The Need for Speed: Vols Land Blazer at WR

Tennessee picked up a bigtime commitment at its end of July pool party recruiting event on Saturday when WR Jalin Hyatt pledged to the Vols.  The former Virginia Tech commitment – a high school teammate and very close friend of current Vol stud CB Bryce Thompson – is the first pure WR commitment of the class for Tennessee, pairing with ATHs and potential WR commitments Darion Williamson and Jimmy Calloway.

Hyatt brings a number of things to the table that Coach Jeremy Pruitt covets in a prospect.  For one, he’s a certified winner, coming off his third straight state title at Dutch Fork HS in South Carolina’s 5A classification, and is regarded as a leader in that program.  Secondly, he’s a track athlete with blazing speed, something Pruitt is well known for targeting. In just the third track meet of his career this past March Hyatt set a new Dutch Fork record in the 200 meter dash, recording a Top 10 national laser-timed 21.33.  But that speed isn’t simply limited to the track or empty calorie measurables – Hyatt’s functional athleticism is on full display both in his high school tape as well as this spring as showed out at multiple events.  At The Opening in Charlotte he not only ran a 4.31 40 and won the camp’s fastest man contest but also shined in the skills portion and earned himself a 4-star rating by 247 Sports. He’s known for his great hands and shows impressive route running ability – especially or a guy who could do nothing but be a vertical threat and still be a real weapon – as well as the ability to high point the ball.  At over 6’0 and with a wiry frame, Hyatt is a true WR who just happens to have elite speed and in Tennessee’s Strength & Conditioning program has the kind of size/speed/ability combo as a rising high school senior to project as a potentially elite SEC WR. 

Hyatt also represents a recruiting win over the likes of not just Virginia Tech but also Michigan, Oregon, and Miami among others.  At the same time, the Vols now have two bigtime prospects from a powerhouse program in Will Muschamp’s backyard, which is always a positive.  Hyatt gives Tee Martin and Jim Chaney a true blazer in the class around which they can build the 2020 WR corps as they figure out where Williamson and Calloway fit and also continue to chase guys like Rakim Jarrett, Thaiu Jones-Bell, and a handful of other targets. 

Tennessee now has 13 commitments in the 2020 class and, particularly with how its positioned itself with a good number of highly recruited and rated instate prospects, has a chance to sign a Top 10 class come December and February.

Headed Towards a Big Cookout Weekend, Vols Combining Faith in Evals with Elite National Recruiting

As we move towards the final June weekend before a month-long dead period, things certainly have changed a lot since we previewed a consequential month for Tennessee’s 2020 class.  So far during June the Vols have picked up three commitments – running the total to nine – from OL Javontez Spraggins, his high school teammate S Antonio Johnson, and CB Lovie Jenkins.  Tennessee also hosted an incredibly large number of high level prospects during the first half of the month – “takes,” if you will – and expanded its overall board in an impressive fashion.  The month of June has seen two themes in Tennessee’s recruiting strategy under Coach Jeremy Pruitt that were at least slightly evident from the moment he took the job in January 2018: 1) A very high degree of faith in his and his staff’s own evaluations, regardless of ranking, combined with 2) A recognition of the necessity of and improving success in competing with the absolute best of the best for blue chip talent.

As evidence of the first theme, while Johnson is a 4-star with multiple high level offers, Spraggins, earlier commitment WR Jimmy Calloway, and to a slightly lesser extent Jenkins (who does boast more than 40 offers, including some from programs like the local Miami Hurricanes), are guys who the Tennessee staff is higher on, based on their own evaluations, than the rankings services and to a lesser extent other power programs.  Like the 2019 class, in which signees like Roman Harrison, Chris Akporoghene, Jerrod Means, Elijah Simmons, and Kenny Solomon earned Tennessee offers at least partially based on their respective camp performances, Pruitt and his staff are clearly comfortable and confident in their ability to identify players who they think can win SEC and National titles and fit into their systems.  Whether that comes to fruition or not remains to be seen.  However, when some of the aforementioned guys end up earning either/both of ranking upgrades (e.g., Harrison ending up a 4-star) and offers from other major programs (e.g., both Texas and Michigan and Florida State trying to get Akporoghene to take official visits) that is a compelling positive sign.

When it comes to going head to head with the nation’s current dominant programs, Pruitt served notice that this would be his strategy from his opening press conference, and backed his words up with action immediately in his efforts to build his first, stub class.  While he was ultimately unsuccessful in going after 5-star CBs Olaijah Griffin and Isaac Stuart-Taylor – both of whom signed with USC – Pruitt did beat out the likes of Clemson for Treveon Flowers and Alabama for Dominic Wood-Anderson and JJ Peterson.  The 2019 class featured a heavy dose of wins like that, and the 2020 cycle is an acceleration of the success of that strategy. 

The list below includes players for whom Tennessee is under heavy consideration for (with Vol commitments in bold and flip candidates in italics) for whom they are going head to head with powers like Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and (hate to say it) Georgia, along with bigtime national programs like USC, Miami, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida, Auburn, Texas A&M and the like:

QB Harrison Bailey

QB Haynes King

TE Arik Gilbert

TE Darnell Washington

TE Eric Shaw

ATH Damarcus Beckwith

OL Marcus Dumervil

OL Chris Morris

OL Cooper Mays

OL James Robinson

OL Xavier Hill

OL Deandre Buford

WR Arian Smith

WR Rakim Jarrett

WR Thaiu Jones-Bell

WR Javon Baker

WR JJ Evans

WR EJ Williams

RB TY Jordan

RB Tank Bigsby

RB Tee Hodge

RB Caziah Holmes

DL Dominic Bailey

DL Omari Thomas

DL Justin Rogers

DL Trevonn Rybka

DL Darrion Henry

DL Tyler Baron

DL Jay Hardy

DL Deonte Craig

DL Noah Sewell

LB Phillip Webb

LB Kourt Williams

LB Len’neth Whitehead

LB Reggie Grimes

LB De’rickey Wright

LB Morven Joseph

LB Romello Height

S Keshawn Lawrence

S Antonio Johnson

CB Art Green

CB Mike Harris

CB Kendal Dennis

CB/S Mordecai McDaniel

CB Joel Williams

CB Kitan Crawford

That’s obviously an incredibly long list of players to be in on that are also legitimately being pursued by the kind of programs that Tennessee aspires to get back to the level of, and is indicative of not just the cachet that the program still has nationwide but also the type of recruiting staff that Pruitt has put together.  The additions of well-known stud recruiters like Tee Martin, Derrick Ansley, and Jim Chaney (QBs, especially) to an already high-level existing staff and head coach is clearly paying immediate dividends.  Pruitt has expanded the reach of the program to Texas and California while also delving back into formerly profitable but recently ignored territory like North Carolina, all the while keeping a strong focus instate as well as regionally in Georgia, Florida, and Alabama.  Going after these kinds of players will more often than not end in failure, as recruiting is a zero sum game.  But doing so at the level and volume that Tennessee is currently in the 2020 class – especially with the kind of staff it has – while supplementing with its own evaluations – is the only winning strategy when the goal is to compete for championships.  That’s a simple fact that Pruitt clearly gets and is executing on.

The Vols will look to close out the month with another big visit weekend, hosting multiple highly sought after prospects for a cookout in Knoxville.  As of mid-week, Tennessee is expecting to have at a few important official visitors: WR (and soft LSU commit) Rakim Jarrett, RB Caziah Holmes DE/TE Blayne Toll, and OL Richie Leonard, while the unofficial guest list includes QB commitment Harrison Bailey, OLB BJ Ojulari, ILB Romello Height, and RB Tee Hodge (back for a second weekend in a row).  Potential visitors who the Vols are working hard to get back to campus are TE Arik Gilbert, DT Octavius Oxendine, WR (and AU commit) JJ Evans, CB Janari Dean, and frequent local visitors OL Cooper Mays and DE Tyler Baron.  Others of course are likely to join the list for what could be a bigtime weekend and a punctuation mark on what has already been a very profitable month for Tennessee recruiting and what could turn out to be much moreso in the coming weeks.

Something else to watch for Vol coaches and fan will be Alabama’s simultaneous cookout in Tuscaloosa on Friday. Several top Vol targets are expected to attend, including WR EJ Williams, OL Xavier Hill, OL James Robinson, OL Chris Morris, and DB Joel Williams.

Vols Add Commitment from “Meanest OL in the Midwest”

After appearing to have hit on multiple 2019 signees who earned offers at Tennessee summer camps, the Vols have struck again, adding a commitment Friday from OL Javontez Spraggins from East St. Louis, IL.  Spraggins, a 6’2, 330+ pound road grader, was an unknown to even the most ardent followers of Tennessee recruiting until his commitment popped, but had sprung onto the recruiting scene in a big way over the last few weeks after a handful of dominant camp performances as far back as January.

Spraggins earned “Alpha Dog” status at two different camps, showing off great bend, strength, and his calling card – aggressiveness – at both.  He earned offers from Mizzouri, Iowa State and instate Illinois after the most recent dominant performance – earning the title of “meanest OL in the Midwest” from 247 Sports’s Allen Treiu and then completely showed out at Tennessee’s camp on Friday, earning an offer he immediately jumped on.

Spraggins joins the likes of 2019 OL signees Melvin McBride and Chris Akporoghene, as well as WR Jerrod Means, LB/DL Roman Harrison and a handful of others who earned their Tennessee offers by showing up to camps in Knoxville and earning their respective offers.  Jeremy Pruitt and his staff seem to stand out from the pack when it comes to trusting their own player evaluations, and there’s nothing Pruitt loves better than seeing a prospect up close and personal while working him out and determining whether or not the kid can help Tennessee get back to the top.  Spraggins obviously was able to prove that on Friday.

From an overall class perspective, Spraggins is the first OL commitment in the class that will likely feature no more than four of them.  With Tennessee seemingly in great shape for bigtime instate targets Cooper Mays and Chris Morris and in the top group for at least a half dozen other heavily recruited OL, the fact that the Vols were willing to take Spraggins so quickly says a lot about their evaluation of him.  His commitment also could give the Vols some momentum in the early stages of what is a bigtime month of June.

June Recruiting Preview: A Massive Month for the Vols

With the month of May coming to a close and Tennessee sitting on 6 public commitments after the recent addition of JUCO DB Art Green, the Vols have a class that significantly favors quality over quantity at this point.  With the top two JUCOs in the country (Green and DE Jordan Davis) along with a Top 5 QB in the country, a 4-star DL, a potentially elite Slot WR in Jimmy Calloway, and one of the best Longsnappers in the country, there is absolutely zero fat in this class so far.  But, after losing a handful of bigtime prospects for whom they were in deep with, including DL Justin Rogers, OL Tate Ratledge, and WR Rakim Jarrett – not to mention the commitment of RB Ebony Jackson – the month of June is expected to be, and needs to be, a profitable one for Coach Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee.  In fact, given the accelerated recruiting calendar these days, with spring/summer official visits and the December signing period, it’s almost a must that the Vols come out of June with some tangible results.  Below are some story lines to watch as Tennessee’s camps get started this coming weekend:

Vols would like to see some instate players camp

As opposed to the class of 2019, Pruitt and his staff are clearly enamored with more than a few instate players.  At the same time, there is a group of instate players with multiple Power 5 and even SEC offers that don’t yet have an offer from the Vols.  Some do have a Tennessee offer but so far the Vols aren’t pushing as hard as others, and Pruitt’s staff would love for them to come camp in Knoxville and earn it:

DL Derrell Bailey (camping this weekend), Corbet Mims (recent offer), and Michael Reese (offer).  Dallas Walker is another instate DL who Tennessee has offered but so far isn’t pursuing as hard as even the likes of Auburn and Florida.

DBs De’Arre McDonald (will definitely camp, date TBD), Devonte Nelson, Dajean Gibson, and Yukari Blanchard are all interesting DB prospects.  Tennessee would surely love to add to its DB board, and if they could do it with an instate player(s) who earned an offer via a camp performance all the better.

Offensive skill players Darrin Turner and Elijah Young both have Vol offers but right now aren’t being heavily recruited by Tennessee.  That could change if either or both of them showed out at camp.  There’s really no good reason for Young – a Knoxville-area native – not to do so.

OL Marcus Henderson has seen his recruitment slow down a bit and likely doesn’t committable offers right now from the big name on his list, including Tennessee.  Were he to make the cross-state trek from Memphis and perform well, however (ala Melvin McBride last year), that could change.  Same for fellow Memphian, White Station Spartan OL Ray Curry.

Not all of these guys will camp, but the ones that do – especially those without offers – could find themselves being heavily targeted by Tennessee and could quickly reshape UT’s overall board.

Priority instate targets could make decisions

As noted, the Vols would love to build the foundation of its class with instate players, and OL Cooper Mays and Chris Morris,S Keshawn Lawrence, and DL Tyler Baron, Jay Hardy, and Reggie Grimes are arguably Tennessee’s top targets from the Volunteer State.  Morris has already said he will be back to Knoxville to camp in June after visiting the first weekend of May, and likely will take a summer official visit as well.  The others, with the exception of Grimes, have Tennessee right at the top of their respective lists and have developed a bond among the four of them especially while jointly visiting Knoxville on multiple unofficial visits.  They’ve also each flirted with the idea of committing this summer, and were one to take the plunge and commit to Tennessee it could create a tsunami among the rest (as well as others).  Obviously the Tennessee staff would like to at least get them back to campus this summer, but ideally would Tennessee would love for them to jump onboard. 

OL Board will really take shape

After a tremendous OL haul in the class of 2019 that came after adding at least two future multiple-year starters (plus a grad transfer) in the class of 2018, Tennessee is likely being extremely picky with its OL spots and take no more than four, if that.  With Ratledge committing to UGA, Mays and Morris are easily the Top 2 OL on the board for the Vols.  As discussed above, one or both of them could do something this coming month or close to it.  Either way, along with targets like Joshua Jones (who just put the Vols in his Top 6) and Denadre Buford, the OL below will see some action in their recruitment in June:

Bigtime OL Xavier Hill will take his official visit to Knoxville the weekend of June 14th.  He’s been to Knoxville once already and has also taken an OV to LSU.  He had once considered a May commitment – many thought Alabama was in the driver’s seat – but backed off of that.  However, he’ll be at Texas A&M this coming weekend and then at Alabama for a mid-week visit right after his trip to Tennessee, so with those visits in the can he may be ready to make a decision soon.

Tennessee has also recently added two JUCO OL to its board, both from ASA College in Brooklyn, the former home of Tennessee’s director of programming for football Joe Osovet.  Both Tariq Stewart and Antwan Reed will make unofficial visits to Knoxville the weekend of June 14th and depending on how the trips go and how they look physically one or both could become serious targets.

Richie Leonard will OV to Kentucky on the weekend of June 8th and is working on setting up OVs to Tennessee (he visited in April unofficially) and likely FSU after just OV’ing to Georgia Tech this past weekend.  He’ll then decide over the 4th of July weekend.  Miami, UCF, Louisville, West Virginia and Washington State are contenders as well.

Newly minted 4-star Marcus Dumervil plans to visit Tennessee this month, along with Ohio State and UGA.  Alabama, OU and LSU (already visited both officially) in mix as well.  Dumervil hails from St Thomas Aquias HS in Florida, the alma mater of current Vols Josh Palmer and Kivon Bennett, so Tennessee certainly has a tie there. 

Javion Cohen, who visited Knoxville back in February before committing to, and subsequently decommitting from, South Carolina, is fresh off an OV to Georgia Tech this past weekend along with Leonard.  He’s got OVs set for homestate (and presumed leader) Auburn this weekend and Florida the weekend of June 15th, so if the Vols want to stay in that race they’ll need to get him back to campus soon.

Josh Remetich from New Orleans will camp after receiving an offer this month. He’s got some lower-end SEC, ACC and Big 10 offers so it will be great for the staff to see him in person to evaluate.

Other targets will camp and/or visit

Undoubtedly dozens of prospects from the classes of 2020 and beyond will make their way to Knoxville during the month of June, many of whom don’t yet have firm public dates.  For example, LB Kourt Williams might visit this month as the Vols look to dip into California for a stud 2nd-level defender for the second year in a row, and fellow LB Rodney Groce also plans on coming back to Knoxville after a great visit in March. 

Below are the players who are known to be planning to visit Knoxville in June (along with the prospects discussed above), as well as some notes on Vol targets visiting elsewhere during the month:

Recently offered LB Allen Merrick and teammate (and Alabama commitment) ATH De’Rickey Wright, RB Israel Abanikanda, and DL Derrell Bailey will visit this coming weekend.  So will 2022(!) instate WR target Taylor Groves.  Notably, top RB prospect Tank Bigsby will make his official this weekend to South Carolina, absolutely one to watch as the Cocks are his presumed leader and will certainly be pushing for him to shut it down. OL Xavier Hill will be on an OV to Texas A&M (with some Vol targets). 

Additionally, Auburn is holding its Big Cat Weekend event, and Vol targets DL Zykevious Walker and Dallas Walker, OL Cohen (OV), DB Brian George (OV), LB Trenton Simpson (OV), and WR EJ Williams will be on the Plains.  Bigtime LB target Len’Neth Whitehead will make the short trip to Athens, GA to camp at UGA – likely in an attempt to earn a commitable offer.

The June 8th weekend is already setting up to be a monster, with multiple top-of-the-board targets set to visit.  LB Trenton Simpson will take his official visit to Knoxville in between the trip to Auburn and one to Georgia, while DL Omari Thomas and high school teammate RB Jabari Small will take unofficial visits (after both visiting Texas A&M the weekend before), perhaps also bringing fellow Briarcrest High student and top 2021 hoops target Kennedy Chandler with them. QB Haynes King is planning on making a decision by late June, and he’ll also be at Texas A&M this coming weekend before heading to Knoxville the 8th for his OV.  How that visit goes will likely determine whether the Vols end up signing a 2nd QB in the class to go with Harrison Bailey, as King appears to be their lone remaining target at the position.

OL James Robinson will take his official visit to Tennessee the weekend of June 15th, a week after possibly visiting/camping at instate Auburn, which will be one to watch.  Bigtime WR target Zevian Capers, currently an Arkansas commit, will also take his OV to Tennessee this weekend.  With multiple visits currently planned for after his UT trip, the Vols will need to hit a homerun with Capers to land him.DL Corbet Mims will also be in town that weekend, unofficially, while stud DL Darrion Henry is tentatively set to officially visit.  The Vols sit in Henry’s top 4, with LSU (already OV’d) and Cincinnati (OV the previous weekend) all trailing instate Ohio State, who will receive an OV the following weekend. 

DE Blayne Toll, S Jaquorius Conley and LB Quandrrius Robinson all have official visits to Tennessee scheduled for the weekend of June 22nd, so having three bigtime Defensive targets on officials will be big for the Vols.  Robinson will be at Kentucky the June 8th weekend, Auburn (where he was once committed) the weekend after, and Alabama for a mid-week official in between those.  He’s another one who could make a late June/early July decision after having taken most of his OVs.  Meanwhile Toll is thought to be an OU lean so the Vols have ground to make up there. 

There is simply no getting around it: June is a huge month for Tennessee.  After a more-than-solid class of 2019, Coach Pruitt and his staff absolutely have an opportunity to fast-track the rebuild with a bigtime class of 2020.  The Vols will have many of their top prospects on campus for camps, unofficial visits, and even official visits.  At the same time, many top targets will also be visiting other campuses.  Importantly, at least seven will take their official visits to Knoxville in June – after Tennessee used six of them for the Orange & White Weekend.  So the Vols – while not an outlier in this Spring/Summer Official Visit trend that has massively accelerated from last year – are absolutely shooting their shot incredibly early on many of their top targets.  Therefore, by the time the 4th of July rolls around the direction of Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class, which is currently short on quantity but high on quality, will be much clearer. 

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Tight Ends

Despite signing two high-level Tight Ends in the 2019 class in Jackson Lowe and Sean Brown, there is still both a lack of depth as well as the kind size that Pruitt prefers on the current roster.  Further, 2019 starter Dominick Wood-Anderson is heading into his last year of eligibility.  Only Lowe, Brown, redshirt freshman Jacob Warren, redshirt Junior Austin Pope and redshirt Sophomore James Brown are projected to the 2020 roster, and they all combine for 3 career catches, all by Pope, while only the freshman (giving Warren the benefit of the doubt due to his large frame and Strength & Conditioning Coach Craig Fitzgerald’s track record) truly have the size Tennessee wants at the position.

With Jim Chaney’s history of success using TEs as well as likely instant playing time available for a bigtime recruit(s), there’s not just a real need at the position for the Vols going forward but also a compelling sales pitch available.  However, while that is clearly the case, there only appear to be two actual targets on the board right now.  Both of them – 5-stars Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington ae obviously bigtime, and with that comes the kind of competition that will make it very difficult to land either of them.  Gilbert, while UT QB commitment Harrison Bailey’s high school teammate and a frequent visitor to Knoxville, is considered a heavy UGA lean (with Alabama and Clemson in there, too), while Washington is being targeted by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State among others.  Washington will take his OVs during the season and attend games, with Alabama (vs. LSU), Georgia (vs Notre Dame), Miami right now guaranteed three of them and the Vols fighting Florida, Auburn and likely others for his final two visits. 

Given the small number of current targets, as well as the kind of schools Tennessee is recruiting against for them, don’t be surprised to see Tennessee widen its net at the position throughout the cycle.  The Vols will hope to add targets both during the upcoming summer evaluation and camp periods as well as during the season, likely including the Junior College ranks.  One thing the Vol staff could consider, depending on how especially Lowe, Brown, and Warren develop as well as needs and numbers at other positions, is the fact that there are two stud instate Tight Ends in the class of 2021.  Hudson Wolfe, who hails from a Tennessee family in Savannah, Tennessee (the same high school as current Vol Latrell Bumphus) has already been to campus twice this year including for the Orange & White game and projects as a bigtime player, while midstate native Jake Briningstool is already ranked as a 4-star by 247.  Should the Vols like how the current young TEs on the roster are developing and feel like they have a really strong shot at one or both of Wolfe/Briningstool they might elect to not “reach” for a TE in this class just to have one and instead focus their resources elsewhere with confidence in the future at the position.

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Wide Receivers

With four senior Wide Receivers at or near the top of Tennessee’s 2019 depth chart and little in the way of proven depth behind them, recruiting at the position for the 2020 class is of the utmost urgency.  Looking out to 2020, the Vols currently project to have only seven WRs on the roster (eight if you count Deangelo Gibbs, who from this vantage point seems best suited at the STAR position on defense due to his prior experience there and the greater chance he can have a large impact).  Of those 7-8, only Josh Palmer has proven himself to be a consistent SEC producer, and three of them are redshirt or true freshmen.   Further, if Tennessee wants to take the next step towards truly contending for SEC championships than it can’t just be about quantity (which is a clear need in an of itself) but also quality – the Vols need gamebreakers, plural, at the position, and they need them now. 

The good news for Tennessee is that its new position coach, Tee Martin, is an elite recruiter with deep ties to the South, and hoping to have kind of impact we forecasted back when he was hired. Martin has been consistently mentioned with elite WR prospects since his hiring – especially in Alabama and Georgia as ten of the twelve prospects discussed below hail from one of those two states – and has the Vols in the mix with multiple high level WRs.  However, after having missed on a couple of high level targets (more below) it’s imperative that the Vols close the deal on a few of them instead of coming in second.

Tennessee does already has a commitment from 3-star Jimmy Calloway who picked the Vols over Oregon and others – he’s most recently been offered by South Carolina in mid-May.  Calloway is an explosive athlete and track star who can play on either side of the ball and is very comfortable with the ball in his hands.  He’s shined at a couple of spring 7-on-7 events showing off great route running and dynamic playmaking ability and seems destined for more high-level offers.  He’s also got some high-end CB attributes and could end up getting a look there in college as well.  The bet here is that Tennessee will look smart having snagged Calloway’s early commitment but will end up having to fight off numerous other power programs.

4-star Zevian Capers, who is technically committed to Arkansas but taking visits, visited Tennessee in early April and has the Vols high on his list.  The large-framed but speedy pass-catcher took an official visit to South Carolina in late April and Tennessee hopes to get him back on campus again soon.  Capers showed out at the Atlanta Opening event, measuring in at 6’4 and close to 200 lbs while showing off great route running, speed, change of direction and sure hands.  Along with the Razorbacks and Gamecocks, he also has offers from Florida and actually received a Clemson offer last March as well.  While the Vols need at least 4 WRs in this class, Capers would make a great pairing with Calloway in terms of size and positional combinations. 

After two visits in a month, Tennessee is the stated leader for 4-star Kris Abrams-Draine, a 4-star former LSU commitment.  From South Alabama like Martin , he’s a smaller WR at 6’0 and around 170 pounds, but with offers from Oregon, Florida, and LSU among others, has the perfect size/quickness combination for the slot.  Having already been committed before it wouldn’t be a surprise to see “KAD” take his time before committing again, but as of now the Vols have placed themselves in a very strong position.

4-star EJ Williams took his official visit to Knoxville for the Orange & White Game after visiting previously in March and has the Vols in an unofficial top 6 along with Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, and Clemson.  Things have been relatively quiet for the Alabama native, which might not be a great sign for Tennessee considering he’s used that official visit already.  His only other OV is set for instate Auburn in late June, and took an unofficial visit to Gainesville last weekend.  Hailing from the same high school as Clemson freshman sensation Justyn Ross, Williams has the Tigers and Alabama on top at the moment.  Clearly this is going to be a tough battle for Tee Martin and the Vols but if the recruitment extends further into the season Tennessee certainly has enough traction to stay in the mix for his planned August 24th announcement.

Former LSU commitment and Memphis native Darrin Turner is another target on the radar, although despite his 4-star ranking he seems like a player the Vols would like to see in camp. His physical profile compares to 2019 Arkansas signee Trey Knox, a similarly big-bodied instate player who the Vols ultimately passed on. If Turner a) gets to campus and b) shows not just overall ability but high-end speed, the Vols could absolutely turn up the heat on him.

The Vols are also very much in the mix for 4-stars Mushin Muhammad (who visited in early April but has since visited Texas A&M twice) and are still working on 4-star Alabama commitment Dazalin Worsham who’s been on campus three times himself, including as recently as March.  4-star Auburn commitment Kobe Hudson decided to visit Knoxville for Tennessee’s spring game over the Tigers, suggesting that the door is at least cracked for the Vols.  Tennessee also offered 4-star Joshua Downs, a UNC commitment who is 7-on-7 teammates with Harrison Bailey and hails from the same Atlanta-area high school as 2019 Vol signee Warren Burrell.  Then there is Memphis native and former Oklahoma signee Kundarrius Taylor, Junior College teammate of Vol commit Jordan Davis who Tennessee has offered.  4-star do-it-all athlete Demarcus Beckwith (cousin of Lamonte Turner) also has the Vols high on his list after visiting in March.  Finally, Georgia natives Robert Lewis and Kobe Hudson (teammate of Harrison Bailey) have Vol offers and have both been to campus.

The Vols appeared to be in very strong shape with 5-star DC-native Rakim Jarrett, who took two unofficial visits to campus in March.  However, he committed to LSU while on an OV in Baton Rouge in late April.  Jarrett profiles as an instant 2020 starter in the mold of recent Alabama and Clemson WRs and would be one of the jewels of this class, so expect the Vol staff to continue to work to get him back for an official visit at some point before signing day.  Similarly, the Vols were right there for Thaiu Jones-Bell (who visited for the Orange & White Game) but he recently committed to Alabama.

The board will shake itself out as the above targets will (hopefully) make their way back to Knoxville and additional offers could emerge from camp performances.  Tennessee has done a nice job getting involved with multiple WRs the caliber of which it needs to take the next step offensively – and frankly most if not all of the existing WRs on the board have better recruiting pedigrees than all of the signees in the last two classes except Ramel Keyton – but as stated above the next and most important step is landing them.

Uros Plavsic and what he means for 2020 recruiting and the program writ large

With the addition of 7’1 Arizona State transfer Uros Plavsic to the roster, Tennessee currently has 13 scholarship players for the 2019-2020 season.  However, with most assuming that PG Jordan Bone will choose to stay in the NBA Draft, that will leave one scholarship open.  Given that the Vols will only have five true backcourt players in Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bowden, Josiah James, Jalen Johnson, and Davonte Gaines – and Gaines is in massive need of a year with Garrett Medenwald and Tennessee’s Strength & Conditioning program, so counting on him for meaningful minutes this coming year is probably not smart.  Therefore, between the need for experienced backcourt depth and the need to keep spots open for what is looking like an all-timer class of 2020 (more on that below), adding a grad transfer makes all the sense in the world.  And although the pickings are relatively slim on the grad transfer market at this point, per Jeff Goodman’s transfer rankings the below Guards (ranked overall, including all positions by Goodman) are still available:

20) Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland 
26) Kareem South, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 
34) Ryan Woolridge, North Texas 
43) Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey, Tennessee State 
48) Nic Thomas, Norfolk State

It does seem likely that Barnes will wait to make any moves until Bone officially decides, so it could be a week or so before we start to hear about any movement in this regard.  But there has been no discussion about adding a high school PG since Jalen Cone reclassified and decided to sign with Virginia Tech, so as of now it appears to be a grad transfer or bust for the (likely) 13th scholarship.

When it comes to the aforementioned class of 2020, after adding both fast-rising 2019 signee Oliver Robinson-Nkamhoua and Plavsic to go with the three fall signees, Coach Barnes and the Vols currently have three total spots for the class.  One of those is held by 5-star F Corey Walker, who recently transferred from his Florida high school to Hargrave Military Academy (where Gaines just spent a prep year).  Walker is a bigtime talent and projects as an instant impact player in both the low post and on the wing and will give Tennessee a 5-star signee in back to back classes for the first time ever.  The Vols are also the presumed front-runner for borderline 5-star Wing Keon Johnson who hails from Bell Buckle, TN and will announce his commitment on August 6th to either Tennessee, Virginia, or Ohio State.  If Barnes is able to land Johnson, that will not only give the Vols two elite players in the class but also leave just one spot remaining (assuming no future roster movement, which is all we can do at the moment).  With the Vols in very good shape for multiple other high-level 2020 prospects (see list below), one could make the case that adding Plavsic – who might have to sit out the 2019-20 season pending a transfer exemption from the NCAA – in particular could be seen as puzzling. 

#11 Jaden Springer – CG

#22 Cam Hayes – PG currently in the 2021 class who the Vols have approached about reclassifying

#31 Caleb Love – PG

#40 Jayden Stone – SG

#58 Sam Ruzhentsev – Wing

#62 Bryce Thompson – CG

#65 PJ Hall – PF/C

#85 Matthew Murrell – SG

#141 Chris Moore – PF

#149 Dylan Cardwell

And while Love in particular is directly related to new Tennessee assistant coach Kim English (per Rob Lewis of Volquest.com), this list of prospects for whom the Vols are very much in the mix is all before the upcoming summer AAU circuit, when Tennessee’s newfound spot among the country’s top programs along with English’s new (to Tennessee) connections could add to the list.

With all that talent realistically on the board but likely with only one spot remaining, Vol fans can fairly ask the question: “Why add Plavsic, who though a 4-star coming out of high school and is said to possess good mobility and shooting skill along with his 7’1, 240lb frame, was a) not pursued by Barnes initially despite playing up I-75 in Chattanooga, b) was initially committed to Cleveland State before signing with the Sun Devils, and c) redshirted last season, therefore being a bit of a mystery in terms of development and calling into question why he wasn’t able to see the floor? Especially if he might not even be eligible this coming season.” 

Yes, the Vols have a hole in the frontcourt with the loss of Grant Williams (to the NBA), Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield (to graduation), and Derrick Walker (to transfer) and with only unproven and inexperienced, albeit potentially talented, backfills.  But neither Plavsic nor Robinson-Nkamhoua project as immediate contributors despite what are clearly talented profiles, so I don’t think getting instant production is the reason. 

Here’s my answer: As much as Barnes clearly has Tennessee recruiting at a higher level than ever, what he values as much as anything is stability and development.  Having the “next man up” ready to step in each and every year and not necessarily bringing in large classes where you’re replacing players who’ve transferred because they’ve been recruited over or are dissatisfied with their role (the anti-Jalen Johnsons) or even one-and-dones that you might not have gotten enough out of (which Barnes experienced a ton of at the end of his run at Texas).  Also, with the 2020 class looking to be heavily loaded with guards and wings – and the potential that James might stay for a second season – it makes sense to have more experienced bigs on the 2020 roster to pair them with.  So rather than, say, PJ Hall (who the Vols are still recruiting and might even take an OV to Knoxville as early as next month) or a Dylan Cardwell coming in as true freshman with theoretically more talent than Plavsic or even Robinson-Nkamhoua but way less experience, Barnes is making the bet that the the two late 2019 signees will be more ready to help the Vols make a big run.  It’s not an across-the-roster bet on experience and development over pedigree, as again the Vols project to have plenty of highly ranked talent, especially at the guard and wing spots (and maybe even down low depending on how they play Corey Walker). 

Barnes clearly is confident in his and his program’s ability to develop players who come to Tennessee with a particular set of skills (shooting, athleticism) and the work ethic to improve.  And he’s also shown, with guys on the current roster like Jalen Johnson, Zach Kent, and Jalen Johnson as clear examples, that he’s not going to run players off who he sees as putting the kind of work in to get better.  That’s what this move with Plavsic seems to be a bet on, even if it’s at the cost of roster spots that very possibly could go to higher ranked/more talented players.  Whether that turns out to be the right play remains to be seen, and we likely won’t know until the 2020-21 season, but it’s hard not to trust a guy who’s done what he’s done while at Tennessee.

Momentum starter? JUCO DB Art Green commits to the Vols

We noted earlier today that JUCO DB Art Green seemed to be leaning to Tennessee coming off his weekend unofficial visit to Knoxville, and sure enough just hours later Green indeed committed to the Vols. 

https://twitter.com/A_JR20/status/1127996947904835584

Green is Tennessee’s 7th commitment in the 2020 and its second Junior College early enrollee (along with 247’s #1 overall JUCO DL Jordan Davis), giving Coach Jeremy Pruitt and DC Derrick Ansley two instant impact players on the defensive side of the ball just two weeks into May.  At 6’2 and 200lbs, Green has the kind of size that Pruitt covets at the CB position, and with 10.7 100m speed he’s got the kind of overall dimensions of an elite prospect in the secondary. 

After adding seven CBs in the last two classes, including two elite young prospects in rising sophomores Bryce Thompson and Alontae Taylor, Pruitt and his staff have certainly upgraded that particular position quickly.  What the addition of Green does is allow Tennessee – who may look to bolster other positions numbers-wise in this class – to focus on just a handful of other elite DBs knowing they’ve got him in the fold.

The Vols will absolutely have to fight to keep Green, as he’s got spring offers from the likes of Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M among many others.  However, with an official visit still available and a relatively short window for visits in the fall due to his JUCO schedule and plan to sign in December, Tennessee is in as strong of a position as one could ask.

Whether Green’s commitment is the start of a roll for Tennessee remains to be seen, as he’s not one of the tied in local/instate prospects (namely: Cade Mays, Tyler Baron, Keshawn Lawrence, and Jay Hardy) for whom the Vols are in good shape but appear to be playing the waiting game a bit.  However, what it absolutely is is a shot in the arm for the Vols recruiting efforts and once again a cornerstone player in the defensive secondary for 2020.

Mid-May Recruiting Musings

Tennessee RB commitment Ebony Jackson was offered by Alabama over the weekend, making those who felt like the Vols staff got in early on the Atlanta-area star look prescient.  The 6’2, 210 pound track star has both the big body Tennessee covets at the position but also the game-breaking ability due to his elite speed, and while he seems like a firm commitment at the moment –his pledge wasn’t out of the blue as Tennessee had been recruiting him for a while before he committed while on a visit to Knoxville – an offer from the Tide will likely give him something to think about.  What the Bama offer does is validate to a degree the Vols’ evaluation of Jackson, as the Tide has not only been at the top of college football for some time but has been churning out NFL RBs with that size profile for years

One of Tennessee’s top targets, RB/LB Trenton Simpson, named a Top 5 of North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Miami.  Instate UNC has been the perceived frontrunner for a while but UGA seems to be surging and has an OV set up for June 14th, two weeks after he visits Auburn officially for their annual Big Cat Weekend.  Simpson was named the “Alpha Dog” of The Opening regional in his hometown of Charlotte and is fast becoming one of the most coveted prospects in the country.  The Vols have work to do here to overtake the Heels and Dawgs – the good news is that, having already hosted him for junior day in February, Tennessee is in line to get him back to campus between those two other SEC officials.  It will be imperative that they make that visit happen

At the same camp in Charlotte, Tennessee QB commitment Harrison Bailey continued his strong spring by earning an invitation to Nike’s Elite 11 Finals in late June while at the same time winning QB MVP over some of the other top QBs in the classes of 2020 and 2021.  Bailey has been a dogged peer recruiter as the face of Tennessee’s class and him being more and more of a high profile prospect can only help that cause

Marshall grad transfer OL Alex Locklear, the brother of current Vol OL Riley Locklear, recently committed to Utah after a local West Virginia newspaper reported that he was likely headed to Knoxville.  Locklear doesn’t profile as someone good enough for the Vols to use an initial counter on for a one-year rental; however, he’s a solid lineman and at worst gives the Utes added depth and at best for them earns a starting spot.  While this may seem non-Vol related, the Utes faceoff against instate rival BYU the week before the Cougars travel to Knoxville in what looks to be a swing game of sorts for the Vols in the early season.

Tennessee got some tough news a few weeks ago when top WR target Rakim Jarrett committed to LSU on an official visit to Baton Rouge.  The Vols got more bad news when top OL target Tate Ratledge committed to UGA on Monday, and could see another top target commit elsewhere if DL Justin Rogers commits to Kentucky the week after.  Neither Jarrett nor Rogers appear likely to completely shut things down this early in their respective recruitments, however, and the Vols still have an official visit with Jarrett available, so expect Tennessee to continue to recruit both regardless of what Rogers announces

JUCO DB Art Green officially visited over this past weekend and came away all but naming Tennessee his leader.  Green, who got one of his first bigtime offers from the Vols in February, is a 6’2, 200+ lb CB who is an early enrollee from Hutchinson C.C.  Since his Tennessee offer he’s since gotten scholarships from the likes of UGA, UF, and Texas A&M, showing what kind of prospect that Pruitt and Co. once again got in early on.  Were Tennessee to land Green’s pledge it would be the 2nd high-level JUCO EE on the 2020 commitment list along with DL Jordan Davis, setting the Vols up with a pair of instant impact players around which to build the defensive class and give Tennessee some much-needed momentum headed into the summer

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Running Back

While Tennessee has some talented Running Backs on its 2019 roster, and all but one (Carlin Fils-aime) are expected back in 2020, the Vols lack both enough sheer numbers – there are only five true RBs on the roster -as well as the kind of dominant, star talents at the position needed for a truly elite offense.  With needs across the roster, Coach Jeremy Pruitt must be prudent about numbers at each position in each class, thereby making it a step-by-step process in terms of simply having the kind of necessary depth at Running Back.

Tennessee already has a commitment from 3-star Ebony Jackson, and the Vols staff thinks it has struck gold with the 6’2, 210 pound track star.  With Jackson in the fold and possessing both the big body they covet at the position but also the game-breaking ability due to his elite speed, Tennessee can afford to be picky with its 2nd RB spot.  While they have a relatively small but promising board as we head into the spring/summer evaluation and camp periods, the number of realistic targets will likely grow over the course of the year.

RB Tank Bigsby – The 4-star Bigsby, like Jackson, is a top-shelf RB prospect from Georgia.  LSU, Auburn, and South Carolina were considered the leaders heading into his visit to Tennessee for the Orange & White Game – his first visit to Knoxville – but the visit has put the Vols into that top group.  He doesn’t appear to be close to a decision so the Vols have some time to keep making up ground.  Bigsby is likely right a the top of the board right now for Tennessee so look for them to keep pushing

Daijun Edwards named Tennessee his leader as recently as last month, but with instate Georgia picking up its efforts the Vols have a battle on their hands – Auburn is also in the mix as they always are for Georgia RBs.  Edwards is a very talented back who’s slightly smaller than Bigsby but still well put together with great speed and agility.  He’s likely one of a few RBs on this list who’d be takes for the Vols right now, but he’s not going to be making a decision until the summer at the earliest

RB Deondre Jackson is a former Auburn commit who made his third visit to Knoxville and second in less than a month for the Orange & White Game.  The 3-star has offers from Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida to go with those from Auburn and Tennessee and brings a really nice combination of power and speed with his 6’0 200+ pound frame.  He’s not dissimilar to Edwards in that way, and the Vols would also likely take him if he wanted that second RB spot

Jabari Small is more of an All-Purpose Back than the rest on this list, but the Memphis native is a dynamic playmaker.  Similar to Eric Gray – another Memphis private school running back who looks a bit bigger on film than his listed size – Small is also currently enamored with Michigan early in the process.  He recently named the Wolverines his leader following a visit to Ann Arbor for the spring game and said that right now his plan is to either commit somewhere this summer or name a top group.  Small has been to Knoxville 3-4 times, including last season’s Alabama game as well as a March Junior Day.  He’s also a teammate of bigtime Vol DL target Omari Thomas, and Vol Defensive Coordinator and ace recruiter Derrick Ansley visited their school last week.  As an aside, one wonders whether the experience with Eric Gray last cycle will color Michigan’s approach to Small’s recruitment one way or the other, and also whether Gray’s experience with a summertime commitment to a school that far away that didn’t end up lasting will impact Small at all

Zach Evans is a 5-star and one of the highest ranked players regardless of position in the country.  The Lonestar State native visited Tennessee in late January and while the Vols made a great impression they are likely on the outside looking in as instate Texas is the presumed leader while other programs like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson appear to be ahead of the Vols in terms of out of state options.  Should Tennessee be able to secure another visit, whether unofficial or official, they would become more serious players in this recruitment.

Tee Hodge – The Maryville product was just on campus for the Orange & White Game for least his fifth time since Pruitt took over and second this year, so he’s very familiar with the staff and the campus.  Hodge was already big for a RB at 6’2, which Tennessee likes, but he’s recently put on a lot of (good) weight and is now at least 230 pounds.  He’s recently picked up offers from Penn State and Ole Miss to go with his Vol offer, and he seems to be blowing up a bit on the recruiting trail.  Given his size one wonders whether he might end up being a better LB prospect when all is said and done, but either way it was good for Tennessee to get him back on campus yet again and keep pushing forward in his recruitment

Trenton Simpson, like Hodge, is a multi-position prospect who many bigtime programs are recruiting at both RB as well as Linebacker.  He visited Tennessee once each in February and March and likes the Vols quite a bit.  However, instate North Carolina appears to hold an edge at the moment and other programs like Georgia and Auburn are also heavily involved.  Simpson has indicated that he might prefer LB ala fellow Tar Heel state native Quarvaris Crouch, so how Tennessee handles that aspect of his recruitment could play a role in its ultimate success. 

For both Hodge and Simpson, it’s worth noting that the Vols currently don’t have a plethora of realistic ILB targets at the moment, which could impact how Tennessee’s staff approaches each of them.  That is, with both of them being outstanding athletes and prospects regardless of position, and with Simpson in particular being more enamored with the LB position anyway, perhaps that could be the way for Tennessee to ingratiate itself with him – and conversely if Hodge thinks of himself more as a RB maybe the staff tells him “sign here and we’ll figure it out when you get here.”