Category Archives: Football

After signing 10 Tennesseans as part of the class of 2020 – after only signing 5 (including Melvin McBride, who immediately took a medical redshirt in the class of 2019 – it is an open question how big a part of Tennessee’s 2021 class instate prospects will be.  A common narrative at this point in the cycle is that the overall instate talent, both in terms of high end prospects as well as top to bottom, is down as compared to last cycle.  And while that could end up being true, a deeper look reveals that the state of Tennessee could still play a large role in the Vols’ class of 2021 than some currently think, even if states like GA, AL, and NC are rightfully getting a lot of attention from the Tennessee staff and recruiting fans.

Below, by each of the Three Grand Divisions, shows prospects with Tennessee offers.  Those with asterisks are not only elite prospects but also are players who Tennessee would take today if they called the coaches and wanted to commit.  So while many of those might not be committable *right now*, quite a few are.  Also, many of those that don’t have currently committable offers from the Vols do have them from multiple SEC schools.  Further, as a reminder, two of the three Whitehaven Trio from the class of 2020 as well as RB signee Jabari Small were not true Vol targets until October of 2019, so recent history says that at least a couple the below sans asterisk might end up being bigtime targets depending on how their respective senior seasons go and what else happens with other prospects on Tennessee’s board:

2021 West TN Prospects with Vol Offers

• OL Dietrick Pennington*
• TE Hudson Wolfe*
• CB Gregory Rubin*
• OL DJ Harden (CBHS)

2021 Midstate TN Prospects with Vol Offers

• LB Junior Colson*
• WR Adonai Mitchell*
• OL William Griffin*
• DL Javon Nelson*
• TE Jake Bringingstool* (Clemson commit)
• DB Andre Turrentine* (OSU commit)
• WR Walker Merrill
• DB Kyndrich Breedlove
• DL Quanterius Lusk
• DL Alex Okelo
• ATH Damon Owens
• WR Quenton Barnes
• CB Adrian Huey

2021 East TN Prospects with Vol Offers

• RB/CB Elijah Howard* (Vol commit)
• ATH Tray Curry
• ATH Javin Burke
• ATH Jaden Keller
• OL Jmarion Gooch

That’s ten instate players the Vols would take right now (counting one who’s likely off the table in Briningstool and recent OSU commitment Turrentine, who may still be in play down the line).  And that’s not counting guys like Okelo, who got a relatively recent offer (mid-January) or Barnes and Huey, who visited campus as recently as the weekend before last.  One could also easily make the case that guys like Merrill, Curry, Breedlove and a few others should and maybe would be immediate takes as well.  For example, perhaps Breedlove, with Turrentine’s commitment to OSU, sees the heat from Tennessee turned up a notch.  He does already have offers from some really good programs in Michigan State and Baylor, after all.  In terms of where Tennessee stands with the “takes,” the Vols seem to be in very good position for Mitchell, Colson and Griffin in particular, and deep in the mix for the rest – including probably Turrentine – with the exception of Briningstool. 

With a better recruiting staff than the  year before; now two-plus years for Pruitt, OL Coach Will Friend, and OLB Coach Brian Niedermeyer (the only two remaining holdovers from the original staff) to have built relationships instate; as well as two all time VFL greats in Tee Martin and Jay Graham on staff, Tennessee is in prime position to land a larger percentage of its true instate targets.  If Tennessee could land a large majority of the elite players it is currently heavily targeting it would mean beating out the likes of Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State and other elite programs.  Having lost one each to Clemson and OSU, the Vols really need to make a move, but there is still plenty of time to do so.  Even more importantly it would provide a strong foundation of bigtime talent for the Vols to build their class around.  So don’t write off the state of Tennessee for the 2021 cycle just yet.  As usual, instate prospects are likely to play a major role in the Vols class.

This first weekend of March will be the initial opportunity for programs across the country to host prospects on campus.  Following up on last week’s news and notes at the end of February, below are more flushed out expected visitor lists for Tennessee and its chief rivals and where Vol fans can expect to see Tennessee targets:

Tennessee

• WR Jordan Moseley (Tennessee commitment)
• DL Darrell Jackson
• DL Joshua Farmer (FSU commitment)
• DL Payton Page
• DL Isaac Washington (former Tennessee commitment)
• CB De’Jahn Warren
• CB Andre Turrentine
• DL Jahvaree Ritzie
• DL Taleeq Robbins
• OL Dylan Fairchild
• WR Tray Curry
• WR Simeon Price
• RB Jaylen Wright
• ATH Kamen Marley
• ATH Chauncey Magwood
• CB Edwin White
• CB Kamarro Edmonds

The Vols list will likely get bigger, likely with more instate players and of course 2022 prospects from across the country.  One to keep an eye out for are LB Greg Penn, who is at South Carolina on Thursday. 

Clemson

• RB TreVeyon Henderson
• CB Ryan Barnes
• CB De’Shawn Rucker 

FSU

• DL Darrell Jackson (Tennessee commitment)
• DL Joshua Farmer
• RB Jaylin White (just named Tennessee his leader)
• WR Christian Lewis
• WR Malachi Bennett
• TE Mile Campbell
• DL Zyun Reeves

Florida

• RB Cody Brown
• OL Jared Wilson
• OLB Jeremiah Williams
• OLB Keanu Koht  (just released a top nine of UT, UGA, LSU, Bama, Oregon, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Miami)
• OLB Khristian Zachary
• OLB Victoine Brown
• LB Smael Mondon
• DL Tim Keenan
• DL Anquin Barnes
• CB Kamar Wilcoxson (UF commit)

Alabama

• LB Raneiria Dillworth
• WR Donte Thornton
• OLB Zachary Carter

Another visit of note is that 5-star QB Caleb Williams is on a weekend-long UV to Oklahoma.  If he pops for the Sooners look for Clemson to make a move for Christian Veilleux, as well as maybe PSU.  Maryland will have top Vol target DE Demeioun Robinson on campus, while and CB Nyland Green, who was in Knoxville for a late January Junior Day and is expected in Columbia on Friday will then head to Oregon on an unofficial visit.  Lastly, 4-star DB Jantzen Dunn, who recently named Tennessee as his leader along with Oklahoma, visited Ohio State this week and picked up an offer from the Buckeyes.   

After this weekend the Vols will be real players – as in having hosted at least one campus visit and/or with a future visit planned AND still remaining reasonably in the mix – for upwards of 40 elite prospects in the 2021 class.  That’s damn impressive.

Add DL Monkell Goodwine to the list of elite players that new TE Coach Joe Osovet has Tennessee in on.  He recently named the Vols in his top 6 along with Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, and local Maryland.  The Vols seem to have some ground to make up with Alabama in particular, so a spring visit will be a must.  But to say Osovet is off to a hot start is an understatement

At the same time, add WR JJ Jones to the longer list of elite players that Tennessee is very much in the mix for.  Jones added an offer from UGA this week to go with Tennessee, South Carolina, and UNC.  The Vols are going to be very selective with WRs in this class after landing a borderline elite WR haul in the 2020 class, and already have 4-star Jordan Moseley in the fold.  That said, with Donte Thornton, instate star Adonai Mitchell, and a handful of others firmly on the radar, the Vols have put themselves in a good spot at the position for 2021.

4-star DB Jantzen Dunn (#201 overall per 247 Sports) from Bowling Green, KY recently named Tennessee as his leader along with Oklahoma.  He plans on being back to Knoxville this spring after visiting for a Junior Day in January, and has also set up an OV to Norman in April for their spring game

Interesting nugget: Rusty Mansell from 247 Sports reported that Georgia is not currently heavily recruiting Atlanta-area 4-star OLB Zach Carter (181 overall by 247) despite having offered him.  After visiting Tennessee the first weekend in February he now has the Vols firmly in his top list of schools, with upcoming visits set to Alabama and LSU in March.  If UGA is not a factor that will really open things up for someone to fill that void (like with BJ Ojulari in 2020), so there is opportunity for the Vols to become a real factor.   New OLB Coach Shelton Felton will hope to use his GA high school ties to quickly build a relationship, and if he can expect Tennessee to get in the mix

With the Vols set to host the very strong (and likely growing) group of visitors for their big spring showcase Junior Day on March 7th, Tennessee is also going to have at least two bigtime players on campus this Sunday as the dead period ends. 4-star and 247 Sports’ #67 overall player Jeremiah Williams will be visiting this weekend.  The stud passrusher was just on campus for a late January Junior Day after visiting for last season’s UGA game, so he clearly has a ton of interest.  That said, like fellow Yellowhammer State passrusher Dylan Brooks, both Alabama and Auburn are hot on Williams’ trail as well making him a difficult pull.  Getting him to visit again so soon is obviously a good sign, however, so look for the Vols to really try and stamp themselves as he gets to spend a lot of solo time with Coach Pruitt and the staff. Also expected in this weekend is bigtime instate 4-star LB Junior Colson, who is back on campus after being in for a late January Junior Day and two games during this past season. Colson is a top target, one of the best players in the state, and frankly a must-get as the Vols look to continue lock down the best players in Tennessee

As of this writing, the following players are expected in Knoxville for the aforementioned March 7^th Junior Day:

WR Jordan Moseley (Tennessee commitment)

DL Darrell Jackson (Tennessee commitment – possibly accompanied by teammate and FSU commitment DL Joshua Farmer)

DL Payton Page

CB De’Jahn Warren

CB Andre Turrentine

DL Jahvaree Ritzie

DL Taleeq Robbins

WR Tray Curry

WR Simeon Price

RB Jaylen Wright

ATH Kamen Marley

Obviously getting the two commitments back on campus is big for relationship building, especially for Jackson who committed to Tennessee when Tracy Rocker was the DL Coach.  Even bigger will be the presence of the 5-star Page and stud DBs Turrentine and Warren, who has absolutely blown up in recent weeks after receiving his first offer from Tennessee back in November.  As noted above, this list is likely to expand, and in particular will likely contain some instate prospects as well as more players from North Carolina. 

It’s likely that Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and others will also be aiming for the March 7^th weekend as a big one as well and the Vols will be fighting those programs and others to get players to Knoxville.  As an example, Florida and Florida State will be hosting quite a few Tennessee targets on their respective campuses:

UF

RB Cody Brown

OLB Jeremiah Williams

OLB Kristian Zachary

DL Victoine Brown

OLB Smael Mondon

DL Justus Boone

DL Leonard Taylor

DL Tim Keenan

DB Kamar Wilcoxson

DL Anquin Barnes (who Volquest reported today is (also?) expected in Knoxville that weekend)

FSU

RB Jaylin White

DL Joshua Farmer (possibly accompanied by teammate and Tennessee commitment DL Darrell Jackson)

DL Zyun Reeves

CB Deshawn Rucker

WR Chauncey Magwood

With the Early Signing Period in December and the ability for players to take official visits as early as April, the month of March has become a very big deal.  Even moreso when it comes to recruiting QBs, many of whom are already locked up leaving a ton of bigtime programs fighting over a limited number of bigtime targets.  Therefore, visits during the month will be incredibly important to watch as bellweathers for the recruitments of the types of elite prospects for whom Tennessee is planning to fight.

With the obvious caveat that even the early Signing Day for the 2021 class is ten months out, the early recruiting returns on new TE Coach Joe Osovet are incredibly encouraging.  While perhaps that should not be surprising given that his name was brought up by multiple recruits in the 2020 cycle despite being in an off-field role and therefore not able to recruit off campus, along with the fact that he’s a former JUCO head coach with extensive ties in the Northeast, his promising start on the trail is a great sign.  Because if Osovet is indeed a bigtime recruiter, the offseason staff changes made by Coach Jeremy Pruitt  – including upgrading from David Johnson to Jay Graham at RB Coach (not to shortchange Johnson, but it is what it is); and Jimmy Brumbaugh for Tracy Rocker (who Tennessee would have been better off had he simply did what he prefers and not recruit at all) will look that much better. 

To wit, Osovet is the lead recruiter for the following players, mostly from MD and PA, (247 Sports rankings in parentheses) that Tennessee is in deep with:

DE Demeioun Robinson (20): A premier player in this class, Robinson has been to Knoxville multiple times and Osovet has developed a deep relationship with both Demeioun and his family.  To wit: perhaps not coincidentally, Robinson’s two older brothers enrolled at Osovet’s former JUCO, ASA Brooklyn in the 2020 class and both came on his most recent visit along with their father

WR Donte Thornton (55): A former PSU commitment, Thornton came to Knoxville last summer for Tennessee’s “Rocky Top Cookout” recruiting event and then after a trip to Oregon backed off that Nittany Lions pledge.  He was back on campus at the beginning of this month for a Junior Day and clearly likes both Osovet as well as WR Coach Tee Martin.  With WR spots at a premium in this class and one already locked up by Jordan Moseley – a very, very good player himself – Thornton is likely right at the top of the Vols board

CB Ryan Barnes (469): That ranking is more likely to simply have the “4” removed than to be anywhere near where it currently is in the not too distant future.  The Vols offered Barnes first, back in November 2019, and he now has offers from the likes of Clemson, LSU, Georgia and Florida.  Barnes will be at Clemson on March 7 and then back in Knoxville the following weekend, giving the Vols a chance to really solidify themselves in what will almost certainly end up a bigtime battle

CB Dejahn Warren (JUCO): Based on offers alone Warren is likely the top JUCO in the country, and Tennessee gave him his first one in November.  Since then, Alabama, Penn State Oklahoma and others have joined the Vols but Osovet’s relationship has the Vols very much in the mix.  Warren plans on being in Knoxville for Tennessee’s first big March Junior Day the weekend of the 7^th and that will be a big visit now that Warren has exploded onto the scene.  As an early enrollee who clearly is very talented, Warren is the kind of instant impact JUCO that the Vols will be looking for in this class

WR Christian Velleuix (418): At or near the top of Tennessee’s recently expanded QB board, Velleuix is another player that Osovet has been working for some time.  Where he ultimately sits on Tennessee’s board is TBD, but the same could be said for programs like PSU and Clemson (both of whom are waiting on another QB, and therefore, each other).  Osovet has positioned the Vols to where they have the option of pushing or not, a decision which ultimately will be made by Pruitt, Jim Chaney, and QB Coach Chris Weinke

LB Greg Penn (283): A Top 100 player overall by Rivals, Penn has OSU, LSU, Texas A&M and South Carolina among his favorites.  Citing his relationship with Osovet, he plans on visiting Knoxville in March as the Vols try to make a move.  How it plays out from there is TBD, but Penn is yet another “elite” player Osovet for whom has gotten Tennessee in the mix

DL Taleeq Robbins (548): Another player whose early ranking belies his offer list, Robbins will be in Knoxville for the March 7^th Junior Day as the Vols try to join programs like Michigan and Texas A&M for the talented DL from Philly.  He’ll be joined by two very talented 2022 Philadelphia natives, including teammate and Top 30 prospect DE Enai White as well as OLB Ken Talley who holds offer from PSU, UF and others

DT Terrion Sugick (600): The former UVA commitment also has offers from Florida and now Tennessee after an early February visit to Knoxville and is another Maryland product who Osovet has the Vols firmly in play for

DT Tyas Martin (684): Martin, an Arkansas native, was on campus in early February and has Tennessee at the very top of his list.  The big man showed out at the The All-American Bowl National Junior Combine in January and now has Oklahoma looking to join the Vols, UVA and Virginia Tech as early contenders.  He’s yet another Osovet recruit

As Tennessee looks to take its program to another level in terms of talent, it is a must that it continue to recruit against and beat the elite programs in the country for elite talent.  In order to do that, Pruitt has to have a staff with as many top-end recruiters as possible.  With former National Recruiters of the Year Tee Martin and Brian Niedermeyer already on staff already, Osovet emerging as a bigtime recruiter would really position Tennessee’s staff as one of the best in the country and give the Vols a real shot at not just its third straight Top 10 national class but potentially a Top 5 finish.  His ability to finish will be tested for sure, but for now Vol fans can feel good that he’s off to a very strong start.

For quite a while now, Tennessee’s most realistic option for adding a blue chip Quarterback in the 2021 class has been Christian Veilleux.  Veilleux has been to campus three time, including throwing for OC Jim Chaney last summer, the 2019 season home game against Mississippi State, and again for a Junior Day in mid-January.  And while the Vols are very much still at the top of the list for Veilleux, along with Penn State and Clemson (pending an offer from the Tigers, which is likely dependent on them missing on Caleb Williams), Tennessee has recently made a move with two other highly recruited QBs that potentially could give them some options at the game’s most important position. 

Miller Moss, 247 Sports’ #62 overall player in the 2021 class and #8 overall QB, received an offer from the Vols just last week and due to a major tie to the program seems to be giving Tennessee a hard look.  Moss is coached at Bishop Almeny HS in Mission Hills, CA by none other than the Ice Man himself, Casey Clausen, and the entire Clausen family (Rick is the OC) appears to be a real positive in Tennessee’s corner in this recruitment.  Moss is being recruited by many of the top programs in the country, including West Coast power Oregon, local USC and UCLA, and even LSU and Auburn to go with Tennessee in the SEC.  His 7-on-7 team is traveling to Tampa as well as Gatlinburg at the end of February and he is currently planning on trying to visit the campuses of Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn while he’s out this way.  Should he indeed make it to Knoxville the Vols will likely emerge as real players, as the tie to the Clausens and the 2020 WR class and rebuilt offensive line are sure to be big draws.  Of course if he doesn’t then one can almost surely scratch him from the list, so that visit will be the pivot point for Moss and the Vols and therefore will be watched very closely.

Texan Kaiden Salter is the other QB who the Vols have made a recent move with as the most recent dead period comes to and end.  Salter is more of a dual threat than Veilleux, Moss, or anyone Tennessee currently has on campus.  From the Dallas area of Cedar Hill, Salter is ranked just behind Moss at #89 nationally. Although he is regarded as a pass-first QB, Salter’s raw athleticism is incredibly impressive, and he complements his exploits on the gridiron by being a high level track and field athlete.  On film it’s truly functional athleticism, too, as he is able to not just run for yardage and scores but also to elude defensive lineman and make plays out of the pocket and of course just run away from defenders.  Tennessee appears to be in Salter’s top group along with Ole Miss (where he’ll visit with his 7-on-7 team the first weekend of March), Auburn, UCLA and Baylor.  The commonality among that group is the spread offenses they all run that also depend on a dual threat QB.  How that fits with what Chaney does is interesting, and perhaps along with the signing of Jimmy Holiday in the 2020 class the recruitment of Salter could signal a real commitment to new concepts in the Tennessee offense.

Although Tennessee will go through its 2020 spring practice with five scholarship QBs, four of whom are scheduled to have eligibility at Tennessee into the 2021 season and beyond, few think all five of them will still be on the roster when the 2020 season begins let alone into future seasons.  At the same time, when looking to the future only 2020 5-star signee Harrison Bailey has the kind of pedigree that suggests he can lead Tennessee to SEC East, SEC, and National title contention.  Therefore, it’s imperative that the Vols go back to back on top of Bailey with another bonafide bluechip QB in this upcoming class.  By moving up the list of contenders for two new Top 100 players in Moss and Salter, to go with being very much in the mix for Veilleux, Tennessee has now greatly increased its odds of doing just that.

Now that the Vols have put the finishing touches* on an outstanding 2020 recruiting class, attention turns fully to the class of 2021.  And by “fully,” we note that not only does Tennessee already have six public commitments in the class but Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have also gotten dozens if not hundreds of 2021 (and beyond) prospects on campus already.  After a relatively strong “stub” class of 2018 that he cobbled together in a matter of weeks after being hired, Pruitt has stacked back to back Top 10 classes in 2019 and 2020 along with a handful of high-impact transfers.  On top of that, the 2019 class proved to be not just top heavy with a handful of 5-star level prospects but also both deep and immediately impactful on the field.  Out of 23 total signees, the 2020 class includes 16 players ranked as 4-star or above by one of the two major recruiting services, a 70% “blue chip” ratio, bringing in star power throughout the class .  And that of course does not count the two scholarship transfers in OL Cade Mays (former 5-star) and WR Velus Jones (former 4-star) or even the walk-on transfer ATH Miles Jones (former 4-star).  The numbers back up what we can all see with our own eyes: Pruitt has transformed the roster from one that went 4-8 overall and 0-8 in the SEC in 2017 to what will likely be viewed as an SEC East darkhorse in 2020.

When you combine the onfield momentum that comes from winning six games in a row with the player development that Pruitt and his staff have exhibited along with the influx of talent coming in the class of 2020, it’s easy to see why there is so much optimism on Rocky Top.  And that is what makes the class of 2021 that much more important.  If Pruitt is truly going to get the Tennessee program to the point where the Vols are legitimate contenders for the SEC Eastern Division, the SEC Championship, the College Football Playoff, and the National Championship, there are still steps to be taken in terms of talent and depth.  This is the class that will have the benefit of a) the huge win streak; b) a 2020 schedule that includes a prestigious intersectional game at Oklahoma (likely to be broadcast in primetime on ABC) along with showcase home games against Florida and Alabama; c) years of relationship development with 2021 prospects; and d) the best top to bottom recruiting staff** that Pruitt has had since he’s been the head coach, and arguably the best at Tennessee in well over a decade.  Pruitt and Tennessee therefore must capitalize with the kind of 2021 class that firmly establishes the program among the elites when it comes to talent.  That means continuing to grow that “blue chip ratio” and even more importantly beating out the top programs in the country for more of the class than ever before.

As for the existing six 2021, commitments, they are good ones.  Two of them (WR Jordan Mosley and DL Isaac Washington) already hold offers from at least one elite program (see below) and the other four are camp/eval offers that Pruitt and Co. have strong track record with – history says that at least a few if not all of them will receive offers from other bigtime programs as well as ratings bumps.  Further, although it is relatively early, Tennessee has placed itself firmly in the mix at (i.e., with a strong chance of receiving at least an official visit) for more than three dozen “elite” prospects, as defined by players who have legit offers from one of the following programs:

• Alabama
• Auburn
• Clemson
• Georgia
• Florida
• LSU
• Ohio State
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Penn State

The above have at least one College Football Playoff appearance and/or at least one NY6 bowl game AND multiple recent recruiting classes that consistently land in the Top 5-10 nationally.  They also have recruiting footprints that mostly overlap with the Tennessee (some, like Oregon and Oklahoma, are national like Tennessee’s).  Those “elite” prospects include:

• QB Christian Veilleux
• RB Cody Brown
• RB Treyvon Henderson
• WR Adonai Mitchell
• WR Donte Thornton
• WR Romello Brinson
• WR Jaquez Smith
• WR Julian Nixon
• OL Dietrick Pennington
• OL William Griffin
• OL Terrence Ferguson
• TE Trinity Bell
• TE Hudson Wolfe
• ATH Tray Curry
• DL Payton Page
• DL Jahvaree Ritzie
• DL Victoine Brown
• DL Joshua Farmer
• DL Javon Nelson
• DL Tim Keenan
• DL Leonard Taylor
• OLB Demeioun Robinson
• OLB Dylan Brooks
• OLB Jeremiah Williams
• OLB Smael Mondon
• OLB Kristian Zachary
• OLB Zavier Carter
• OLB Justus Boone
• ILB Terrence Lewis
• ILB Junior Colson
• ILB Ian Jackson
• ILB Raneiria Dillworth
• DB Andre Turrentine
• DB Kyndrich Breedlove
• DB Isaiah Johnson
• DB Nyland Green
• DB Khari Gee
• DB Nathaniel Wiggins
• DB Devonta Smith
• DB Kamar Wilcoxson
• DB Ryan Barnes
• ATH Trenton Adkins

The above list leaves out some of the very recently offered OL like Jaleel Davis, Diego Pounds, Colby Smith and Jakiah Leftwich, WRs like Malachai Bennett and Christian Lewis, and likely many more prospects who seem likely to add those types of offers on top of Tennessee already getting involved.  It also does not include many of the instate prospects that Tennessee has offered and continues to evaluate.  The bottom line is that the 2021 class has to be great, and early indications are that Tennessee has put itself in position to make it great.  Next steps are obvious: get more elite players to campus when the dead period ends in March; set up April’s Orange & White Game to be a recruiting extravaganza; continue to get players back to campus over the summer; keep applying lessons learned; and then capitalize on the field in the 2020 season and off the field in December 2020 and February 2021. 

*Of course Tennessee could end up adding 5-star RB Zach Evans at some point in the spring/early summer

** With the news that Director of Player Personnel Drew Hughes has chosen to join good buddy Captain Will Muschamp aboard the sinking ship that is Gamecock Football, Pruitt has a chance to upgrade the staff again, and potentially poach one of his SEC rivals or dip into the NFL ranks in the process

*** EDIT: With news breaking from Volquest that DL Coach Tracy Rocker is leaving to also join South Carolina, the opportunity for Pruitt to upgrade his coaching staff from a recruiting perspective has perhaps never been greater. Pruitt will not only be able to sell a program on the rise and a hefty salary but also a depth and talent-laden DL to work with immediately and blue chip youth to mold. Rocker was as bad on the recruiting trail and he was good on the practice field, so Pruitt needs to find the right balance. Given the above to work with he should be able to easily do so.

“My goal is five years from now when I stand back up here, is for everyone to still be this excited. That’s my goal. I’m challenging everybody who is associated with this university. Let’s get our hands out of our pockets. Let’s roll our sleeves up. Let’s get ready to get in the streets with everyone else in the SEC. That’s what we have to do to be successful. If we want to get what we want, we have to outwork everyone. Let’s not talk about it. Let’s go do it. It starts today. Everyone associated with it, let’s get ready to go get what we want.”

We’ll have more on the two new signees individually, along with the impact we think this 2020 class will have on the future of Tennessee football, in the coming hours and days.  But what needs to be said first and foremost is that Coach Jeremy Pruitt is doing *exactly* what he said he would do in his introductory press conference.  And that is getting into street fights with the top programs in the top conference in the country, along with other national powers, and beating them for talent.  Today’s two-for-two finish to National Signing Day includes one player Tennessee straight up beat out Florida for (Dee Beckwith) and one player (Malachi Wideman) who not only did Tennessee beat out homestate Florida State for (where he was committed to) but also Oregon, one of the top programs in the country for the last decade or more.  That comes on the heels of December victories over Florida (Morven Joseph), Auburn (Omari Thomas), and Ohio State (Tyler Baron), along with multiple recruiting wins against the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and the like in his first two classes.

He’s done it in a variety of ways: Playing the long game with certain recruits, stepping in late and taking advantage of coaching changes elsewhere for others, and just outworking other programs.  He’s upgraded his staff from a recruiting perspective from Year 1 to Year 2.  And he’s also currently on the nation’s second longest winning streak (6) after digging the team out of a major hole. 

Tennessee isn’t there yet.  The roster still needs more talent and more depth.  But it’s damn sure closer than it was when Pruitt got here, it’s closer than it was before the December signing period, it’s after the additions the Vols made from the transfer portal, and it’s even closer after today’s finish to the 2020 class.

Just a thought…

UGA signed 19 players in December.  They’ve since taken 2 scholarship transfers, taking them to 21 signees.  Further, the Bulldogs also have two unsigned OL commitments who they’re hosting this weekend and desperately want to hold onto in Broderick Jones and Sedrick Van Prann.  Importantly, they took two transfers on top of their 25 enrollees from 2019, so unless they want to roll scholarships into 2021 (like Tennessee appears willing to do and as Jesse Simonton from Volquest.com has astutely noted is the smart thing to do if you’re taking instant impact transfers each year) then theoretically they’re done at 23 if they hold onto those two OL.

However, they are also hosting a good number of newly offered kids this weekend, including 3-star DBs Daran Branch (a former Ole Miss commit) and Charles Bell (a former Syracuse commitment who in particular appears to be on commit watch); 3-star ATH DJ Lundy; and 3-star instate DL Cameron Kinnie (previously down to Army and Air Force).  UGA is also battling Florida and Miami for 4-star S Avantae Williams, who is in Gainesville this weekend and could potentially visit Athens next weekend depending on what happens with Branch and Bell.  Additional last-weekend visitors are OL Marcus Henderson (who UT has passed on) and WR Ladd McConkey (set to visit Tennessee this weekend unofficially).

All that to say, there are *quite* a few scenarios in which UGA hits its theoretical maximum 23 signees – and potentially a handful more than a couple of additional – very easily before 5-star RB and major Vol target Zach Evans is considered.  And that’s before we get to perhaps the most salient visitor to the point here: 4-star instate RB Daijun Edwards who is also visiting Georgia this weekend.  Edwards is currently scheduled to trip to Tallahassee next weekend, but it’s far from beyond the realm of possibility that the two parties could decide to pair up this weekend and be done, with Edwards shutting down his recruitment and UGA finishing up its RB class with Edwards and signee Kendall Milton.  Obviously that in and of itself would almost certainly remove UGA from contention for Evans.

What all of that means is that, whatever Georgia and Evan’s relationship is right now and whatever either side would like it to be going forward, there are a LOT of moving pieces on just Georgia’s side of the ledger that could preclude them from being an option for Evans should he want them to be.  Now, in order for Tennessee to end up signing the 5-star, program-changing RB, they’ll have to knock this weekend’s official visit out of the park – a near certainty – AND get themselves comfortable with whatever off the field issues have existed in the past.  But assuming both of those things happen there could very well exist a scenario in which Evans sees the Vols as not just his best choice but his only choice.  And that would be, to put it mildly, huge for Tennessee.

With the news of Jay Hardy in fact signing with Auburn during December’s early signing period, that removes any chance the Vols can land the instate DL standout.  And while that’s disappointing from a talent perspective, not only does the way he handled his recruitment confirm that Coach Jeremy Pruitt dodged a major character risk bullet but it also allows the staff to move on and concentrate on the few remaining prospects on the board.  Interestingly, and likely only coincidentally, those handful of players still on the board (unless someone new pops up in the next 2.5 weeks) are all on offense.  For Pruitt, a former elite Defensive Coordinator who has revamped Tennessee’s defense during his two seasons in Knoxville, this surely must feel strange.  However, given how strong the Vols defensive immediate and long-term future looks he’s likely at least partially ok with it.  Further, when one looks at the offensive proclivity of the recent college football champions, with LSU being the most recent and most extreme example, and even most of not all of the playoff teams, it’s clear that the old adage that defense wins championships is not necessarily true.  So as the Vols look to close out their 2020 class strongly, it looks like they’re taking an offense-first approach, which is exactly what this roster needs.

We’ve pushed for more playmakerson offense throughout the cycle. Since the early signing period ended Tennessee has added former 4-star WR Velus Jones from USC as a 1-year grad transfer as well as former 4-star Nebraska ATH Miles Jones as a walk-on.  This past weekend Tennessee hosted TE/WR Dee Beckwith and FSU commitment Malachi Wideman, and all indications are that the Vols are in very deep for both prospects. Beckwith is a Kyle Pitts clone – a big, agile WR masquerading in a TE body with the kind of explosiveness that one rarely sees in that sort of 6’5 frame. He’s simply put the kind of player the Vols don’t have on the roster.  Wideman is, even more than Beckwith, a freak.  At 6’5 and with the kind of athleticism to make him a Top 100 basketball prospect to go with his Top 50 ranking on the gridiron, Wideman would be the absolute cherry on top of what is already a strong WR class.  This weekend the Vols will host WRs Ger-Cari Caldwell and Ladd McConkey (unofficially), with Caldwell a South Carolina lean going into the weekend and  McConkey seemingly waiting on a Vol offer.  They are different kinds of prospects, with Caldwell more of a big bodied WR and McConkey profiling as a Slot WR.  In a major turn of events 5-star RB Zach Evans will also officially visit Knoxville this weekend.  Evan’s recruiting saga is well known, and until things get more serious between him and the Vols it’s not super worthwhile to delve too deeply here.  Suffice it to say that Evans, if he can mature and put his past transgressions behind him, would be a program-changing type of RB. 

We’ve also highlighted the strong offensive line class the Vols have put together.  The Vols have added to that with the much-hyped transfer of former UGA stalwart Cade Mays, and this past weekend also hosted fast-rising Southern Mississippi commitment Dylan Spencer.  Spencer, who just finished his first season on the offensive line after transitioning from defense, earned 1^st team all state honors in MS and also showed out during AL/MS Game practices.  At 6’3, 300 pounds, the Vols think he can play Offensive Tackle which is a position that the Vols haven’t found anyone for this cycle after hitting two homeruns last year in Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright.  Spencer is likely not at the very top of Tennessee’s list at the moment, and he’s got offers from Mississippi State (visiting there this weekend) and Missouri among a few others, so he might decide he doesn’t want to wait on the Vols.  That’s something to keep an eye on.

Finally, we’ve made the case for Tennessee signing as many prospects as possible in this class due to the need to get the overall talent AND depth in the program up to par to truly contend for championships.  With the high-quality transfers and how the Vols appear to be approaching the final signing period – setting themselves up to have multiple prospects want to jump in the boat – that does appear to be the direction Pruitt is taking.  Whether that pans out or not remains to be seen and will depend on who wants in and when.

This weekend in Knoxville Tennessee will look to knock Evans’ and Caldwell’s visits out of the park and evaluate what they want to do with McConkey (who is currently scheduled to OV to UGA next weekend, and they have in fact offered).  At the same time, they’ll be keeping an eye on Wideman’s visit to Oregon and Beckwith’s visit to Florida, hopefully communicating with those prospects as much as is allowed.  Once the dust settles from all of the visits, Tennessee will be able to assess where they are with these targets and strategically use assistant coaches’ and more importantly Pruitt’s inhome visits this next week before the final dead period begins.  The hope here is that the landscape has an orange hue to it, with a bigtime focus on closing with the kind of offensive talent that can take the program to the next, championship contending, level.

This coming weekend, the first out of the dead period and before the February 2020 signing day, will feature a handful of 2020 official visitors as well as a slew of 2021 prospects.  Thematically, regardless of class what is clear is that this is the Weekend of the Wide Receiver in Knoxville. 

In the 2020 class, the Vols be bringing in WR/TE Dee Beckwith and FSU WR commitment Malachi Wideman.  Beckwith is an interesting prospect in that he’s likely a college TE, but in the pass-catching mold of Florida’s Kyle Pitts with inline blocking something he’ll need to grow into.  Florida is, perhaps not coincidentally, his stated leader and according to him is recruiting him harder than anyone.  The Vols will have their chance to make a final on-campus pitch this weekend and will seemingly need to decide whether they go all-in, as they clearly have ground to make up.  His half-brother Camryn Beckwith (a RB) is an incoming preferred walk-on for the Vols, which should help but apparently isn’t the end-all be-all.  Wideman is an athletic freak, who at 6’4 and 180 pounds also happens to be a high level basketball player known for his prolific and viral-video producing dunks.  Tee Martin and Chris Weinke have worked hard to get Wideman to campus, and because Wideman has already taken his OV to Tallahassee he’s more wide open than his “commitment” might suggest.  He does have an OV scheduled to Oregon for the weekend after, as well as one to FAU (where former FSU coach Willie Taggart landed), so the Vols are unlikely to lock him down this weekend.  However, they can put themselves firmly in the mix, if not at the top, with a strong visit.  Going out on a bit of a limb here, but should the Vols land Wideman he looks to be the best incoming Tennessee WR prospect since current NFL rookie Preston Williams.  That kind of athleticism, size, and catch radius is rare, and were Pruitt and Martin able to add him to the current WR signees Jalin Hyatt and Jimmy Calloway, that would not only restock the WR corps for both the near term and the future but would also represent arguably the best group of WR signees in multiple years.  If they do that could impact numbers at the position for 2021. Speaking of numbers, OL Dylan Spencer, a Southern Mississippi commitment, is also officially visiting this weekend; however, with the addition of Cade Mays to go with the three incoming freshmen signees it’s far from certain that Tennessee will have room for another OL in the class. That said, should things go the wrong way with the small group of targets left on the board at positions of greater need, Spencer would be an intriguing add. Playing his first year at OL after spending the rest of his high school career on the DL, Spencer earned first team all state honors in Mississippi as well as a spot on the AL/MS All-Star Game, where he earned acclaim for his play during the week of practice. He’s very potentially an OT, which makes him all the more valuable. He’s gotten very recent offers from Mississippi State and Missouri, and one would presume the Bulldogs in particular have a great shot. But he’s certainly one to keep an eye on.

Speaking of 2021, Tennessee will also have, as of this writing, seven(!) 2021 WR prospects on campus.  Among them are 4-star instate stud Walker Merrill; 4-star Florida native Romello Brinson; as well as South Carolina natives Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (who recently participated in the All-American Bowl Combine) and JJ Jones; Alabamians Malachi Bennett (in Knoxville for at least his fourth visit, most recently the UAB game) and Christian Lewis; and Chauncey Magwood from Georgia.  Along with instate WRs Adonai Mitchell, Quenton Barnes, and Scottie Alexander; 4-stars Kobe Paysour (for whom the Vols just made a Top 7), Gavin Blackwell (visited for the South Carolina game), Isaiah Brevard and James Blackstrain, this group makes up Tennessee’s early WR board for 2021.

Not to get lost in the WR shuffle, there will be other notable 2021s on campus, most importantly 5-star LB Dylan Brooks, 4-star QB Christian Veilleux, and bigtime DL Isaac Washington.  Brooks’ recruitment will be an all-out war between the Vols and instate powers Alabama and Auburn, but he attended three games in Knoxville this past season and has been on campus a handful of other times as well, so Tennessee is clearly in deep with this elite player.  Veilleux is making his 3^rd visit since last summer, including the Mississippi State game, this time as part of a campus tour that will also take him to Duke and Clemson, which indicates what kind of prospect he is (PSU is also a big factor here).  Washington will also be making his third visit and appears to be very high on the Vols at the moment, good news considering how big a need DL is in 2021. Other scheduled visitors include recently offered DL Tyrion Ingram and LB Raneiria Dillworth.  Getting these kinds of prospects on campus is a great sign for the kind of momentum Tennessee has on the recruiting trail.  Continuing to get these players as well as other top targets on campus in January and February, before the cycle truly gets started, will be of paramount importance for Coach Pruitt and his staff.