'26 VA EDGE Kedric Golston II (Tennessee commit)

#39
#39

The Scout​

Prior to Golston’s commitment, Volquest caught up with his head coach at Stone Bridge, who also happens to be his father, Kedric Golston Sr. The former 11-year NFL defensive lineman shared his insights into his son’s game.

“I would have to say Kedric excels with the intensity and violence of which he plays,” Golston said of what stands out about Tennessee’s newest commit’s game. “I think he has some throwback to his game where he wants to set hard edges and knock people back off the line of scrimmage and tackle and bring people to the ground hard. “I think based on what we asked him to do last year, playing outside linebacker on the ball and then when we get into our four down off the ball, just really taking ownership of the different responsibilities with being on the ball and setting edges or off the ball and having to read guards. Just impressed with his understanding of where he is at on the field and how those responsibilities change. He gave us a ton of flexibility because he was able to take that and make it his own.

According to Golston Sr., his son has always made the most of having a dad who played professional football.

“I think he has taken it in stride,” Golston said. “I think he realized at an early age that he had an inside. He was around a bunch of pro football players at an early age when I had teammates over to my house, so it was natural to him. He had teammates of mine that he called uncles, so he has had a ton of support on and off the field, so I think he understood if you want to do something, it really just went down to about your work every single day. He really understood at that age, and even more now, that is more about the process than the outcome because more times than not, if the process is good, the outcome is going to be good.”
Golston Sr. was a standout at Georgia and a sixth-round NFL Draft pick. He spent 11 years in the league, so even though he played a different position than his son did, he was an athlete himself. But he says, Golston II has more athleticism than he did in high school.

“I was a pretty decent athlete in my day, but he is a better athlete than me,” Golston Sr. said. “Just seeing how twitchy he is off the edge and how natural he is with the feel of the game. I think he does some things a little bit more athletically than I did at his age.”

What does this mean for the defense?​

Golston provides a lot of versatility for the Tennessee defense. He is likely to continue to grow and put his hand in the dirt over time, but at the high school level, he plays all over the field, so he has experience at multiple positions and has played in space plenty.

Golston put together a strong spring in front of college coaches that led to him getting a lot more attention down the stretch. Still, this was always going to come down to the Bulldogs and Vols. Georgia talked with him about playing inside linebacker or outside linebacker. It seems like he has the most upside as a defensive end in Knoxville because of his versatility, ability to play in space, and high motor. So having a defender in the class that is a bit of a wildcard, in terms of long-term fit, makes this a nice addition for the 2026 class.

So what is next?​

On the defensive side of the football, a number of recruits including Jamyan Theodore, Zaydyn Anderson, TJ White, Jowell Combay, Dereon Alberty, and Javonte Smith are set to announce their decision in the coming days and weeks. In-state ATH Joel Wyatt has announced a commitment date of July 6th. Edward Baker is still expected to announce a commitment decision later today with the Vols trending there. Four-star linebacker Brayden Rouse has yet to set a decision date for his commitment, but this could come sooner than later.

-M Ray
 
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#45
#45
highspeed said:

The Scout​

Prior to Golston’s commitment, Volquest caught up with his head coach at Stone Bridge, who also happens to be his father, Kedric Golston Sr. The former 11-year NFL defensive lineman shared his insights into his son’s game.

“I would have to say Kedric excels with the intensity and violence of which he plays,” Golston said of what stands out about Tennessee’s newest commit’s game. “I think he has some throwback to his game where he wants to set hard edges and knock people back off the line of scrimmage and tackle and bring people to the ground hard. “I think based on what we asked him to do last year, playing outside linebacker on the ball and then when we get into our four down off the ball, just really taking ownership of the different responsibilities with being on the ball and setting edges or off the ball and having to read guards. Just impressed with his understanding of where he is at on the field and how those responsibilities change. He gave us a ton of flexibility because he was able to take that and make it his own.

According to Golston Sr., his son has always made the most of having a dad who played professional football.

“I think he has taken it in stride,” Golston said. “I think he realized at an early age that he had an inside. He was around a bunch of pro football players at an early age when I had teammates over to my house, so it was natural to him. He had teammates of mine that he called uncles, so he has had a ton of support on and off the field, so I think he understood if you want to do something, it really just went down to about your work every single day. He really understood at that age, and even more now, that is more about the process than the outcome because more times than not, if the process is good, the outcome is going to be good.”
Golston Sr. was a standout at Georgia and a sixth-round NFL Draft pick. He spent 11 years in the league, so even though he played a different position than his son did, he was an athlete himself. But he says, Golston II has more athleticism than he did in high school.

“I was a pretty decent athlete in my day, but he is a better athlete than me,” Golston Sr. said. “Just seeing how twitchy he is off the edge and how natural he is with the feel of the game. I think he does some things a little bit more athletically than I did at his age.”

What does this mean for the defense?​

Golston provides a lot of versatility for the Tennessee defense. He is likely to continue to grow and put his hand in the dirt over time, but at the high school level, he plays all over the field, so he has experience at multiple positions and has played in space plenty.

Golston put together a strong spring in front of college coaches that led to him getting a lot more attention down the stretch. Still, this was always going to come down to the Bulldogs and Vols. Georgia talked with him about playing inside linebacker or outside linebacker. It seems like he has the most upside as a defensive end in Knoxville because of his versatility, ability to play in space, and high motor. So having a defender in the class that is a bit of a wildcard, in terms of long-term fit, makes this a nice addition for the 2026 class.

So what is next?​

On the defensive side of the football, a number of recruits including Jamyan Theodore, Zaydyn Anderson, TJ White, Jowell Combay, Dereon Alberty, and Javonte Smith are set to announce their decision in the coming days and weeks. In-state ATH Joel Wyatt has announced a commitment date of July 6th. Edward Baker is still expected to announce a commitment decision later today with the Vols trending there. Four-star linebacker Brayden Rouse has yet to set a decision date for his commitment, but this could come sooner than later.

-M Ray
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The defensive side of this recruiting class may be practically done in the next 10 days.
 
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#50
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