Cane Ridge's Michael Reese commits to Duke over five SEC schools including Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Cane Ridge's Michael Reese on Thursday became the third Nashville area athlete to commit to Duke and coach David Cutcliffe.

Reese, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive tackle, chose Duke over Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

"Coach Cutcliffe is a good man," Reese said. "He was real with me and honest with me."

Duke currently has the No. 19 (Graham Barton), No. 23 (Malik Bowen) and No. 38 (Reese) prospects from Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite, committed for the Class of 2020.

Reese said he chose Duke over playing at Tennessee and Vanderbilt because he wanted to go to college out of the area.

"I kind of wanted to get away and experience new things," Reese said. "This was a good enough distance from home and school. It was everything I needed to be a student athlete."

Reese said he doesn't know Barton, a Ravenwood offensive tackle, or Bowen, a Mt. Juliet wide receiver.

Reese said playing for Cutcliffe will be "pretty amazing."

Cane Ridge assistant Mose Phillips played at Tennessee from 1991-94 when Cutcliffe when was an assistant at Tennessee.

"He talks highly of (Cutcliffe)," Reese said. 

Reese is a three-star prospect and No. 38 recruit in Tennessee, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is rated as the No. 66 defensive tackle in the country.

Reese had 31 tackles with six sacks and forced a fumble in 12 games in 2018. 

Commitments are nonbinding for the athlete and the school. Reese said he hasn't decided when he will sign or whether he will enroll early at Duke. The early signing period runs Dec. 18-20. Reese could choose to sign during the regular signing period, which begins Feb. 5, 2020.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.