Author Archives: Brad Shepard

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Wide Receivers

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee wide receivers depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the Wide Receivers.

WIDE RECEIVERS

When you think of Tennessee wide receivers, the first thing that may come to your mind is a lanky, sleek route-runner who is graceful with the football. All that is nice, but when I think of building my perfect receiver, I can just point in the direction of Tennessee’s No. 15.

Jauan Jennings.

Yep. He may not be the fastest wide receiver on the team, but UT’s 6’3″, 205-pound junior pass-catcher is plenty big, he’s uber-tough and he’s an alpha dog. He’s the type of guy who’ll go up for a football, and he’d rather slit your throat than let you come down with his football. He wants to gain yards; he wants to score touchdowns; and nobody works harder doing it. If Tennessee’s offense is going to reach its pinnacle in 2017, it needs to get Jennings the football.

You know Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano know that. Jennings is good, and he’s mean. His new coach, Kevin Beard, knows just how good he is, too, telling former Chattanooga Times Free Press [and current GoVols247] reporter Patrick Brown:

“I’m trying to get him to understand that we’re going to do big things,” Beard said. “I’m excited to work with him and just working on him being a leader and working on being the leader that we need him to be. He is a championship football player, and he can help bring the whole team to that level just by walking and talking. Then when he gets out there to play, it takes care of itself.

“I’m just trying to get him to understand that this team is going to go as far as he’s going to take us.”

Those are heavy words, but, in essence, they’re true. Behind John Kelly, Jennings is the most irreplaceable player on UT’s offense. The Vols must have him playing at his absolute highest, most-freakish level to win big in ’17. You can go ahead and write his name in Sharpie in the starting lineup.

Plus, Jennings will always be know for catching the Dobbs-nail boot Hail Mary to beat Georgia. Oh, and this against Jalen “Teez” Tabor to help UT beat Florida.

https://twitter.com/AndrewHamrick16/status/781111055405625344

Oh, and after that catch against Georgia, when asked where it ranked, Jennings said, “Probably second, behind burning Tabor.”

Savage.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”]

Who’s after Jennings?

But the Vols need more than just Jennings in 2017. There’s a lot of talent, but there simply aren’t a lot of proven playmakers. Though it would have benefited both UT and Josh Malone for him to return for his senior season, it’s hard to fault the Nashville native, who was picked by Cincinnati in the fourth round of the NFL draft and just signed a four-year deal worth $3 million. With him gone, Tennessee needs to find some guys for the quarterbacks to bombard.

Also, kind of a forgotten man who’d really help Tennessee this year but transferred to Colorado State instead is Preston Williams, a former 5-star receiver who didn’t mesh well with former Vols receivers coach Zach Azzanni and transferred early in the season a year ago. The Vols really could have used him in 2017. But the cupboard isn’t bare.

It’s time for senior Josh Smith to finally be consistent. After a horrendous freshman year, it appeared that his sophomore season would be a breakout campaign before he got hurt and missed the rest of the year. The past two years have been underwhelming, and as a junior in ’16, he wound up with just 13 catches for 97 yards. Is he even a starter? He’s certainly capable, but Smith must do better than that, and he’s shown no consistency in a career that’s been halted by injuries, too.

The better bets for UT’s breakout, complimentary receivers could come in the form of a quartet of second-year players. Sophomore Marquez Callaway certainly looks the part. At 6’2″, 190 pounds, the Warner Robins, Georgia, native is smooth and sturdy, and he looked super-athletic during a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown last year against Tennessee Tech. He never really got worked into the receiver rotation, but he wound up with a solid spring, and the Vols are going to depend on him this year. 

Tyler Byrd’s best position may well be cornerback, and while it’s puzzling UT isn’t playing him there, the sophomore has the ability to be a quality receiver, too. He was raw in 2016, but the playing time he earned could be invaluable. The 6’0″, 195-pound athlete caught 15 passes for 209 yards, and Tennessee tried to get him loose in space. It didn’t happen often, but Byrd has the wiggle you want for a slot receiver. He also had 63 rushing yards and averaged more than 26 yards per kickoff return. If he could somehow get to 500 receiving yards as a sophomore, it probably means the Vols passing game is just fine.

The third of the quartet is a wild card, but he sure is a blazing fast one. Late in the 2016 recruiting class, the Vols snagged a surprise commitment in speedy receiver Latrell Williams, getting him to flip from Miami on national signing day. Williams redshirted in ’16 after battling some nagging injuries, and he looked like a potential electrifying athlete this spring who really could help the Vols. He, too, is far from a finished product, but the ability is there.

“…[T]he one thing he’s learning is how to control that speed,” Beard told Wes Rucker of GoVols247. “A lot of times, fast guys, they try to do everything fast. But they’re out of control, ultimately. So he’s learning how to control his speed and keep his toes under his shoulders. He’s coming along really good.”

Finally, keeping the Florida trend of UT receivers recruited by Larry Scott is Brandon Johnson, the nephew of former Cincinnati Bengals great Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson. The 6’2″, 180-pound sophomore had seven catches for 93 yards a season ago, and he hit a bit of a wall. But he also showed ability, and he’s a great route-runner who could wind up really helping UT.

Senior Jeff George could be a red-zone weapon with his 6’6″ height, and though he never really lived up to the initial strong spring he had, it’s not too late for him to be a jump-ball guy inside the 20. Let’s face it: Last year, when the Vols needed touchdowns, there was no better weapon on the roster than Dobbs on a keeper with his magnificent freelancing ability. Also, they changed it up some and gave Alvin Kamara a lot of bubble screens that he took to the goal line as well. 

This year, those options aren’t around. So, George could find himself on the field with Jennings in scoring situations.

What about the new guys?

The Vols also did a quality job recruiting receivers, and though Oak Ridge’s Tee Higgins [who committed to Clemson] could have pushed UT’s class over the edge, the guys the Vols did bring in will help if they can just get them on campus. Probably the best of the bunch, Mississippi pass-catcher Jordan Murphy, has yet to qualify, and he’s really the only one in the class who could have a hard time getting in. There’s still a good chance he’ll make it to Knoxville, but he isn’t a guarantee as of yet. If he makes it, he’s got the opportunity to step right in and get reps.

Perhaps the most under-the-radar player who has the opportunity for an excellent freshman campaign is Florida freshman Josh Palmer, who came down to the Sunshine State from his native Ontario, Canada, to get noticed. It worked. He was committed to Syracuse until late in the game when the Vols, Michigan, Florida and others offered. He chose UT, and he could be one of the biggest coups of the class. “Air Canada” is 6’2″, 200 pounds and is extremely fast. He is a difference-maker who’ll score some touchdowns for UT in ’17. Finally, another Florida product [the UT receiving corps is full of them] is fast freshman Jacquez Jones, and it’ll be interesting to see what kind of impact he makes as a freshman.

So, if you’re scoring at home, there are two trends here.

  1. The Vols have an absolute ton of players from Florida, and new offensive coordinator Larry Scott recruited a lot of them, so he’s familiar with them and, hopefully for UT, he’ll know how to use them.
  2. The vast majority of the guys are freshmen or sophomores who have little or no experience. That doesn’t bode well for UT, but who knows what these guys are going to do when given an opportunity? They have the ability to shine, and some guys need to emerge for the young quarterbacks.

Prediction

WR1: Jauan Jennings, Jeff George, Jordan Murphy
Slot: Tyler Byrd, Josh Smith, Latrell Williams, Jacquez Jones
WR3: Marquez Callaway, Brandon Johnson, Josh Palmer

Prior posts in this series

Post-Spring Projections: Running Backs

Post-Spring Projections: Quarterbacks

The Chico Factor

When Adrian Martinez committed to Tennessee on Friday afternoon, giving the Vols an elite quarterback prospect a year after they failed to sign a highly rated signal-caller in the 2017 class, the California star mentioned one name over and over and over in his interviews.

Mike Canales.

All of a sudden, one of the most puzzling assistant hires of Butch Jones’ tenure at Tennessee on the surface looked pretty good once the layers of Martinez’s recruiting story started peeling back. The words spoken by the Vols’ latest franchise quarterback to VolQuest’s Austin Price about the coach affectionately known as “Chico” made him sound like “The Man.”

[Yeah, that’s a ’70s TV reference, what of it?]

“I don’t think you have ever heard a bad word about coach Canales,” Martinez told Price. “I know I haven’t. He left such a great impression on myself and my family. He’s been nothing but positive and motivating throughout this whole thing. I’ve hit some adversity and he’s never changed. He was constantly positive and I felt like he was genuine and cared about me. I want to go to place that cares about their players.

“When I sat in the quarterback room without him in there, all the quarterbacks talked about how much he loves them as people and not just football. That’s huge.”

Say what you want about Jones, but the man has a ton of coaching contacts, and those have come in handy over his brief career with the Vols.

While Jones showed loyalty with his initial UT staff, he’s also proven he isn’t too sentimental to sever ties when things don’t go so rosy. Just ask former defensive coordinator John Jancek and offensive line coach Don Mahoney. Those deep connections to coaches all over the country also proved beneficial when it came time for Jones to replenish his staff with moves that the vast majority of folks have called upgrades.

One such offseason move — one of many assistant changes — that was met with nearly universal irritation was when Jones finally bit the bullet and decided to hire a quarterbacks coach [too late for the Joshua Dobbs era, I might add…] and chose — drumroll, please! — Mike Canales? If you read message boards around that time, you would have thought Canales’ mother made his middle name an expletive. 

Yeah, it wasn’t pretty.

The 55-year-old veteran assistant who was previously at Utah State but spent time at Arizona, South Florida and North Texas, where he also wound up as the Mean Green’s head coach, wasn’t a “splash” hire by any means. The thing is, it may wind up being a pretty darn good hire.

Jones has known Canales for a long time. As a matter of fact, back in 2015 when Tennessee played a sleepwalking homecoming against North Texas and won 24-0, the two head coaches chatted each other up like best friends and embraced afterward. Jones lauded Canales’ coaching ability leading up to the game and afterward. It was man-crushing at its finest.

That lip-service turned out to be anything but throwaway comments two years later when Jones snatched up Canales for the all-important job of tutoring quarterbacks. That position and the decision on who starts for the Vols under center in 2017 could wind up being the decision that determines Jones’ future at UT. Choose the wrong one between Quinten Dormady and Jarrett Guarantano, and the program may take a downward turn. If those guys are not ready, what will that mean for the Vols?

That shows the importance of this hire and also the faith Jones has in Canales.

The jury on Canales, of course, is still out. Upgrading from nothing isn’t hard, and that’s essentially what UT had the past few years, employing a graduate assistant [though a pretty good one in Nick Sheridan] who was responsible for working with quarterbacks. Mike DeBord was a pretty good coordinator, but he was NOT a molder of signal-callers.

Canales was universally lauded this spring for his coaching, his personality and the way his quarterbacks gravitated toward him. He’s handled the QB battle between Dormady and Guarantano well so far, and in the rain-shortened Orange & White Game, the duo combined to complete 14 of their 15 pass attempts. There didn’t appear to be any glaring mechanical issues, and Canales’ laid-back demeanor seems to fit well on Rocky Top.

Anybody having that much time to delve into every aspect of his quarterbacks’ game is going to help Tennessee’s offense. The decision not to have a quarterbacks coach during the Dobbs era is puzzling, to say the least. Failing to have a full-time, full-paid quarterbacks coach didn’t do the Vols any favors on the recruiting trail, either.

Though Jones’ pre-existing relationship with the Guarantano family helped the Vols land that elite prospect, Tennessee missed on some guys, who have referenced the Vols’ lack of a position coach as a factor.

Had Canales been entrenched during the entire recruitments of the 2018 class’s  “Big Three” — Trevor Lawrence, Emory Jones and Justin Fields, all of which had the Vols high on their lists at one point early on — they may have landed one.

As it turns out, a quarterbacks class of two high-upside prospects like Martinez and Mike Penix may wind up being the best thing for UT, anyway. The Vols need options, especially after Sheriron Jones just transferred and nobody knows how true freshman Will McBride will turn out. If you alienate Dormady or Guarantano in the race to be UT’s starter, all of a sudden, the Vols’ QB situation is dire. Martinez and Penix aren’t just two warm bodies, either. They’re potentially very good quarterbacks wanted by a lot of really good teams.

It was a necessity for the Vols to get two signal-callers in this class, and Canales accomplished that, playing a massive role in the decisions of both kids.

The duo of committed quarterbacks visited Knoxville on the same weekend for the Orange & White Game, and Penix committed while on the visit. Martinez may have initially been taken aback, but Canales was always up front about Tennessee wanting two quarterbacks, and Martinez was always hotly recruited once the Vols got on him.

The one-time California quarterback decommitted from the Bears after his UT visit. Offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and others couldn’t sway Martinez, who wanted to be a Vol. He kept coming back to his visit and the relationship he’d struck up with Canales and others. When the Vols’ QBs coach traveled to California to seal the deal with Martinez a couple of weeks ago, nobody knows what was said. But it sold him.

Things like that make a quarterbacks coach invaluable. You want a guy who kids gravitate toward, who prospects want to play for, and Chico proved in the past three short weeks he can do that.

Now, if you glance at those message boards, you’d find nary a negative word about Canales. In this knee-jerk world of wanting megastar names in bold-font that make the prospects all over the country drool, recruiting still comes down to good, old-fashioned relationships.

It seems Canales has the ability to build those.

So, Canales can’t prove he was a fantastic hire without any game experience, of course, but he’s already proving to be an asset on the recruiting trail, standing out on a staff that is making Tennessee a hot name among top prospects once again.

Martinez’s commitment proves the Vols may not have gotten the biggest-name assistant out there when Jones hired Canales, but it’s one that, when coupled with the man himself, is resonating with prospects, anyway.

Post-Spring Projections: Running Backs

As we enter the football-less days of summer, we’ve got to fill our minds with visions of orange-and-white grandeur to pass the time, right?

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the Running Backs.

RUNNING BACKS

The John Kelly Show is going to debut with heaps of critical acclaim.

Way back when the 5’9″, 212-pound rising junior first arrived on campus, UT running backs coach Robert Gillespie turned heads with an otherwise-throwaway comment. When discussing his running backs room, which featured prominent offensive stalwarts Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, Gillespie said he believed he had three NFL running backs watching film. At the time, those who actually dug into the comment thought, “Woah, he’s including John Kelly, too, and he is a true freshman who’s never even played a snap.”

Flash forward to 2016, and our first extended look at Kelly following Hurd’s shocking mid-season decision to quit on his teammates. That Gillespie comment, in retrospect, looked prophetic. If anything, Hurd is the biggest long-shot of the trio to be in the pros, considering he transferred to Baylor to start over his career as a receiver, electing to sit out a year before changing positions.

With Hurd gone, Kelly wound up rushing for 630 yards and five touchdowns and led the team with a 6.4 average. He showed a second gear when he reached the linebacker level, but he was easily Tennessee’s best running back at attacking holes. Now, with Hurd at Baylor and Kamara in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, this is Kelly’s team.

GoVols247’s Grant Ramey and Wes Rucker believe he’s the one irreplaceable player on the offense, even more so than junior receiver Jauan Jennings.

This spring, he took another step forward with the intangibles, all the extra-curricular stuff that goes along with his immense talent. Associated Press writer Steve Megargee wrote about Kelly’s emerging leadership ability, and head coach Butch Jones noticed the change in Kelly this spring.

“He’s probably more vocal than he’s ever been,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. “He’s coaching the younger players. It gets back to details, accountability and toughness. John has done a really good job of accountability not only to himself, but his teammates around him. His voice is well respected.”

He didn’t even play in the Orange & White Game; the Vols didn’t need him to. He’s already proven he’s the offense’s horse, and he’s going to have to be the Man as UT breaks in a new quarterback.

Though several Big Ten schools (like Ohio State and Michigan State) wanted Kelly as a defensive back, it’s obvious he belongs in the offensive backfield. He’ll enter 2017 as UT’s feature back, and there’s really no question about his ability. It would be a shocker if he wasn’t a 1,000-yard rusher if he remains healthy. Considering this should be the strongest and deepest Tennessee offensive line of the Butch Jones era, Kelly should be licking his chops. He’s an all-around running back, and it’s possible he could be one of the league’s breakout stars. At the RB position, I predict he and Arkansas’ Devwah Whaley will be emerging studs.

It’s behind Kelly that the concerns start.

Tennessee has plenty of talent behind Kelly, but every ounce of it is unproven. It starts with rising sophomore Carlin Fils-aime, who looked capable in very limited action, scoring two touchdowns and gaining 58 yards in 14 total carries. Though he isn’t an electrifying player, he can get up and go and has a second gear. Is he big enough to endure the wear and tear of an SEC season? Fils-aime may not ever be an every-down back at Tennessee, but he has the ability to be a nice niche player who could excel getting 10 touches a game. There’s an outside chance he could emerge as a Kamara type, but at 5’11”, 175 pounds, he’d have to add 35 pounds to do so, and he just doesn’t have the same type of frame. CFA would be a good complimentary back, but if Kelly goes down, it remains to be seen if he could adequately fill the void.

The biggest hope comes to Knoxville this summer in the form of Nashville (Montgomery Bell Academy) true freshman Ty Chandler, a kid pretty much everybody in the Southeast wanted. He wound up choosing the home-state Vols over Georgia, Clemson, Southern Cal and Ole Miss, where his father played. The nation’s fifth-rated running back and No. 68 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite ratings is a dynamic athlete who represented a major win instate in a year where the Vols lost a lot of good players to other teams.

He’s 5’11”, 187 pounds and can hold more than 200 pounds easily. He looks good catching the ball out of the backfield, shows good body lean, slashing ability and can kick it up a notch. Chandler looks like he could be one of the biggest recruiting victories of the Butch Jones era, and it would not be a surprise to see him leapfrog CFA into the No. 2 running back role in 2017.

After those three, the Vols are adding two more freshmen runners in Timothy Jordan and Trey Coleman. One of those guys was a late addition who saw his stock soar while the other was a camp find whose recruitment never really took off.

Coleman was one of the guys who visited Knoxville for Orange Carpet Day and wound up pledging to the Vols. Fans at the time were like, “Who’s this guy?” but UT desperately wanted a power back in this year’s class considering, at the time, they thought Hurd would leave for the NFL after his junior season. The 5’11”, 203-pound running back from West Monroe, Louisiana, had an offer from Arkansas, but he pledged to UT and both sides remained firm in that commitment. Though Coleman may not wind up an every-down back, if he stays on offense, he could be a great short-yardage find. He’ll be an intriguing storyline to watch.

If you’re looking for an under-the-radar find in UT’s 2017 recruiting class, receiver Josh Palmer would be my No. 1, but running a close second is Jordan, a running back from Bartow, Florida, whose recruitment didn’t take off until very late in the process. Jordan was committed to Western Kentucky a long time after surging late in football following a promising basketball career. GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan noted Jordan as the most underrated player in UT’s class. The 5’11”, 189-pound running back is the perfect runner for this system, and he’ll probably get carries immediately in 2017.

So, we may be concerned about running back depth. But the guy who is charged with making those guys great is not. And if you remember back to Gillespie’s first year as the RB coach with Raijon Neal as the No. 1 back, he doesn’t sugarcoat things much. Gillespie likes his guys, and he told Rucker that positional depth isn’t a concern.

“You have to recreate yourself. That’s what we do here. We go out and recruit,” Gillespie said after Thursday’s spring camp practice inside Anderson Training Center. “I think Ty Chandler is a hell of a football player. He’s gonna come in here and be ready to play. Trey Coleman, too. This is my first time being able to say those guys’ names. I think Ty Chandler, Trey Coleman and Timothy Jordan, those guys are gonna come in and be ready to play, and we need ‘em. We talk football almost every day. The same install in this practice which these guys just did, we’re gonna watch it with those [incoming] guys tonight. Technology is something special, with Skype and all that stuff.

“Those guys will know the offense and come in and be ready to play. It’s recreating yourself. This is the SEC.”

It’s gonna be fun to watch these guys develop.

Prediction: John Kelly starter, Ty Chandler 2nd string, Carlin Fils-aime 3rd string, Timothy Jordan 4th string, Trey Coleman 5th string

Next: Wide Receivers

Post-Spring Projections: Quarterbacks

As we enter what I call the dark days of summer because we’re just weeks removed from spring practice but months away from actual football starting, we’ve got to fill our minds with visions of orange-and-white grandeur to pass the time, right?

That’s why you see esteemed Internet sites like this fill pages with projections, because, really, that’s why you’re here. You want to read about Tennessee athletics, and considering it’s almost as if the Volunteers don’t have a baseball team [or one worth watching, anyway] we’ve got to fill the space with football hopes and dreams.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll start this series at the most important position on the team: Quarterback.

QUARTERBACKS

I saw that half of football. Now, I’m a believer.

There are a lot of folks who want to go out on a limb and make crazy assumptions and logic leaps about the Tennessee quarterback battle following Quinten Dormady’s brilliant 10-of-10 spring game performance where he threw for 120 yards and culminated two scoring drives with touchdown tosses.

That doesn’t diminish anything Jarrett Guarantano did this spring; not in the least. By all accounts, the redshirt freshman who entered the spring as the fan favorite to win the job [even though there’s no indication he’s who the coaches favored] did nothing but help his cause this spring. He may have experienced moments and even days of inconsistency, but his skill set is immense. Guarantano is not as shifty or as brilliant in the open field as Joshua Dobbs, but he arguably has better straight-line speed. Once he realizes when to take off and when to stay put in the pocket, he’s going to be fun to watch.

Guarantano also has next-level arm strength. He probably has the best arm of any Tennessee quarterback since Erik Ainge, and that’s not an exaggeration. The ball literally jumps out of his hand, and though he hasn’t completely harnessed it yet, the “arm talent,” as analysts like to call it, sets him apart from a lot of other players.

The problem with Guarantano is experience. He simply doesn’t have any of it, and when you factor in he missed half of his senior season of high school with an injury, he’s just raw. He’s an elite talent, but he’s not ready to be the starting quarterback yet.

This spring was more about what Dormady showed me than what Guarantano didn’t.

For the 2017 season, the Vols need to start out at least with somebody who has taken some live bullets. Thanks to Dobbs’ incredible durability over the course of the past two seasons, Dormady hasn’t played any meaningful snaps, but he has at least gotten in games. In those games, other than flashing his own great arm strength, he hasn’t done a lot to muster immense excitement. Then again, when you’re used to seeing Dobbs’ magnificence when plays break down, Dormady looked almost statuesque [side note: He’s not]. In actuality, the kid is athletic, he’s got a great arm and he’s been in the film room for two years. That cannot be overstated. This was already his third spring practice at UT, and that gives him an advantage.

When Dormady took the reins in the spring game, he showed that he has the ability to take it up a notch. Now, of course, spring games aren’t real games, and two-hand touch isn’t the best environment for a quarterback to showcase his talent. That’s why nobody is anointing new Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham as the first-team All-SEC quarterback. But because of his showing in the A-Day game coupled with how good he looked in limited action while he was at Baylor, there’s justifiable excitement. The same goes for Dormady. It’s the same palpable excitement we all felt when Dobbs was dynamic throwing the ball to Josh Malone three springs ago. We thought, “This kid looks like he can be a great player.” That turned out to be true.

As I’ve already mentioned in articles before, the best thing about the Orange & White Game performance of the 6’4″, 216-pound junior from Boerne, Texas, was not his perfection. It wasn’t his statistics. It was his ball placement on his passes. If he puts the ball in position for his receivers to make plays, that’s the best UT can hope for. The offense won’t look the same without Dobbs’ dual-threat ability, but Dormady has the opportunity to upgrade UT’s passing efficiency considerably. That’s not taking anything away from Dobbs’ dynamite senior season; but Dormady’s differences from Dobbs could actually be assets as UT flips to the Larry Scott era.

Dormady’s leadership could be an asset. With the offensive line expected to be a team strength in 2017 and with the depth new assistant Walt Wells enjoys at the position following the [much needed] ouster of Don Mahoney, the Vols don’t need a quarterback who can run for his life. He shouldn’t have to. John Kelly has proven he can be a very good SEC running back, and though there are depth questions behind him, UT has the talent to outfit the running back position nicely. Tennessee is unproven at the receiver position behind junior Jauan Jennings. So, they need a strong-armed, accurate passer to make them look good.

I’m not saying Dormady is that guy, but he has the ability to be that guy. We saw that flash in the spring game even though it was a small sample set.

So, when it comes to quarterback depth, I’m going to say Dormady is your starter to open the season. If you have to adjust accordingly, that’s OK. It’s also just fine if Guarantano gets in the game in certain situations and if the Vols can balance a two-quarterback system of sorts based on different schemes and defensive looks. But Dormady looked all spring like a starting quarterback, and so he gets the nod, because of experience but also because when the time came to showcase his skills, he took advantage of it. No matter what Jones says publicly, that had to give him the upper-hand.

With Sheriron Jones transferring, that elevates true freshman Will McBride to third-string quarterback behind Guarantano. If the Vols add Adrian Martinez to go along with Michael Penix in the 2018 recruiting class, UT’s quarterback situation could be a strength for a long time to come, even with the Vols striking out on Emory Jones, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

Prediction: Quentin Dormady starter. Jarrett Guarantano 2nd string. Will McBride 3rd string.

Next: Running Backs

Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Getting Lawless in Knoxville

Tennessee has the opportunity to meet a major need in the 2018 recruiting class without leaving state borders, and the first step toward achieving that massive portion of this year’s haul happened Monday night.

Brant Lawless, a 4-star defensive tackle out of Nashville Christian School, pledged to Tennessee over offers from Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Oklahoma and others. Looking for an elite player with an elite offer sheet? Lawless provides that, giving the Vols one of their two biggest pledges of the ’18 class so far.

https://twitter.com/brant_lawless/status/859185049140436993

As the Vols continue building this class, they also remain in good shape with 4-star defensive tackle D’Andre Litaker of Murfreesboro and 4-star strong-side defensive end Greg Emerson of Jackson. The Vols are also trying hard to flip Jordan Davis of Memphis, who is committed to Alabama but listening to UT, according to VolQuest.com’s Brent Hubbs.

All three of those guys remain major targets for the Vols, but a big-time domino fell Monday with Lawless’ pledge. The 6’3″, 285-pound interior lineman is rated as the country’s No. 25 defensive tackle according to the 247Sports Composite, and that elevates to No. 18 at his position in 247Sports. He’s also one of the nation’s top 300 players overall, and many of the country’s top programs would love to have him as one of the anchors of the class.

Lawless is explosive from the center of the line, and he has the ability to be a complete tackle, stopping the run and getting after the passer from the inside. He was a teammate of UT sophomore linebacker Daniel Bituli, and his first look at Tennessee came with Bituli on a trip. Since then, the Vols have pursued Lawless, making him a priority. They’ve been considered a favorite for a while, and Lawless ended the process early.

Now, it’s time for the peer recruiting to ramp up. Lawless, Litaker and Emerson are all close, and they group chat with each other. They’ve developed a bond with one another, and they’ve discussed playing together in college. Perhaps most importantly, all have developed relationships with UT defensive line coach Brady Hoke and coordinator Bob Shoop. The Hoke hire may wind up being the ideal hire at the perfect time for the Vols. Many of the top targets on the defensive front seem enamored with him. Lawless talked about the assistant’s passion, their relationship and his spirituality.

Now, Lawless is looking toward getting his buddies in orange, according to Scout.com’s Danny Parker.

After struggling to land many of its top targets from inside state boundaries in the 2017 class, Tennessee is doing a lot to batten down the hatches this year and in the future. Already in the ’19 class, UT has commitments from four in-state targets. This year, the Vols can outfit much of their haul with Volunteer State players, and guys like Litaker, Emerson, Smith, Cam Jones and Cam Johnson could go a long way toward doing that.

Already, UT has commitments from offensive linemen Cade Mays and Ollie Lane, receiver Alontae Taylor and cornerback Shatar McClay from Tennessee in this year’s class. Quarterback Michael Penix, running back Jashaun Corbin, receiver Jatavious Harris and Mississippi cornerback Jaylon Reed round out a class that has surged to 13th nationally on 247Sports and second in the SEC.

Lawless loved the family atmosphere in Knoxville. “The main factor, it was just something about it just gave me that good feeling all the coaches made you feel at home,” he told 247Sports’ Barton Simmons.

Tennessee’s renewed focus instate has been a group effort. New assistants Walt Wells and Hoke are helping, and Tommy Thigpen had a hand in Lawless’ recruitment, too. With all the talent in the state, UT can line its class with stud prospects from close by if it continues to excel at home. Getting Lawless is a huge domino, and the peer recruiting could really get this year rolling.

The Vols now need to continue the momentum into the summer months. With Litaker possibly expected to do something soon, the good news may continue to flow. Lawless was a massive piece of the puzzle.

Tennessee’s 2017 NFL Draft Presence a Return to Normalcy

In every season but two between 1939 and 2014, the Tennessee Volunteers had at least one football player taken in the NFL Draft.

The Vols dubiously doubled that number in the past two years, as zero players were taken by NFL teams. Again, we should take this opportunity to thank Derek Dooley for the 47,457th time.

So, when six Vols were plucked in the 2017 NFL Draft that just ended this afternoon, it felt like everything was right with the world. Led by living legend Derek Barnett—who was taken 14th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles—and highlighted by a fourth round that saw three Vols taken Saturday, it was a glorious showing for head coach Butch Jones and a testament to the turnaround in Knoxville.

You may (rightfully) be bristling at how things turned out on the field during a frustrating 9-4 2016 season, but there’s no question Jones’ recruiting is putting Tennessee in position to be successful once again.

Jones told GoVols247’s Wes Rucker in part on Saturday afternoon:

I know today is all about their players and their families, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and just kind of reflect and talk about this being a great weekend for Tennessee football. It’s a great weekend for all of our players. They’ve done such a great job of not only representing their personal brands, but also the great brand of Tennessee. Obviously we’re very proud and excited for them—and not only them, but their families, as well.

There are plenty of reasons for Tennessee to be concerned after moving on from such a vaunted group of guys, but given that this is really Jones’ first class of NFL recruits, it’s also a reason to be excited about the future. Obviously, Jones and his staff is doing a good job evaluating players, and though the past couple of classes haven’t been as highly rated as the first two, there are plenty of prospects brewing in Knoxville.

Guys such as receiver Jauan Jennings, running back John Kelly, linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. and defensive end Jonathan Kongbo look like quality NFL prospects. The quarterback duo of Jarrett Guarantano and Quinten Dormady could evolve, too, and though the Vols don’t look to have a class as highly regarded as this year’s on the horizon any time soon, they have a smattering of talented players who could turn into elite pro players.

The most worrisome thing for Tennessee is next year doesn’t look like a big one on the prospects horizon. FOXSports.com’s way-too-early look at a 2018 mock draft features no Vols [unless you count Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson]… The Vols need players to develop and emerge who can keep this momentum going and keep having this pro angle selling point for prospects.

If Tennessee can just tread water in what should be a transition year in 2017—think eight or nine wins—the ’18 and ’19 classes are already off to exceptional starts, and this newly refurbished coaching staff looks like it can do some damage on the trail.

Plus, a showing like the past three days can play extremely well in living rooms. This is how Tennessee football is supposed to represent on draft day. And this isn’t just frilly window dressing, either. These are ideal situations for all players who were taken.

  • When you’re taken in the first round, 14th overall, you aren’t expected to ride the bench. Barnett won’t, and he is primed to have a great career in a city that fits his personality. We all remember the Nashville native abusing tackles, getting in extra pushes and slings on quarterbacks after the whistle and playing with a chip on his shoulder. For a gritty, abrasive fan base in Philly, Eagles fans will absolutely adore him. Barnett is big, mean and [most importantly] a really, really good football player. He’s an ideal fit in the NFC East and especially in the blue-collar city of Philadelphia.
  • Though the New Orleans Saints signed Adrian Peterson to go along with All-Pro running back Mark Ingram, who is just now coming into his own in the Big Easy, Alvin Kamara is the future at the position. It isn’t an ideal depth chart situation, but from a situational standpoint, there are fewer great fits than Kamara’s game and head coach Sean Payton’s scheme. This is, after all, the coach who helped turn Darren Sproles into a star, and Kamara’s game fits here. He’ll catch passes out of the backfield, probably play some special teams and gradually ease into some touches for the Saints. Eventually, it’ll be his backfield.
  • When it comes to NFL franchises, few [if any] are better-run than the Pittsburgh Steelers, and so for Cameron Sutton to land there is terrific. He could win that starting nickelback role as a rookie, and that’s a really good spot for the former UT shutdown cornerback. He may not have the speed to play boundary corner in the NFL, but going to a Steelers franchise that always puts a quality product on the field will be a great deal for Sutton. He will play a lot as a first-year player and could wind up a star in the Steel City.
  • The Detroit Lions desperately needed linebackers entering the draft and went a long way toward addressing those needs with the second-round pick of Florida’s Jarrad Davis then coming right back with Jalen Reeves-Maybin in the fourth round. JRM dealt with significant injuries in Knoxville, as we all know, but he was wildly productive when he was healthy. He isn’t the same kind of linebacker as Davis, but the duo are complimentary of each other. He’ll contribute right away, and his ability to help on special teams will be a big deal on the next level, too. JRM has an ideal opportunity to step right into the rotation as a rookie.
  • Josh Malone was taken in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals, and he will provide some much-needed speed and playmaking ability to a team needing difference-makers on offense. Cincy plucked Washington speedster John Ross in the first round and added controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, whose pick prompted a Cincy television station to call for a Bengals boycott. Those two picks proved the Bengals need speed on that side of the ball, and so does the Malone pick. Along with A.J. Green and Brandon LaFell, Ross and Malone should slide in and get immediate reps. There’s, again, opportunity to play.
  • The most ideal situation for perhaps any Vol not named Barnett in the draft came when quarterback Joshua Dobbs was taken by the Steelers with the 135th overall selection, the same spot where the Cowboys took Dak Prescott last year, a player to which Dobbs has been often compared. With Ben Roethlisberger getting up in age and with backup signal-caller Landry Jones’ inefficiencies, Dobbs has a golden opportunity to step right in and slide into the No. 2 quarterback role. If that happens, he’ll almost certainly get some game reps, because Big Ben gets hurt every year due to his reckless play. If Dobbs progresses the way he could, that could be his job in two or three years, and the Steelers are always set up to win big right now. It’s just that type of franchise. Also, having a familiar face like Sutton around won’t hurt, and Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin has been around UT’s program a few times in the past couple of years.

So, not only was this weekend big for the Vols, it has the opportunity to keep paying dividends over the next few years as Jones begins his next round of pitches to prospects saying, “You could be the next Dobbs” or “We plan to use you like Alvin Kamara.” He’s already made that pitch this year to running back commitment Jashaun Corbin, and it will only continue.

Jones is right. The past few days were great to be a Tennessee Vol, and it will breed new Vols in the future. Now, if UT can only break through with some more prominent steps on the football field in the wake of Jones’ first strong NFL Draft class, the program can keep this momentum going.

That may be a big “if,” but this first group certainly did their part on the field, and they were rewarded handsomely in the draft.

It’s Raining Defensive Backs

Tennessee continued its recent hot streak on the recruiting trail Thursday with verbal pledges from a pair of cornerbacks.

First, 6’0″, 175-pound cornerback Adonis Otey of Blackman High School in Murfreesboro decided to get the recruiting process over with in a hurry, committing to the Vols over a slew of early offers. The 2019 class member gives UT its fourth pledge from two classes down the road already. All of them are rated 4-star prospects on either 247Sports or Rivals, and all four are from the state of Tennessee.

Though Otey isn’t rated yet by 247, he’s an early 4-star on Rivals and had early offers from Florida, LSU, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Louisville and others. He joins Independence High School receivers TJ Sheffield and Kendrell Scurry as well as Chattanooga (Notre Dame HS) athlete Cameron Wynn as ’19 pledges.

Then, the Vols received some more good news later in the day when Olive Branch, Mississippi, cornerback Jaylon Reed decided to end the recruiting process. He’s a member of the 2018 class and continues UT’s recent surge following Saturday’s Orange & White Game. In the past week, the Vols have commitments from running back Jashaun Corbin, receiver Jatavious Harris and quarterback Michael Penix.

Also, fifth-year graduate transfer cornerback Shaq Wiggins gave the Vols some massive news when he elected to play his final year in Knoxville after transferring from Louisville. He’s buddies with departed running back Alvin Kamara who helped recruit him at this past weekend’s spring game. Wiggins also considered South Carolina and Mississippi State, and he should provide UT some much-needed help at a position of need in 2017. He has a great chance to step right in and start.

Though the Vols have a lot of talent on the back end of the defense, this spring showed the secondary again as one of the team’s biggest worries. With Cameron Sutton headed to the NFL, the Vols need a rotation to step up among cornerbacks Justin Martin, Emmanuel Moseley, Marquill Osborne, D.J. Henderson, Baylen Buchanan and others. UT also has a trio of freshmen coming in with Shawn Shamburger, Cheyenne Labruzza and Terrell Bailey ready to step onto campus.

On top of the commits UT has enjoyed this past week, the Vols also received intriguing news that top quarterback target Adrian Martinez decommitted from California following his weekend visit to Knoxville. Though Martinez hasn’t pledged to UT yet, the Vols have to be seen as a frontrunner for his services.

As for Reed, the 6’1″, 170-pound defensive back had offers from Georgia, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Purdue, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and others. He’s blessed with good length and athleticism, and he appears to be a nice prospect. The Vols and new defensive backs coach Charlton Warren identified him as a top target and were excited for him to end the process.

It’s been a big week on the recruiting trail for the Vols, and it may not be finished with quarterbacks coach Mike Canales expected to visit Martinez in his California home this weekend.

Tennessee Stays Hot on Recruiting Trail With Three More Commits

Tennessee met one of its biggest needs in the 2018 recruiting class with Friday’s pledge of Florida running back Jashaun Corbin. It wound up just the beginning to an Orange & White Game weekend.

A lot of rain couldn’t dampen how hot the Volunteers were on the recruiting trail as UT added three more commitments the past two days, and there are even a few more who could pop soon. Though there were no huge-name pledges out of the bunch, all three are vital to the Vols’ class and have high upsides.

Corbin remains the highlight, but the other three pledges keep UT moving along in this year’s class and getting off to a great start in the 2019 haul, too. The most high-profile of the pledges came from 3-star quarterback Michael Penix Jr. of Tampa Bay Tech. The 6’3″, 182-pound southpaw signal-caller has liked the Vols for a long time, but he committed on Saturday, choosing UT over offers from Oregon, Arizona, Rutgers, South Florida, Florida Atlantic and others.

Though Penix doesn’t have the greatest offer sheet in the world, the Vols identified him early in the process and wanted him for a long time. In a year where they want to take two signal-callers, it was important to get one early, and Penix looks like he has the ability and the upside to come in and compete. He immediately left Knoxville and participated in a camp in Washington D.C., where 247Sports writer Steve Wiltfong said he was a “steady” performer during Elite 11 drills.

Tennessee also hosted top QB target Adrian Martinez, who told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan he had a “really good visit” this weekend and had a decision to make between UT and the Cal Bears, where he’s been committed for the past five months. The Vols would love for Martinez to be their second QB commit in this class to go along with Penix.

The biggest surprise pledge of the weekend came from fast, dynamic receiver Jatavious Harris of Milledgeville, Georgia, who had South Carolina as his leader prior to his weekend visit to Knoxville. The 6’2″, 182-pound pass-catcher vibed well with UT receivers coach Kevin Beard and pledged on Sunday, giving Tennessee its second commitment from a receiver in this class. Harris joins Manchester, Tennessee, receiver Alontae Taylor, and the two already have quite a rapport on social media. Harris has great size and is quick in the open field, as his HUDL video shows.

Harris had offers from the Gamecocks, Florida, Louisville, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and others.

He and Taylor have been chirping all weekend about other possible commitments, and some names that are being thrown around as possibilities are Alabama linebacker Jacquez Jones and maybe a 2019 commit or two.

One player in next year’s class who made his verbal pledge is Chattanooga athlete Cameron Wynn, who may well be the fastest player in the state, regardless of class. He plays both offense and defense for Notre Dame High School, and though he played quarterback last year, the Vols are recruiting him to play receiver. He joins soft commitments Kendrell Scurry and TJ Sheffield as UT pledges in that class. All are in-state receivers. All are also early 4-star recruits on 247Sports.

Tennessee has made a habit in recent years of loading up on prospects early and then over-recruiting them if necessary. None of these players on the surface look like candidates for that; they’re all quality players who a lot of teams wanted.

Orange & White Game Becomes Q-School

With Joshua Dobbs heading to the NFL after leading a prolific offense the past couple of years for Tennessee, it’s only natural to want things to stay fairly close to the same.

Why fix something that isn’t broken, after all?

That’s one of the reasons we’ve all heard so much about former stud recruit Jarrett Guarantano this spring. Fans are enamored with his dual-threat ability, live arm and New Jersey swagger. His game is a little bit Dobbs-esque, even if we don’t know how it’ll translate once the games start. The former top-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the country as a 2016 recruit has a lot to offer entering his redshirt freshman year.

All that’s fine and good, but Saturday’s Orange & White Game belonged to junior Quinten Dormady.

The Boerne, Texas, signal-caller was sharp all day in a storm-shortened spring finale, completing 10-of-10 passes for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The first one went to Jauan Jennings, and he followed that up with a perfect pass to the pylon to Eli Wolf on the wheel route for the final scoring strike.

It was as impressive a performance as you could want. Not only was Dormady perfect on the stat sheet, many of his passes were. As dynamic as Dobbs was with the ball in his hands throughout his career, his ball placement wasn’t always the best. On Saturday, Dormady got the ball upfield and put the ball in the ideal place for his playmakers to make the next football move.

Yes, it was only a scrimmage, but Dormady looked terrific. He even nailed the Jauan Jennings Hail Mary Challenge, which was a cool twist on the QB competition that took place, replicating the Dobbs-to-Jennings game-winning touchdown over Georgia last year.

In Guarantano’s defense, he wasn’t bad, either. Also, in an environment that was essentially two-hand touch on the quarterbacks, that’s not the best place for a runner like Guarantano to shine. His big arm was on display a couple of times, but he wasn’t as poised or confident as Dormady. To be frank, one of them looked like he’d seen game action before; the other didn’t. 

Though Dormady has only gotten in games in mop-up duty so far in his career as Dobbs’ backup, game action is important. It helps once the live bullets start flying. Once he got his chance to shine in a semi-game environment as “The Man” Saturday, he looked like he could be a big deal under center for the Vols. 

With new coordinator Larry Scott now at the helm of the offense, it’s going to change at least some. Alvin Kamara is gone, and Preston Williams is, too. Also, no matter who winds up starting for UT in 2017, he probably won’t be as dynamic as Dobbs. So, there’s nothing wrong with a fresh start. 

Dormady may not be anywhere near the runner that Dobbs or even Guarantano are, but he isn’t immobile back there. He’s athletic, and he also possesses an NFL arm. He can make all the throws, and the South Texan didn’t hang around Knoxville to watch from the sideline for another couple of years. He believes he can be the starter, and his play backed that up. He was brilliant.

Listen: One half of a scrimmage [two drives] does not a season make. This competition is nowhere near over, and UT coach Butch Jones said again Saturday there is “no timetable” for naming a starter. To anoint either guy as the winner of the competition to take the season’s first snap right now would be puzzling at best and crippling at worst. What if the other guy is frustrated and transfers? What if the team saw something different and there’s a rift much the way the Rick Clausen-Erik Ainge conundrum went back in the day?

Let them battle through the offseason, through drills, through film sessions, through the weight room and into fall camp. Heck, if you think playing both of them give you the best chance to win come September, do that, too. 

But for one day at least, this was Dormady’s team and Dormady’s show. The Vols have two very capable quarterbacks, and while the junior may be a smidge overlooked in this race because of all the hype surrounding Guarantano, he hasn’t let that phase him a bit. He made all the throws on Saturday, and he has the kind of arm talent that can accomplish that consistently. This type of showing can give him confidence he needs to head into the offseason believing this is his team. When that happens, it can elevate play.

Nobody is anointing Dormady a star or even the starter. That eye-bleeding O&W game format was so difficult to watch that it was mercifully over after a half. Seriously, why take the fun out of a game like that?? Oh well, that’s beside the point. While there wasn’t a whole lot to take away, Dormady’s performance was exciting. With the post-Dobbs era upon us and the worries and wondering about what the offense is going to be like now that such a play-making signal-caller is gone, there was hope in the form of Dormady’s strong arm and poise on Saturday.

It’s enough to make us all want to keep reading about this healthy competition all through the offseason.

Jashaun Corbin Gives Tennessee a Potential Star Running Back Commit

Tennessee already sits in prime shape with a lot of its top prospects for the 2018 recruiting class, but there are few bigger needs than impact running backs.

The Vols certainly grabbed one of those on Friday afternoon on Orange & White Game eve, when Melbourne, Florida, running back Jashaun Corbin announced via Twitter that he was committing to UT.

https://twitter.com/Jashaun06/status/855552179284955140

The 6’0″, 191-pound runner from Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy is a 4-star prospect on Rivals and a 3-star prospect on 247Sports, but his ceiling is very high, as evidenced by his offer sheet. The teams that have given him offers number more than 25 and include the likes of Southern Cal, Clemson, Florida State, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Miami, LSU, Oregon, South Carolina, etc. It’s basically a who’s-who of Football Bowl Subdivision powers.

Corbin just visited Knoxville this past week and raved to recruiting sites about his relationship with UT running backs coach Robert Gillespie. Also, he has developed a rapport with new offensive coordinator Larry Scott, who recruits Florida for the Vols. After totally nearly 2,000 yards as a prep junior last year, UT sold Corbin on sliding into the Alvin Kamara role.

He’s proven he can do everything, with more than 1,100 rushing yards, more than 600 receiving yards, 19 total touchdowns and the ability to produce in the return game. He has 4.43 speed, and if you don’t think he’s a legit back, check out his high school junior HUDL.

Without question, this is a player UT will have to fight to hang onto, but he’s an incredible early pickup to go along with instate offensive linemen Cade Mays and Ollie Lane, Volunteer State athlete Alontae Taylor and cornerback Shatar McClay. Corbin is the fifth overall pledge and the first for UT from out of state.

Tennessee is in need of elite runners in this year’s class. After Jalen Hurd quit the team and Alvin Kamara headed to the NFL, the Vols are left with John Kelly as the starter, and he’s entering a junior year that could be a breakout campaign. While nobody is betting on him leaping to the NFL after this year, it can’t be ruled out. The Vols have only Carlin Fils-aime behind him as a scholarship runner currently on the roster.

Though UT did well in the 2017 class recruiting running backs, it missed out on elite prospect Cam Akers, who wound up at Florida State and showed out in spring drills. Who the Vols did get is former Montgomery Bell Academy standout Ty Chandler, who should step right in and play immediately. Chandler was the nation’s No. 5 running back and had a huge offer sheet.

They also added power runner Trey Coleman and all-purpose back Timothy Jordan, and hopefully one [or both] of those guys can become quality players with some time to develop. Neither of those players will wow you with their ranking, but they’ve both got some upside as niche backs.

As for Corbin, he’s a potential game-changer, and though some services don’t have him as highly ranked as others right now, he’ll skyrocket sooner or later. That’s not lip service; he’s that good. You don’t have that kind of offer list if you’re not dynamic, and his highlight reel proves it.

Now, the Vols will turn their attention to other running back targets as they should take at least one more. The board right now is thick and talented, highlighted by guys such as instate runner Master Teague, Alabama back Tae Provens (who calls UT his leader), Lyn-J Dixon, Jamal Currie-Elliott and many more. Those are the guys you hear about the most right now, and the Vols find themselves right in the mix for all of their commitments.

It’s great having Corbin in the bag this early, too. With a big prospect list expected to head to rainy Knoxville this weekend, the Vols may not be done adding commitments. But this one started with a bang.