Why Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt has called Ravenwood linebacker Junior Colson 'his top priority' for 2021 class

Junior Colson is staying busy these days training not only for the 2020 high school football season, but his college future.

While he waits to hear if school will return to session during the coronavirus pandemic, the Ravenwood junior standout linebacker focuses on making himself better.

He sets cones in his yard to work on speed and agility drills. He uses his free weights to lift. He watches film. 

Colson stays focused on improving himself as the world waits for the pandemic to improve and a vaccine to be created.

"I'm enjoying my workouts right now and focusing on football," Colson said. "I'm doing my own workouts. I have all the tools I need at my house. And I do a lot of push ups.

"I stay motivated because I'm not just thinking about high school, I'm thinking about college too. I want to be college ready in high school."

Colson, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound athlete, is the No. 2-ranked college football prospect In Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 10-ranked outside linebacker in the country and ranked No. 167 overall college prospect.

He is also the state's lone prospect of the top four for the Class of 2021 to have not committed. Top-prospect Jake Briningstool – Colson's Ravenwood teammate – has committed to Clemson. No. 3 prospect Andre Turrentine, from Ensworth, committed to Ohio State and Brentwood Academy's Eli Sutton, the fourth-rated prospect, is headed to North Carolina.

And then there is Colson.

He says he's in no hurry to announce his college destination. He doesn't currently even have plans on releasing a top-schools list. Colson said he is currently in communication with several schools. That includes Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt, who Colson has spoken to on the phone and through FaceTime.

Pruitt and inside linebackers coach Brian Niedermeyer are recruiting Colson.

"(Pruitt) has told me I am his top priority," said Colson, a Tennessean All-Midstate second team member in 2019. 

He FaceTimes with coaches from various schools, including Michigan and Ole Miss. That has been a new communication with college coaches unable to have in-person recruiting until April 15.

Colson said he won't make his college decision, which currently includes more than 30 college football offers, until late summer. He believes that will remain the case if the COVID-19 pandemic prolongs into the summer.

Colson said LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia are the schools that currently are recruiting him the hardest.

Colson recorded 123 total tackles with 19 for loss last season. He had 11.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and had two interceptions.

"His confidence expanded so significantly last year," Ravenwood coach Matt Daniels said. "The knowledge of his role as a linebacker and as of a leader evolved. He's not tentative when he's making his reads and being physical and aggressive.

"I think a lot of that came with his physical maturity. He realized what he could do when he went 100 percent."

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