Category Archives: Recruiting

There’s been a lot of talk about the linebacker position in the class of 2018, as the Vols have yet to land a player there.  Questions abound:

Should the Vols take more than one linebacker in 2018?

The argument for taking more than one LB in this class is that, while there is some young talent on the roster (and there is no doubt that’s true for returnees, but early returns on class of 2017 have also been strong), last season proved that there just isn’t enough top-end talent, especially if injuries strike like they did in 2016.  So, the idea is to stockpile as many talented players as you can, just as you would at any position.

The argument against taking more than one LB in this class is that not only do you have a large number of LBs on the roster right now and even into at least 2018, but Tennessee and college football in general is moving to a 4-2-5 base defense, meaning there are fewer and fewer linebacker spots on a roster. That nickel base also allows a creative defensive coordinator like Bob Shoop to use dynamic talents like freshman Maleik Gray in hybrid roles where he can technically function as a nickelback or a safety but spend most of his time wreaking havoc in the box.

My take

I lean toward the argument of taking just one linebacker. Not only do I think the LB talent on the roster leans strongly toward the young side, the idea that you just don’t need that many LBs anymore rings true to me.  I also think there are more pressing needs on the roster, and every spot is valuable.  Hopefully, young players like returnees Quart’e Sapp and Daniel Bituli, along with a handful of freshmen like Shanon Reid and Will Ignont, will perform well enough to make the staff feel good about the stable they have already assembled.

If the Vols are only taking one LB in this class, who should they target?

When it comes to individual players in this class, I’ve been an advocate for a heavy pursuit of Xavier Peters from Ohio. To me, he looks like an elite talent that due to Ohio State filling up at the position (and perhaps his potential academic/off-field issues — attitude, not character per se) is “landable.” However, to date the Vols have not pushed, and he is currently committed to Kentucky. The two LBs remaining on the board at this point are Matthew Flint from Alabama and in-state product Cam Jones from the suburbs of Memphis.  By all accounts, the Vols really like both of them and would be willing to take the first one that jumps in the boat.

What’s interesting about these two is that despite being the two players from which Tennessee will likely land its one LB in the class, they are vastly different prospects.  While Flint is on the smaller side at around 6’1″, 205 pounds and fits the type of LB who the Vols have recruited a lot of over the last few classes, Jones is a heavier kid and measures in around 6’4″. Jones would easily be the tallest LB on the roster were he to sign with Tennessee.  Flint’s game is speed and athleticism – he’s been clocked at sub 4.5 at multiple camps, and he showed out at a Rivals camp this spring with performances in SPARQ-type measurements (high jump, shuttle, etc.) that were comparable to much more highly ranked players at multiple positions.

Cam is no slouch either – watching his film (as an amateur, mind you) to me it is incredibly impressive how a kid his size moves so well side-to-side while at the same time playing a bunch of different positions, from WR to DE to KR to LB.  He has the potential to be a monster, for sure.  But he’s less experienced as an actual LB than Flint is, so to a degree you’re projecting him at LB more than knowing he can actually play the position.

Flint’s offer list is headlined by both Auburn and Ole Miss, markedly better than Jones, who is choosing between the Vols, Missouri, and Group of Five Memphis State. He also practices and plays against materially better competition than Jones does. Making matters more interesting, Jones is not only an in-state prospect (from the Memphis area that the Vols would love to make more headway in, no less), he’s also a legacy; Cam’s brother Laron Harris played DL for the Vols in the early-mid 2000s. He’s also friends with big time OL prospect Jerome Carvin and would-be DE target/Alabama commit Jordan Davis.  So there are some wrinkles in that recruitment that extend beyond the individual kid.

My take

Assuming that a) passing/not waiting any longer on Jones won’t cost you Carvin, b) landing Jones wouldn’t mean you’re all of a sudden landing the aforementioned Davis, and c) you’re not going to go after Peters, I lean toward pushing for Flint. I can’t say enough that I’m not a scout (professional or otherwise), but as mentioned above while you’re projecting Jones to be a big time LB who can help you win championships, Flint is a known commodity at the position with offers from much better programs. Watch him at the Rivals Atlanta Camp – he’s the only LB able to stick with RBs in the 1-on-1 drills, and he does it with both physicality and quickness.  He’s got the size/speed combo you’ve been making your prototype in the last few years, so he fits your system to a tee, and he also doesn’t carry the possibility of turning into a “tweener” or simply outgrowing the position like Jones does.  Finally, Flint is an early enrollee, which as we’ve seen makes him all the more valuable as a prospect as he’ll be much more likely to be ready to contribute immediately.  All that said, Jones could blow up this season at LB and see his offer list explode as schools see him actually perform at the position, so in no way do I think this is an easy call. For the record, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Vols take both Flint and Jones. They’re both excellent prospects and the numbers have a way of working themselves out. It will be fascinating to see how the coaches approach this now that the summer is over and the season is upon us.

For years under Mark Richt, Georgia supplemented its in-state recruiting in one of the most talent-rich states in the country by dipping into neighboring Florida, an even deeper state in terms of high school football talent.  You don’t have to go back that far to find highly recruited stars like Aaron Murray and Orson Charles – guys that set the table for the Dawgs to sign 12 Floridians in total from 2014-2017.  That list includes recent names like Isaiah McKenzie as well as standouts on the current team such as Sony Michel, Isaiah Wynn, and Riley Ridley.

By doing work over a long period of time to establish a brand in Florida, Georgia has set itself up to seriously compete with the Sunshine State’s Big Three and pull big timers out of the state, and Kirby Smart is capitalizing on that in the current class of 2018.  Georgia is a legit contender for highly recruited guys like former FSU RB commit James Cook, WR Anthony Schwartz, and DBs Tyreke Johnson, Gilbert Frierson (Miami commit), and Nadab Joseph (LSU commit).  They are going head to head with FSU, Miami, and Florida for these kids, and are serious contenders for all of them.This isn’t by accident, because Smart is necessarily a great recruiter, or because the Bulldogs have former Miami assistant James Coley on staff.  Those are all potential factors, sure.  But it’s mainly because the program has developed deep ties in the state, both via high school staffs as well as constantly having Floridians on the roster who have blazed that trail.

Why this matters for Tennessee

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 state of Florida.  All of those players have bright futures and are even expected to be contributors to Team 121.  Notably, however, with the exception of OL Marcus Tatum and WR Latrell Williams in 2016, UT didn’t have to seriously fight any of the Big Three for these kids.

So far for the class of 2018, the Vols have three Florida natives on the commitment list: QB Michal Penix and DBs Tanner Ingle (who I am a big fan of), and Brandon Cross.  These three players are very well thought of and the staff loves each of them after seeing them camp multiple times. However, UT isn’t having to compete with FSU/Miami/Florida for any of them, at least at this point*.  Interestingly, of the remaining FL players on the 2018 board – WR Shocky Jacques-Louis, WR Jeshaun Jones, the aforementioned Schwartz, and DE Kayode Oladele – three of them have legit offers from at least one of the instate powers.

What Butch Jones is doing here is playing the long game.  By establishing a strong presence in the state of Florida, albeit so far mostly with players for whom he hasn’t had to fight the Big Three, he’s setting up the Tennessee program to be a legitimate contender for players that those in-state powers do want going forward, perhaps even in the immediate future.  An interesting thing about kids from Florida (especially those from South Florida who grow up knowing nothing but the Miami program and its empty off-campus stadium and absence of a true fan base) is that they are almost always blown away when they visit Knoxville and the UT campus, which is all the more reason for the significant investment in the state both in terms of attention. The Vols have also already offered a ton of 2019 and 2020 kids from Florida, and the staff spent a lot of time at satellite camps in the state during the spring. More importantly, with OC Larry Scott and now WR Coach Kevin Beard, the Tennessee staff has ties to the state. If those guys can get Florida kids to campus, then UT almost always has a real chance to land them, and both of them have serious juice (hat tip to Jesse Simonton from Volquest.com for the term) in the state.

As the state of Tennessee churns out more and more elite players, it will allow UT to not only fill a larger and larger portion of its roster with big time in-state talent, but also be pickier about who it recruits from outside its borders.  The Vols already have Georgia as one state it’s been able to depend heavily on for out of state blue chip talent; already four of UT’s 2018 commits hail from the Peach State, and they are fighting hard for a few more.  States like North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio have provided Tennessee with some great players over the years, but they haven’t been consistent producers for the Vols and instead have been states where UT can cherry pick a player or two every cycle.  However, if this investment in Florida pans out and Butch develops another area from which he can consistently land elite players, this would be a game changer for the program.  I think this is an incredibly smart strategy Butch is pursuing, and I anticipate that the fruits of this will begin to show up shortly with the Vols winning more and more head-to-head battles with the Big Three for elite talent from the Sunshine State, just like Georgia has been able to do for quite a while.

*It must be said that Ohio State and others continue to sniff around Penix and both Ingle and Cross have really nice out of state offer lists.

As the offseason comes to a close, Tennessee wraps up its summer camp series with what is being billed as a mini-Orange Carpet Day tomorrow, July 20^th.  Multiple current commitments, including QB commitment Michael Penix and big timers from Georgia and Florida, will be there along with a group of top-of-the-board targets that has become really impressive at the 11^th hour (more on that below.)

The Vols currently sit with 17 public commitments and a Top 5 national recruiting ranking, and as we discussed recently, have the luxury of being very picky with its remaining spots.

A few thoughts:

Mini-Orange Carpet Day Suddenly No Longer Looks “Mini”

Just 24 hours ago it appeared that the only two headliners for this weekend in terms of uncommitted prospects were going to be PJ Mustipher and Jaycee Horn.  However, since then Volquest.com has reported that the visitor list now features multiple high-level targets, making the day a real opportunity for the staff.  Below are my thoughts on each of them:

DT PJ Mustipher: I think the staff would like to add another DT to the class of 2018.  That makes a guy like Mustipher incredibly important, and the fact that he made it out of his visit to PSU last weekend without committing and will be on campus tomorrow is very good news.  This will be Mustipher’s third visit to campus, having attended the Bama game last season and then a spring practice in April.  He would be another big time piece to what is already shaping up as one of the best DL classes in UT history.

CB Jaycee Horn: News broke a few weeks ago that Horn, who had recently eliminated the Vols and announced a top two of Alabama and South Carolina, was not only communicating with the UT staff but had scheduled another visit for the 20^th.  Since then things seem to have continued to trend Tennessee’s way, and this visit is a big opportunity for Butch and Co. to solidify themselves in this recruitment, if not end it.  He is currently planning on going to Alabama’s Champions Cookout the next day, but there is speculation that he doesn’t currently have a commit-able offer from the Tide – that remains to be seen and is the ultimate wildcard here in my opinion.  The good news for the Vols is that that Bama event is the same day as a similar event South Carolina is hosting.  I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility at all that Horn commits to the Vols and shuts it down (to the extent anyone actually shuts down their recruitment anymore).  He would be the type of elite talent at CB that Tennessee has struggled to land for a long time, and would be a great complement to the South Florida tandem of Brandon Cross/Tanner Ingle that project more at the nickel or even safety positions.

DE Adam Anderson The first of the new adds to the list, Anderson’s recruitment is a very interesting situation. He, along with current Vols commitment Jamarcus Chatman and their fellow Rome, Georgia teammate and DL Jaquon Griffin were all once LSU commitments.  As we know, Chatman decommitted from LSU immediately after his Orange Carpet Day visit and subsequently pledged to the Vols.  Griffin, while still technically committed to the Tigers, has expressed strong interest in the Vols as well, although at this point he is not a take.  Anderson, who has now decommitted from UGA before LSU, is back on the market and is presumed to have UGA and Alabama at the top of his list, though he did list UT in his recently released Top Five.  Many thought this was only for show, but just getting him to campus is a minor win in and of itself.  We shall see how much this visit makes the Vols a player here, but the connection to Chatman and his family is strong for Anderson and you can be sure there will be some serious peer recruiting from Chatman and others (see: Harris, Jatavious, as the No. 1 example).  Without a doubt Anderson becomes the top rush defensive end on the Vols’ board along with fellow Georgian Azeez Ojulari.  Anderson is the type of talent that I am talking about in terms of aiming high and leveraging the kind of class the Vols have, both in quality and quantity, and taking big swings at big time talent.

DE Azeez Olujari – After spending two nights in Athens last week, there is a lot of buzz that UGA is the leader for this prototypical rush DE.  That said, this will be Ojulari’s third trip to Knoxville since the spring and comes on the heels of his Orange Carpet Day visit last month.  While no one seems to think the Vols are in front here, he obviously has a real affinity for the program, the coaches, and the campus.  The more visits the better, and with a potential preseason decision the staff has to really like getting him back again.

DE Kayode Oledale –Oledale decommitted from FSU a few weeks ago and right now Miami is considered to be a the top – he’s been to campus a few ties and is expected at their Paradise Camp this weekend as well.  That said, the Vols have been mentioned as a dark horse here for a while despite him never having visited, and we’ve seen what happens when kids from South Florida see what UT and Knoxville have to offer.  He’s very raw and likely isn’t an immediate contributor, but he’s a “first off the bus” looking kid with the kind of size/athleticism/strength combo that suggests an incredibly high ceiling.

DE Caleb Kelly – An interesting prospect who at 6’3 205 right now projects as an edge type, Kelly visited for Orange Carpet Day and very recently include the Vols in a Top Five along with Stanford, Michigan State, UVA, and Ole Miss.  He’s a very high academic kid, with offers from lower-tier football programs with strong academic reps like Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, and Yale (along with, of course, Stanford), Kelly is likely a guy the staff wants to see perform during the season before taking (just my opinion, of course) but someone who looks like a really nice prospect.

DE/LB Richard Jibunor (tentative) – Jibunor is a guy who could project as an LB or a DE and is, quite frankly, a freak athlete.  The word is that he likes the LB spot and while the Vols have been recruiting him as a rush DE there has been some speculation that the staff is perhaps actually looking at more traditional DEs like the guys above.  My guess is that they also aren’t sure he would be good enough in space to play OLB.  It could be moot, as right now by most accounts the Vols are behind Auburn.  However, he may like the Tennessee more than anyone thinks, and if he does make it back to campus it’s not only a good sign of his continued strong interest but also may be an opportunity for the staff to see him at either position and make a decision.

DB Trey Dean (tentative) – While most consider Dean to be a strong UGA lean and a safety prospect to boot, the Vols appear to be recruiting him as a corner and/or nickel (where he has performed pretty well, especially at his size at some big time camps including the Rivals 5-Star Challenge).  If he does show, it likely means he’s giving the Vols a serious look with a decision coming relatively soon.  He’s the type of talent that you’d make room for as a fourth CB if you can land both him and Horn.

To Add Another TE or Not?

I’ve been pretty consistent in my opinion that if Tennessee can’t land one of its top targets for the second TE spot then they shouldn’t reach lower down the board and instead should use that spot in the class at a different position.  Now that James Mitchell is no longer coming to campus tomorrow and appears to be a strong Virginia Tech lean, combined with further thought that Tommy Tremble is Notre Dame-bound, that thought hasn’t changed.  That said, it is clear that the UT staff would like to add another TE to this class, as evidenced by this week’s offer to summer-breakout prospect Luke Ford from Illinois.  Ford is a former Arkansas commit who now has offers from Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan (his presumed current Top Three) among other heavyweights.  Although it remains to be seen if the Vols can truly get involved with Ford, a TE prospect of this caliber is the type of player the staff should be targeting if they are in fact going to sign two TEs in the class.  If they can’t get in the mix here, my hope is that they will continue to aim high.

Dry Powder

With 17 commitments currently and at least one very strong lean out there in Memphis LB Cam Jones who could pop any day (not to mention other top prospects that are possible preseason decisions like Horn, Mustipher, OL Jerome Carvin, and WR Shocky Jacques-Louis), the remaining spots are limited.  Something I think would be interesting for the coaching staff to consider is the idea of leaving some powder dry in this class to ensure there is room for a graduate transfer for the 2018 season.  Had UT not had scholarship room for Shaq Wiggins, either in terms of overall numbers or initial counters (and I don’t pretend to know the roster machinations behind the scenes), the outlook for the secondary this season would be vastly different.  As grad transfers become more and more frequent in college football, UT will remain an attractive destination for kids looking to play for championships in their final season.  Obviously, I am not privy to how and when the coaching staff finds out about these possibilities, but I think it is something the staff should consider and game plan for as they figure out how to fill out this class.

A Final Thought (for now)

Obviously, Butch is recruiting at a very high level now, both for the class of 2018 as well as into the future.  We know what this class looks like right now, and the groundwork has been laid for success in what should be loaded in-state classes of 2019 and 2020.  Along with that, the current roster is set up for the 2018 and 2019 teams to be loaded not just with high level talent but also tons of experience.  Therefore, a strong season on the field in 2017 (I’d say nine regular season wins would qualify) would likely propel this program to heights it has rarely seen.  If that happens, Butch will have to make some decisions when it comes to more and more elite players wanting to jump on board – just look at the kind of talent coming to town, yet again, tomorrow.  Will be interesting to watch for sure.

The Tennessee Volunteers moved into the top three of 247Sports’ team recruiting rankings yesterday when they secured the commitment of defensive end Dorian Gerald and defensive end Adam Anderson decommitted from LSU. Gerald’s commitment moved Tennessee into the fourth spot, and Anderson’s decommittment put them into the top three behind Miami and Ohio State.

That puts the Vols first in the SEC, ahead of LSU (No. 5), Texas A&M (No. 12), Kentucky (No. 16), Vanderbilt (No. 28), South Carolina (No. 34), Mississippi State (No. 38), Arkansas (No. 41), and Ole Miss (No. 45) in the Top 50.

Tennessee currently has 17 commitments, including one 5-star, seven 4-stars, and nine 3-stars, which still gives them a blue-chip ratio of under .500. It will be interesting to see what they do with the rest of their class. As DylanVol said yesterday, they can now afford to be especially picky the rest of the way, and they’ll need to to hold off traditional recruiting rivals Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

Currently, Alabama has only six total commitments, including five 4-stars and one 3-star. Florida and Georgia each have seven total commitments, with the Gators having two 4-stars and five 3-stars and the Bulldogs having one 5-star, one 4-star, and four 3-stars.

It’s, of course, extremely early, and National Signing Day is still seven months away, so a lot will happen between now and then. Alabama has a remarkable ability to finish the recruiting season with the best player available at each position, and Georgia and Florida usually do extremely well, too. Things are going to tighten up.

Currently, Tennessee and Georgia are the only SEC teams to have commitments from 5-star players. There are 25 5-star players in this year’s class (at this time), and 15 of them are uncommitted. There are another 337 4-star players.

Although it’s early and we expect a lot of shifting in the standings over the next seven months, there is no doubt that the Vols are in great position right now. They can hold that ground if they indeed are picky with the rest of their commitments and fill out the class with more blue-chippers.