Tennessee surges on in their 2025 recruiting efforts, landing a commitment from one of the state’s top playmaking wide receivers in Joakim Dodson out of Collierville (Tenn.).
The three-star prospect chose the Volunteers after a Jr. Day visit with the staff last weekend and beat out the likes of Missouri, Cincinnati, Indiana, Arkansas, Miss. State, Ole Miss, TCU, and others.
Dodson details his Tennessee decision with Rivals.com below.
On why he picked Tennessee:
“The visit this past weekend just had a different feel to it. This one felt more like home than the previous trips to Tennessee. Just my relationships with the staff and knowing them for a long time. I really just hung out with them. Spent some quality time. They told me how they see me in the program. I just saw the vision myself, agreed with it, and now I’m calling it home.”
On how his commitment went down:
“During the visit Saturday, I told the wide receivers coach, Coach (Kelsey) Pope first. Then, I went up to Coach Heupel’s office and told him and he hoped up from his desk real fast and gave me a hug. It was a really cool experience.”
On his relationship with wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope:
“My relationship with him is amazing. Even when I was younger, we would message each other back-and-forth. Then, when he became my primary recruiter in August, our relationship really took off from there. We talked like every other day. He would call and check on me. We talk about more stuff off the field than we do on the field. When I hear him talk on the field, it’s in correlation with my Dad, who taught me how to play receiver. Coach Pope says a lot of the same things and he’ll get you to stay on the field and get you to that next level, so I trust him a lot because our relationship is so strong. It played a huge part in my decision.”
On what Coach Pope likes about his skill set:
“He likes that I’m versatile. I can go inside, out. That’s what Tennessee’s offense is really based on making plays and vertical shots. That speaks my language. Make plays, take vertical shots, get the ball in your hands, and don’t let one man tackle you. So, they like that I can play inside, out and can make a lot of plays downfield.”
During his junior season, Dodson hauled in 52 catches for 1,012 yards and ten touchdowns.
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Sean Williams, National Recruiting Analyst
