Author Archives: DylanVol

With one more week of coaches visits across the country, Tennessee’s recruiting board for the class of 2019 looks as jumbled as ever.  The staff has been solidifying current commitments while at the same time trying to complete the class, and below we take a look at how things look heading into the penultimate weekend for the Early Signing Day

Temperature Down

LB Owen Pappoe has been an Auburn commitment since May, but many thought he would ultimately flip to Tennessee and join his high school teammate Wanya Morris.  After visiting Knoxville unofficially in November and then setting up an OV for this coming weekend – all while not setting up an OV to Auburn – things were certainly trending that way.  However, after an inhome visit from Auburn Head Coach Gus Malzahn and most of the Tiger staff – and despite a visit from a few Tennessee staffers – Pappoe on Wednesday tweeted out a reaffirmation of his commitment to Auburn and then proceeded to cancel his OV to Tennessee this weekend.  While Jeremy Pruitt still has his inhome available, it remains to be seen if that will happen and how effective it might even be in securing a visit from Pappoe, whose mother by all indications is adamant that he keep his word and sign with Auburn and who would absolutely need to be persuaded in order to have her son sign with UT.  This might not be 100% over, but in a matter of hours it went from looking like the Vols were going to sign this highly touted LB/Star to that being very doubtful

CB Kenyatta Watson is a Texas commitment who the Vols have been trying to flip for months.  Also a teammate of Morris, the Tennessee staff has visited him multiple times in the last few weeks in an attempt to at least get him to take an OV to Knoxville.  So far that effort has proved fruitless, and at this point it seems more likely than Watson simply shuts it down and signs with Texas in two weeks than that he ever sets foot in Knoxville

DL Justin Eboigbe is an Alabama commitment who has visited Tennessee a few times, most recently unofficially for the Kentucky game in November.  And while the Vols were hoping he’d follow that up with an OV to Knoxville before he signs, he will be visiting Miami this weekend and then Alabama the next.  He was always a longshot to actually flip from the Tide, but the Vols were at least going to need an OV to give them a fighting chance.  Without that you can probably cross him off the list

DL Zion Logue and Bill Norton are two Tennessee natives and Georgia commitments who the Vols have been trying to flip for months.  And while Logue has continued to harbor hard feelings towards Tennessee for not being the first school to offer, Norton as recently as Thursday morning was thought to be a real contender for a flip.  However, a visit from the UGA staff seems to have convinced him to take his OV to Georgia this weekend and shut it down.  Once again this one might not be completely over for the Vols but it’s gone from promising to unlikely in a blink of an eye.  Such is recruiting…

RB DJ Williams has blown up since his senior film got out, and while Tennessee was one of the first major schools to offer him, and have visited him during the open period, they never seemed to get much traction.  At this point it appears they won’t get a visit and Williams is likely headed to either Miami or another school in the SEC

LB Quarvaris Crouch has been a longtime target for the Vols and at one time was considered a Tennessee lean.  However, despite taking an OV to Knoxville late in the season, this one seems to have finally and completely slipped away from the Vols despite the staff’s best efforts.  At this point Crouch is a heavy Clemson lean with Michigan right behind them and the Vols a distant and irrelevant third

Temperature Up

It’s not all doom and gloom this week, as Tennessee has made some major headway with more than a handful of its high level targets

WR Jaylen Ellis, a Baylor commitment in name only, has confirmed that he will be taking his OV to Knoxville the weekend of December 14^th.  He’s perhaps going to be at Houston this weekend, which would mean that his Tennessee OV will be his 5^th and final.  His current plan is to announce at the All-America Game in early January and sign in December, but the Vols have placed themselves in very good position.  One would think that Ellis, especially as a kid from Texas, would very much take a shine to Tennessee hiring current Houston OC Kendall Briles as its leader on offense.  Whoever the hire is should be wrapped up by the time Ellis comes to campus, so that could play a factor here

RB Eric Gray received another visit from Tennessee coaches this week and the vibe continues to be good here for the Vols.  As discussed below he could potentially be in Oxford this weekend, but all signs point to the Gatorade Player of the Year and 3-time Tennessee Mr. Football signing with UT in two weeks.  Gray is another prospect who will be very interested in Tennessee’s OC hire

LB Trezeman Marshall also got a ton of facetime with Tennessee coaches this week, and it remains clear that the Vols are in deep with this current UGA commitment.  Georgia still has its OV should Marshall choose to visit there, but that is TBD.  Especially with the Pappoe news, Marshall becomes that much more important for Tennessee at a position of extreme need

LB Henry To’oto’to is another important LB target for the Vols, and while this is a Tennessee-Alabama race there is no doubt that Tennessee is putting in more work here currently than the Tide.  TE Coach Brian Niedermeyer has been out to California twice in the last 2-3 week to visit with the Army All-American, and when he signs in February Alabama could be full at the position.  This one has a ways to go as both SEC schools will get OVs in January and West Coast powers won’t give up, but right now the Vols are in about as good of a spot as they could hope to be

LB Chris Russell from Dyersburg is a newer player on Tennessee’s board but, especially considering the Pappoe news, has moved up at least one rung.  The former Memphis commit is seeing his recruitment go the opposite direction of current Tennessee commitment Jailil Clemons (more below) as he’s picked up offers from Auburn and Texas A&M to go with one from the Vols in the last month or so.  Russell has good size and speed – he tested very well at a Tennessee camp this past summer – and his senior film is outstanding.  He’s a February signee so Tennessee, like other suitors, will be able to reassess their overall needs and room post-December 19^th.  But given that Marshall is a UGA commitment from Georgia and the Vols are fighting Alabama for To’oto’to it’s not unlikely that there will still be a need for Tennessee at LB come January and Russell will start getting more attention from the Vols

OL EJ Ndoma-Ogar is an Oklahoma commitment from Texas who sort of showed up out of the blue for an OV in Knoxville for the Alabama game and had an incredible trip.  While he has remained committed to the Sooners, Vol coaches have not given up and have visited him on more than one occasion in the contact period.  Tennessee is trying to get him to hold off on signing in December – when he would almost certainly sign with OU – and instead wait until February and come back to Knoxville with his family.  Should that happen the Vols would obviously have to be considered to be in strong shape, and regardless of what happens with 5-star OL Darnell Wright – for whom the Vols continue to lead but who won’t sign until February – Ndoma-Ogar is a 100% take for Tennessee.  We’ll know more in a few weeks

DB Jammie Robinson from Georgia has been to Tennessee once this fall for UF game.  UT’s tie here is his former high school coach Shelton Felton who is on Tennessee’s staff, and Felton – who has been on the road since Tyson Helton left the staff – paid Robinson a visit this week.  Robinson is a February signee and the he currently only has a UK visit set up for the 12/14 weekend after taking one in the summer to South Carolina.  The Vols are in line to get one, however, and although UGA is sniffing around here this one looks like a Tennessee-South Carolina battle right now.  With Kenyatta Watson basically falling off the board, Robinson is one of a very few DBs who are legitimate targets.  He’s a dynamic playmaker and would add a ton of speed and athleticism to a Tennessee secondary that needs it in spades despite a strong current commitment list

CB Travis Jay is a new name to the board.  The FSU commitment is not signing until February and is adamant about taking visits.  Florida, Alabama, and Tennessee are among a handful of major programs who are trying to wedge their way into this one, and after some of the Vols staff visited Jay this week he stated that at least both Tennessee and UF would get January OVs.  FSU isn’t giving up here though, so this will be a battle for the Vols should they continue to try and remain players here

Tennessee recently started showing interest in Arkansas RB commitment A’Montae Spivey.  Spivey is coming off winning a state title for Phenix City Central HS in Alabama’s top classification (7A) and some consider him to have the best size/speed combination in the state. He’s a February signee so there’s lots of time here, but file that name away should the Vols find themselves with room for a 2^nd RB to go with (hopefully) Gray

Who’s Coming to Knoxville this Weekend?

Despite this being the second to last visit weekend before the Early Signing Period begins on 12/19, as of this writing only commitments Tyus Fields, Jackson Lampley and Elijah Simmons are confirmed as an official visitor for Tennessee.  There have been rumblings of Tennessee getting 5-star Jadon Haselwood to campus for an unofficial visit.  He’s taken 4 OVs and he’s booked to be in Athens the 12/14 weekend so that would be a win for the Vols to get him on campus, but until he shows up that’s simply a rumor and regardless the odds are he signs with UGA.  Another prospects who’s been rumored to come to Knoxville is WR Khafre Brown, a Vol lean who Tennessee would take in a heartbeat.  One would think that Tennessee will get some more visitors to campus this weekend, but as of now it’s relatively light

Other Weekend Visits to Watch

With Tennessee’s weekend visitor list up in the air, Vol coaches and fans will be watching prospects take visits elsewhere and hope that no one else comes off the board

Current Tennessee commitment OLB Jalil Clemons has booked a trip to Memphis to visit the Tigers this weekend, and it looks like for all intents and purposes that he will not sign with the Vols. Reports suggest that no Tennessee coaches have visited him since the contact period began, he doesn’t have a UT OV scheduled, and when a Mississippi kid doesn’t have offers from the big instate schools and in fact is visiting a G5 school you can see the writing on the wall.  Clemons is a solid prospect whose profile – from size to offers – is probably a better fit for a program like Memphis, and this will give Tennessee another spot in this class

RB Eric Gray is currently scheduled to visit Ole Miss this weekend, but according to the 247 Ole Miss site that visit isn’t confirmed and in fact old friend Robert Gillespie is trying to get Gray to visit Columbia, SC to see what the Cock$ have to offer.  Obviously Tennessee would prefer neither visit to occur, but if I were the Vols my preference would be South Carolina, where he’s been infrequently if in fact ever, vs. Ole Miss, who is considered to be Tennessee’s main competition at the moment

JUCO DL Nick Figureoa and Keonte Schad will be taking OVs to Virginia Tech and Minnesota, respectively.  What will be interesting to find out – assuming he doesn’t commit on the visit – is how the California native Figureoa feels about the cross country travel to Blacksburg and how that impacts his feeling about not just attending Tennessee but simply taking an OV to Knoxville.  He’s got numerous other options for his last (12/14) visit weekend and it’s far from a sure thing that Tennessee lands it.  For Schad, his visit to Minnesota will see the Gophers staff try to solidify their commitment.  Should he not shut it down and elect to take his last OV next weekend, Tennessee will be in a fight with Oklahoma for that one.  Given the needs at DL I think the Vols would happily take either or both prospects

JUCO Rush End Niadre Zouzoua will be visiting Baylor.  Zouzoua had originally been planning to officially visit Tennessee this weekend and Baylor the next, but it remains unclear if he’s going to swap weekends or simply not visit UT.  He’s an EE with good size and burst from the edge, and with the absolute dearth of other Rush End options it would be good for Tennessee to at least get him on campus to give themselves a chance should they want to sign him.  We’ll see…

LB Jamie Pettway will be visiting Georgia Tech, and while he’s currently a backup option for the Vols at LB and won’t be signing until February he’s a solid prospect and Tennessee could circle back with him after the December signing period depending on how things go with other LBs higher on the board

The first week of the offseason and contact period was an eventful one across the country and especially for the Vols.  Below we take a look at a few of the emerging storylines and what to look for going forward.

Vols Strike Big with 2020 QB Commitment

The big news was obviously the commitment of bigtime 2020 QB Harrison Bailey.  We’ve got you covered on the analysis of that massive commitment that along with JUCO DL Jordan Davis has set up Tennessee with cornerstones on both sides of the ball.  Bailey will also be the peer-recruiting face of the class for the Vols, which should pay big dividends in 2020.

Follow the Visits – Vols Solidify Commitments and Look to Expand the Board

Pruitt and company hit the road to visit many of their current commitments, with Pruitt himself using his one in-home visit on most of Tennessee’s commitments who are very solid and also December signees/early enrollees, such as Ramel Keyton, Tank McCullough and Warren Burrell among others.

Tennessee also hit the bigtime names you know this week, including OL Darnell Wright (a February signee); LB Owen Pappoe (for whom they locked down what should be his last OV, the 12/7 weekend) and his teammate DB Kenyatta Watson (Texas commitment who has yet to decide on an OV to the Real UT); LB Trezeman Marshall (UGA commit for whom the Vols are hot on the Dawgs’ heels); DB Jammie Robinson; and LB Henry To’oto’to* in California.

*Alabama – Tennessee’s presumed top competition – picked up a commitment this week from LB Kevin Harris and appears to be the leader for 5-star LB Nakobe Dean from MS.  Will the Tide have room come February for To’oto’to?  That remains to be seen, but especially since Dean’s other frontrunner is UGA, Vol fans should be rooting for the Tide in that battle to potentially give Tennessee a leg up in the To’oto’to sweepstakes.  To’oto’to could be even more important for the Vols if they can’t flip Marshall from UGA before he signs in December.

Pruitt also used his inhomes on a handful of uncommitted prospects who are either close to decisions (e.g., RB Eric Gray) or are committed elsewhere and with whom the Vols are trying to get back (e.g., UGA DL commitments Bill Norton and Zion Logue).  Gray still appears to be a Tennessee lean but at the same time right now is scheduled to take OVs to Ole Miss (12/8) and Alabama (TBD).  The extent to which those were used at the right time will be known when and if those prospects lock in OVs with the Vols and of course when they make their final decisions, but Pruitt clearly made some calculated decisions on allocations of time and resources.

In terms of trying to get involved with some other players, Tennessee’s staff (not Pruitt) also visited Oklahoma OL commitment EJ Ndoma-Ogar – who took a UT OV during the season and is currently planning on signing in December but hasn’t 100% decided; DL’s committed elsewhere such as Justin Eboigbe (Alabama) and Jaren Handy (Auburn); as well as ATH Quarvaris Crouch (still considered a Clemson lean) and Rush-End Khris Bogle (heavy Miami lean but Vols haven’t given up- I’d love to be surprised but I don’t see it, especially since Bogle’s already taken his UT OV).  Additionally, as discussed earlier in the week, Tennessee visited and offered Dyersburg LB Chris Russell (a February signee) and also circled back with LB Jamie Pettway while visiting former Florida LB commitment Jamal Adams from Birmingham, who is also receiving interest from LSU, Auburn, and Mississippi State.  Tennessee also visited and offered Minnesota JUCO DL commitment Keonte Schad (a December signee and early enrollee) and while he hasn’t formally scheduled an OV they clearly piqued his interest.  He’s got his Minnesota OV scheduled for the 12/7 weekend so there are two more in which he could get to Knoxville, with Oklahoma also looming after recently offering as well.  Finally, Tennessee visited with FSU DB commitment Travis Jay, another February signee who could see increased attention from the Vols and others depending on how December goes.

Addressing the Need for Speed

Quite simply, the Vols have a major need for speed on offense, and while track star WR Khafre Brown is considered a Vol lean, he’s not committed yet and Tennessee could even conceivably take a 3^rd WR in the class if things break that way.  To that end, Tennessee’s staff successfully turned assistant coaches visits into OVs for Texas WR (and Baylor commit) Jaylen Ellis as well as WR Xavier Legette from South Carolina.  Legette is more of a late-bloomer on the recruiting scene than the Army All-American Ellis, but while Legette is geographically closer, from this vantage point Ellis is the more likely Tennessee signee.  The Vols will get his last OV (12/14 weekend) before he announces his decision at the A-A Bowl and he certainly appears to see the need Tennessee has at his position and the chance for early playing time.  Baylor won’t let go without a fight, and Texas is trying to get involved as well, but if that OV occurs and goes well Ellis could end up a Vol.  In contrast, Legette has been on campus in Columbia multiple times and it just seems like he’s destined to be a Gamecock.  Tennessee had seemed to get involved with 5-star WR Jadon Haselwood, a former UGA commitment, but at this point the Vols appear to have faded.  We’ll see if things change there, but as of now the trio of Brown/Ellis/Legette appear to be the most realistic WRs on the board.

Weekend Visits to Watch

While Tennessee isn’t expected to have any official visitors on campus this weekend, some prospects the Vols are recruiting will be officially visiting elsewhere:

Aforementioned UGA DL commitments Norton and Logue are allegedly going to be visiting Ole Miss this weekend, though neither have been confirmed.  Were either of those visits to happen they would obviously be indicative of softness in the respective recruitments.  Both have been to Oxford this season so I wouldn’t count the Rebels out, but again should those visits indeed occur it could signal that the Vols actually have more of a chance with either/both of them than currently thought.

Emerging JUCO DL target Nick Figureoa will be OV’ing at UCLA, who at this time is his presumed favorite.  Figureoa is both an early enrollee as well as a 3-for-3 player, and as such is a pretty valuable prospect on a Tennessee DL board that for the most part only contains players committed elsewhere.  If Figureoa comes out of the weekend uncommitted the Vols will look to get him on campus in the next two weeks for an OV and he could emerge as a very important piece of the puzzle.

Another DL target, NY native Jared Harrison-Hunte, will be headed to Penn State after OV’ing to OSU last weekend.  He previously had an OV scheduled to UT for the 12/14 weekend but that’s been changed and he’s now going to Michigan State that weekend instead.  Penn State has been considered the favorite for Harrison-Hunte, so like Figureoa it will be interesting to see if he comes out of this visit to his presumed leader without committing and shutting it down.  He’s currently planning on waiting until February to sign and will have one more OV left, so the Vols – along with FSU and Miami – will try and get the last one.

Auburn WR commitment George Pickens hasn’t been shy about visiting elsewhere and this weekend will be officially visiting LSU.  Tennessee is a peripheral player at the moment but has been trying to get more involved, and if/when Auburn OC Chip Lindsay leaves (whether to Tennessee or elsewhere) Pickens’ commitment could be even more tenuous.  Pickens is also a February signee so depending on what happens with other WRs on Tennessee’s board they could try and push.

 

With Tennessee losing four of their top Defensive Linemen from a unit that struggled with depth and, frankly, talent, adding a large group of talented DL in the class of 2019 is an absolute necessity.  And although Tennessee has six commitments from a high-quality group of Defensive Linemen/Pass-Rushers, there is still a need for more, and Coach Pruitt and Coach Rocker are recruiting as such.  However, the majority of the players on their DL board are committed elsewhere, which will make it that much more difficult to land another impact prospect at the position.  At the same time, one of its DL commitments – Alabama native Ledarrius Cox – has been flirting with Auburn for almost six months.

That said, there is a player on the roster who could make a positional move and give the Vols another talented lineman to work with.  That player is junior-to-be reserve TE Latrell Bumphus, a 6’3 250lb player who actually spent a few days in fall practice cross-training at DL after a high school career in West Tennessee spent as a two-way star.  Ideally Bumphus would be able to spend all of spring practice at DL to give him a jump start to being an immediate contributor there, but Tennessee will need to make sure they have enough bodies at the TE position before committing to that move.

The Vols will have solid starting TE Dominick Wood-Anderson returning at the position in 2019 along with, assuming nothing changes in their respective statuses, 2018 backups Eli Wolf and Austin Pope as well as part-time TE Jaquan Blakeley.  They will also bring on RS-Freshmen Jacob Warren, an intriguing prospect at 6’6 with some speed who needs to have used this season and the coming offseason to add weight and get more physical in the run game.

Currently Tennessee has two TE commitments, and one of them – Jackson Lowe – could be the key to allowing Bumpus to make that move to DL pending two important variables.  For one, while Lowe has been to a bunch of Tennessee home games this season, he’s been getting quite a bit of pressure from Florida to visit the Gators officially and has also been receiving some interest from Alabama after a really nice senior season.  It’s easy to forget because he committed to the Vols back in March, but the 6’5 235lb+ 4-star Lowe had legit offers from Clemson, UGA and Auburn when he committed.  He’s a really nice prospect at the position and arguably comes in as the most or second-most talented TE on the roster.  Almost as important when it comes to the immediate issue of moving Bumphus to DL is the chance that Lowe might be able to enroll early and go through spring practice with the Vols.  That’s unclear at the moment but is something he’s been working on.  Should Lowe be able to enroll in January that would give the Vols six TEs on the roster  – not counting Bumphus – and then 7 when fellow 2018 commitment Sean Brown enrolls in the summer.

Obviously the Vols need to hang on to Lowe, but should they do so, and if he gets in for spring practice, he will add not just another body at TE – and a big body with potential for immediate impact at that.  He would allow Tennessee to move Bumphus and give them a big body with potential for immediate impact on the DL as well.  That would effectively make Lowe a 2-for-1 signee and would make up for a potential miss on another DL in the 2019 class and/or allow the staff to avoid reaching on a less-talented DL just to get another body

Monday Recruiting Notes

• The big news today is that Tyson Helton is now Tennessee’s former Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach. What that means for recruiting is unclear, but what we do know are two things:
  • Helton was recruiting current 2019 QB commitment Brian Maurer, who by all indications on his Twitter feed remains firm to the Vols and is still planning to sign next month and enroll in January
  • Helton was also recruiting 2020 QB prospect Harrison Bailey from Marietta, Georgia, who plans to announce his commitment to either Tennessee or Michigan this Thursday. Georgia’s 247 mods were hearing some UT buzz but it’s unclear how this news, and how fast Pruitt moves to replace Helton and with whom, will impact that commitment
• Top RB target Eric Gray, fresh off winning his 3rd Tennessee Mr. Football award – the first ever three-time winner – is a Michigan commitment in name only. However, the Wolverines are not giving up and Coach Jim Harbaugh will make an in-home visit this week, as will Pruitt.  At the same time, Gray is still currently planning to take OVs to Ole Miss the 12/7 weekend and then to Alabama the 12/14 weekend of Dec. 14, with Texas A&M still fighting to get involved. So while insiders continue to feel confident that Gray is trending to the Vols this one is pretty clearly far from being a done deal
• This article from Dawgnation.com is certainly not promising when it comes to Tennessee’s chances with 5-star WR Jadon Haselwood. Per the article Haselwood plans to sign in the early period and wait to announce at the Army Game.  Unfortunately for the Vols, he’s only got 1 OV left and his current plan is to take it to UGA the last weekend before the dead period (12/14). Obviously Tennessee could get him to Knoxville unofficially, but the buzz here seems to have really worn off from just a few weeks ago
• Vols appear to have offered Dyersburg, TN LB Chris Russell, a former Memphis commitment. Russell had a big senior season and has garnered additional offers from Auburn, Arkansas, and Georgia Tech.  Right now he’s a February signee so the Vols have done the smart thing in offering and getting involved now.  He’s likely a secondary LB target and how serious Tennessee pursues him will seemingly depend on whether they and Owen Pappoe, if so whether they land another of their LB targets like Marshall or To’oto’to; and what happens at other positions
• Speaking of Pappoe, interestingly, while the Tennessee staff will absolutely be in Grayson to see the trio of Vol commit Wanya Morris and top targets Pappoe and Kenyatta Watson, there have been no reported plans for the Auburn staff to visit their “commitment” in Pappoe. Obviously that can change, but there is a report of Auburn visiting Russell, so the absence of a report of a visit to Grayson seems at least notable

Well, the 2018 season is over after a disappointing final two weeks.  Every Vol fan has known that the talent deficit was real, but in the last two games against Missouri and Vanderbilt – not exactly two powerhouses and frankly programs Tennessee should be better than just about every season – no longer are we talking about getting back to competing with the Alabamas and Georgias of the conference.  At this point it’s plain that, after a pretty successful 2018 recruiting class, Jeremy Pruitt needs to hit a homerun with his the 2019 class in order to simply be better than the Missouris and Vanderbilts and South Carolinas before we can start thinking about competing for championships again.  To that end, Tennessee currently has 20 commitments in a class that ranks in the Top 15 nationally, and the majority will sign with the Vols on December 19 during the Early Signing Period.  Barring attrition, which will surely happen one way or the other, that leaves roughly 5 more spots to fill.  In the coming days we’ll take a deeper look at remaining needs and the most likely players to fill those spots, but first we’ll start with a 30,000-foot preview of the weeks ahead between now – the start of the Contact Period – and the December signing period, with some notes at the end

December Signees – Current Commitments

As of now, 14 of Tennessee’s 20 current commitments plan to sign in December.  That will allow the staff to do the majority of their inhomes with this group to get them solidified and then immediately focus on the remaining commitments and targets – both for December and February- plus continue to lay the groundwork for the 2020 class

QB Brian Maurer

OL Wanya Morris

OL Jackson Lampley

OL Chris Akproroghene

TE Jackson Lowe

TE Sean Brown

WR Ramel Keyton

DL Darrel Middleton

DL Savion Williams

DL Roman Harrison

CB Tyus Fields

CB Warren Burrell

S Tank McCullough

S Anthony Harris

Early Enrollees – Current Commitments

Having at least the 8 current commitments enroll in January and be available for spring practice will be huge for these individuals as well as the program in the future and immediately in 2019.  Most if not all of them will be given the opportunity to earn significant playing time as they add talent and depth to the roster

QB Brian Maurer

OL Wanya Morris

OL Chris Akproroghene

TE Jackson Lowe

WR Ramel Keyton

DL Darrel Middleton

CB Tyus Fields

CB Warren Burrell

S Tank McCullough

February Signees – Current Commitments

From the list below, McBride, Beasley, Henry and Cox should not be considered 100% firm commitments, as they’ve each shown interest in other schools including Beasley and Henry taking official visits elsewhere.  It’s unclear at this point why Simmons and Clemons are not signing in December, but so far at least neither of them have publicly shown interest in other schools.  Simmons in particular is a prospect who I think can make an immediate impact on the DL, while Henry is a plug and play prospect at a position in dire need of more talent

OL Melvin McBride

ATH Aaron Beasley

LB Lakia Henry

DL Elijah Simmons

DL Ledarrius Cox

DL Jalil Clemons

Remaining Board – December Signees

RB Eric Gray (EE)

WR Jaden Haselwood (EE)

LB Owen Pappoe (EE)

LB Trezeman Marshall (EE)

LB Quarvaris Crouch (EE)

Rush End Niadre Zouzoua (EE)

DL Justin Eboigbe (EE)

DL Nick Figureoa (EE)

DB Kenyatta Watson (EE)

Remaining Board – February Signees

OL Darnell Wright

WR Khafre Brown

WR Xavier Leggette

RB Lee Witherspoon

LB Henry To’oto’to

DL Jaren Handy

DB Jammie Robinson

Postseason All-Star Games

The postseason bowl games in and of themselves are not particularly important, but the week of practice leading up to each of them is often a chance for top prospects to go head to head with better talent then they are used to seeing during the season as well as do peer recruiting, which will be especially important for the Vols.  It’s also a time where under the radar prospects in the Shrine Bowl and AL-MS game can show out and see their recruitments go to another level

NC-SC Shrine Bowl – December 15^th

WR Khafre Brown

S Anthony Harris (Vol commit)

Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game

DL Jalil Clemons (Vol commit)

DL Ledarrius Cox (Vol commit)

DL Jaren Handy (Auburn commit)

RB Lee Witherspoon

Under Armour All-America Bowl January 3^rd

OL Wanya Morris (Vol commit)

OL Darnell Wright

LB Owen Pappoe

CB Kenyatta Watson

S Tank McCullough (Vol commit)

Army All-America Bowl January 5^th

RB Eric Gray

WR Ramel Keyton (Vol commit)

WR Jaden Haselwood

WR Jaylen Ellis

LB Henry To’oto’to

LB Quarvaris Crouch

News and Notes from the weekend

• There have already been some notable firings across the country (UNC, Texas Tech, among others), and the coaching carousel will continue and as such will shake up recruiting boards as it always does. That will have both positive and negative implications for the Vols and will be something to monitor
• To that end, there are rumors swirling that Tennessee Offensive Coordinator Tyson Helton will not be back with the Vols next season. Although he is currently on the road recruiting for the Vols, those rumors will likely persist until either he does leave the staff or something very, very definitive happens the other way.  QB commitment Brian Maurer, who Central Florida has been quietly pushing for over the past month or so, would be one to watch if there is a change made
• Alabama commitment and Vol DL target Justin Eboigbe was in Tuscaloosa on an unofficial visit this past weekend for the Iron Bowl two weeks after taking an unofficial visit to Knoxville for the win over Kentucky. He currently has an OV to Miami on the books for the 12/7 weekend, and his plan all along has been to take his Bama OV the 12/14 weekend which immediately precedes Signing Day, so if the Vols are going to get him back to campus for an OV it will have to be in the next two week
• Another Iron Bowl visitor was Georgia commitment and bigtime Vol LB target Trezeman Marshall. This originally was going to be an OV but instead was an unofficial visit, meaning the Tide will likely get him back to Tuscaloosa again before Signing Day.  While the Dawgs and the Vols are thought to be his Top 2, Bama obviously is a real threat here
• Speaking of the Iron Bowl, Auburn’s demolition at the hands of Alabama (join the club) finished off a tumultuous regular season for the Tigers than Tennessee (among others) have continued to try and take advantage of. Everyone knows that Tennessee is in prime position to flip Owen Pappoe from Auburn, but one Tiger commitment that the Vols have been quietly working on for months is DL Jaren Handy from Hattiesburg, MS.  Handy ws first an LSU commitment before flipping to Auburn and has been taking visits to other campuses all season.  He took an UV to Knoxville in the spring and on Sunday tweeted out that he was looking at “Tennessee, LSU, Bama, Florida, and Ole Miss (maybe).”  Look for the Vols to try and get the February signee back on campus for an OV sometime after the early signing period depending on how things go with the rest of the class

Coming into the Kentucky game, a Tennessee program that was 4-5 in Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s inaugural season had the #2 recruiting class in the SEC East and 15^th nationally, with ample room to move up and needs addressed at multiple positions.  At the same time, national pundits were talking about a buzz around the Vols as the staff’s recruiting prowess continues to show while the team’s overall improvement and individual player development are apparent.  However, after the Vols dismantled the #11 Cats on both sides of the ball to move to 5-5 and place themselves in firm position to make a bowl and even finish 7-5 (a possible 3-game improvement overall and 4-game SEC improvement), there can be no doubt that Pruitt and Co. have positioned themselves for an outstanding finish to their first full class as they hope to take a step-change leap in terms of improving the roster overall and in particular narrow the talent gap with the elite programs in the country.

With one more home game to go – this weekend against Missouri – and only roughly one month until the early signing period begins on December 19^th, Tennessee’s recruiting board continues to get bigger and more importantly the staff is adding more and more elite players to the list.

Below we take a look at the Offensive Board, where the Vols have needs at each position and currently only 7 (maybe 8) of its 20 commitments are on that side of the ball (and TE Jackson Lowe is being heavily pursued by Florida):

OL

Despite hosting Oklahoma commitment EJ Ndoma-Ogar on an official visit for the Alabama game, that one seems like an extreme longshot, especially after his very successful OV to Norman this past weekend.  With the Vols already having an incredibly strong 4-man OL class – headlined by 5-star OT Wanya Morris – at this point it’s basically a one-man OL board consisting of 5-star West Virginia native Darnell Wright.  Wright is ostensibly still considering a few other bigtime programs like OSU and PSU, but in reality this is a Tennessee-Alabama battle with the Vols by all accounts in the pole position.  Wright had even planned to be in Knoxville this past weekend for the UK game but couldn’t get the transportation logistics worked out, but the simple fact that he was trying to get back for his second unofficial of the season – after having been to campus multiple times beforehand and with an OV still to be scheduled – speaks volumes.  At this point, while there is no public commitment and in recruiting things can change on a dime, the recruiting world would be surprised if he doesn’t sign with the Vols.  If and when he does, he would complete an OL class that, like one of Stefon’s night clubs, has everything – multiple 5-star OTs, powerful interior players, and simply talent and numbers at a position in dire need of both.

Offensive Playmakers

Perhaps more than anything else this season, what has been laid bare this season is the Vols dearth of playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.  At RB, the Vols have Ty Chandler – an electric runner and pass-catcher who absolutely fits that bill – and a handful of guys who are solid but unspectacular.  Tim Jordan almost defines that, and not in a bad way per se but simply in the fact that he’s not a starting RB for an SEC contender but excels as a 2^nd or 3^rd back in a rotation.  Carlin Fils-aime has actually showed flashes of being a playmaker due to his straight line speed and willingness to put his head down when he’s been given opportunities (going back to last year, really), and I’m quite hopeful that he can build on those and be a contributor in the rotation going forward in his career.  Madre London, whatever he’s been this season, will be gone after the season.  And freshman Jeremy Banks’s unfortunate penchant for fumbling combined with the need at LB and his athleticism and physicality (not to mention Pruitt’s track record for moving “athletes” to defense) means he’s likely ticketed for LB starting with bowl practice (crosses fingers).  At the same time, the current commitment list contains no pure RBs, and the only possible RB committed is Aaron Beasley, who not only is also considered a LB/S prospect but as a RB prospect is more of a brusier.  Additionally, Beasley is also still taking visits to other schools.

At WR, the Vols have a good core of solid SEC WRs, but even with all of the different strengths that each of the rotation WRs bring to the table, none of them are go-to studs for an SEC contender.  And while all of them should be back next season, after Tennessee signed just one WR in the 2018 class (sleeper Cedric Tillman) it’s 2020 where the cupboard will be empty, and that’s simply a numbers game and not a comment on the talent.  Right now the Vols have 4-star Ramel Keyton committed…and that’s it unless they choose to move do-everything electric ATH prospect Anthony Harris – who is rated as a S prospect but plays QB for his high school- to offense.  Keyton is a very good prospect and is talented enough to compete for immediate playing time.  He’s a high-end SEC playmaker, in my opinion.  But the Vols simply need more of them, and they need them in this class if they want to take another step next season.

The good news is that the Vols have a really nice list of RB/WR – “playmakers” – on their board with whom they are very legitimate players.  And the aforementioned buzz is generally centered on these types of players

RB Eric Gray – Gray is currently committed to Michigan but no one who resides outside of Ann Arbor realistically thinks he’s signing with the Wolverines.  The Memphis native has smashed state records this season and is electric with the ball in his hands.  He’s not a “big” back, but he’s not small at 5’11 and just under 200lbs.  He has good but not great speed but on film runs away from opponents in the open field and at that size can both break tackles and make guys miss.  After there not being a ton of mutual interest in the summer before he committed to UM – he took what seemed like a perfunctory UV to Knoxville – the Vols upped their interest quite a bit once the season started and Gray reciprocated that interest with an OV for the Florida game and then a return visit for the Alabama game.  Distance (and the cold) seems like it’s going to be Michigan’s worst enemy, and Ole Miss (where he has an OV planned in December), and maybe Mississippi State and even Alabama could challenge the Vols here.  The vibe is that Tennessee is in good shape here, but the timing of any decommitment/flip will be very intriguing given the overall numbers issue Tennessee could be facing as well as who else they think they can get at not just the “playmaker” positions but really anywhere else.  The tell will be if he does not get to Ann Arbor this weekend for their final home game, which will mean he won’t have visited the UM campus all season and not since his summer OV.  Gray is an early enrollee so he’ll be making his ultimate choice in the not too distant future, which will clear up a lot of things for the Vols

RB John Emery – A new add to the board, Emery is a 5-star back from LA who was formerly committed to UGA.  Obviously he’s an elite prospect, the kind of player the Vols do not have at all on the roster.  He seemed to have very little interest in the Vols despite his father having started his career in Knoxville, and when he decommitted from the Dawgs most pegged him as a strong LSU lean.  And while LSU might still be there leader, Emery showed up in Neyland Stadium this weekend as an unofficial visitor and left having watched the Vols notch their 2^nd Top 15 win of the season and declaring that he would be back in December for an official visit with his entire family.  Emery is the type of prospect who you make room for regardless of what the rest of the class looks like, but given the aforementioned potential issues with numbers in the class he could complicate things for others if the staff thinks they can really land him.  He’s taken no OVs at this point so this recruitment has a ways to go, but the Vols are firmly in the mix in a way that seemed far-fetched as little as 4 days ago

RB Lee Witherspoon – A relatively unknown (or at least underrecruited) prospect, Witherspoon like Gray is putting up video game like numbers for his North Alabama Stevenson HS squad – home of emerging Vol LB Will Ignot.  He’s also a track star and at 6’0 is well put-together for a kid with that kind of speed.  He’s currently got offers from Mississippi State and Virginia Tech, and he’s taken an UV to Starkville this season.  He was supposed to be in Knoxville for the UK game but as of this writing it was unclear if he indeed made it.  While he doesn’t have an offer for the Vols or either of the two big instate schools, he has the look of a prime candidate for a late-cycle surge in his profile.  Whether the Vols choose to try to really insert themselves in this recruitment remains to be seen and could depend on how things are going with the two RBs above as well as the WRs below.  From my amateur viewpoint, however, Witherspoon looks like a dynamite RB prospect and someone is going to be lucky to land him

WR Javonta Payton – The Nashville native and former Ole Miss commitment attended the Alabama game in Knoxville as an UV and promptly decommitted from the Black Bears.  And while he hasn’t flipped to Tennessee yet the Vols do appear to be in good shape for the long (6’2) and speedy junior college product, ranked by 247 Sports as the #2 JUCO WR in the country.  Mississippi State appears to be the primary competition at this point, which Florida and UNC working to get involved as well.  In my opinion Payton, who will enroll early wherever he signs, is a plug and play WR who would add the kind of speed the Vols need on the outside.  Given the need for playmakers and Payton’s ability to step in and help right away – he’s an early enrollee so that will help tremendously – it seems like he’s a definite take for the Vols and would allow the Vols to have a “floor” at WR with him and Keyton as they chase another top-flight prospect like the next guy on the list

WR Jadon Haselwood – The player who might embody the current buzz around the Vols as much as any offensive prospect (with LB Owen Pappoe being the other), Haselwood is (another) former UGA 5-star commitment who all of the sudden the Vols appear to be real players with.  He took an UV to Knoxville over the summer but no one really viewed Tennessee as a threat, even after he reneged on his pledge to UGA.  Most have seen Miami – where he took an October OV, and OU (summer OV) as schools at the top of his list, and Auburn got an OV a few weeks ago but not only are the Tigers fading with quite a few top prospects as their season tanks (see Pappoe above) but he actually left that visit early, never a good sign.  UGA won’t go quietly here for the #1 WR in the country and until Jadon actually visits Knoxville again soon color me at least slightly skeptical, but it’s hard to ignore this kind of buzz especially when it’s coming from sources outside of  Tennessee insiders.  My guess is that the Vols would love to get him to campus this weekend as an unofficial visitor for Senior Day and what should be a great atmosphere and then have him come back for an OV closer to Signing Day, so that will be one of the big storylines to watch leading up to the weekend.  In my opinion Haselwood and Emery are the two guys who you not only hold a spot for until they sign elsewhere (or give you a 100% ‘No”) but also are players who none of the other elite schools in their respective recruitments will give up on.  As such, they’re going to be wildcards in this entire class, not just on offense and not just in the “playmaker” category

WR Khafre Brown – The Tarheel native and brother of a freshman on the UNC squad, Brown has been to Knoxville numerous times including an OV for the Florida game and a subsequent visit for the Charlotte game.  Brown is a speedster with solid length though he’s a bit lanky, and at this point it seems like the Vols are not ready to push all their chips in here.  In theory UGA and Michigan are the other two players here but neither appear to be recruiting him all that hard, which leaves Tennessee and North Carolina.  He clearly likes the Vols a lot, but right now I don’t think they’d take him if he wanted in.  I am not sure I would have said that last week, but that was before Emery became at least a somewhat realistic option as well and then the buzz started getting very loud about Haselwood.  Brown is a very good prospect in his own right (he’s a 4-star on all sites, with again, track speed) and should the Vols indeed sign him they’ll be getting a player who might not be an immediate contributor but one who could develop into a very nice SEC WR

WR Jaylen Ellis – A Baylor commitment in theory, Ellis has been scheduled to come to Knoxville unofficially each of the last two weeks but has not made it.  That said, the Army All-American tweeted last week a “Final Six” that included the Vols.  Obviously not a good sign for the Bears, but until Ellis does make it to campus it’s hard to think the Vols are in as good of shape as they are for others on this list.  I’m sure the Vols would like to do the Missouri game OV/December OV trick like they’re hoping for with Haselwood (and have put themselves in position to do with Emery).  If that happens then Ellis will absolutely be a prime prospect on this list, so that will be one to watch this week as well

Next up we’ll take a look at the board on Defense, which like the one above has seen an increase not only in quantity but especially in quality as the season has progressed.  As always numbers will be a factor as the staff sorts through its options, and also as always there will be some turnover on the current commitment list that will help illuminate the entire picture.  But just like on offense, the Vols have put together a strong list of committed prospects on the defensive side of the ball and have also positioned themselves to close with the kinds of players who will get Tennessee back to being a serious contender sooner rather than later

With the 2018 season kicking off in just two weeks, it is apparent that new Coach Jeremy Pruitt has made great strides in attempting to rebuild his roster.  He’s done it via numerous avenues: 1) Blue-chip instant impact JUCO prospects like TE Dominick Wood-Anderson and DL Emmitt Gooden; 2) Grad transfers OL Brandon Kennedy, RB Madre London, and QB Keller Chryst; 3) Late adds to the 2018 recruiting class that were either blue-chippers like CB Bryce Thompson or appear to be great evaluations like CB Treveon Flowers, WR Cedric Tillman, and DL Kurrot Garland among others.  And while taking JUCOs and grad transfers can be a risk to your future rosters, some of those who Pruitt has brought in, like Kennedy, fellow OL Jahmir Johnson, and CB Kenneth George, have multiple years of eligibility.  We’ll soon see how quickly that rebuilding pays off, as national consensus that Tennessee is going to struggle to improve over last season’s debacle stands in contrast to some quiet confidence among those in the program that this team can overachieve.

Regardless, this is a multi-year rebuild when it comes to getting Tennessee back in contention for championships, and the next step is the 2019 class.  Last Friday’s commitment from 4-star Safety Jaylen Mccullough gives Tennessee 19 commitments, and the class is ranked near the Top 10 nationally, in the Top 5 of the SEC, and 2^nd in the SEC East (behind UGA, who is #1 nationally).  Considering Pruitt and his new staff are recruiting to a program that went 4-8 and was winless in the SEC last season, this is a feat worth noting regardless of the fact that it’s only mid-August.  The class includes a high-end QB prospect, an impressive collection of talent along the both lines of scrimmage, and a handful of plug and play prospects at a variety of positions.  How many more prospects the Vols can fit into this class is an open question, but the staff is absolutely recruiting like numbers are not a concern at this time.

Sitting on these 19 commitments, Tennessee is in an enviable spot as it attempts to fill out the rest of its class.  Having put itself in good position for numerous elite recruits, and with relatively few spots to fill, the Vols can be both picky and targeted.  As September rolls around and the dead period ends and the 2018 season begins, it’s time to take a look at where Tennessee’s board stands with just a handful of spots remaining.

Tier I: The Top 10

OL Darnell Wright: Wright is an elite OT prospect who would, along with fellow 5-star prospect and current Tennessee commitment Wanya Morris, make up one of the best OT pairings signed nationally in a long time.  The Vols look to be in strong position for Wright heading into the season – he and his family have made multiple visits to campus this spring/summer and he’s scheduled to come back for an unofficial visit for the Florida game before taking an official visit later on, and his coach is a big Tennessee fan to boot.  Alabama is likely the biggest competition and they won’t be an easy out, but as of now the Vols are in a good spot, with distance playing a not-insignificant factor.  Adding Wright to Morris, Brad Lampley and Chris Akproroghene would solidify Tennessee’s Offensive Line for the next few years, as the Vols have quietly added some really nice young pieces over the last few classes

ILB Quarvaris Crouch: Simply an elite athlete who also happens to be a bigtime football player, Crouch is rated in the Top 10 nationally for a reason.  He could reasonably project at a number of positions, but ILB in Tennessee’s 3-4 scheme is probably his best bet.  He’s been rehabbing a leg injury that has kept him off the road more than most prospects these days, but he did manage to get to Knoxville three times since Pruitt took the reins.  FSU, Alabama, and a few other heavy hitters are involved here, but the Vols are absolutely major players.  The staff would love to get him back unofficially for at least one game this fall, and he’s been quiet enough that following his visits could be the right move in terms of tracking his leaderboard

OLB Khris Bogle: Every team needs a devastating pass-rusher off the edge, and Bogle profiles as just that with a blend of size, quickness, and body control seen in only a few prospects per year.  Bogle has been to campus multiple times since Pruitt took over, including his official visit that took place the weekend of the Orange & White Game.  Many think he will ultimately be difficult to pry out of South Florida, but he stated that he almost committed to Tennessee this spring and he’s currently planning to return to Knoxville for at least one game this season (UF…if you’re sensing a pattern you should) so the Vols will absolutely be deeply involved until the end

CB Jaydon Hill: While the Vols have a very nice DB class as currently constructed, they are seeking one more high-end CB, and Hill is at the top of the list.  He’d been on “commitment watch” for Tennessee for a few months until taking an official visit to Florida in July that apparently caused him much hesitation.  However, recently the tide seems to have turned back the Vols way, and with a planned announcement for the first week of September he could be the next to jump in the boat.  He’d absolutely be a big addition as he’s got the kind of speed/length Pruitt covets at the position and would allow the staff to focus its efforts on other positions

WR Javonta Payton: Tennessee only has nine scholarship WRs on its 2018 roster after only signing one in the 2018 class (Tillman), and while there are no seniors attrition could reduce that number even further for 2019.  At the same time, the quality of the current WR corps is a matter of debate, and right now Ramel Keyton – a blue-chipper who projects as an instant impact contributor himself – is the only WR commit for 2019.  Enter Payton, a Nashville-area native who signed with Ole Miss out of high school and is currently a Black Bear commitment at Northwest Mississippi CC.  The big-bodied #4 ranked JUCO WR has been on Tennessee’s campus two times this summer, including for a camp in which he reportedly blew the coaches away.  He hasn’t flipped his commitment yet, and Ole Miss will undoubtedly scratch and claw (and maybe do other thing$) to try and keep him, but as a plug and play prospect at a position of need – and a Tennessee native to boot – the Vols will absolutely work hard to land him and appear to be in good shape at the moment

WR Trey Knox A recruit who has been on Tennessee fans radar for a long time, Knox’s relationship with the Vols has been an interesting one to say the least.  Without a doubt he was a priority for the former staff, but at that time he had eyes for OSU and Florida more than Tennessee.  And when Pruitt came on, he was less than enamored with Knox’s game.  However, Knox came to camp in Knoxville and not only earned Pruitt’s respect for doing so also earned a firm offer from the Vols with what has been described as an outstanding performance.  Knox is a big (6’5, 200+) WR with good ball skills who showed good  speed relative to that size when in Knoxville, and it appears the Vols would indeed take him right now.  He’s got an October 1 announcement date set, with official visits to Arkansas (his leader at the moment, mostly due to the outsized attention they’ve shown him but also Chad Morris’s passing game reputation), Florida, and then Tennessee (for, you guessed it, the Florida game).  So the Vols should get another, and perhaps the final, shot.  How hard they press will be a determining factor for where Knox ultimately ends up, and could also be telling both about how they feel about Payton and Jalen Curry (below) and also how many more WRs they want to take

WR Jalen Curry Like Bogle (and Wanya Morris), Curry took his official visit to Knoxville for Tennessee’s spring game.  And like Bogle and Morris, Curry was blown away.  However, while the issue with landing Texas native does not appear to taking him from the instate Longhorns or Aggies, it’s the Auburn Tigers who have positioned themselves as his current leader.  That said, Curry plans on returning for the Florida game, so he’s clearly not made any decisions yet.  Curry is the kind of prospect who you’d probably make room for whenever he wants in, but that theory could be tested depending on the timelines of Payton and Knox

LB Henry To’ot’o’to Tenneessee is looking to add as much talent to its roster as possible, and while the LB corps looks to be fairly solid for the near future (especially if they can get JJ Perterson in), To’ot’o’to is the kind of prospect you go for if he gives you any indication you’ve got a real chance.  He made the cross-country trek from California in June for an unofficial visit and by all accounts loved it.  The Vols will be fighting both distance and also bigtime programs like Alabama and USC for him, but as of now they’re certainly in the mix

DL Kristian Williams A Memphis native, Williams appears to have been prioritized by Pruitt and Co. over other more highly rated instate DL.  He’s been on campus a few times over the last year, and Pruitt has a relationship due to having been the main recruiter for Williams’s high school teammate in the 2018 class, Alabama signee Jordan Davis.  The Vols made a recently released Top 6 for Williams, along with LSU and a handful of lower-tier programs.  It does seem like, from this angle, that if the Vols press they can land him

DL Charles Moore Moore is technically committed to Mississippi State (and therefore could be placed in the tier below), but the Magnolia State native was a travelin’ man this spring and summer, visiting multiple campuses including two trips to Knoxville.  Despite coming off of a semi-serious injury last season, Moore is a very highly recruited and ranked player.  And like everyone else, the Vols can use as many talented DL as they can get.  This one will likely come down to how serious Moore is about actually flipping – he lives very close to Starkville and has been to campus there a ton.  If he is, and especially if he shows early in his senior season that his injury is not an issue, expect Tennessee to be in the mix along with Auburn, LSU and others

Tier II: Prospects Committed Elsewhere the Vols Continue to Recruit

Especially as it’s not even September, Tennessee will continue to recruit kids they like enough even if they are committed elsewhere.

DL Bill Norton/DL Zion Logue/DL Tymon Mitchell Three Tennessee natives who have committed to UGA, the Vols have at one time or another had differing levels of interest in each of them.  But they are all talented players at a premium position, and from where I sit a kid with a committable offer from a program expected to win a second straight SEC East championship and contend for another playoff spot – especially a Tennessean – is worthy of being recruited hard by the Vols.  It will be interesting to see how things go with each of these recruitments into the fall – they are all unique situations as to why they didn’t choose Tennessee the first go round – so we’ll see if the Vols get another shot with any of them and if so how Pruitt and Co. choose to respond.  Given that current Tennessee commitment Leddarius Cox’s pledge is incredibly shaky – many think it’s just a matter of time before he flips to Auburn – I think it’s wise to keep an eye on these three as potential backfill prospects for him

DL Joseph Anderson Like the above UGA trio of commits, Anderson is an instate DL who is currently committed to an SEC school – this time South Carolina.  While by all accounts Tennessee could have landed his commitment this spring, when they weren’t ready the Gamecocks pounced.  There are differing opinions about how involved the Vols could get if they choose to reenter this recruitment, but this will potentially – if Anderson follows up his outstanding camp season with a strong start to the football year – be a test case in both Pruitt’s willingness to reevaluate prospects he previously was lukewarm on and also his ability to get back in on an instate kid he initially spurned

CB Woodi Washington Currently an OU commitment, Washington is a very highly rated CB who simply never connected with Pruitt and Co.  Had he been able to camp in Knoxville and show out (ala Knox), the Vols might have recruited him much harder than they did.  But as it stands he’s headed to a bigtime program without much of a fight from Tennessee.  It remains to be seen if the Vols could get back in on him if they decide to try, and being “full” at CB it could complicate things further.  We’ll see…

CB Maurice Hampton: A Memphis native and MLB prospect as well, Hampton has been committed to LSU for a while.  Despite multiple foiled plans to get Hampton to campus the Vols continue to keep a dialogue going.  I’m skeptical anything comes of this, as other programs have also tried to position themselves as a Geaux Tiger alternative.  Like Washington, we’ll see as the year progresses

ATH Zion Puckett An elite athlete with a family tie to Tennessee who visited Knoxville a few weeks ago, Puckett committed to Auburn as expected last Friday.  He’s the kind of player who you continue to recruit until he tells you to stop.  Being so newly committed the Vols will probably give him some room for now, but no doubt they’ll check in with him throughout the season to see if the door is cracked

Tier III: Prospects Tennessee is Keeping Warm

Solid players who at this point don’t currently have a spot in the Tennessee class, these prospects will no doubt have Tennessee watching their film from the first few weeks of the season as they reassess their evaluations

OL Melvin McBride Another Memphis prospect who camped an earned a Vol offer (“dominated” in his words), in another year McBride might be a for-sure take.  He’s got good size for a Guard – more weight and strength than height – and real upside as he’s relatively new to the game.  But currently the Vols have only one more OL spot and that’s dedicated to Wright.  Should McBride be willing to wait things could work out for him to have a spot in Knoxville, but he’s got other good options so therefore might go in another direction before that’s a true possibility

ATH Gyasi Mattison A relatively unknown prospect nationally, Mattison is thought by some instate insiders to be one of the best players in Tennessee regardless of position.  Highly athletic with the potential to play either WR or DB, he could play his way into some bigtime offers this season.  Whether it works out with Tennessee remains to be seen

WR Khafre Brown Another great athlete, Brown seems down the Tennessee WR board, at least behind Payton/Curry/Knox, if not also Mattison.  But he’s got bigtime speed and good size, so if he shows out early in the season and things get squirrely with the aforementioned trio, the Vols could revisit

LB Lee Kpogba/LB Jamie Pettway As mentioned earlier, Tennessee doesn’t have a huge need at ILB in this class, and without a doubt Crouch and To’ot’o’to are ahead of these two.  Both are solid prospects though and have been evaluated in person by the Vol staff so they’ll have a baseline when looking at early senior film

CB Devin Bush The Louisiana native (notably, without an LSU offer) has seen his stock drop a bit this summer.  At one time he was highly ranked, had a firm offer from Clemson, could have committed to Tennessee if he had wanted to, and had Auburn coming on strong.  However, Clemson seems to have moved on and Tennessee could be full if Hill does indeed commit to the Vols soon.  Bush is a good player though, and Auburn is still without a CB commitment in this class so they are very much an option.  However, at this point he could be considered a major (but talented) fallback option for the Vols

 

Although the prevailing opinion is that the 2019 QB class is relatively weak, Tennessee absolutely has a huge need at the position.  The Vols head into the 2018 season with four scholarship QBs, one of which (Keller Chryst) will definitely be gone after this season; at least one of which (Jarrett Guarantano, Will McBride) quite possibly could leave if he doesn’t win the job this year; and the fourth of which (JT Shrout) is a true freshman and a bit of a project.

That said, the staff doesn’t appear to have a huge sense of urgency, and their QB board is both relatively unknown and at the same time almost surely absent of bigtime names.  At this point, we can only definitively say they like Lance Legendre (a Kansas commit from Louisiana) and Brendon Clark (Wake Forest commit from VA).  Others they’ve expressed interest in are Zach Calvada (Buford, GA); Jarod Hoyer (JUCO EE who took an unofficial visit for the Orange & White Game; Peter Parrish (Alabama); and Stone Norton (Nashville).

One can’t help but think that while in general the Tennessee staff’s insistence that prospects camp – and in the case of QBs come throw on campus – in order to earn commitable offers is understandable and even impressive, with QBs it could really backfire on them.  Tennessee of course famously passed on 4-star QB Sam Howell, who has committed to FSU after having very strong interest in the Vols and has continued to have a strong spring.  Yet from the group above, Parrish and Norton (the most lightly recruited of the group) are the only ones currently scheduled to camp at UT this month, and of course Legendre and Clark are committed elsewhere.  At the same time, both Calvada and Parrish continue to see their respective recruitments heat up with increasing offers/interest from bigtime programs.  In fact, Calvada showed out yesterday on the first day of the Elite 11 Finals, a performance that is sure to kickstart his recruitment even more which would certainly make it harder for the Vols to land him should they choose to pursue him strongly.

Tennessee appears to be the frontrunner for Harrison Bailey, the #2 Pro-Style QB in the 2020 class, and the staff’s calculation could very easily – and understandably – be that they need to “clear the deck” for Bailey.  Therefore they could be taking the approach that for 2019 they are going to be both very picky and at the same time willing to take a lesser-rated player.  At the same time, no one knows what Guarantano and McBride are thinking, and what kind of prospect Shrout is, better than Pruitt and the staff.  So if they think that they can win in 2019 with the current QB situation plus whoever they land in 2019 – even if it’s not a bigtimer – I am not going to argue.  But I think it’s fair to at least question their strategy of both passing on Howell and at the same time seemingly slow-playing some other really good looking prospects while other schools appear to be recruiting them harder.  It could play out a number of ways, and could absolutely end up with the Vols signing a bigtime QB, but right now Tennessee’s strategy is interesting to say the least and potentially a big gamble.