Category Archives: Recruiting

Gameday Today: Sensible quotes on Rocky Top, but no plans for Dubai

Gameday Today is awestruck at all of the sensible things said on Rocky Top over the weekend and disappointed at news the Vols will not be playing in Dubai anytime soon. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

So the Vols hire a public relations expert and suddenly everybody’s saying all of the right things.

Bob Shoop falls on his sword, taking responsibility first:

“[M]aybe [I] was a little bit stubborn right there . . . I really wanted to force-fit, this is my style of defense or whatever. I probably didn’t do a great job at times of tailoring things.”

But ending on a positive note:

“The bowl game was the one game we really put together that looked like my vision for the defense.”

And then he’s making music when talking about the linebacker position as well:

“Kirkland had a good spring,” Shoop said before Saturday’s Big Orange Caravan Stop at Chattanooga’s First Tennessee Pavilion. “He’s hopefully the Derek Barnett, the alpha male of the defense. He’s vocal. He’s a good leader. He’s good high football intelligence. He’s smart, tough, unselfish and he wants it. I think he’s a little bit like Kongbo and myself.

“I mean, I don’t think 2016 went the way Darrin Kirkland, Jonathan Kongbo and Bob Shoop wanted. We talk about that all the time, and Darrin’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s really determined.”

Offensive coordinator Larry Scott also gets in on the action with this sensible tone-setter for the incoming guys:

“Let’s start by being on time and being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there, and then making sure that when you’re there, you’re 100 percent locked in and you’ve giving the very best effort you have.”

Even new athletic director John Currie managed to deftly walk the narrow ledge in voicing his opinion about Butch Jones:

“I believe you look at what has been accomplished and where we stand today versus where we were four years ago,” Currie told GoVols247. “We’ve made incredible progress in our program — academically, athletically, talent, engagement. There’s no measure where we’re not better than we were four years ago.

“We want to win every single game. There are going to be some years, eventually, where we do win every single game. But we have to make sure that the fundamentals that are in place to continue to build towards those championships that we all want to win, we have to make sure that those fundamentals continue.

. . . .

“I’m very impressed with recruiting organization. I’m impressed with the energy. I’m impressed with creativity and thought.”

And coach Jones, well, he answered questions about the quarterback battle by saying nothing and keeping his feet far away from his mouth. One interesting note in that article is that Quinten Dormady is practicing with NFL quarterback Jeff Christensen and Jarrett Guarantano is practicing with George Whitfield Jr.

More good news

The defensive line is healing up quite nicely, thank you.

Shoop thinks that the late addition of graduate transfer Shaq Wiggins is going to make a big difference, and he’s excited about all of his options at linebacker.

Tennessee will be getting its new QBs (and its secondary) a little extra practice by allowing some 7-on-7 drills this summer.

Breaking news

The Vols will not be playing in Dubai.

Hoops

Rick Barnes thinks SEC basketball is ” probably in the best shape it’s been since back in the early 2000s.” John Fulkerson, though, is not yet back from injury.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

We’ve already been over oddsmaker Danny Sheridan saying that he thought Kentucky would beat Tennessee this fall, but this article from 247Sports orders the guy’s quotes in a way I found amusing. Paraphrased: “I was wrong last year. I can confidently say what’s going to happen this year.”

Class of 2020 Receiver Leonard Manuel has committed to Tennessee. Yeah, he’ll be a sophomore in high school this year.

There were nearly 1,000 people at the Big Orange Caravan in Chattanooga Saturday.

VFLs  Chad Clifton, Willie Gault, Haskel Stanback, Graham Vowell, and Al Wilson were all enshrined into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Saturday.

Here’s a look at the new-look Big Orange Caravan:

 

Gameday Today: Butch Jones, “classic over-explainer”

Gameday Today nods its head at the suggestion that Butch Jones is a “classic over-explainer,” loves new punters and old defensive ends, and wonders how many coaches will carry bullhorns on the sidelines this fall.

Butch Jones, Pitchforks, and Kum Ba Yah: An epilogue

Another national columnist weighs in, as USA Today’s Dan Wolken discusses Jones and his somewhat fragile relationship with a portion of the Tennessee fan base. Particularly interesting is Wolken’s suggestion that “you’re losing if you’re explaining, no matter how much you’re winning,” and his description of Jones as a “classic over-explainer.” It would seem that one of new athletic director John Currie’s main priorities is going to be managing “the disconnect between the real progress Tennessee has made under Jones and the toxic assessment of him that swirls around the social media sphere.” Well, that and deciding how best to undo the Lady Vols brand mess.

Local guy Mike Griffith says in a bit of a throwaway comment that UT is actively limiting access to Jones and encouraging less discussion about football, presumably as part of a strategy to give Jones the time he needs this fall to let his performance speak for itself.

In not unrelated news, Jones and his staff will be in Chattanooga this Saturday to attend the Big Orange Caravan, which has been remade into a “low-cost, family-friendly deal, where if your kid runs around a little bit, you don’t have to keep them quiet the whole time.” That sounds like more of a tailgate party than a star chamber for the head coach, and I’m all for it. As long as they actually make it to the Tri Cities.

Recruiting

Tennessee got a commitment yesterday from the nation’s top-ranked punter, Skyler DeLong. Tennessee’s class currently ranks ninth in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Congrats to Tennessee quarterback commit Adrian Martinez, who was recently named an Under Armour All-American.

Tennessee extended several new offers to recruits yesterday, including linebacker Caleb Kelly, defensive end/linebacker Andrew Johnson, Top 50 defensive end Nathan Pickering, and offensive lineman Harry Miller. 

VFLs

Congratulations to VFL Derek Barnett for signing a four-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. No word on the details yet, but Spotrac had projected it to be nearly $13M.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

SEC head of football officials Steve Shaw has apparently said (via quote on Twitter, thus the crazy grammar) that “coaches coming onto the field to argue calls will get automatic 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty.” Who’s your pick for the first coach to start carrying a bullhorn on the sideline?

Tennessee barely snuck in to the Sporting News’ Preseason Top 25, at the 25th spot. SEC East teams ahead of them are Georgia (No. 10) and Florida (No. 15). So, Tennessee just has to beat them, and they’ll be in the Top 10, no problem.

RTT suggests that the mere presence of Chip Kelly is going to give athletic directors all over the country itchy trigger fingers this fall. That’s probably right.

If you can’t wait for the new roster to be updated, 247Sports has a 28-click list of jersey numbers for the Vols’ newcomers.

The punter with the greatest punting name in the history of names commits to Tennessee

A punter with a very Tennessee name and a very appropriate name committed to the Volunteers out of the blue on Thursday, and he has a ranking worthy of excitement, no matter how unsexy a kicking commit is.

Skyler DeLong — that’s right, SKYler DeLONG, an awesome name for a kid who will earn his scholarship booming footballs — a punter from Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina, decided to become the 12th Tennessee pledge on Tuesday, and while he told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan that he was firmly committed, he is still visiting Alabama this weekend and drawing interest from instate Clemson, too.

Sounds like the Vols are going to have to work to keep him. Even so, DeLong sounds like he’s excited to be a Vol.

“Hopefully I’ll be getting (an offer from) N.C. State, but I think I’m totally done with my recruiting and just ready to be part of Tennessee football,” said DeLong, who’s also ranked the nation’s No. 3 punter in the 2018 class by Kohl’s Professional Camps and the nation’s No. 2 punter by Chris Sailer Kicking, according to the article from Callahan.

“There’s probably, like, 15 to 17 schools, but I just told them, ‘Yeah, I’m done with my recruiting. Tennessee is where I want to be, but I thank you so much for recruiting me,’ and stuff like that.”

The kid is the nation’s top-ranked punter, according to 247Sports, and he averaged 48 yards per punt a season ago. If UT hangs onto him, DeLong has the potential to be a huge pickup, especially considering star punter Trevor Daniel is a senior who is out of eligibility following the 2017 season.

That means there’s opportunity for DeLong to step right in and be UT’s punter from Day One.

The punter’s pledge was met with excitement from some Vols assistants.

https://twitter.com/UTWWells/status/870363758740332544

https://twitter.com/coachcanales/status/870364578068213760

If you follow those two on Twitter, they’ve got some pretty hilarious reactions to pledges.

Also, while there hasn’t been any mention in the articles about it, the punter shares a common last name with a couple of Tennessee legends. Steve and Keith DeLong were All-American Volunteers, and those who follow UT closely knows that’s a name that is up there with Majors, Colquitts and others in the history books. So, even though Skyler isn’t likely a relative of the duo, it’s still pretty cool that he shares a common (uncommon) last name.

One of the most underrated facets of football is field position, and it cannot be overstated just how much of a weapon Daniel has been for the Vols the past couple of years and how vital it is to the health of the program to continue that by getting a strong-legged punter with which to replace him.

It seems the Vols have the guy they think is the answer in DeLong. He may not be the most exciting of UT’s commitments thus far in the 2018 class, but he very well may be one of the most important.

Gameday Today: ALL THE OUTRAGE OF THE DAY IN A SINGLE POST

Gameday Today rounds up the outrage of the day, including Butch Jones believing he’s making progress, Josh Dobbs wearing the colors of his new home, Vegas believing in Kentucky, and declining to cut off our South Florida nose to spite Lane Kiffin’s face.

Outrageous!

The SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida are underway, and so reporters are asking questions and coaches are opening their mouths and saying stuff that makes people MAD ONLINE:

“It’s a journey and it’s a process,” Butch Jones told reporters Tuesday. “I’m very, very grateful to all the players and staff that have really brought Tennessee football back. We still have so much to do, and it’s all about winning championships. But the first element that goes into winning championships is contending to win championships on a consistent basis, and our program has done that.”

The man said that we’ve taken a step, and OH THE HORROR AND OUTRAGE OF AGGRIEVED TWITTERERS! 

And the fire’s just beginning to burn. Because lo, Josh Dobbs is wearing a Penguins jersey! And the Tennessee-Kentucky line is a pick ’em! (This according to a motel in Vegas that apparently can’t afford a PDF scanner.) And Butch Jones has the audacity to believe that attending a Lane Kiffin satellite camp in South Florida isn’t awkward! I could spit!

I am OUTRAGED! INCENSED! MORTIFIED BY WORDS AND LAUNDRY AND STUFF! Mike Griffith, sir, why aren’t you mad? Do you hate America?

Football

Twenty-one members of the 2017 class reported to campus yesterday. With the five guys who enrolled in the spring and graduate transfer Shaq Wiggins also on campus and set to enroll Thursday, that leaves only receivers Jacquez Jones and Jordan Murphy on a delayed schedule. The team meets today and starts work with strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson tomorrow. Power up, boys!

Josh Smith and Todd Kelly Jr are having a workout party at D1 Sports Training and YOU’RE INVITED! You’ll have to have one of those Instagram thingies, though, because that article doesn’t say when or where, and you’ll have to track Smith and Kelly down by stalking them online.

Class of 2019 4-star receiver Kendrell Scurry has de-committed from Tennessee, and as far as I can tell, no one has used the word “scurry” to describe it, which is a terrible shame and a dereliction of duty for journalists and bloggers everywhere.

[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”][/ess_grid]

 

Miscellaneous fun stuff

Tennessee athletic director John Currie will continue to explore neutral-site games. I’ve loved those games against Oklahoma and Virginia Tech, but I do wonder whether ramping up your non-conference slate might somehow be making it more difficult to win the SEC East. 

Butch Jones is hinting that there are some shenanigans going on behind the curtain when it comes to graduate transfers. He’s all for letting graduates transfer with eligibility remaining, but thinks the NCAA and the conferences need to be careful about how they go about allowing it. That sounds reasonable, but I’m sure that we can find something outrageous if we look long enough.

CBS has ranked the SEC by difficulty of schedule and slotted Tennessee as having the third-easiest slate of the entire conference. Hey, I’m on record as loving where the bye week is this year, but it hardly makes up for drawing both Alabama and LSU from the West.

Tennessee-Florida is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS, as it should be.

We’re no fans of slideshows, but we’re such fans of great moments against the Florida Gators that we will gladly click ten times for all the feels on this one.

 

Gameday Today: Vols Tight Ends and the Ninja Persuader Dad Power

Football

Who knew that promoting your tight ends coach to offensive coordinator would ignite a sudden interest in the tight end position? Seriously, I go on vacation for a week and suddenly everyone’s talking about tight ends. The current roster is looking pretty good, as is the incoming crop of tight end recruits, including local guy Jacob Warren, who sounds like a mature young man who’s made a careful and considered choice to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing at Tennessee, all without any undue pressure from his father. More likely, his dad has unlocked the Ninja Persuader Dad Power that steers your kids in the right direction without them knowing it. Dad High Five.
 
Speaking of new recruits, the 2018 class, which is already looking good in May, could begin to look outstanding in June. And SEC Country has an interesting theory on how Tennessee has refined its recruiting pitch to in-state prospects, asking them to consider life back home after they’ve played for a rival out-of-state.
 
One of the guys who’s buying in is kicker Brent Cimaglia, the nation’s No. 4 kicker in the 2017 class from Franklin, Tennessee, who’s ready to go, like right now.
 
We said this a lot in our magazine, but we’ll keep saying it because it’s true: Tennessee’s offensive line is experienced, deep, and talented. 
 
There is no easing in to the 2017 season, with Tennessee  a meager three-point favorite over Georgia Tech. I’ll take “meager favorite” over “underdog” any day, but three points is making for a nervous summer.
 
Butch Jones is extolling the virtues and early results of his new strength and conditioning coach Rock Gullickson while simultaneously playing the expectations game by telling us all not to expect the hire to reduce injuries this fall. Last year’s injuries, he says, were all in the “freak” category, and there was no pattern suggesting any correlation between the injuries and last year’s strength and conditioning program. Which, of course, begs the question: Why the change then, coach? Expect someone at the upcoming Big Orange Caravan to ask. And then expect to hear Jones say the exact same thing with no new information. But there’ll be food.

Softball

The No. 8 Tennessee softball team beat No. 9 Texas A&M last night 8-1 and is one win away from advancing to the Women’s College World Series. They can clinch their spot with another win against the Aggies tonight at 5:00. ESPN2 has the broadcast.
 

Basketball

Rocky Top Talk looks at the incoming class of basketball recruits and predicts that they’re going to be a fun group to watch.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

 
[ess_grid alias=”grt-2017-promo-grid”]

Tennessee Continues to Churn Out Tight Ends in Recruiting

Though none of them have made a single play for the Tennessee Volunteers yet, head coach Butch Jones has found a tight end from within state borders for the third year in a row.

On Wednesday, the Vols got a much-needed and long-expected pledge from Farragut tight end Jacob Warren, a legacy whose father, James, was an offensive lineman for UT not that long ago. The athletic pass-catching weapon will need to put on 30-35 pounds and will probably benefit from a redshirt season, but he is an ideal, big-bodied athlete who has the frame to develop into a mismatch nightmare.

Now, it’s just a matter of whether Warren or either of the other two Volunteer State tight end prospects on the roster can emerge into the much-needed weapon at the position that UT needs. With former tight ends coach Larry Scott now calling the shots as the offensive coordinator, that is an exciting potential twist in the offense that could start with the emergence of senior Ethan Wolf in 2017.

If he follows through with his commitment and signs with Tennessee, Warren will join incoming freshman LaTrell Bumphus (Hardin County) and redshirt sophomore Austin Pope (Christian Academy of Knoxville) on the roster. All three were highly recruited, though none of them were 4-star prospects.

Bumphus will get his first shot on offense though teams such as Alabama, Auburn, Florida and others wanted him as a defensive end. If he flames out on that side of the ball, Bumphus could really provide a boost to the Vols off the edge on defense at a major position of need. Pope looks the part from an athleticism standpoint but needs to live in Rock Gullickson’s weight room and get stronger.

Then there’s Warren, who is 6’6″, 211 pounds and built like a receiver. However, with that massive frame, there’s nothing not to like about a prospect who could dazzle with his speed and upside at 250 pounds and has plenty of time and players in front of him to develop at his own pace. Teams such as Auburn, Oregon, Duke, Louisville, Oklahoma State and others wanted Warren; especially the Ducks where he took a visit.

In the end, he elected to stay home and follow in his father’s footsteps. Everywhere he went, he told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan he compared it to home.

“When I went to Oregon or Duke or whatever, it was kind of like, ‘Is this place going to be able to take me away from my home and away from Tennessee and everything?’” Warren said. “When I got to all my visits, none of those schools really drew me away from Tennessee. I guess Tennessee was always in the back of my mind when I went there. I was always kind of comparing them to Tennessee, so I guess none of those schools really stood out more to me than Tennessee did.”

That’s the kind of words you want to hear from a legacy, and Jones has thrived at signing those guys in his Tennessee tenure.

In a year where it looks like Jones is going to clean up instate, the Vols have added a bunch of East Tennessee flavor they hope will help the program take the big leap into the SEC Championship Game. The other two locals are 5-star offensive tackle Cade Mays and 3-star center Ollie Lane. Toss in 4-star Chattanooga [Baylor] safety Brendon Harris and ease on over into the eastern half of Middle Tennessee where stud receiver Alontae Taylor resides, and you’ve got a pretty good cadre of local boys prepared to play for the orange and white.

Warren isn’t a guy who’s going to wow you in the rankings, but he’s a player who is going to look like a great pickup a couple of years and 40 pounds from now. The Vols desperately need one or two of these instate tight ends to hit and become weapons for the future quarterbacks.

What Brendon Harris’s Commitment Means for the Vols

A year after Tennessee head coach Butch Jones struggled to keep instate players at home, he’s racking up on the trail in the Volunteer State in the 2018 cycle.

That trend continued Friday with the pledge of 4-star Chattanooga [Baylor School] safety Brendon Harris, who is an elite defensive back coveted by top teams in the country such as Clemson, Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State. In the end, he cited “loyalty” as a reason for committing to the Vols.

https://twitter.com/harrisbrendon2/status/865600481913053185

Harris is 6’1″, 205 pounds and hits like a linebacker. He’s super-intelligent and is also fast and very good in coverage. On 247Sports, he’s the 151st-rated overall player in the country and in the top 70 on Rivals. Though he’s not quite a can’t-miss star, he’s close, and he comes from a program in Chattanooga that has been very good to the Vols in the past. His defensive coordinator with the Red Raiders is former UT great Eric Westmoreland.

Harris is the sixth pledge for the Vols from Tennessee in an ’18 class that is loaded within state borders, joining 5-star lineman Cade Mays, 4-star receiver Alontae Taylor, 4-star defensive tackle Brant Lawless, 3-star offensive lineman Ollie Lane and 3-star safety Shatar McClay. Major targets such as 4-star defensive end Greg Emerson, 4-star running back Master Teague, 4-star offensive lineman Jerome Carvin, 3-star tight end Jacob Warren and 3-star linebacker Cam Jones, among others, remain on the board. It could be a year where the Vols wind up with 12-14 Tennessee boys to fill out a class.

This is huge news for Jones, who obviously has pushed the right buttons repairing any rocky relationships with prospects with these new assistant coaching hires. Tommy Thigpen still has a presence instate, but the additions of Walt Wells and Charlton Warren are paying dividends. Harris developed a relationship with Warren that was big for the Vols. Though Clemson and Ohio State were pushing Harris hard, he is a Tennessee boy who wanted to play for his home state.

That’s the message Jones is selling, and kids are listening. Last year, that wasn’t the case. Thus far, the only Volunteer State prospects that Tennessee desperately wanted and haven’t landed are offensive lineman Max Wray (Ohio State) and 4-star defensive end Jordan Davis of Memphis. The Vols are still trying hard to flip Davis, and he’s visited Knoxville recently, despite being firm to the Crimson Tide. Though getting Teague over Georgia and Auburn may be a battle, UT is heavy favorites for its other top instate targets.

On the field, this is a major win for Warren, who needs to revamp the secondary. The Vols should be able to find some playmakers among rookies Shawn Shamburger, Cheyenne Labruzza and Terrell Bailey at cornerback from the ’17 class. Then, Maleik Gray is an elite safety prospect, and Theo Jackson looks like a safety all the way, too. Add Harris into the fray along with Gray, Jackson and rising sophomore Nigel Warrior, and Tennessee looks extremely athletic on the back end.

Maybe with Willie Martinez gone, those guys may actually develop. The Vols paid Warren big money to get him away from North Carolina, and are banking on that.

As for today’s pledge, Harris is massive on many different levels. Right now, Tennessee remains extremely hot in recruiting, even though it lost Jashaun Corbin earlier this week. The Vols have a lot of momentum, and they should keep it going.

Gameday Today: Decommits have the worst, only-mostly-dead phones

Recruiting

So yeah, 3-star running back Jashaun Corbin decommitted from Tennessee. I have just two pieces of advice for you, young man, after seeing this:
 Corbin
Charge your phone and switch to Verizon.
But seriously, what do you do after a guy like that decommits? You figure out who else is on the board. And then you remind everyone about the 4-star quarterback we just got and how he could help woo a bunch of other players in his neck of the woods. And you also don’t give up on him.

Football

I roll my eyes every time I read a quote from Butch Jones with the phrase “talk about” in it. Dude loves to talk about talking about stuff. But I digress.
Jones is now talking about talking about team chemistry, which he believes they have now, and about his decision to promote Larry Scott to offensive coordinator:
“But in terms of the promotion, that was kind of a very, very easy choice. I was able to evaluate him for a full year and what he brought to the offensive staff in terms of the dynamics of really managing personalities, being part of his staff and also his input on game day, his input throughout the course of the week and his relationship with the players.”
That there’s pretty good spin. “I hired him after a grueling, year-long interview process” sounds much better than, “Well, he was standing right there when Mike left.”
(This is a joke. I’m digging Larry Scott.)

Big Orange Caravan

The BOC must be all vamped out, because Tennessee is revamping the thing this summer. It’s apparently going to supplement the “look and feel” of the “traditional caravan” (dust and camel dung?) with some “new, fan-friendly elements.”
Hmm. What could those fan-friendly elements be, you ask? Music. A prize wheel, whatever that is. Smokey will be there (the mascot costume, I’m guessing). A photo booth with a Neyland Stadium backdrop, cornhole, a social media station, free popcorn, face painting, and more. I’m hoping the “and more” includes funnel cake, because they’re only one step away from a full-on carnival, and who doesn’t love the carnival? The Big Orange Carnival. Somebody get the USPTO on the phone.
The first stop is at the First Tennessee Pavilion in Chattanooga on Saturday, June 3 from 12:30-2:30 Eastern Time. They then go to the Expo Center at Agricenter International/West Pavilion (most awkward name ever?) in Memphis on Sunday, June 11 from 6:00-8:00 Central Time. Then it’s off to Nashville, where they’ll take over The Barn at Sycamore Farms on Monday, July 10, also from 6:00-8:00 Central.
They are actually planning something for the Tri Cities, but they don’t have the details yet because we’re the black sheep of the state, apparently. They’ll probably decide to set up a card table in a Pal’s parking lot or something. Which, as long as Pal’s is within walking distance, I’m good.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

The Football Writers Association of America has awarded Tennessee’s athletic media relations staff the “Super 11” tag as one of the best FBS sports information departments last year. High five to them.
Our friends at GoVols247 are running an awesome special, and if you’re going to pay for Vols content, get Gameday on Rocky Top 2017 first, and then go save $100 on a year’s worth of GoVols247.

The Importance of the Tennessee Vols Having 2018 QB Recruiting Already Wrapped Up

With the Tennessee Vols no longer recruiting quarterbacks this cycle, it goes without saying that landing two blue-chippers in one class when you’re only going to have three scholarship QBs (max) on the roster this coming season is a big deal. Importantly, as QBs are often the face of a recruiting class when it comes to peer recruiting, having two (one on each coast) should be beneficial as well.  I expect both QBs to be active on the phones with offensive line and skill position players, and Penix in particular to work his home area hard for the Vols.  On that note, with the deep Florida ties already on staff in Scott and Beard to go with the 12 total players from the Sunshine State in the 2016 and 2017 classes, Penix can be a pied piper of sorts moving forward down there.  CB Jordan Miner, OT John Campbell, and WR Jacob Copeland (the biggest swing of the bunch) are three big time FL prospects who are getting a lot of attention from the staff and will be ones to watch between now and February 2018.

Additionally, while of course continuing to a) recruit both Penix and Martinez to ensure they don’t stray, and b) low-key keeping tabs on other QBs in case that does in fact happen, the Vols and Canales can concentrate their QB-recruiting focus on the 2019 class. Even better, Canales can do that NOW while he’s on the road evaluating, while other schools still working on their 2018 QB are preoccupied.  Canales will also be able to devote some time to pitching in with prospects at other positions instead of having to focus strictly on QBs. 

So as you can see there are multiple reasons to be very happy with the Vols already sewn up the QB position for this class.  Almost as importantly, relative to its two top rivals in the SEC East, UF and UGA, the Vols are in a great spot with the 2018 QB class.

UGA: It must be noted that UGA has not only Jacob Eason for two more seasons (for better or, hopefully, worse), they also have a 5-star early enrollee from the 2017 class in Jake Fromm already on campus.  However, they are absolutely trying to sign one and potentially two in 2018, and so far they have struck out (Side note: Can. You. Imagine. what Vol fans would be doing if UT had lost instate QBs the caliber of Emory Jones, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Jarren Williams?  Would Neyland be a pile of rubble?  Would 3 new sports talk radio stations opened in Knoxville to serve the uproar? The mind boggles).  They are still trying with Fields and not giving up on Williams, but Williams has recently recommitted to UK.  UGA will end up with at least one QB in this class, but at this point it seems like a long shot that their QB class will be the equal of UT’s.  

UF: The Gators are nowhere near in as good of a position as UGA or even the Vols. Their current 2018 roster consists of Felipe Franks (bust of a freshman year followed by a half-decent spring); Kyle Trask (never started in H.S., poor redshirt season; couldn’t beat out Franks this spring before suffering a relatively major injury); and early 2017 enrollee Jake Allen (smallish, fairly disappointing senior season, nondescript spring).  They NEED a bluechipper in this class but they are running out of options.  UF also continues to try with Fields despite his PSU commitment, and they’ll also likely keep after Jarren Williams despite his recommitment to UK.  After that it gets as perilous as it does for UGA.  At this point it looks like UT will take another large step ahead of UF at the game’s most important position.

So here we sit in mid-May and the Vols have two big time QBs wrapped up, while its two biggest SEC East rivals are in a bad spot at the moment.  With as much recruiting momentum as the Vols have right now, this might be the best thing about the class so far.

Gameday Today: Vols not resisting the sweat-talk

Football

 
Breaking News Flash: Butch Jones inherited an “absolute total mess” at Tennessee. Seriously, though, this is VFL Phillip Fulmer speaking truth, but doing so publicly, going on the record with his opinion that he thinks Jones is doing fine.
 
Vols’ defensive tackle Kendal Vickers is not making excuses for the defensive line this season, tight end Jakob Johnson is not taking his degree for granted, and new cornerback Terrell Bailey is not resisting his transition from sweet-talk to sweat-talk.
 
And finally, new quarterbacks coach Mike Canales is winning hearts and minds, giving up his seat on a flight so a mom could get home to see her kid play in his baseball game. The kid even hit a home run. So did Canales.
 
The new guy at Rocky Top Talk has made a list of the five defensive guys that are the most indispensable (and one for the offense as well), which looks quite reasonable.
 

Recruiting

 
Tennessee is in the running for Harold Joiner, the No. 3 running back in the Class of 2018, and Owen Pappoe, the No. 1 outside linebacker and No. 4 prospect overall in the Class of 2019. These would be big gets for a program on a bit of a roll lately.
 

Baseball

 
Sigh. Tennessee baseball got swept by Kentucky, moving the team to 26-22 overall and 7-18 in the SEC, which even hurts to type.
 

Miscellaneous fun stuff

 
Vols’ sprinter Christian Coleman won the 100-meter dash with one shoe untied behind his back. Or something like that. And Vols wide receiver commit Jatavious Harris won three Georgia state titles this weekend.