Best247 DL Since Tennessee “made too much sense,” Ethan Utley has committed to the Vols.

Over the last few years, Ethan Utley has made over six trips to Tennessee, and each time he has discovered many reasons to be thrilled about the prospect of living in the state and joining the Vols. Ultimately, he concluded that going elsewhere wouldn’t make sense.

The four-star defensive lineman from Nashville, Tennessee’s Ensworth School, class of 2025, made his Tennessee commitment public on Thursday night. Choosing the home-state Vols over Texas on his 17th birthday, he gave Tennessee another early commitment from one of its top in-state targets.

Utley, a 6-foot-3.5, 265-pound prospect rated as a Top247 prospect, committed to the Vols in the 2025 recruiting class as their seventh player and first projected defensive lineman. Additionally, he became Tennessee’s third in-state commitment, following Collierville (Tenn.) High School wide receiver Joakim Dodson and Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy’s five-star quarterback George MacIntyre.

Utley told GoVols247, “For me personally, it just made too much sense for me not to be at Tennessee,” immediately before making his decision known in public. “It was like, Tennessee was the fit for me.”

Just four games into his rookie season in September 2021, the Vols extended their second SEC scholarship offer to Utley, making it his fourth offer total. Since then, he has made at least seven visits to them, four of which have been to

After a while, Utley came to the conclusion that he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to play for Vols defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who has known Utley’s mother, former Georgia women’s basketball player Tracy Walls, for years. He also wanted to join some of the familiar faces that currently play for Tennessee or are slated to play with him in Knoxville. However, Utley was eventually sold to the Vols for a number of reasons.

“Essentially, what motivated me to make that choice was my faith in Coach G to mold me into the player I want to be and to be ready to compete at the highest level,” stated Utley, who is rated by 247Sports as the 2025 class’s No. 21 defensive linemen and No. 181 overall prospect.

However, Utley was eventually sold to the Vols for a number of reasons.

“Basically, what drove me to make that choice was my faith in Coach G to help me become the player I want to be and to be ready to compete at the next level,” stated Utley, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 junior from Tennessee, the No. 21 defensive lineman in the 2025 class, and the No. 181 overall prospect.

“Obviously, obtaining a college degree is a prerequisite for playing in the NFL. However, I believe that Coach G will assist me in becoming the finest version of myself and steer me in the correct direction.