II to Alabama earlier this spring, but there's a new development in his recruitment

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Tennessee lost Vols legacy recruit Kenneth Simon II to Alabama earlier this spring, but there's a new development in his recruitment
Tennessee Vols football
Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel

2027 four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, the son of a former Vols linebacker, committed to Alabama earlier this spring. Tennessee, however, isn’t giving up in their pursuit of him.

One of the Tennessee Vols’ toughest losses on the recruiting trail happened in May when 2027 four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II, the son of former UT linebacker Kevin Simon, committed to Alabama.

Simon was one of the Vols’ top 2027 recruiting targets. And losing a Tennessee legacy player to a top rival was tough for UT fans to swallow.

“Kevin followed the same path that he learned from his father, and he let Kenneth pick his own choice and go where he wanted to go,” explained VolQuest’s Brent Hubbs in May. “Kenneth decided to go to a rival school. That’s hard for Tennessee fans to accept. And that’s tough, but I don’t think Tennessee did anything wrong in the recruitment. And I think at the end of the day, Kenneth Simon felt like the best thing for him as a person, not just as a football player, but the best thing for him as a person was to establish his roots in Tuscaloosa.”

Simon is still committed to Alabama as we settle into the summer months, but he’s continuing to communicate with Tennessee.

Tennessee is hoping to flip Kenneth Simon II from Alabama

According to On3’s Chad Simmons, the Volunteers are still communicating with Simon as they hope to flip him from Alabama.

“The Vols continue to swing for Alabama linebacker commit Kenneth Simon II… Tennessee has not given up on Simon, and there has still been communication since the commitment a month ago,” reported Simmons on Friday.

Vols defensive coordinator Jim Knowles will be key in the effort to flip Simon.

Kevin Simon said earlier this offseason that his son wasn’t going to play for previous Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks. That certainly tells us that the relationship with the defensive coordinator is extremely important to the Simon family. If Knowles can strengthen his relationship with the younger Simon over the next couple of months, maybe the Vols can pull off the stunner and flip the four-star linebacker.

The good news for Tennessee is that Simon is at least listening right now.

This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Tennessee lost Vols legacy recruit Kenneth Simon II to Alabama earlier this spring, but there’s a new development in his recruitment

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