Category Archives: Football

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.

With a lot of news to digest, from the transfer of skill players RB/WR Miles Jones and WR Velus Jones as well as OL Cade Mays, to the decision of All-American OL Trey Smith, a few thoughts below on how that might affect Tennessee’s approach to the February signing period:

With those transfers, Tennessee has now added 23 players in the 2020 class, leaving two spots before any monkeying with the numbers.  It’s not breaking news to say that DL Jay Hardy and ATH Dee Beckwith have those spots locked up should they want them and that whoever else might want in will be dependent on said numbers machinations. 

A quick thought on Beckwith: Although this writer has been a bit critical of his apparent love for basketball, perhaps to the detriment of his future in football, that opinion has changed somewhat as his focus seems to have narrowed back to football.  Further, and more importantly, watching how Florida (his other finalist) featured a *very* similar player in TE Kyle Pitts as almost the focal point of its offense, his value as a prospect has increased.  Were Tennessee to land Beckwith (who visits Tennessee January 31^st after tripping to UK and UF) and develop him into a player like Pitts, that would be massive for an offense that continues to evolve with multiple different kinds of players, from big-bodied WRs like Josh Palmer to speed demons like Jalin Hyatt to more Swiss Army types like Jimmy Calloway, Jimmy Holiday, and the aforementioned Mr. Jones’s. 

To the degree that Tennessee was searching for another OL in this class, one would think that the addition of Mays ends that search.  5-star UGA commitment Broderick Jones had planned to officially visit Knoxville next weekend – the first one after the dead period ends – but that appears to be off.  Whether that was a decision made by Jones or by Tennessee (likely sensing that the chances of stealing Jones were low) is unknown and meaningless.  But with the strong likelihood that former commitment Kyree Miller ends up elsewhere (100% a Tennessee decision) and the Vols also having cancelled a previously planned OV for Jalen St John, it appears that Tennessee has closed the door on adding another OL in the 2020 class.  And considering the Vols signed a trio of really nice OL prospects in Cooper Mays, James Robinson, and Javontez Spraggins and then added Cade Mays, that’s smart roster management

In contrast, despite adding two bigtime WR prospects last month in Hyatt and Calloway to go with the two transfers, Tennessee is still in the market for another WR.  But while many thought that would be Rock Hill, SC native Ger-Cari Caldwell, there doesn’t seem to be a ton of traction on either/both sides there.  Instead, news broke on Friday that Tennessee will instead be hosting 4-star FSU commitment Malachi Wideman next weekend before Wideman trips to Oregon and then Florida Atlantic for his final two visits.  With Wideman having already taken his OV to FSU (as well as Washington State), the Vols could be in a strong position for the SI All-American and 247 Sports Top 140 prospect.  Wideman is a freak athlete whose strength on the gridiron comes from his elite size/athleticism combo, and his upside lies in the fact that he’s still raw when it comes to the technical aspects of the position.  He also happens to be a high level basketball player, so should the Vols seek to enlist Rick Barnes (ala the Dee Beckwith recruitment) that could be a feather in their cap here.  He’s the kind of prospect you make room for, period.  So it will be very interesting to see how this one shakes out.

Another potential transfer name to keep an eye on is former UGA LB/S Otis Reese.  Reese, who signed with the Bulldogs in the class of 2018 as a Top 100 prospect, entered the transfer portal last week.  He was recruited heavily by both Coach Jeremy Pruitt and DC Derrick Ansley when both were at Alabama, and also notably he hails from the same South Georgia high school (Lee Co.) as current Vol DL Aubrey Solomon.  Reese is a bit of a tweener, but was running with the 1’s for UGA last spring before contracting mono which set him back heavily.  Once that happened he was passed by in the depth chart by former 5-star Lewis Cine and that was that.  Regardless, he’s an elite athlete with a reputation as a bigtime hitter – the kind of talent even a heavily upgraded Tennessee roster could use.  There hasn’t been much said publicly about Reese’s future plans, but one would think the Vols will be a major player should they choose to be