Author Archives: DylanVol

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Offensive Line

Arguably one of the most upgraded positions since Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt took over, the Offensive Line has seen the following additions since the end of the 2017 season:

Alabama transfer C Brandon Kennedy

4-star OG/C Jerome Carvin

3-star three-to-play-three JUCO OT/OG Jahmir Johnson

3-star (with a Wisconsin offer) OG Ollie Lane

5-star OT Wanya Morris

5-star OT Darnell Wright

4-star OG/C Jackson Lampley

3-star (with FSU/Texas/Michigan offers) OG Chris Akporoghene

3-star OG Melvin McBride

Adding that two-year haul to emerging Redshirt Sophomore K’rojhn Calbert and experienced depth piece true Junior Riley Locklear (still with a redshirt available), the Vols have a very promising core at perhaps the most important position in football outside of Quarterback.  Were former freshman All-American Trey Smith to return from injury in either 2019 or 2020 the future at the position would look even brighter.

Regardless of the outstanding job done by Pruitt and his staff upgrading the talent and depth at the position, there is still plenty left to do.  In order to consistently compete at the highest levels and with the likes of Alabama and Georgia, Tennessee needs to continue to stack elite Offensive Line classes year after year, making the work done so far only a necessary foundation.  Like most positions in the 2020 cycle, Tennessee has positioned itself well, albeit early, to sign that kind of class, getting multiple elite-level prospects on campus multiple times and putting itself in position to battle to the end with the kinds of programs it wants to legitimately compete with on the field. 

OG/C Cooper Mays is a name that is obviously very familiar to Vol fans.  The local product is not just the son of former Vol linemn Kevin Mays but also the brother of former Tennessee commitment and current Georgia OL starter Cade Mays.  Cooper has made his own name though, becoming a very important target for Pruitt and Co. since they took over.  Fresh off winning OL MVP at the Charlotte Rivals camp, Mays took his official visit to Tennessee for the Orange & White game, one of dozens of visits to campus for him.  Although some thought that scheduling his OV was a sign of an imminent commitment to Tennessee, that didn’t happen.  But it was nice to get him back to campus yet again, as Tennessee would love for him to be the foundational piece for the 2020 OL class.  Worth noting is that Mays is very close friends with top Vol targets OL Tate Ratledge and DL Tyler Baron, so getting him in the boat would likely help with both of them as well.  Mays visited for this past weekend’s Georgia’s spring game, and the Dawgs should be considered a threat due to his brother being there even as how hard they are currently recruiting him remains TBD. 

OT Tate Ratledge – Arguably the top Offensive Tackle in the South and without a doubt one of the top OTs in the country, Ratledge is simply an elite player at one of the most important positions in football.  Despite having grown up a Tennessee fan in a family of hardcore Tennessee fans, the Vols were third on his list as recently as 12 months ago.  However, the departure of Alabama’s Offensive Line Coach Brent Key appears to have knocked the Tide virtually off of his list, and at the same time Coach Pruitt, OL Coach Will Friend, and OC Jim Chaney (who Ratledge was close with when he was at UGA) have led a surge for the Vols.  This is a two-team race between the Vols and the instate Dawgs, with uber recruiter Sam Pittman singlehandedly keeping UGA in it.  As noted above, Ratledge has become close with Cooper Mays as well as Vol QB commit Harrison Bailey, and that peer recruiting (by a potential linemate and QB, no less) along with the family ties could be hard for even Pittman to overcome.  However, UGA surely won’t go away in this one, and in fact Tate was at Georgia’s spring game last weekend and is no stranger to that campus either.  Ratledge is aiming for summer decision and will likely visit both campuses a least one more time, with one of the two schools coming away with a cornerstone prospect for its 2020 class

OT Javion Cohen – The Alabama prospect visited Tennessee in February and subsequently committed to South Carolina not long after.  However, he’s since decommitted and has the Vols in his top group along with instate powers Alabama and Auburn (both of whom have offered).  Cohen won the OL MP at the recent Rivals Camp in Atlanta, showing good power, quickness, and technique to go with a 280 pound frame that has plenty of room to add weight.  Whether or not he’s truly willing to leave the state remains to be seen, but if he is Tennessee has positioned itself to be a player

OT/OG Chris Morris – The Memphis native – one of good number of Bluff City prospects who the Vols would like to sign in 2020 – has been to Tennessee’s campus three times: the 2018 Orange & White Game, the 2018 Alabama game, and then again in late January for a Junior Day.  That said, he does seem to have a fondness for SEC West powers Alabama and Texas A&M, and Arkansas has done a nice job with him as well to this point.  However, Morris is simply an elite talent and has become one of Coach Pruitt’s personal projects.  Continuing to get him back on campus will be key, and should the Vols successfully do so they will likely find themselves near the top of his list until the end

OG Marcus Henderson – Another Memphis native who’s visited Knoxville three times since Pruitt took over, most recently in January.  He’s got offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Ohio State among others, but right now it looks like regional SEC programs like Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Arkansas are recruiting him harder.  Where he stands on Tennessee’s board is a bit unclear at the moment, with Mays and Ratledge clear top priorities and a few others likely higher than Henderson but tough battles.  How his senior season goes will likely clear that up for the Vols as well as other programs

OT Paris Johnson – The 5-star Ohio State commitment is anything but a firm commit to the Buckeyes, as the coaching change in Columbus really seemed to loosen the ties between the parties.  He’s been a traveling man all winter and spring, and among the many visits he’s taken have been once each to Knoxville both in January and March.  He’s fresh off a vis to UGA for their spring game this past weekend and Sam Pittman has the Dawgs in the race here as well.  Ultimately the Ohio native will be a tough pull for anyone, but he’s clearly got a fondness for the Vols and that likely will keep them in the race for as long as unless and until he decides to shut it down

OT Richard Leonard – Florida native who visited for the Orange & White Game and then immediately decommitted from Kentucky.  Leonard is a priority for instate schools FSU and Miami (whose spring games he attended in the last few weeks also).  He’s a good looking prospect for whom the Vols appear to be in the mix as his recruitment heads into the summer

OT Joshua Priebe – After receiving an offer from the Vols Priebe visited Tennessee in April and raved about his trip.  However, the Michigan native recently received an offer from Ohio State, meaning he’s now got opportunities at each of the Big 10 powers including Michigan and Michigan State.  Should he be willing to leave the region than the Vols will be a player.  His visits this summer/fall will tell the tale

OG Xavier Hill – After taking an unofficial visit to Knoxville in February, Hill has the Vols among his top group along with Alabama, Auburn, and the instate Mississippi schools. He’s a very talented prospect from Olive Branch, which is right on the Memphis border and a spot where kids have left the state in the recent past.  The Vols just offered 2022 teammate DL Walter Nolen, so perhaps the staff thinks they can make waves in that area

OG James Robinson – Robinson visited Knoxville with a couple of teammates in March and earned an offer, and the large (6-4, 315 pound) Guard also holds SEC offers from Missouri and Ole Miss along with Virginia Tech.  He’s likely a bit down the board at the moment but is one to watch during the season

Notably, three prospects who many thoughts would be at the top of Vols OL board when the cycle began are no longer there, but for different reasons.  Justin Rogers and Omari Thomas are both at the very top of Tennessee’s overall board, but both prefer to ultimately play, and therefore be recruited as, Defensive Lineman.  Knoxville’s Bryn Tucker, once a top target for the Vols, committed to reigning national champion Clemson this winter after the Vols staff cooled on him coming off a less-than-impressive junior season.  Time will tell if Pruitt and his staff made the right call essentially passing on a prospect in its own backyard that one of the top two programs in the country was happy to take very early in the process.  The hope here is that it works out well for both parties.

Mid-April Recruiting News and Notes

After taking an unofficial visit to Knoxville the previous weekend for the Orange & White Game, USC WR transfer Velus Jones took an official visit this past weekend to Auburn.  An Alabama native who signed with the Trojans when current Tennessee WR Coach and fellow Alabamian Tee Martin was the position coach in LA, Jones has two remaining seasons of eligibility. Assuming he would be immediately eligible and then have two seasons to play makes Jones an attractive addition, both because of the relative lack of quality/experienced depth at the position for Tennessee in 2019 but also because he’d effectively function as a JUCO prospect with high level major conference experience.  Jones would also allow Tennessee coaches to keep Georgia transfer Deangleo Gibbs at the Nickel/Star position instead of at WR effectively functioning as a 2-for-1 addition to the roster.  Auburn’s entrance into the sweepstakes means that, should Tennessee want to add Jones, it’s no longer a layup and the Vols will absolutely have to fight to land him

Bigtime Vol DB target Brian Branch committed to Alabama over the weekend.  Branch, who’d been to Knoxville twice in 2019, committed to the Tide over the Vols and Oklahoma, where he’d just taken his official visit.  Branch’s main recruiter at Alabama is Charles Kelly, the former Vols Safety coach.  Kelly had been recruiting Branch to Tennessee as well and had a prior relationship with Branch’s high school coach.  Kelly is likely to be a thorn in Tennessee’s side during the 2020 cycle in particular, as he is a strong recruiter overall and has built good relationships with multiple prospects in this class especially in the state of Alabama where Tennessee is recruiting heavily – Branch won’t likely be the be the last time we hear from Kelly

LB Mekhail Sherman was one of a handful of Tennessee targets who were in Athens this past weekend for UGA’s spring game, as he took his first of five allotted official visits.  He joined the likes ofOL Paris Johnson, Tate Ratledge and Cooper Mays as well asRB Tank Bigsby; DL Zykevious Walker; OLB BJ Ojulari; TE Arik Gilbert; and DB Joel Williams as UGA visitors.  Sherman is notably a high school teammate of major Vol and fellow 5-star prospect WR target Rakim Jarrett which could play in Tennessee’s favor as the Vols are right at the top for Jarrett if not his current outright leader.  Sherman is an elite LB prospect and while he’s not been commonly mentioned name among Tennessee recruitniks the Vols are absolutely in the mix.  He’s scheduled to take an official visit to Ohio State this coming weekend, and Tennessee is among a group with Florida and LSU (where Jarrett is OV’ing this coming weekend) who appear to round out his Top 5.  The Vols do need to get Sherman to campus soon but he is somehow an “under the radar” prospect despite being a 5-star

With coaches getting on the road for the spring evaluation period, Tennssee handed out a few new offers for the 2020 and future classes.  Among those new offers were midstate DT Michael Reese. Although a new name on Tennessee’s board, Reese does currently have offers from Georgia Tech, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt.  He’s been to campus twice during the Pruitt era and at this point seems wide open.  Adding another DL prospect to the offer board, as well as another instate player, seems like a good idea.  It will be interesting to see how Reese, who’s currently listed at around 250 pounds, plays his senior season and in turn what happens with his recruitment

Having found success in the JUCO ranks in his first two classes at Tennessee, with Dominick Wood-Anderson, Emmitt Gooden, Savion Williams, and Darrel Middleton (though not so much with Kenneth George…can’t bat 1.000), Coach Jeremy Pruitt and staff seem intent on tapping that resource again in 2020.  Holding an early commitment from the #1 JUCO prospect in the country in DL Jordan Davis, Tennessee already had offers out to CB Art Green of Hutchinson; WR Kundarrious Taylor of Copiah-Lincoln (Davis’s teammate and fellow Memphian); and DL Perrion Winfrey of Iowa Western.  Tennessee’s newest JUCO offer is to CB Brian George of Highland, the country’s #2 overall JUCO prospect, making it five JUCO offers so far.  While Pruitt has made great strides in remaking the roster since taking over in December 2017, there are still holes to fill and talent upgrades to be made, and between upper-echelon high school talent, blue-chip transfers, and Junior College talent, he’s showing that he’s willing to use any channel necessary

Turning to basketball recruiting, Tennessee (and now other schools like Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest) has offered North Carolina-based 2020 PG Jalen Cone the option of reclassifying to 2019.  After an inhome visit with Coach Rick Barnes and assistant Des Oliver, the 60th ranked overall player in the 2020 class by Rivals has scheduled an official visit to Knoxville for the weekend of May 10th.  Cone is a 5’9 guard with explosive athleticism and the ability to score at all three levels while also being a distributor.  What’s interesting about this development of course is that with Jordan Bone’s likely early exit to professional basketball (hopefully via the NBA draft) the Vols could have a large hole to fill not just on the roster in general but specifically in the backcourt.  While incoming 5-star freshman Josiah James is ostensibly a PG, at 6’6 he could also function as a 1-through-3 guard/wing on offense and potentially even a 1-through-4 on defense due to his length and strength.  Therefore, the addition of Cone would not only give the Vols another playmaker in the backcourt but also give Tennessee a bigtime player on the roster for 3-4 years vs. just one more year for Bone.  That’s a trade that could be a slight downgrade for 2020 – Bone is clearly more prepared to lead a team in 2019 than Cone is, even if Cone might have more pure talent – but it could actually give Tennessee more flexibility in the backcourt by allowing Barnes the freedom to play different combinations of Cone/James/Turner/Bowden (vs having to play Bone strictly ay PG and for 30+ minutes) but will also make the 2020 roster more experienced by giving Cone that extra season.  Bone says he will take OVs to Yale (is he another Grant/Dobbs type?) and Baylor along with Tennessee, but Texas A&M and Virginia Tech will absolutely fight to get him to campus as well.  Bet on the Vols absolutely trying to lock him down on the Mother’s Day Weekend visit, a development that would have large implications for the 2019-2020 season and beyond

Post Spring Game Recruiting Wrap

Some quick thoughts wrapping up the spring recruiting period for Tennessee, which culminated with the Orange & White Game last weekend

  1. The large majority of prospects detailed in the weekend preview made it to campus as expected, with the notable exception of TE Arik Gilbert.  Gilbert appears to be, if not trending away from Tennessee per se, trending towards instate UGA at the moment
  2. Interestingly, Tennessee chose to bring in five of the visitors officially, including one already committed prospect in DL Dominic Bailey from Maryland.  On its face this seems like a strange and possibly poor decision by Coach Jeremy Pruitt, as the official visit is the most meaningful and therefore precious card a school can play.  And to do so in mid-April certainly is “shooting your shot,” particularly with prospects from places like Maryland, Michigan, and Texas who by definition have to travel quite a bit and on their own dime in order to make it back to campus.  Even if all five of the official visitors had committed to Tennessee, there is still right months until the Early Signing Period, a lifetime in recruiting.  And in fact none of them actually did commit.  That’s not to say of course that the weekend was unsuccessful, as undoubtedly the visits helped the Vols a great deal in each of the respective recruitments.  And of course no one really knows if any of the prospects essentially said that without and OV they weren’t going to visit and they wanted to come this particular weekend. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the strategy pays off with these recruits, and we really won’t know until the faxes roll in in December and then February
  3. The Vols did land one commitment over the weekend from electric Slot WR/CB Jimmy Calloway from South Georgia.  Potentially an early enrollee with offers from Oregon, Georgia Tech (and new Head Coach Brent Key formerly at Alabama) among others, Calloway fits the Pruitt mold of an explosive athlete who can play on either side of the ball and is comfortable with the ball in his hands.  Frankly, if Oregon wants a Slot WR prospect you can sign me up.  He showed out at a couple of spring 7-on-7 events (where he’s teammates with fellow Vol target EJ Williams, one of the aforementioned OV’s this past weekend) showing off great route running and dynamic playmaking ability.  Calloway looks like a case of getting in early on a kid by taking his commitment before other bigtime programs either have the chance to pull the trigger or even evaluate properly and depending on how willing he is to look around before December the Vols may very well find themselves fighting to hold on
  4. Once again Pruitt and his staff did an excellent job all winter/spring of getting recruits to campus, many multiple times.  As noted above Tennessee ended with a bang in what was an incredibly successful weekend in terms of the volume of bigtime recruits on campus, especially considering the other schools who were also holding their spring games
  5. As such, and combined with the work done last season getting these Class of 2020 kids to campus for camps and/or game in the Fall of 2018, Tennessee is set up nicely right now
  6. To begin with, the Vols have six really, really good commitments, including a stud QB (and peer recruiter) in Harrison Bailey, a stud JUCO DE in Memphis-native and former Alabama signee Jordan Davis, and 4-star DL Bailey among them
  7. At the same time, the Vols have positioned themselves at or near the top for a very impressive number of elite prospects.  Not just a handful, but legitimately upwards of thirty-plus 5 and 4-star prospects against whom Tennessee is deep in battles with the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Ohio State.  The Vols are simply fishing in much deeper waters than we’ve seen in quite awhile
  8. Notably, and in contrast to last cycle, Tennessee has also put itself in strong position with a large number of instate prospects it (and other power programs) covets.  In particular, DB Keshawn Lawrence, OL Cooper Mays, DL Tyler Baron, DL Jay Hardy, DL Trevonn Rybka and RB/LB Tee Hodge are instate kids for whom one could convincingly say the Vols lead, and Tennessee is seemingly 2nd behind Alabama in a two-team race for bigtime DE (and Bama legacy) DE Reggie Grimes from the midstate.  On the other hand, if Tennessee wants to be a real factor in Memphis this cycle, which is well known to be the case, the Vols are going to need to get the likes of OL/DL Omari Thomas, OL Chris Morris, and WR Darrin Turner on campus again relatively soon (while OL Marcus Henderson and ATH Jabari Small have been to Knoxville this spring)
  9. All recruiting eyes will be in Athens, GA this weekend when UGA holds its own spring game with little to no competition for prospects.  Tennessee targets expected to attend include OL Tate Ratledge; OL Paris Johnson (OSU commitment); LB Mekhail Sherman (Rakim Jarrett’s teammate); RB Tank Bigsby; DL Zykevious Walker; OLB BJ Ojulari; TE Arik Gilbert; DB Joel Williams, and potentially OL Cooper Mays.  Ratledge in particular will be worth watching as the elite OT is a Tennessee-Georgia battle and was just in Knoxville for the Orange & White Game

Out on the Weekend: Recruiting Preview of the Orange & White Game

This weekend Tennessee and Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt will finish its 2019 spring practice with a final scrimmage in what is mostly a showcase for the University and the football (and sometimes basketball) program.  As usual there will be plenty of recruits on hand, and for the second year in a row there will actually be a handful of official visitors as some recruits take advantage of that relatively new rule.

When it comes to competing for visitors this weekend, Tennessee is going head to head against the likes of SEC schools Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Missouri; ACC schools North Carolina, NC State and Miami; Big 10 powers Ohio State and Michigan; and Big 12 powers Texas and Oklahoma.  Obviously prospects that Tennessee is recruiting and would love to have on campus this weekend will have to make choices, and while where a prospect visits this weekend doesn’t necessarily mean a thing for where he ends up signing, the Vol staff will absolutely be trying to get some head to head “wins” against many of its primary recruiting competitors. 

As the weekend draws near, here’s what targets we know will be elsewhere:

OLB Reggie Grimes – Alabama

DB Javier Morton – Alabama

OL Paris Johnson – Ohio State (where he is committed)

DB Brian Branch – Oklahoma (Official Visit)

S Major Burns – Oklahoma (Official Visit)

TE Darnell Washington – Florida

OLB Brandon Williams – Florida

DE Desmond Evans – North Carolina

ATH Trenton Simpson – North Carolina

WR Mushin Muhammad – Texas A&M (Official Visit)

DE Will Anderson – Auburn

LB Rodney Groce – Auburn

LB Quandarrius Robinson – Auburn

And here’s who is currently set to visit Knoxville this weekend:

WR Velus Jones (Grad Transfer – USC) – Jones, who has two remaining seasons of eligibility, is an Alabama native recruited to the West Coast by new Tennessee WR Coach Tee Martin.  He’s got some familiarity with Tennessee on his own, having taken an OV to Knoxville in the 2016 cycle.  He hasn’t been incredibly productive so far in his career but is coming off the best season of his career in terms of catches and yards. Additionally, Jones has been the primary KR for USC, averaging just under 24 yards per return.

While it’s unclear if Jones is a grad transfer, assuming he would be immediately eligible and then have two seasons to play makes him an attractive addition.  Both because of the relative lack of quality/experienced depth at the position for 2019 but also because he’d effectively function as a JUCO prospect with high level major conference experience.  Another angle here is that given Tennessee’s absolute lack of projected WR depth in 2020 – currently being used as a major selling point for elite 2020 WR prospects – Jones would also allow Tennessee coaches to keep Georgia transfer Deangleo Gibbs at the Nickel/Star position instead of at WR (again, assuming Gibbs immediately eligible as well).  While Tennessee is very settled at both CB spots and one S position, they don’t have an answer yet at Star.  But in his limited practices on Defense so far Gibbs has shown out at the position – not surprising given his experience there at UGA and also simply the fact that he’s a high level prospect. 

WR EJ Williams (OV) – Williams is an elite WR who has already visited Tennessee once this spring.  As an early enrollee Williams appears to be looking to make a decision on the early side, and the Vols will get the first shot to make a big impression.  The AL native is also very high on Clemson and Alabama, with Auburn in the mix as well, so Tennessee is swimming in deep waters here.  Williams is clearly intrigued by fellow Yellowhammer State native Coach Martin and the Vols will hope to put themselves way ahead of the pack with this official visit

WR Kris Abrams-Draine – The former LSU commit and yet another WR from Alabama that Tennessee is chasing, Abrams-Draine (KAD) will be making his second trip to Knoxville this spring and his first visit anywhere since decommitting from the Tigers.  He’s a smaller WR at 6’0 and around 170 pounds, but with offers from Oregon, Florida, and of course LSU among others, the 4-star prospect has the perfect size/quickness combination for the slot.  After being committed to LSU for over a year it would seem unlikely that KAD is ready to commit somewhere else so quickly, but his return visit certainly bodes well for the Vols to remain a major player 

TE Arik Gilbert – Absolutely elite TE prospect who many are calling a once-every-10 year type of player.  Gilbert is teammates with Tennessee QB commitment Harrison Bailey – who will also be on campus.  UGA and Clemson are believed to be the frontrunners, with the Dawgs considered the leader and Alabama absolutely in the mix as well.  However, Gilbert has been on Tennessee’s campus multiple times and has a great relationship with Bailey which could be a trump card for the Vols.  Tennessee’s best hope is for Gilbert to take his recruitment the distance and give them multiple chances to get him back to Knoxville.  This will be yet another step.

RB (LB?) Tee Hodge – The Maryville product is fresh off a visit last weekend to Florida State’s spring game, and while the Seminoles have yet to offer they are still high on his list.  This will be at least the fifth time Hodge has visited campus since Pruitt took over and his 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, like fellow Vol target Trenton Simpson, he might end up being a better LB prospect when all is said and done.  But either way it’s good for Tennessee to get him back on campus for the O&W Game and keep pushing forward in his recruitment

RB Deondre Jackson – The 3-star former Auburn commit will be making his third visit to Knoxville and second in less than four weeks.  He’s got offers from Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida to go with those from Auburn and Tennessee and brings a solid combination of power and speed with his 6’0 200+ pound frame.  With Ebony Jackson in the fold the Vols can afford to be picky with its 2nd RB spot, and Jackson is on a relatively short list of realistic targets that includes Daijun Edwards, Tank Bigsby (below), maybe Zachary Evans from Texas, and two others in Hodge and Simpson who could be better LB prospects than RBs

RB Tank Bigsby – The 4-star Bigsby, like Jackson, is a top-shelf RB prospect from Georgia.  LSU, Auburn, and South Carolina are considered the leaders right now, so Tennessee has ground to make up.  This will be Bigsby’s first visit to Knoxville so the Vols will hope to make themselves real players in this recruitment

OL Tate Ratledge – Arguably the top Offensive Tackle in the South and without a doubt one of the top in the country, Ratledge is simply an elite player at one of the most important positions in football.  Despite having grown up a Tennessee fan in a family of hardcore Tennessee fans, the Vols were third on his list as recently as 12 months ago.  However, the departure of Alabama’s Offensive Line Coach Brent Key appears to have knocked the Tide virtually off of his list, and at the same time Coach Pruitt, OL Coach Will Friend, and OC Jim Chaney (who Ratledge was close with when he was at UGA) have led a surge for the Vols.  This is a two-team race between the Vols and the (borderline) instate Dawgs, with uber recruiter Sam Pittman singlehandedly keeping UGA in it.  Ratledge has become close with Cooper Mays and Harrison Bailey, and that peer recruiting (by a potential linemate and QB, no less) along with the family ties could be hard for even Pittman to overcome.  However, UGA surely won’t go away in this one, and in fact Tate is scheduled to be at Georgia’s spring game the following weekend, and he’s no stranger to that campus either.  But make no mistake that this weekend will be a big one in this recruitment as the Vols look to continue that surge and solidify its spot at the top

OL Cooper Mays (OV) – Vol (and now UGA) legacy who has been on campus dozens of times.  Tennessee appears to be in great shape for Mays, who just last weekend one the OL MVP at the Charlotte Rivals Camp.  Tennessee would love to add Mays ASAP, as he’d not only be a strong foundational piece for the 2020 OL class but he’s also very close friends with top Vol targets Ratledge and DL Tyler Baron.  Scheduing Mays for an OV this coming weekend certainly gives off a ‘commitment watch” vibe, so this will be one to watch closely

OL Justin Rogers (OV) – Rogers is, along with Ratledge and Mays, one of Tennessee’s top 5 OL targets in the class.  The Detroit-area native was on campus last spring and then again for the Florida game this past season, making this his third visit to campus in a year.  The 5-star Guard clearly is high on Tennessee, though he does also really like OSU, Michigan, and UGA.  It’s an interesting play bringing Rogers in for an OV this early, as it’s his first of five.  But Tennessee did successfully pull this trick with Wanya Morris last year, so it’s hard to doubt Pruitt’s strategy here.  Like EJ Williams though, the key will be making such an impression that Tennessee pulls way out in front in this recruitment, enough to hold up for eight months until Early Signing Day

DB Kitan Crawford (OV) – The Texas native named a Top 3 of Tennessee, Texas and Baylor and is looking to make a decision fairly shortly.  He’s a Baylor legacy and a take for Texas, so on its face this seems like a tough pull for the Vols.  Hosting a kid from Texas on an official visit in April is a risky play, which suggests that this was the option presented to Tennessee and the staff decided to take it.  Crawford is a great looking prospect and since this will be his first visit to Knoxville so it will be interesting to see his reaction coming out of the weekend

OLB BJ Ojulari – A teammate of both Bailey and Gilbert, Ojulari will once again visit Knoxville, making it nearly a half dozen times in the last year.  Despite being the brother of current UGA player Azeez Ojulari, BJ is clearly very much open to the Vols.  The 4-star prospect also has offers from the likes of Alabama and Oklahoma and would be a perfect fit as a pass-rushing OLB in Pruitt’s defense.  The Vols will ultimately have to overcome both instate and family pressure, but they do have Bailey and familiarity on their side.  This weekend will be yet another step towards landing the kind of impactful edge rusher that is sorely needed for Tennessee’s defense

DL Deontae Craig (OV)– The Fort Wayne, IN native who attends the prestigious Culver Academies in Culver, IN received a Tennessee offer last summer and will be taking his first OV to Knoxville this weekend.  Despite an impressive offer list that includes Notre Dame (the current perceived leader), OSU, Michigan, and others, he’s a bit of an underrated prospect.  He’s an intriguing prospect due to his 6’5, 230 pound frame that has tons of room to add weight.  He’s also a high academic kid so his will likely be a different type of visit than some others.  It will be interesting to hear what Craig has to say after his first visit to Tennessee for what should be a bigtime atmosphere

DB Keshawn Lawrence – One of Tennessee’s top instate and overall targets, the 4-star S from the Midstate will be making his second visit to campus in two weeks.  The Vols seem to be surging here after seeing their stock dip a bit after former DB Coach Terry Fair, with whom Lawrence had a great relationship, left the staff.  New DC (and de facto DB Coach) Derrick Ansley – an ace recruiter – has made great strides with this relationship in a short period of time and that’s paying off with this visit.  A big development for the Vols here 

OL Richard Leonard – The Kentucky commitment from Florida will be making his first trip to Tennessee this weekend. He has instate offers from Florida State and Miami – both of which he’s recently visited – as well as Oregon, West Virginia and others.  His commitment doesn’t seem particularly strong right now, so the Vols will look to size him up, make a good impression so as to get themselves as involved in the recruitment as they want, and go from there

Commitments: Along with Bailey, DL Dominic Bailey, RB Ebony Jackson, and LS Will Albright will all be on campus

That’s obviously an outstanding list, including many of Tennessee’s top targets.  The Vol staff has done a great job all winter/spring of getting prospects to campus and as the culmination of that the Orange & White Game, especially considering the other schools fighting to get many of these same kids to campus, is a huge win.

Elite prospects who the Vols will be fighting to get to campus:

ATH Demarcus Beckwith

ATH Kristian Story

DB Joel Williams

DL Jaquari Wiggles

Memphis natives DL/OL Omari Thomas, WR Darin Turner and RB Jabari Small will be at Memphis on Friday night so their respective weekend plans are up in the air

Instate Prospects who Tennessee would love to have on campus

DL Jay Hardy

DL Tyler Baron

OL Marcus Henderson

DL Tre’vonn Rybka

LB Bryson Eason

LB Martavius French

ATH Elijah Young

Obviously more visitors will be added to Tennessee’s list between now and then, hopefully from the groups above, and the Vols will no doubt host prospects from the 2021 and even 2022 classes as well.  DE Dylan Brooks, the newly ranked #26 overall player in the 2021 class, is one who’s already scheduled to be in attendance.

Tennessee is already off to an outstanding start with the 2020 class with three of its five committed prospects ranked as 4-stars, the fourth likely to end up as a 4-star in RB Ebony Jackson, and he fifth an instate LongSnapper.  Coach Pruitt will certainly be hoping to add to that quality with at worst having made headway with multiple elite prospects and at best that progress as well as more commitments coming out of the weekend.

Hoops Recruiting: While Still Dancing, Tennessee Preparing for 2019 Openings

As the Vols march onward to the Sweet 16 this Thursday, with dreams of the program’s first Final Four still very much alive, Head Coach Rick Barnes and his staff are not taking their foot off the recruiting pedal.  As we’ve discussed back in January, despite currently being full for the 2019-20 season in terms of scholarships, the odds of at least one opening up are very high and the staff should be recruiting as such.  Regardless of how they open up – whether it’s from early NBA entry or transfer, or both, the Vols are absolutely still set up to have another strong season.  However, laying the groundwork to add at least one more player to the roster should the opportunity present itself is imperative so that the 2019-20 season isn’t just a bridge season between this Sweet 16+ year and what should be a talent-laden 2020-21 roster.  There are multiple avenues that Tennessee can go down in order to find new players, and below we again take a look at where the Vols are in each of them

Signed 2019 Recruits Who Could Get Out of LOIs or Unsigned 2019 Recruits

As the season has ended for all but the 16 teams left in the NCAA Tournament and whoever is left in the NIT/CBI tournaments, there has already been turnover in the coaching ranks nationwide, including Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, and Alabama in the SEC.  With that has come unsigned prospects decommitting and those that signed in the early period asking out of their LOIs.  While so far that hasn’t been any real news regarding Tennessee reaching out to any of those prospects, former Texas A&M signee Kobe Brown, an athletic 6’7 wing from Huntsville, AL, did hold an offer from the Vols.  Whether he or any other 2019 players who are back on the market receive interest from Tennessee remains to be seen, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

There are also always prospects who, for whatever reasons – a late push towards being eligible, being under the radar, or a monster senior – are unsigned as late as March/April.  The Vols are looking into a handful of them, including a pair of late-blooming players with length in 6’8 F Oliver Robinson-Nkamhou and 6’9 Wing Isaiah Ihnen.

The Finnish-born Robinson-Nkamhoua has been under the radar not just due to his roots but also because a broken leg caused him to miss his junior season.  However, he’s had a big winter for a Maryland high school that Barnes is familiar with from his days at George Mason.  At his size he’s got versatility on the offensive end, with the ability to slash to the rim and also shoot from distance.  He’s not a traditional PF but more of a new-age player who can excel both inside and out.   After receiving offers from the likes of Maryland, Arkansas, Illinois, Pitt, Minnesota, and Wake Forest, he got an offer from the Vols early this month.  There isn’t a lot of news in terms of his interest but should there in fact be scholarships available he’ll get a long look.

The same goes for Ihnen, who currently plays in his native Germany.  Despite being listed at an inch taller than Robinson-Nkamhoua, Ihnen profiles as more of a wing player and even less of a banger, but like Robinson-Nkamhoua he profiles as a versatile defender with the ability to defend multiple positions.  He’s certainly confident in his outside shot, and seems to have eliminated Texas, Oregon, and Arizona State from his initial Top 6 and plans to visit Minnesota, TCU, and Tennessee between April 19th-24th. 

2020 Reclassifiers

When it comes to prospects who could possibly reclassify from the 2020 class to 2019, there has been some Vol-related news.  5-star C Walker Kessler, who has rescheduled two official visits to Tennessee, is no longer considering moving into the 2019 class.  How that affects Tennessee’s recruitment remains to be seen, but that’s a story for down the road.  At the same time, 5-star Wing Kyree Walker, who many think will reclassify, was just recently contacted by Tennessee.  We’ll see if anything transpires between Walker and Tennessee, but that would be a massive development.

Grad Transfers

Charlotte native and UALR Guard Rayjon Tucker is the first known graduate transfer to have heard from Tennessee.  At 6’5, 210, Tucker averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this past season and is a career 41.7% three-point shooter.  He’s also heard from Gonzaga, Michigan, Arizona, and NC State among others, so this profiles as likely one of the most high-profile grad transfer recruitments of the spring.

Tennessee most certainly will reach out to multiple other grad transfers as they both become available and also as the Vols have a better sense of their roster going forward. 

What’s Next?

Which direction the Tennessee decides to take with any available spots will very likely depend on how many are actually open as well as the reason for their availability. There are numerous variables to consider, including but not limited to:

  1. How soon does Tennessee need the new player to help?   If Grant Williams and Jordan Bone both return then Barnes might opt to go all-in for another run at a title and value the experience a grad transfer would bring.  Conversely, if both were to leave Tennessee will still have a strong nucleus but could also use experienced talent to ensure a third straight NCAA tournament appearance, essential to not just keep the recruiting momentum going but also to truly stamp Tennessee as a rising elite non-blue blood program
  2. How long will a new player tie up a scholarship?  The Vols already have a commitment from borderline 5-star Corey Walker and are almost certain to sign a Top 10 2020 class with nothing but 4 and 5-star prospects.  This will be the year that the staff’s groundwork will perfectly coincide with the program’s rising national profile, and the list of true bluechippers who have Tennessee right at the top of their list is very, very long.  So when it comes to potential roster openings the staff will absolutely need to be cognizant of filling a scholarship with a “nice” player in 2019 that could otherwise be used to sign another stud prospect in 2020.  That’s of course where grad transfers also bring value, as they’re just one-year rentals.  Obviously a guy like Kyree Walker is the kind of stud you don’t turn down, but Tennessee already has two 2019 signees in Davonte Gaines and Drew Pember who are more developmental prospects than plug and play guys, so that should come into play when the staff is evaluating guys like Robinson-Nkamhoua and Ihnen specifically
  3. Where are the needs?  Regardless of whether Grant returns or not, given the relatively little production that Tennessee has gotten from its post depth players this season one would think that Barnes will prioritize a PF/C type player, either from the grad transfer market or a 4-year signee who the staff thinks can help right away.  But again, one could also argue that you can never have too many versatile players (read: Wings) and you can never have too many shooters.  Part of this assessment will also come from the staff’s projection of how guys like Derrick Walker, John Fulkerson, and DJ Burns are going to develop between the end of this season and the beginning of the next.  Because the Vols do have bodies in the post; it’s just that it’s hard to be confident about those guys playing major minutes next season based on what we’ve seen from them (or not see, in Burns’ case) this season

A big theme in this space has been that as Tennessee has begun to win at a high level the last two seasons – a level certainly not since Bruce Pearl was wearing a Big Orange jacket and at very few times before – its recruiting profile has dramatically increased in tandem.  And while Coach Barnes has done this winning with (stop me if you’ve heard this before) unheralded recruits, it stands to reason that the program is more likely to continue its winning ways, and hopefully take further steps forward, with more highly ranked recruits.  Barnes is recruiting a specific type of player and clearly, explicitly or not, modeling his program after the likes of Michigan and UVA and Villanova: non-blue blood programs who nonetheless recruit blue-chip players, win at an incredibly high rate and contend for championships.  From its rabid fanbase to the best facilities and in the country to a coach with an impeccable reputation as both a leader of young men and a developer of talent, there is absolutely every reason to think Barnes can get Tennessee there, and quickly. 

But roster development and enhancement never stops, and therefore recruiting never stops.  So while we savor the moment Thursday night when the Vols make their 6th Sweet 16 appearance since 2000 and (hopefully) move on, be ready for more on the recruiting front.  It will start with any potential defections that create 2019-20 roster spots and continue with what is setting up to be the best class Tennessee basketball has ever signed.  Stay tuned…

Vols Land 5-Star Corey Walker: What is and What Could (Ever) Be*

As we speculated two weeks ago, 5-star Wing Corey Walker committed to the Vols this past weekend in what was without a doubt the biggest recruiting weekend in the history of the Tennessee basketball program. 

What’s noteworthy about this commitment isn’t just that this is Barnes’s 2nd 5-star commitment in as many classes, who was not coincidentally joined by the other 5-star signee, 2019 Guard Josiah James, in Knoxville this past weekend; it’s also not just that Walker, the 247 Sports #23 overall player in the class, has the kind of all-around game – able to play inside and outside on both ends of the floor at 6’7 with a shot that projects out to NBA three-point range – that is tailor made for Coach Rick Barnes’s system.  It’s also that Walker, to be honest, wasn’t on most recruiting junkies’ radar when it came onto Tennessee’s 2020 board, yet here we are and he’s first in the boat.

Taking a step back to review the weekend for a moment, the Vols hosted not just Walker from the 2020 class but also 5-star Jaden Springer (247’s #18 player overall), who plays for former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze’s B.Maze Elite AAU program; 4-star Samson Ruhsentzev (247 Sports #60 overall); and 4-star Keon Ambrose-Hylton (247 Sports #75 overall player).  This while previously scheduled visitors C Walker Kessler (247 Sports #12 overall player) and PG Jalen Cone (247 Sports #121 overall player but the #60 overall player by Rivals) were not able to make it due to their respective teams playing games and instate Vol lean Keon Johnson (247 Sports #32 overall player) didn’t make the drive from the midstate for the same reason.  Then there are SG Jayden Stone (247 Sports #49 player) as well PF PJ Hall (247 Sports #69 player in the country), who’s been the campus multiple times, most recently last month for the UF game.

So right now you’re talking about a board with very realistic targets that include the #12/18/32/49/60/69/75/121 players in the country – 2 of whom are 5-stars and one of whom sits 6 spots away – with one 5-star already committed.  That is, to put it mildly, bananas, and frankly I don’t know if there is a coach in the country, including the legends at places like Duke and UNC and Kentucky, who wouldn’t gladly trade places with Barnes when it comes to where they sit with their respective 2020 classes.  As a reminder, there is currently one 4-star player on the current roster that’s won 52 of its 64 games since the start of last season, and he (DJ Burns) reclassified from the 2019 class and is redshirting.  So when you’re talking about this kind of talent – talent that is basically being handpicked by Barnes to ensure that they fit what he’s building in Knoxville – that Tennessee is legitimately in on, it’s mind-boggling to consider the possibilities. 

There are, to be honest, too many bigtime players for the amount of spots that are going to be available in this class, but with Walker in the boat already Barnes and Tennessee can afford to be about as picky as they want.  To that end, there are two interesting wrinkles to keep in mind:

  1. The possibility that Kessler himself could reclassify to 2019.  Now, right now Tennessee does not have any scholarships available, but as discussed here there are multiple scenarios in which at least one becomes available. Now, the best case scenario is that a) Grant Williams decides to return for his senior season, b) a scholarship opens up because a player who hasn’t seen any playing time at all decides to transfer out, and c) Kessler reclassifies and signs with the Vols.  That’s a lot of “ifs” but none of them are particularly far-fetched.  Kessler has now missed two previously scheduled official visits, both of which would have been for massive home games (UF and UK), but they were both for legitimate reasons.  Nevertheless the Vols absolutely need to get him on campus for that visit.  Assuming he does one can then feel certain that Tennessee is in that one deep, and then those other “ifs” become less daunting, particularly “b.” The fact that Corey Walker is travel teammates with Kessler certainly is a positive for the Vols here
  2. How urgently Barnes and the staff think they need a true PG.  Both Springer and Johnson are combo guards – capable of being a lead guard but with a scorer’s mentality.  And Stone is a pure SG.  At 6’5 Johnson is potentially growing into more of a Wing anyway, joining the likes of Walker, Ruhsentzev, and Ambrose-Hylton.  So that leaves, right now at least, only Jalen Cone in terms of a true PG that the Vols have invested a lot of time in.  But Cone – a very good player in his own right, without a doubt – probably isn’t the same overall prospect as those Wings, and the Vols will also need at least one big man in that class too.  So do the Vols take a “lesser” prospect due to positional need or do they just try and load up on Combo Guards simply because they’re all studs? 

It’s a high class problem to have, and one that will likely sort itself out both as Tennessee’s roster matures and evolves as well as of course not every player on the board ultimately wants to be a Vol.  Ideally Kessler does reclassify and sign with the Vols and has such a great freshman year that he (and maybe James?) is a one-and-done guy, leaving those four spots for one less prospect.   We’re getting greedy now, but given what Barnes has done on the court as well as the kind of recruiting he’s doing now, it’s not just dreaming.  It’s an exciting time to be a Vol hoops fan for many reasons, and when one looks into the future things look even better.

*Apologies for the tortured Zeppelin reference

Rocky Top the Place to be on March 2nd

Knoxville is going to be buzzing on the weekend of March 2nd, as Tennessee will host Kentucky in a rematch of the Cats’ thrashing of the Vols two weeks prior.  Of course, both teams have two games in between now and then, with the Vols going on the road twice in very difficult games against LSU (Saturday) and Ole Miss (Wednesday).  Regardless of the outcome, however, the showdown will have big implications for both the conference as well as nationally in terms of NCAA Tournament seeding, so the CBS national broadcast will be showing a sold out (yet again) and hyped up Thompson Boiling Arena.

Coach Rick Barnes will be using this showcase for his program and will be bringing in a contingent of outright studs from the 2020 class as visitors.  Tennessee basketball has rarely if ever hosted this volume of talent for one weekend, and they’ll look to take full advantage of the opportunity:

C Walker Kessler is a 5-star and 247 Sports #12 player in the 2020 class and the Vols are going head to head with the likes of Duke, UNC, UVA, and Michigan.  As we wrote about here, Kessler fits the mold of what Barnes’s program is all about to a tee, and the fact that he’s taking an official visit is a strong sign of his interest.  The wrinkle in Kessler’s recruitment is the very distinct possibility that he could reclassify into the 2019 class.  Should he choose to do so, that would work to Tennessee’s advantage (though, perhaps not solely) as it’s been stated that UNC for sure does not have a spot for him in 2019 and that the same could be the case for Michigan as well.   Duke – who already has 5-star C Vernon Carey committed, might be reluctant to take him for 2019.  Additionally, while Tennessee does not currently have a 2019 spot open, the Vols appear to be recruiting Kessler with no reservations about making that work.  Kessler, as an official visitor, will no doubt be given the grand tour of everything from the brand spanking new and state of the art basketball facility as well as an in-depth view of Tennessee’s renowned skill development process to everything the University of Tennessee has to offer academically.  Barnes and Assistant Des Oliver were in to see Kessler at Woodward Academy on Wednesday. Expect the Vols to take a massive swing here that weekend.


Wing Keon Ambrose-Hylton – 4-star from Ohio who used to be at Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights HS, 247 Sports #75 overall player, broke out last weekend at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, showing high energy and high level defensive ability. “KAH” is evidently considering the possibility of reclassifying as well, and as an interesting wing prospect he could be someone the Vols turn the heat up on depending on scholarship availability and what Kessler decides in that regard. 

Wing Corey Walker is a 5-star and 247 Sports #23 overall player in the class.  At 6’6 or even 6’7, he’s got the kind of all-around game – able to play inside and outside on both ends of the floor with a shot that projects out to NBA three-point range – that is tailor made for Barnes’s system.  Importantly, he’ll be making his second visit in just 2 weeks, as he just attended the Tennessee-Florida game.  He raved about the visit and quickly set this follow up trip, leading a handful of prominent national analysts to log predictions in favor of Tennessee landing him.  What’s unclear is whether a decision is imminent, and it’s also unclear as of now if this will be another unofficial visit or if Walker will be on his first of two allowed official trips to Tennessee.  Obviously the Vols would be thrilled to land his commitment this early over the likes of local powers UF and FSU along with others like Louisville and Michigan.  This will absolutely be one to watch.

SG Jayden Stone is 4-star originally from Australia and 247 Sports #49 overall player.  He’s a smooth shooter playing his high school basketball in Birmingham with Auburn among others hot on his trail.  Stone has had the Vols in his top group for a while and this will be his first look at Tennessee.

PG Jalen Cone is a 4-star from North Carolina and 247 Sports #121 overall player (interestingly the #60 overall player by Rivals).  He’s very small (listed anywhere from 5’9 to 5’11) but very quick and a pure PG.  He visited Knoxville last September so he’s familiar with the campus, but this will be his first time in TBA.  Depending on what Tennessee’s needs at the position are – that is, does Josiah James come back in 2020, do they otherwise need someone like a grad transfer who can provide immediate help, etc, Cone could be someone they look at strongly.

Although in recent seasons Barnes and his staff have zeroed in on a handful of prospects to target going into the summer before the early signing period, at this point the board is bigger than it’s ever been.  And as noted it contains the kind of talent that befits the kind of program Tennessee Basketball has become.  Along with the group above, Tennessee is firmly in the mix for Wing Keon Johnson (247 Sports #32 overall…Vols lead); Wing Samson Ruhsentzev (247 Sports #60 overall); PF/C PJ Hall (247 Sports #69 overall…Vols could very well lead); SG Matthew Murrell (247 Sports #80 overall); and C Dylan Cardwell (247 Sports #147 overall). 

Pruitt Joining in on the Fun

Tennessee Football will also be taking advantage of the big game atmosphere in TBA and will be bringing in a large number of high-level 2020 (and probably 2021 and even 2022) prospects to campus to take in the spectacle.   While the below list is relatively small, it will certainly grow by quite a bit and already contains four 4-star prospects, three of whom are making return visits.

DL Jacolbe Cowan is a high 4-star from Charlotte making his 4th visit to campus since Pruitt has been coach, along with attending the 2018 opener vs. WVU.  He’s a bgitime player at a major position of need, and while he’s shown no signs of making an early decision he clearly like the Vols a lot.  Getting him back to campus again – especially for a weekend like this – is without a doubt good news

RB/LB Trenton Simpson is another Charlotte native, the 6’3, 220 pound Simpson will be making his 2nd visit in 6 weeks.  The 4-star now has offers from OU/ND/LSU among others and will be facing a similar decision as Quarvaris Crouch in terms of which postion to play, and while the Vols do like him at RB – especially due to his size – his ranking is as a LB which shows his skill level there.  While he may not be on commitment watch, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him pledge to the Vols

ATH Demarcus Beckwith is a 4-star Alabama native with offers from Auburn and Michigan among others.  Beckwith got his first offer from the Vols in mid-January and plays WR and QB for his high school team while also standing out on the hardwood.  He’s a big kid who projects to both sides of the ball with high-level athleticism and would be an interesting piece.

WR Kris Abrams-Draine is a 4-star LSU commitment has been on campus once already but seems intrigued by fellow Mobile native Tee Martin.  Relatively small at 6’0, 160 pounds, he’s got good speed and plays a position that will see Tennessee sign upwards of 4 players, so the outcome of this trip could influence where he is on Tennessee’s board and vice versa.

With a nationally televised Top 10 (at worst) matchup in Thompson-Boiling Arena, both Coaches Rick Barnes and Jeremy Pruitt – who seem to have formed a quick friendship and absolutely recognize the importance of a symbiotic relationship to their respective recruiting efforts – will be using the weekend to showcase the University of Tennessee to the kind of prospects that will continue and even elevate the run that Barnes’s program is on while accelerating the rebuild that Pruitt has well underway.  It should be a weekend that pays big dividends down the road for both programs.

Can Vols Start a Whitehaven Pipeline in Football and Hoops?

It’s common knowledge that Coach Jeremy Pruitt is making Memphis a huge priority in the class of 2020.  The Vols have targeted upwards of ten Memphis prospects in the class, and Memphians make up four of the top 7 prospects in the state according to 247 Sports.  Pruitt and Co. have already made inroads into the city, having signed OL Jerome Carvin and RB (LB?) Jeremy Banks in his first class (along with DL Emmit Gooden and Greg Emerson, from West Tennessee towns of Brownsville and Jackson, respectively) in his first class and following that up with the addition of OL Melvin McBride from Memphis’s Whitehaven HS in December.

Whitehaven will continue to be a popular stop for the Vols staff, as the Tigers have a LB trio that features two four-stars in Bryson Eason and Martavius French, who have offers from most of the SEC as well as other national powers like Oklahoma, along with well as Tamarion McDonald who is currently being heavily pursued by Ole Miss.  Eason and French were both on campus twice last spring/summer, and as the Vols continue to look to rebuild the LB position both of those prospects will certainly be purused.

It’s not just football, though, where Whitehaven has some real prospects in the class of 2020.  SG Matthew Murrell was recently bumped to the #78 overall prospect and is widely considered to be the best prospect in the city of Memphis regardless of class outside of University of Memphis 2019 signee James Wiseman, the #1 overall player in that class.  As we discussed here, Murrell fits the bill of what Coach Rick Barnes is looking for in terms of the culture of the program, and the Vols have already spent quite a bit of time recruiting him.  Notably, as we’ve also detailed, Tennessee has set itself up for a monster class of 2020 in terms of sheer talent it’s in deep with, and Penny Hardaway certainly won’t let Murrell go without a fight (see what I did there?).  Whitehaven’s basketball team features another player with a Tennessee offer in 7’4 C Jordan Wilmore.  Wilmore is definitely a project and given how Tennessee has positioned itself not just with so many bigtime players in the class but also with a handful of big men like PJ Hall and even recent visitor Dylan Cardwell, Wilmore is likely down the list currently.  But Tennessee did offer him in January, and Barnes does not hand out offers lightly, so while he’s raw he could definitely be one to watch.

McBride is a gregarious individual who no doubt will be doing some peer recruiting between now and when he enrolls in Knoxville over the summer, which won’t hurt in the least.  So as both head coaches Pruitt and Barnes spend time all over Memphis, expect there to be a Big Orange presence in the halls of Whitehaven HS for the next year as the Vols look to build a pipeline on both the gridiron and the hardwood. MartavʼnPYl

Josh Dobbs, Grant Williams, Josiah James…Keon Johnson/Walker Kessler next?

The national media continues to marvel at what Coach Rick Barnes has built at Tennessee and never fails to mention that it’s been done without highly ranked recruits.  However, as Vol fans know that has started to change, first with the signing of current redshirt(ing) freshman big man DJ Burns, a 4-star PF who reclassified from the 2019 class and signed this past year.  Following up on that, the Vols inked 5-star Josiah James as the headliner in the 2019 class.  Importantly, while Barnes is absolutely elevating the level of prospect he’s chasing, he’s not deviating from the type of prospect that he wants: high character kids who fit not only the system Barnes wants to play but also the culture that Barnes and his staff have built. 

And while Coach Rick Barnes looks to be trying to build the Tennessee basketball program in the mold of a UVA or Michigan (or even Duke before Coach K went to the 1-and-done dark side), he’s at a competitive disadvantage when it comes to the relative academic perception of UT vs. those schools.  That’s just a fact, and though it can be countered with advantages Tennessee has over those programs in terms of facilities (also here) and fan support, for particular recruits – again, the kind of elite recruits that those types of programs are chasing and for whom Barnes now has Tennessee in the mix – the academic reputation can be a differentiator when choosing a school.

That said, there are some very recent high profile examples of Volunteer student athletes – Josh Dobbs and Grant Williams specifically – who were very much focused on academics coming out of high school and have excelled at an incredibly high level – and in a very high profile way – while also becoming Volunteer legends in their respective sports.  As it relates to the basketball program, Williams is on his way to becoming second to only NBA Hall of Famer Bernard King in terms of Tennessee basketball all-time greats while at the same time constantly being featured for his off the field prowess every time Tennessee plays on national TV (which is a lot these days).  Like Dobbs before him, Williams is a shining example of what the University of Tennessee can do for a special student athlete who excels both on and off the court.

No doubt James heard that same pitch from Barnes and Tennessee when they were recruiting the 5-star combo guard from the prestigious Porter Gaud School in Charleston, SC.  He’s not your typical 5-star, and therefore is the kind of elite player that Barnes is willing to recruit.  He doesn’t come with an entourage and his recruitment, though it featured a handful of blue bloods like Duke, wasn’t your typical shady business that particular coaches or schools (including at least a couple in the state of Tennessee) would be willing to get their hands dirty in but Barnes will have nothing to do with.  Barnes sold family and fit, and there’s no doubt that Williams’ success on and off the court was a big part of that pitch.  James represents a continuation of the model Tennessee student-athlete that Dobbs and Williams have built, but now with the kind of recruiting pedigree that Tennessee basketball has rarely seen in its history. 

James signed on with the Vols after one big season at Tennessee from Barnes.  And although the 2019 class may or may not be full the 2020 class is where Tennessee could really take a step in terms of landing multiple elite players and continue to validate its rise as a nascent basketball power.  That’s a class that will have seen not just last season’s surprising 26-9 SEC championship team but also this season, in which the Vols have been a national darling all year, playing against then #1 Kansas in Brooklyn (after beating now Top 10 Louisville), against then #1 Gonzaga in Phoenix, and of course rising to #1 right now. 

Among others (including fellow 5-star Jaden Springer, who plays for former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze’s B.Maze Elite AAU program, and Memphis product SG Matthew Murrell, another bigtime academic kid as well), the Vols have focused their 2020 recruiting efforts on two prospects who very much fit the Dobbs/Williams/James mold: Wing Keon Johnson from Bell Buckle, TN and PF/C Walker Kessler.  Both Johnson and Kessler are being courted by the likes of UVA and Michigan, while Johnson has local academic power Vanderbilt as a finalist and Kessler also has Duke and UNC hot on his trail. 

The Vols appear to be in very strong shape with Johnson, who has visited Knoxville a few times already including for an official visit in October and then again in early January for the Vols’ absolute annihilation of UGA.  He also took in Tennessee’s come from behind win last week in Nashville against Vanderbilt in which half of Vandy’s Memorial Gymnasium was Orange and Williams went off for 43 points.  Kessler, who could possibly reclassify to the 2019 class – a scenario in which Tennessee would absolutely make room for him – has already taken official visits to Michigan and UVA and is set to trip to Duke this coming weekend.  The Vols are hoping to get him to Knoxville for an official visit the following weekend when they host Florida in front of yet another sold out Thompson-Boiling Arena crowd of over 20,000.  From there he’ll likely start to narrow things down and at the same time make a decision on which class he’ll be a part of. 

Without a doubt Kessler will get the same pitch that Burns (who also was heavily sought after by UVA) and James each got, and then Johnson heard as well on his official visit: “Come be a part of something special we’re building here at Tennessee.  Be a part of this culture we’ve created.  We’re winning at a very high level and are set up to continue to do so.  Yes, Duke and UVA are great schools.  But we can get you where you want to be off the court too.  Just ask Josh Dobbs.  Ask Grant Williams*.  Ask Josiah James**.”  That’s a message that is resonating, and as Barnes and Tennessee continue to win at this level and establish the program as a year-in-year-out contender they’ll continue to build the right way with the right kinds of kids.  Johnson and Kessler – and perhaps some combination of Springer/Murrell/Stone/Samson Ruthentsev and others – are the next in line.

* Grant will probably be his host, he’s that invested in the program

**James purposely took another unofficial visit to Tennessee the weekend Keon Johnson was on his official just to be around him – he’s already that invested himself

Vols Recruiting: Almost There

Some thoughts headed into the penultimate weekend before the February Signing Day

Pruitt Learning Danger of Reaching

As the final two weeks before the February National Signing Day wind down, Tennessee and its fans find themselves in a situation they have never been in before.  After signing 19 players in December and then adding two high profile transfers in former 5-stars DL Aubrey Solomon from Michigan and ATH Deangelo Gibbs from UGA, Tennessee finds itself with very few spots to fill and (fortunately) in great shape for some outstanding players.  OL Darnell Wright and LBs Henry To’oto’to and Chris Russell all look to be greater than 50/50 shots for the Vols and without a doubt having a spot reserved for them in Knoxville.  Those are without a doubt the top choices for Tennessee.

This is a much different position than Coach Jeremy Pruitt and Co. were in at this time last year, as the new staff scrambled to fill its initial class.  In the end, Tennessee signed a handful of potential impact players like LB JJ Peterson, DL John Mincey and Kurrott Garland, and S Treveon Flowers.  However, after swinging and missing on multiple 5-stars like two California-based DBs that signed with Southern Cal as well as LB Quay Walker (UGA), Tennessee frankly reached for a handful of late signees in DB Kenneth George and WR Cedric Tillman and then grad transfers RB Madre London and QB Keller Chryst.  Tillman in particular at least has the measurables to project as an SEC-level contributor at WR, and one could make a case that Chryst was needed given the lack of depth behind Jarrett Guarantano.  And let’s be clear, especially in this case hindsight is 20/20, as Guarantano ended up having a good year and stayed healthy enough to where Chryst’s appearances could 100% have been taken by Will McBride without making a difference in a single win or loss in 2018 for Tennessee. 

However, because of these personnel decisions – and including the later addition of CB Bryce Thompson to the 2018 class and then the two new transfers Solomon and Gibbs, all no-brainers and potential program changers – Pruitt and Tennessee find themselves likely unable to take some really good players that would like to be Vols:

Memphis DL Kristian Williams in particular is pretty obviously waiting on the green light from Tennessee, and though he has some good alternatives he seems likely to wait until Signing Day before inking with anyone else.

For however Tennessee feels about current DL commitment Leddarrius Cox – and while that’s unclear the real interest from Auburn and Ole Miss shows he’s at least an SEC-level DL – he would like to sign with Tennessee.

Then there’s DB Jammie Robinson, who at worst has Tennessee in the mix with Auburn, South Carolina and Kentucky but absolutely could potentially choose Tennessee as his leader pending scholarship availability.

Even 5-star WR George Pickens, an Auburn commitment who’s still looking around, might not be getting the full-court press from Tennessee that he otherwise would given the lack of spots and the potential that he might not qualify.  That remains to be seen of course as he is so damn good.

And finally there’s South Carolina JUCO DL commitment Jahkeem Green (more on him below) who also has some grade concerns but is likely a plug-and-play DL for either Tennessee or South Carolina should he get into school.  Volquest.com broke the news that he’ll be OV’ig in Knoxville this weekend, but again with the lack of room it’s to be determined how hard Tennessee can really push.  That said, there is some real fear from the Carolina side here.

The good news is that the 2019 class will feature exactly zero reaches, and there isn’t one signee or transfer who you’d definitively trade out for one of the guys left on the board not named Wright/To’oto’to/Russell. It’s quite simply a very good-to-outstanding class that massively upgrades the talent and depth across the 2019 roster as compared to a year ago.  Further, should Tennessee end up being able to monkey with the numbers in order to fit more than three signees into this class, the other good news is that the players above are absolutely high quality players that no one will be looking back at in January 2020 lamenting Tennessee taking them.

Similarly, as we first floated a month ago, it seems like the potential for Anthony Harris blueshirting – should he qualify – is very likely. Harris is a bonafide stud while he could play on either side of the ball as a S or a WR the electric athlete has the kind of size and ball skills that Pruitt covets in the secondary. Were the Vols to go that route with Harris and add him to the 2020 class numbers along with Solomon and likely anyone else they add past three more signees, they’d simply be adding another bigtime player to the roster, in stark contrast to reaching for warm bodies.

Pruitt playing chess while Muschamp plays checkers

With the news that Tennessee is bringing in the aforementioned JUCO DL Green, this is yet another prospect for whom Pruitt is playing games with South Carolina coach Will Muschamp.  First Pruitt snuck in and stole future All-SEC CB Bryce Thompson out from under Muschamp’s nose.  Then, in this cycle Pruitt offered ATH Xavier Leggette, who South Carolina was hoping to blueshirt but was forced to sign in December for fear of Tennessee taking him.  Finally, with Green, Carolina was hoping that his longtime commitment would keep others from offering him while they figure out his academic situation and potentially sign someone else with that 2018 spot.  However, Pruitt could once again – at worst – be forcing Mushcamp’s hand.  At best, because Green is an outstanding JUCO DL with the ability to play at a high level right away in the SEC, Tennessee can use this fact, along with the recent departure of Carolina DL Coach Lance Thompson and the Vols longtime interest (they offered last summer), Tennessee can figure out the numbers enough to sign him and get him into school.

Thoughts on Chris Russell

There’s been lots of speculation about Dyersburg, TN LB Chris Russell, for whom Tennessee entered the picture late relative to Arkansas and who also took an OV to Texas A&M last weekend.  The wildest of that speculation is that some think he’s a lock to Arkansas and that Tennessee is in 3rd.  I don’t buy it for a second.  Here’s why:

Parents like Tennessee: Check

Lives in a very pro-Tennessee town: Check

Vol staff not taking him for granted and working him very hard: Check

Final OV: Check

Easy path to early playing time: Check

While I understand why Arkansas in particular is a factor here, as they boast a well-respected DC in John Chavis and have also been recruiting him longer than just about anyone, I’m willing to predict that – unless Russell commits to Arkansas this weekend and cancels his OV to Tennessee for the following (and final) weekend – he signs with the Vols.