Dietrick Pennington, Tennessee's No. 10 prospect in Class of 2021, leads ECS to win

Khari Thompson
Memphis Commercial Appeal

Evangelical Christian School had little trouble moving the ball Friday night as it earned a 49-6 victory over region foe St. George's. A big part of the Eagles' success was Dietrick Pennington, the No. 10 college football prospect in the state and No. 11 offensive guard in the country for the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports composite. 

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound junior played both sides of the ball Friday. He cleared running lanes for the Eagle running backs and helped give quarterback Jacob Hatcher plenty of time to throw. And he commanded double teams on defense. 

"We couldn’t move him tonight. We tried to double team him but he just stood there and overpowered our guys," St. George's coach Andre Lott said. "And he’s just a junior so he’s only going to get stronger and mentally he’ll be even better, and we have to get ready for him again next year." 

Pennington's scholarship offers include Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia and LSU, among others. 

"He can run, he’s athletic, he can bend. You don’t find many lineman like that," Lott said. 

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ECS linebacker Austin Hill, a Navy commitment, said that he views Pennington as a leader and a reliable blocker on running plays. He also said that Pennington has gained more than 50 pounds since he was a freshman. 

"He started as a tight end. He’s gained a lot of weight, but it's good weight. You need to find a picture of him when he was a freshman and compare it to now. It’s insane," Hill said. "And his work ethic. He doesn’t really publicize it. He works his tail off and a lot of big boys don’t do that. That’s why he’s special." 

Evangelical Christian lineman Dietrick Pennington is the No. 11 offensive guard prospect in the nation for the Class of 2021.

Pennington said that he has a 46-inch waist with a 32-inch inseam and wears a size 15 shoe. He's about where he wants to be weight-wise — he just wants to get stronger. 

"Right now I’m 316 but I used to weigh 330. I want to be at least 310 and get some fat off me but gain some muscle," Pennington said.

ECS coach Trey Adams said although Pennington is over 300 pounds, he looks more like he's about 270 because of how in shape he is. 

"His footwork is phenomenal. We still have to clean up some things technique-wise. We have tremendous line coaches that work with him every day," Adams said. "He’s still raw at football. This is only his third year of playing football and it's been fun watching him develop." 

ECS will take on Munford next week, which defeated Kirby in overtime Friday night.