Category Archives: Recruiting

Today the 2017 college football season has already have kicked off, and Tennessee’s first game will be just three days away.  And while Butch Jones and his staff will surely be making final preparations to take on Georgia Tech in Atlanta, they will also be taking the next step toward building the future of the program.  September 1^st is the first day that coaches can contact Class of 2019* prospects via phone and Twitter.  Staffs’ initial priorities are revealed by who is contacted when, and on the flip side prospects start the next phase of their recruitments.

*Let’s get it out of the way: Discussing the Class of 2019 on September 1, 2017 is crazy.  These kids are 15, maybe 16 years old. But that’s just how college football recruiting is now – compressed cycles and tons of exposure caused a multitude of factors, not the least of which are a billion dollar scouting/recruiting service industry and intense fan interest (you’re reading this, aren’t you?).  With that said…

With three commitments already, each of whom are 247Sports 4-stars, the 2019 class is already ranked #12 nationally.  For a variety of reasons, Tennessee sits in a very nice position with regard to this class, and looking forward has a chance to stack another great class on what’s going to be a blockbuster 2018 haul.

2018 Hay is Mostly in the Barn

As the 2017 season begins, the Vols are sitting with a Top 5 2018 class in the country and with 23 commitments.  Now, Butch Jones always seems to find room if he wants to sign an extra player or two, but assuming 25 is the limit for this class and even allowing for some attrition from the current commitment list, there simply isn’t a ton of recruiting left to do.  We all know the top targets for the last 2-3 spots: OL Jerome Carvin, another defensive end, and maybe WR Jeshaun Jones.   Of course, Tennessee’s staff will have to fight to hold onto many of their commitments, and that will take time and energy, but it’s simply not the same as trying to land 10+ more players over the course of the next five months.

What this means is that the UT staff will be able to focus on scouting, communicating with, and building relationships with 2019 prospects while many of its rivals are still working on 2018 players.  They’ll be able to spend more time figuring out who the decision makers are in each prospects recruitment.  More time standing on the sidelines on Friday nights.  And more time scouting and finding out exactly who they want to target.  They also get to use the upcoming game against Georgia Tech to host a bunch of 2019 prospects – top instate targets Joe Anderson, Trey Knox, Wesley Walker, as well as former commits Kendrell Scurry and Adonis Otey are among those who plan to attend.

The added benefit is that Tennessee’s staff, with multiple members who are new since NSD 2017, will have that much more time to do any catch up with the class of 2019.  And given this new staff is already showing much improved results on the trail over the previous one, this bodes very well.

In-state Class is Loaded Again

According to 247Sports, the state of Tennessee has 20 4-stars in the 2019 class, and Vols commits TJ Sheffield and Cameron Wynn are two of them.  Importantly, while there was some talk earlier in the year that the 2019 class on both sides of the line of scrimmage wouldn’t be anywhere near the 2018 class, six of those 20 4-stars are defensive linemen – while only one is an offensive lineman, it’s Vols legacy Jackson Lampley who is pretty close to a lock in my opinion.  Also, this list of 4-stars doesn’t include other prospects whom several scouts are incredibly high on, including linemen Joseph Honeysucker and Tymon Mitchell.

And despite periodic incursions from the likes of Ohio State and FSU (among other blue bloods who recruit nationally), Butch Jones and Co. have proven their ability to bring the lion’s share of the elite in-state talent to Knoxville.  Look no further than the 2018 class, which includes nine in-state commitments with at least one more likely to come, and with only two prospects the Vols would have liked having committed elsewhere (RB Master Teague and OL Max Wray).

For Tennessee, in-state recruiting success is a virtuous cycle: As the Vols sign more and more talent inside the state’s borders, the ties between Knoxville and the rest of the state deepen.  Future prospects see their older friends go to UT and succeed.  High school coaches do the same with their players.  And assistants like OL coach Walt Wells, who seemingly knows every person connected to high school football in the state, strengthen those relationships even more.  And as the state continues to churn out more and more elite talent every year, Tennessee can rely more and more on that talent to form the bulk of big time recruiting classes.

Combining the two points above about being ahead of the game and the state being loaded in 2019, see below the Top 20 players in the state of TN for 2019 and how many times they’ve been on campus*.  It’s extraordinary how good of a job at getting the best players in the state on campus the staff has done, and we’re still almost 18 months away from NSD 2019.

*Just the ones I know of

247 TN Rank	Name	POS	# UT Visits
1	Anderson	DL	6*
2	Hampton	DB	0
3	Knox	WR	2*
4	Wilhoitte	WR	5
5	Scurry	WR	4*
6	Gregory	DL	0
7	Izuchuku	DL	4
8	Nash	WR	1
9	Otey	DB	7*
10	Lampley	OL	1
11	Walker	CB	4*
12	SHEFFIELD	WR	2
13	Norton	DL	1
14	Gray	RB	1
15	Hopper	DL	1
16	Washington	DB	1
17	WYNN	WR	4
18	Watkins	DB	5
19	Hannah	LB	1
20	Williams	DL	2
	* Scheduled to attend GT game in ATL

Other 247 Sports 4-stars to watch out for right off the bat include DL Zacch Pickens from SC (#59 overall); OL Darnell Wright from WV (#86 overall); DB Joseph Charleston from GA (#150 overall); RB Derrian Brown from GA (#157 overall); and WR Ramel Keyton from GA (#178 overall).  All of these guys are elite prospects and have been to campus at least once already, and in fact Keyton, who has seen his recruitment explode this summer, named the Vols his leader as recently as late June.  The Vols have a family tie with Charleston in that his brother is a current player on the Tennessee Baseball team, and Derrian Brown comes from the Buford program that has produced current Vols Austin Smith (a starter on Monday night at SAM LB) and Quay Picou, as well as 2018 RB commit and Brown’s teammate, Anthony Grant.

Florida Investments Will Continue to Pay Dividends

We hit on this back in June, but Butch Jones has made a big investment in recruiting in Florida, in terms of his staff, allocation of resources, and absolute numbers of Floridians on the roster.  After signing five players from Florida in the class of 2016, Butch Jones and Co. followed that up by signing seven Floridians in 2017.  That’s 30% of the last two signing classes from the Sunshine State.  So far for the class of 2018, the Vols have four Florida natives on the commitment list: QB Michal Penix, DBs Tanner Ingle and Brandon Cross, and WR Shocky Jacques-Louis.  They are still targeting DE Kayode Oladele and WR Jeshaun Jones as well.

Not surprisingly, the state of Florida is once again loaded in 2019, with 40 247Sports 4-stars.  And just like in Tennessee, those relationships continue to get stronger, allowing the Vols to dip into the Sunshine State and take more and better players every year.  Obviously, recruiting in Florida is a different animal than in your own state, and Florida is uniquely difficult because it has one powerhouse program in Florida State and two other programs in major conferences in the University of Florida and the University of Miami.  But Butch Jones has been succeeding in the state, particularly recently, and with another year (and the extra time discussed above) for OC Larry Scott and WR coach Kevin Beard to recruit down there on behalf of the Vols, that success should only continue.  Especially when you don’t have to have that many because your own state is providing you with a large chunk of your class.  It doesn’t hurt, of course, that the Florida Gators program is currently imploding, with more than 10% of the team suspended for the opener (as of this writing…could be more by the minute) for defrauding the university and coach Jim McElwain handing out 4^th and 5^th chances like they grow on a tree just outside the football complex.

*Caveats: nine are from IMG, so most are not true Floridians; UF has eight commits, UM has four and FSU has three.

Momentum and Winning on the Field

These are two different things.  While the Vols clearly have momentum on the recruiting trail, the 2017 season will go a long way toward determining the tenure of Butch Jones and his staff at Tennessee.  Exceed relatively modest expectations (i.e., beat 1-2 of UF/UGA/Bama/LSU and win the SEC East) and Butch is likely the coach here as long as he wants to be.  With the way he’s already recruiting, he could be set up to take Tennessee to that mythical “next level.”  Win 7-8 regular season games and he’s likely safe, ensuring that this outstanding 2018 class stays largely intact and the staff remains.  Anything less than that though, and all bets are off – best case is a coach on a very hot seat heading into the 2018 season, which will be used against him to no end; worst case AD John Currie cuts bait and we start over.  I’m of the opinion that the latter scenario is by far the least likely, but the Vols absolutely have to prove it on the field starting Monday.

It goes without saying that recruiting is the lifeblood of a football program, and fortunately there aren’t many coaches in the country as passionate about it and as good at it as Butch Jones.  Combine that with a killer staff, a competitive advantage from getting their work done on the previous class, a state churning out unprecedented numbers of blue chip talent, and investments in another talent-rich state that are paying off.  There’s obviously a ton of time between now and NSD 2019, but the Vols are off to a great start.  And the staff has an opportunity to leverage several advantages – some they’ve created and some that are systemic – to bring in another big time class in 2019.

The need for one more defensive end in this class, and how the Vols address that need, is something that’s been discussed in this space quite a bit.  And while I’ve made the case for a guy with unlimited upside but who is a ways from contributing, there’s a case to be made at the opposite end of the spectrum.  If Tennessee were to go the route of someone who could contribute right away, the guy I would focus on is someone who so far has been little discussed: JUCO product Azur Kamara.

Who is Azur Kamara?

Besides having a last name that will always make Tennessee fans smile, Kamara is a very intriguing prospect in his own right.  He’s a big kid (6’6, 240) with speed who has been productive in each of his stops so far.  In high school he set the Arizona high school record with 25 sacks his senior season, but grades forced him to go the JUCO route.  And last season at Arizona Western CC, he had eight sacks.

He’s also an early enrollee, which means he’s not only going to start the 2018 season two years out of high school, he’ll also have a spring practice under his belt to adjust to the college game and learn the playbook.  He’d be a guy you’d expect to immediately compete for a starting job and at worst be part of the regular rotation.

Where does Kamara’s recruitment stand?

Kamara was initially looking to make a summer decision, but as his recruitment has heated up those plans have changed a bit.  He’s already taken official visits to Louisville and Iowa State, and he had plans to visit Utah in September and make a decision after that.  However, he received offers from Florida State, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss to go along with the Tennessee offer that came in the spring, and all of this attention has caused him to slow things down.  All of a sudden this has the makings of a much more high profile recruitment.

As of now FSU, OSU, and the Vols are in line for the remaining three official visits, with the trip to Knoxville, though not yet set, likely to occur in September or October.

The Vols do have a link to Arizona Western, as current defensive GA Jon Shalala was the OL coach for 11 months before coming to Knoxville.  And of course current Vols starting defensive end Jonathan Kongbo came from Arizona Western as well, so there are a handful of ties.  Kongbo’s status as a starter probably is a great selling point here, and if he were to jump out of the gates strongly that couldn’t hurt, either.  However, it should be noted that Louisville just received commitments from a couple of his AWCC teammates, so they will likely be helping the Cardinals in this recruitment.

Which Direction Do the Vols Go?

Ultimately the Vols will have to decide which direction they want to take with the last defensive end spot.  And that decision is likely to come down to a lot of factors – as The Dude would say, lotta ins, lotta outs here:

1. How do the current DEs on the roster perform, especially early in the season? For example, does Jonathan Kongbo start the season playing like the former 5-star and #1 JUCO prospect he is, setting himself up for a possible early jump to the NFL?  Because in that case the staff has a different 2018 roster to think about.  Conversely, do freshmen like Deandre Johnson or Matthew Butler look like future SEC stars, in which case the need for another instant impact DE is a lot less pressing?  In a worst case scenario, do none of the DEs play well, such that the staff feels like they need more immediate help in 2018?
2. Another factor is the status of Dorian Gerald, a current jewel of the class and an expected immediate contributor in 2018 as a JUCO early enrollee. While Gerald maintains he is 100% committed to the Vols, not only are other schools still after him, he’s also actually in the process of setting up official visits to places like Louisville (less of a threat) and South Carolina (the home-state school).  The Vols definitely have to have a contingency plan were he to bolt.
3. Finally, depending on how the season goes, we may see the defensive end board expand to include no-brainer studs that aren’t currently strongly considering the Vols. Someone like Adam Anderson, who has been to campus and is being recruited hard by good friend and UT commit Jamarcus Chatman, or a guy like UGA commitment Azeez Ojulari could reignite their interest in the Vols, especially if UGA struggles on the field again in Year 2 for Kirby Smart.

As we’ve discussed, I like prospects like Caleb Kelly, Caleb Johnson, and Andrew Johnson just fine.  They seem like likely SEC contributors but not likely NFL prospects – kind of like Corey Vereen – and there is nothing wrong with that.  But in my opinion, the DE roster has enough low-ceiling/high floor players.  To me, if they indeed are going to add another DE in this class, the staff should be targeting upside now that they’ll have fixed the numbers (and talent issue) at the position.

There is obviously the issue of how interested Kamara and any of the other remaining DEs on the board actually are in Tennessee.  With Kamara, if he’s got a committable offer from a place like FSU it’s not like UT can simply call him up and land him.  They would need to recruit him very hard.

Interestingly, Oladele (who is also an early enrollee) is scheduled to make his official visit for the UGA game in late September, which could coincide with Kamara’s official visit.  That should mean that the staff has a pretty good idea of what they think the 2018 DE roster is going to look like, both in terms of numbers and in terms of talent.  It also means that they might have to make a decision on how they want to handle the spot if either/both of Oladele and Kamara want to commit.

The best case scenario is that the Vols are 4-0 when the Dawgs come to Knoxville, the DEs have played well and shown promise for the future, and that the on-field success has created increased interest in some of the elite DEs mentioned above.  While it can be difficult, it’s always good to have options, and the more you win the more options you have.  How the staff handles those possible options at the DE position in particular will be fascinating to watch.

 

 

The Vols are two weeks out from the season opener, a nationally televised contest against Georgia Tech in the brand new Mercedes Benz Dome in Atlanta.  And while having the national attention that comes with the game, especially as the only game on Labor Day evening, is attractive, many including myself have questioned the idea of playing a team like Tech at all.  From their unique triple option offense, preparation for which yields no down-the-road benefits, to their dangerous blocking schemes that put your defensive line at risk of injury, there are a lot of downsides to playing the Yellow Jackets.  So why play this game at all?

Three very important reasons: 1. Recruiting. 2. Recruiting.  3. Recruiting.

The state of Georgia is consistently one of the best in the country when it comes to producing high level talent, and for years the Vols have had a lot of success recruiting the Peach State.  Team 121 has fourteen scholarship players from the Peach State on the roster, and the Class of 2018 already boasts 5 commitments from Georgians, each of whom are big time prospects.

As part of the neutral site game, the Vols will be able to provide tickets (though not have contact with) to around 100 prospects and their families.  For the current class, it’s a chance to show your current committed players and their families what their future “home” looks like and to further solidify the positive feelings that led to those commitments.  With 2018 GA prospects the Vols are still recruiting, it’s a chance for Tennessee to show off in an unofficial capacity and get an extra “visit” from those players and then hopefully parlay that into at least one unofficial visit for a game in Neyland.  For prospects in the classes of 2019 and beyond, it’s a chance for Butch and Co. to kick off relationships with players and show them and their families what Tennessee Football is all about.

Below are the players I think the Vols will be targeting to get to The Dome:

Current 2018 commitments from Georgia

• RB Anthony Grant (confirmed attendee)
• RB LJ Dixon
• WR Jatavious Harris
• DL Jamarcus Chatman
• S Trey Dean

2018 Uncommitted* Prospects

• CB Jaycee Horn
• DE Caleb Johnson
• DE Andrew Johnson
• DE Caleb Kelly
• DE Richard Jibunor
• DE Adam Anderson (a long shot, but he’s been to Knoxville this summer and is best friends with Chatman)

*I imagine the Vols will try to get guys committed elsewhere to come, like Azeez Ojulari (UGA), Caleb Tannor (UGA), and Tobe Umerah (Stanford).  Can’t hurt…

Horn and Jibunor are two players in particular who Tennessee is fighting very hard for, both of whom the Vols are in two-team races for, and both of whom are targeting September decisions.  If they can get those two to come for this game and then get at least an unofficial visit for a game in Neyland (Indiana State or UGA are the two home games in September) that would go a very long way.

Class of 2019

The Georgia class of 2019 is widely considered to be one of the best in the state in recent memory, and the Vols have already made inroads with a lot of top prospects.  In particular, elite players the Vols would love to see in the Dome are RB Derrian Brown (Anthony Grant’s teammate), WR Ramel Keyton, and S Joseph Charleston (the younger brother of current Tennessee baseball player Jay Charleston).  All of these prospects have been to Knoxville at least once and have a great deal of interest in Tennessee.

I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Tennessee do major outreach with some of the top local high school programs, even if the Vols aren’t currently in the running for their respective top players, as a way to engender goodwill with those coaches and administrators.  That’s another way to use this game as a long-term building block for recruiting in this state, and as we know Butch Jones never misses a chance to get a leg up in recruiting.

Bottom line: This is a huge opportunity to get your program in front of Atlanta-area prospects in a very unique way.  I expect there to be a Vol Walk like we saw last year in Bristol, to have about 75% of the stadium in Big Orange, and for the Vols to win convincingly against Tech.  It should be a great atmosphere and should pay dividends for the Vols with recruits in the current class as well as 2019 and beyond.  That’s why you play the game, now the Vols have to execute on and off the field.  I’m confident they will.

 

https://twitter.com/paxbrooks/status/898334177011023872

Thursday night’s Twitter announcement from West Columbia, South Carolina, punter Paxton Brooks that he’d committed to Tennessee may not have gotten you all hot and bothered.

Maybe it should have (at least in football terms, of course).

The 6’5″, 170-pound specialist chose the Vols over offers from North Carolina State, Wake Forest and Army. No, those aren’t the best football programs in the country, but Brooks is an Under Armour All-American, so he must be doing something right.

Brooks gives Tennessee a commit at a much-needed area of need with stud senior Trevor Daniel set to run out of eligibility and head to the NFL after 2017. Former Farragut punter Joe Doyle — himself another former Under Armour All-American — is a walk-on at UT with a high upside, but the Vols needed to make sure they had a viable player at a vital position.

If you don’t think so, fast forward to the 2:18 point of this video to recall Daniel’s punt against Georgia in 2015 — one of the pivotal plays in a crucial win.

Yeah, what were you saying again?

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones does a great job recruiting kickers, and while getting their commitments aren’t going to cause many to dance in the streets, they’re necessary. Brooks has the potential to be a good one.

When it comes to kickers, few services are more well-known than Kohl’s, who ranks him the second-best punter in the nation. The Vols moved on from the hiccup-quick commitment of Skyler DeLong, who pledged to UT before visiting — and ultimately flipping — to Alabama back earlier this summer.

“Ever since I came to campus for the first time, I fell in love with Tennessee,” Brooks told VolQuest’s Jesse Simonton and Austin Price.

That’s good news for UT, who needs Brooks to stick and be a stud. Here are some highlights from his junior year, where he hit 8-of-10 field goals and averaged 41 yards per punt.

https://twitter.com/paxbrooks/status/806480644784132100

Brooks will have some huge shoes to fill in big-booted Daniel, who went from walk-on to revelation in Knoxville following the resurgence of Michael Palardy and Matt Darr in their final two years at UT. Everybody knows about the Colquitts, and UT has done a very good job grabbing punters over the years. Maybe Brooks is the next in a long line of strong kickers.

With spots already at a premium to fill out this class, the Vols now have 21 pledges. It’s going to be interesting to see how they fill the remaining handful of spots. You have to think that cornerback Joe Horn and offensive lineman Jerome Carvin are two of the biggest targets remaining on the board. Beyond that, the Vols would almost certainly not turn away two pass-rushing defensive ends, and they’re targeting some big names. But they also would like to add a receiver or two, and that would put them over what presumably would be the 25 players they’re allotted.

Jones rarely has an issue with numbers and makes them work out, but with such a strong group of prospects in the fold, it’s going to be interesting to see who — if any — the Vols cut loose or try to convince to get creative to make the numbers work. Regardless, as Brooks’ tweet says, he’s got a full scholarship, which means he’ll take a spot in that class, if accurate.

Still, it’s always good to have a good punter.

With 20 commitments and a Top 5 nationally-ranked class, the Vols still have a handful of needs to address.  And even though the commitment list already includes a group of five defensive linemen with a diverse set of both sizes and skill sets, another pure rush defensive end is foremost among those remaining needs.

Guys like Adam Anderson, Azeez Ojulari, and Alabama commitment Jordan Davis are at the top of Tennessee’s wish list, but both Anderson and Ojulari are at this time thought to be Georgia leans and Davis looks to be solid in his pledge to the Tide.  Therefore, UT is looking at another group of defensive ends to fill that last spot, among them fellow Georgians Caleb Johnson, Caleb Kelly, and Andrew Johnson. The three Peach State natives are all solid prospects with nice offer lists, and all have been to Knoxville this spring/summer.  Caleb Johnson in particular seems to be very high on the Vols, and Georgia and Florida are in the mix there as well.  But it’s Floridian (by way of Nigeria…hat tip to Volquest’s Austin Price) Kayode Oladele that I think the staff should be focused on for the last spot.

Why Oladele?

Interestingly, while DE is a definite question mark headed into 2017 due to the lack of experience, in 2018 and beyond the position will have experience, talent, and a lot of bodies.  Below are the returning DEs in 2018:

• Jonathan Kongbo
• Darrell Taylor
• Kyle Phillips
• Deandre Johnson
• Ryan Thaxton
• Jaquan Blakely

There are of course some variables there, including the potential for any of Kongbo/Taylor/Phillips to leave early for the NFL if they have a big year in 2017.  On the flip side, the list also leaves out guys like LB/DE Austin Smith, who could be a pass-rushing specialist starting this season, as well as true freshman Matthew Butler, who is likely to be a guy who situationally shifts inside and outside as long as he doesn’t get too big.

That list also doesn’t include 2018 DE commitments Dorian Gerald (a plug and play JUCO early enrollee); Derek Barnett look-alike Jamarcus Chatman; and erstwhile DE and 5-star stud Greg Emerson.  With all of those talented players, there just isn’t going to be a need for the sixth DL in this class to get on the field and contribute immediately.

And that’s where Oladele comes in. He’s the ultimate high ceiling prospect, exactly the kind of kid the staff should be targeting for its last DL spot in the class.  Similarly to the Vols’ situation at OL, where their depth and talent allowed them to take a long-term prospect with massive upside in Tanner Antonutti, Tennessee can afford to roll the dice on a guy like Oladele who has NFL potential at DE.

He is without a doubt very raw, having only played football for one year, and he’s got a ways to go in terms of technique and just knowing how to play the game.  However, Oladele fits the prototype for edge rushers. He has elite length and burst, superior quickness, and is a physical specimen that looks like he’s been in a college weight room for a few years already.

He also impressed industry scouts at camps this spring with how far he has come. At a Rivals camp in March, industry scouts noted that Oladele had made big time strides in technique since the last time they had seen him.  He followed that up by being a top performer at a Miami Hurricanes camp in June and then earned an Auburn offer with a strong performance at their camp in July. He also worked out with Coach Hoke in Knoxville In July despite already having a Vols offer and impressed the veteran DL guru.  So while he is likely a ways away from being ready to contribute in the SEC, the fact that he’s already improving is a very good sign.  Finally, he’s an early enrollee, so not only is he by definition a strong student but he’ll be able to get a jump start on that development with 15 spring practices before his freshman season.

Where does Oladele’s recruitment stand?

Oladele just named a Top 5 of UT, FSU, Auburn, UGA, and Ole Miss.  I don’t see it with FSU, and if he ends up at Ole Miss it will be because neither of UT/UGA/AU were willing to take him, which I don’t see happening.  So to me it’s a three-team race.  Furthering that thought is that he’s already set official visits for Tennessee (September 30 for the UGA game) and Auburn.  I believe he will take one to UGA, too, though it hasn’t yet been set.

Notably, where Auburn might have a slight advantage is that they already have two Nigerian natives on the roster — offensive tackles Prince Tega Wanogho Jr. and Prince Sammons.  This is helping the Tigers out with fellow Nigerian and Vols target Richard Jibunor out of GA, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Auburn pushes that connection with Oladele as well.

Given his lack of polish, some teams may be waiting to see how he looks on the field this fall.  And UGA in particular not only lead for Anderson and Ojulari (along with DE commitment Caleb Tannor), but they also need guys who can play immediately.  So the Dawgs might not be ready to take him soon.  That may give one of Tennesse/Auburn (whose DE situation I’m not up to date on) a chance to get a leg up by pushing earlier than that.  Whether the Vols staff does that or not is to be determined.

To be clear, I think the aforementioned Johnsons (Caleb and Andrew) Kelly are all very good prospects whose respective offer lists tell you they can likely play in the SEC.  However, none of them have the ceiling to be (in my opinion) a high-round NFL draft pick like Oladele does.  That said, their respective floors might be higher than Oladele’s because they aren’t anywhere near as raw.  But given what the Vols have returning at DE in 2018 and beyond, to go with their very strong 2018 DL commitments, I would push hard for Oladele and his upside to cap off the class.