Category Archives: Recruiting

Vols Add Commitment from “Meanest OL in the Midwest”

After appearing to have hit on multiple 2019 signees who earned offers at Tennessee summer camps, the Vols have struck again, adding a commitment Friday from OL Javontez Spraggins from East St. Louis, IL.  Spraggins, a 6’2, 330+ pound road grader, was an unknown to even the most ardent followers of Tennessee recruiting until his commitment popped, but had sprung onto the recruiting scene in a big way over the last few weeks after a handful of dominant camp performances as far back as January.

Spraggins earned “Alpha Dog” status at two different camps, showing off great bend, strength, and his calling card – aggressiveness – at both.  He earned offers from Mizzouri, Iowa State and instate Illinois after the most recent dominant performance – earning the title of “meanest OL in the Midwest” from 247 Sports’s Allen Treiu and then completely showed out at Tennessee’s camp on Friday, earning an offer he immediately jumped on.

Spraggins joins the likes of 2019 OL signees Melvin McBride and Chris Akporoghene, as well as WR Jerrod Means, LB/DL Roman Harrison and a handful of others who earned their Tennessee offers by showing up to camps in Knoxville and earning their respective offers.  Jeremy Pruitt and his staff seem to stand out from the pack when it comes to trusting their own player evaluations, and there’s nothing Pruitt loves better than seeing a prospect up close and personal while working him out and determining whether or not the kid can help Tennessee get back to the top.  Spraggins obviously was able to prove that on Friday.

From an overall class perspective, Spraggins is the first OL commitment in the class that will likely feature no more than four of them.  With Tennessee seemingly in great shape for bigtime instate targets Cooper Mays and Chris Morris and in the top group for at least a half dozen other heavily recruited OL, the fact that the Vols were willing to take Spraggins so quickly says a lot about their evaluation of him.  His commitment also could give the Vols some momentum in the early stages of what is a bigtime month of June.

June Recruiting Preview: A Massive Month for the Vols

With the month of May coming to a close and Tennessee sitting on 6 public commitments after the recent addition of JUCO DB Art Green, the Vols have a class that significantly favors quality over quantity at this point.  With the top two JUCOs in the country (Green and DE Jordan Davis) along with a Top 5 QB in the country, a 4-star DL, a potentially elite Slot WR in Jimmy Calloway, and one of the best Longsnappers in the country, there is absolutely zero fat in this class so far.  But, after losing a handful of bigtime prospects for whom they were in deep with, including DL Justin Rogers, OL Tate Ratledge, and WR Rakim Jarrett – not to mention the commitment of RB Ebony Jackson – the month of June is expected to be, and needs to be, a profitable one for Coach Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee.  In fact, given the accelerated recruiting calendar these days, with spring/summer official visits and the December signing period, it’s almost a must that the Vols come out of June with some tangible results.  Below are some story lines to watch as Tennessee’s camps get started this coming weekend:

Vols would like to see some instate players camp

As opposed to the class of 2019, Pruitt and his staff are clearly enamored with more than a few instate players.  At the same time, there is a group of instate players with multiple Power 5 and even SEC offers that don’t yet have an offer from the Vols.  Some do have a Tennessee offer but so far the Vols aren’t pushing as hard as others, and Pruitt’s staff would love for them to come camp in Knoxville and earn it:

DL Derrell Bailey (camping this weekend), Corbet Mims (recent offer), and Michael Reese (offer).  Dallas Walker is another instate DL who Tennessee has offered but so far isn’t pursuing as hard as even the likes of Auburn and Florida.

DBs De’Arre McDonald (will definitely camp, date TBD), Devonte Nelson, Dajean Gibson, and Yukari Blanchard are all interesting DB prospects.  Tennessee would surely love to add to its DB board, and if they could do it with an instate player(s) who earned an offer via a camp performance all the better.

Offensive skill players Darrin Turner and Elijah Young both have Vol offers but right now aren’t being heavily recruited by Tennessee.  That could change if either or both of them showed out at camp.  There’s really no good reason for Young – a Knoxville-area native – not to do so.

OL Marcus Henderson has seen his recruitment slow down a bit and likely doesn’t committable offers right now from the big name on his list, including Tennessee.  Were he to make the cross-state trek from Memphis and perform well, however (ala Melvin McBride last year), that could change.  Same for fellow Memphian, White Station Spartan OL Ray Curry.

Not all of these guys will camp, but the ones that do – especially those without offers – could find themselves being heavily targeted by Tennessee and could quickly reshape UT’s overall board.

Priority instate targets could make decisions

As noted, the Vols would love to build the foundation of its class with instate players, and OL Cooper Mays and Chris Morris,S Keshawn Lawrence, and DL Tyler Baron, Jay Hardy, and Reggie Grimes are arguably Tennessee’s top targets from the Volunteer State.  Morris has already said he will be back to Knoxville to camp in June after visiting the first weekend of May, and likely will take a summer official visit as well.  The others, with the exception of Grimes, have Tennessee right at the top of their respective lists and have developed a bond among the four of them especially while jointly visiting Knoxville on multiple unofficial visits.  They’ve also each flirted with the idea of committing this summer, and were one to take the plunge and commit to Tennessee it could create a tsunami among the rest (as well as others).  Obviously the Tennessee staff would like to at least get them back to campus this summer, but ideally would Tennessee would love for them to jump onboard. 

OL Board will really take shape

After a tremendous OL haul in the class of 2019 that came after adding at least two future multiple-year starters (plus a grad transfer) in the class of 2018, Tennessee is likely being extremely picky with its OL spots and take no more than four, if that.  With Ratledge committing to UGA, Mays and Morris are easily the Top 2 OL on the board for the Vols.  As discussed above, one or both of them could do something this coming month or close to it.  Either way, along with targets like Joshua Jones (who just put the Vols in his Top 6) and Denadre Buford, the OL below will see some action in their recruitment in June:

Bigtime OL Xavier Hill will take his official visit to Knoxville the weekend of June 14th.  He’s been to Knoxville once already and has also taken an OV to LSU.  He had once considered a May commitment – many thought Alabama was in the driver’s seat – but backed off of that.  However, he’ll be at Texas A&M this coming weekend and then at Alabama for a mid-week visit right after his trip to Tennessee, so with those visits in the can he may be ready to make a decision soon.

Tennessee has also recently added two JUCO OL to its board, both from ASA College in Brooklyn, the former home of Tennessee’s director of programming for football Joe Osovet.  Both Tariq Stewart and Antwan Reed will make unofficial visits to Knoxville the weekend of June 14th and depending on how the trips go and how they look physically one or both could become serious targets.

Richie Leonard will OV to Kentucky on the weekend of June 8th and is working on setting up OVs to Tennessee (he visited in April unofficially) and likely FSU after just OV’ing to Georgia Tech this past weekend.  He’ll then decide over the 4th of July weekend.  Miami, UCF, Louisville, West Virginia and Washington State are contenders as well.

Newly minted 4-star Marcus Dumervil plans to visit Tennessee this month, along with Ohio State and UGA.  Alabama, OU and LSU (already visited both officially) in mix as well.  Dumervil hails from St Thomas Aquias HS in Florida, the alma mater of current Vols Josh Palmer and Kivon Bennett, so Tennessee certainly has a tie there. 

Javion Cohen, who visited Knoxville back in February before committing to, and subsequently decommitting from, South Carolina, is fresh off an OV to Georgia Tech this past weekend along with Leonard.  He’s got OVs set for homestate (and presumed leader) Auburn this weekend and Florida the weekend of June 15th, so if the Vols want to stay in that race they’ll need to get him back to campus soon.

Josh Remetich from New Orleans will camp after receiving an offer this month. He’s got some lower-end SEC, ACC and Big 10 offers so it will be great for the staff to see him in person to evaluate.

Other targets will camp and/or visit

Undoubtedly dozens of prospects from the classes of 2020 and beyond will make their way to Knoxville during the month of June, many of whom don’t yet have firm public dates.  For example, LB Kourt Williams might visit this month as the Vols look to dip into California for a stud 2nd-level defender for the second year in a row, and fellow LB Rodney Groce also plans on coming back to Knoxville after a great visit in March. 

Below are the players who are known to be planning to visit Knoxville in June (along with the prospects discussed above), as well as some notes on Vol targets visiting elsewhere during the month:

Recently offered LB Allen Merrick and teammate (and Alabama commitment) ATH De’Rickey Wright, RB Israel Abanikanda, and DL Derrell Bailey will visit this coming weekend.  So will 2022(!) instate WR target Taylor Groves.  Notably, top RB prospect Tank Bigsby will make his official this weekend to South Carolina, absolutely one to watch as the Cocks are his presumed leader and will certainly be pushing for him to shut it down. OL Xavier Hill will be on an OV to Texas A&M (with some Vol targets). 

Additionally, Auburn is holding its Big Cat Weekend event, and Vol targets DL Zykevious Walker and Dallas Walker, OL Cohen (OV), DB Brian George (OV), LB Trenton Simpson (OV), and WR EJ Williams will be on the Plains.  Bigtime LB target Len’Neth Whitehead will make the short trip to Athens, GA to camp at UGA – likely in an attempt to earn a commitable offer.

The June 8th weekend is already setting up to be a monster, with multiple top-of-the-board targets set to visit.  LB Trenton Simpson will take his official visit to Knoxville in between the trip to Auburn and one to Georgia, while DL Omari Thomas and high school teammate RB Jabari Small will take unofficial visits (after both visiting Texas A&M the weekend before), perhaps also bringing fellow Briarcrest High student and top 2021 hoops target Kennedy Chandler with them. QB Haynes King is planning on making a decision by late June, and he’ll also be at Texas A&M this coming weekend before heading to Knoxville the 8th for his OV.  How that visit goes will likely determine whether the Vols end up signing a 2nd QB in the class to go with Harrison Bailey, as King appears to be their lone remaining target at the position.

OL James Robinson will take his official visit to Tennessee the weekend of June 15th, a week after possibly visiting/camping at instate Auburn, which will be one to watch.  Bigtime WR target Zevian Capers, currently an Arkansas commit, will also take his OV to Tennessee this weekend.  With multiple visits currently planned for after his UT trip, the Vols will need to hit a homerun with Capers to land him.DL Corbet Mims will also be in town that weekend, unofficially, while stud DL Darrion Henry is tentatively set to officially visit.  The Vols sit in Henry’s top 4, with LSU (already OV’d) and Cincinnati (OV the previous weekend) all trailing instate Ohio State, who will receive an OV the following weekend. 

DE Blayne Toll, S Jaquorius Conley and LB Quandrrius Robinson all have official visits to Tennessee scheduled for the weekend of June 22nd, so having three bigtime Defensive targets on officials will be big for the Vols.  Robinson will be at Kentucky the June 8th weekend, Auburn (where he was once committed) the weekend after, and Alabama for a mid-week official in between those.  He’s another one who could make a late June/early July decision after having taken most of his OVs.  Meanwhile Toll is thought to be an OU lean so the Vols have ground to make up there. 

There is simply no getting around it: June is a huge month for Tennessee.  After a more-than-solid class of 2019, Coach Pruitt and his staff absolutely have an opportunity to fast-track the rebuild with a bigtime class of 2020.  The Vols will have many of their top prospects on campus for camps, unofficial visits, and even official visits.  At the same time, many top targets will also be visiting other campuses.  Importantly, at least seven will take their official visits to Knoxville in June – after Tennessee used six of them for the Orange & White Weekend.  So the Vols – while not an outlier in this Spring/Summer Official Visit trend that has massively accelerated from last year – are absolutely shooting their shot incredibly early on many of their top targets.  Therefore, by the time the 4th of July rolls around the direction of Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class, which is currently short on quantity but high on quality, will be much clearer. 

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Tight Ends

Despite signing two high-level Tight Ends in the 2019 class in Jackson Lowe and Sean Brown, there is still both a lack of depth as well as the kind size that Pruitt prefers on the current roster.  Further, 2019 starter Dominick Wood-Anderson is heading into his last year of eligibility.  Only Lowe, Brown, redshirt freshman Jacob Warren, redshirt Junior Austin Pope and redshirt Sophomore James Brown are projected to the 2020 roster, and they all combine for 3 career catches, all by Pope, while only the freshman (giving Warren the benefit of the doubt due to his large frame and Strength & Conditioning Coach Craig Fitzgerald’s track record) truly have the size Tennessee wants at the position.

With Jim Chaney’s history of success using TEs as well as likely instant playing time available for a bigtime recruit(s), there’s not just a real need at the position for the Vols going forward but also a compelling sales pitch available.  However, while that is clearly the case, there only appear to be two actual targets on the board right now.  Both of them – 5-stars Arik Gilbert and Darnell Washington ae obviously bigtime, and with that comes the kind of competition that will make it very difficult to land either of them.  Gilbert, while UT QB commitment Harrison Bailey’s high school teammate and a frequent visitor to Knoxville, is considered a heavy UGA lean (with Alabama and Clemson in there, too), while Washington is being targeted by the likes of Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State among others.  Washington will take his OVs during the season and attend games, with Alabama (vs. LSU), Georgia (vs Notre Dame), Miami right now guaranteed three of them and the Vols fighting Florida, Auburn and likely others for his final two visits. 

Given the small number of current targets, as well as the kind of schools Tennessee is recruiting against for them, don’t be surprised to see Tennessee widen its net at the position throughout the cycle.  The Vols will hope to add targets both during the upcoming summer evaluation and camp periods as well as during the season, likely including the Junior College ranks.  One thing the Vol staff could consider, depending on how especially Lowe, Brown, and Warren develop as well as needs and numbers at other positions, is the fact that there are two stud instate Tight Ends in the class of 2021.  Hudson Wolfe, who hails from a Tennessee family in Savannah, Tennessee (the same high school as current Vol Latrell Bumphus) has already been to campus twice this year including for the Orange & White game and projects as a bigtime player, while midstate native Jake Briningstool is already ranked as a 4-star by 247.  Should the Vols like how the current young TEs on the roster are developing and feel like they have a really strong shot at one or both of Wolfe/Briningstool they might elect to not “reach” for a TE in this class just to have one and instead focus their resources elsewhere with confidence in the future at the position.

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Wide Receivers

With four senior Wide Receivers at or near the top of Tennessee’s 2019 depth chart and little in the way of proven depth behind them, recruiting at the position for the 2020 class is of the utmost urgency.  Looking out to 2020, the Vols currently project to have only seven WRs on the roster (eight if you count Deangelo Gibbs, who from this vantage point seems best suited at the STAR position on defense due to his prior experience there and the greater chance he can have a large impact).  Of those 7-8, only Josh Palmer has proven himself to be a consistent SEC producer, and three of them are redshirt or true freshmen.   Further, if Tennessee wants to take the next step towards truly contending for SEC championships than it can’t just be about quantity (which is a clear need in an of itself) but also quality – the Vols need gamebreakers, plural, at the position, and they need them now. 

The good news for Tennessee is that its new position coach, Tee Martin, is an elite recruiter with deep ties to the South, and hoping to have kind of impact we forecasted back when he was hired. Martin has been consistently mentioned with elite WR prospects since his hiring – especially in Alabama and Georgia as ten of the twelve prospects discussed below hail from one of those two states – and has the Vols in the mix with multiple high level WRs.  However, after having missed on a couple of high level targets (more below) it’s imperative that the Vols close the deal on a few of them instead of coming in second.

Tennessee does already has a commitment from 3-star Jimmy Calloway who picked the Vols over Oregon and others – he’s most recently been offered by South Carolina in mid-May.  Calloway is an explosive athlete and track star who can play on either side of the ball and is very comfortable with the ball in his hands.  He’s shined at a couple of spring 7-on-7 events showing off great route running and dynamic playmaking ability and seems destined for more high-level offers.  He’s also got some high-end CB attributes and could end up getting a look there in college as well.  The bet here is that Tennessee will look smart having snagged Calloway’s early commitment but will end up having to fight off numerous other power programs.

4-star Zevian Capers, who is technically committed to Arkansas but taking visits, visited Tennessee in early April and has the Vols high on his list.  The large-framed but speedy pass-catcher took an official visit to South Carolina in late April and Tennessee hopes to get him back on campus again soon.  Capers showed out at the Atlanta Opening event, measuring in at 6’4 and close to 200 lbs while showing off great route running, speed, change of direction and sure hands.  Along with the Razorbacks and Gamecocks, he also has offers from Florida and actually received a Clemson offer last March as well.  While the Vols need at least 4 WRs in this class, Capers would make a great pairing with Calloway in terms of size and positional combinations. 

After two visits in a month, Tennessee is the stated leader for 4-star Kris Abrams-Draine, a 4-star former LSU commitment.  From South Alabama like Martin , he’s a smaller WR at 6’0 and around 170 pounds, but with offers from Oregon, Florida, and LSU among others, has the perfect size/quickness combination for the slot.  Having already been committed before it wouldn’t be a surprise to see “KAD” take his time before committing again, but as of now the Vols have placed themselves in a very strong position.

4-star EJ Williams took his official visit to Knoxville for the Orange & White Game after visiting previously in March and has the Vols in an unofficial top 6 along with Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, and Clemson.  Things have been relatively quiet for the Alabama native, which might not be a great sign for Tennessee considering he’s used that official visit already.  His only other OV is set for instate Auburn in late June, and took an unofficial visit to Gainesville last weekend.  Hailing from the same high school as Clemson freshman sensation Justyn Ross, Williams has the Tigers and Alabama on top at the moment.  Clearly this is going to be a tough battle for Tee Martin and the Vols but if the recruitment extends further into the season Tennessee certainly has enough traction to stay in the mix for his planned August 24th announcement.

Former LSU commitment and Memphis native Darrin Turner is another target on the radar, although despite his 4-star ranking he seems like a player the Vols would like to see in camp. His physical profile compares to 2019 Arkansas signee Trey Knox, a similarly big-bodied instate player who the Vols ultimately passed on. If Turner a) gets to campus and b) shows not just overall ability but high-end speed, the Vols could absolutely turn up the heat on him.

The Vols are also very much in the mix for 4-stars Mushin Muhammad (who visited in early April but has since visited Texas A&M twice) and are still working on 4-star Alabama commitment Dazalin Worsham who’s been on campus three times himself, including as recently as March.  4-star Auburn commitment Kobe Hudson decided to visit Knoxville for Tennessee’s spring game over the Tigers, suggesting that the door is at least cracked for the Vols.  Tennessee also offered 4-star Joshua Downs, a UNC commitment who is 7-on-7 teammates with Harrison Bailey and hails from the same Atlanta-area high school as 2019 Vol signee Warren Burrell.  Then there is Memphis native and former Oklahoma signee Kundarrius Taylor, Junior College teammate of Vol commit Jordan Davis who Tennessee has offered.  4-star do-it-all athlete Demarcus Beckwith (cousin of Lamonte Turner) also has the Vols high on his list after visiting in March.  Finally, Georgia natives Robert Lewis and Kobe Hudson (teammate of Harrison Bailey) have Vol offers and have both been to campus.

The Vols appeared to be in very strong shape with 5-star DC-native Rakim Jarrett, who took two unofficial visits to campus in March.  However, he committed to LSU while on an OV in Baton Rouge in late April.  Jarrett profiles as an instant 2020 starter in the mold of recent Alabama and Clemson WRs and would be one of the jewels of this class, so expect the Vol staff to continue to work to get him back for an official visit at some point before signing day.  Similarly, the Vols were right there for Thaiu Jones-Bell (who visited for the Orange & White Game) but he recently committed to Alabama.

The board will shake itself out as the above targets will (hopefully) make their way back to Knoxville and additional offers could emerge from camp performances.  Tennessee has done a nice job getting involved with multiple WRs the caliber of which it needs to take the next step offensively – and frankly most if not all of the existing WRs on the board have better recruiting pedigrees than all of the signees in the last two classes except Ramel Keyton – but as stated above the next and most important step is landing them.

Uros Plavsic and what he means for 2020 recruiting and the program writ large

With the addition of 7’1 Arizona State transfer Uros Plavsic to the roster, Tennessee currently has 13 scholarship players for the 2019-2020 season.  However, with most assuming that PG Jordan Bone will choose to stay in the NBA Draft, that will leave one scholarship open.  Given that the Vols will only have five true backcourt players in Lamonte Turner, Jordan Bowden, Josiah James, Jalen Johnson, and Davonte Gaines – and Gaines is in massive need of a year with Garrett Medenwald and Tennessee’s Strength & Conditioning program, so counting on him for meaningful minutes this coming year is probably not smart.  Therefore, between the need for experienced backcourt depth and the need to keep spots open for what is looking like an all-timer class of 2020 (more on that below), adding a grad transfer makes all the sense in the world.  And although the pickings are relatively slim on the grad transfer market at this point, per Jeff Goodman’s transfer rankings the below Guards (ranked overall, including all positions by Goodman) are still available:

20) Jaevin Cumberland, Oakland 
26) Kareem South, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 
34) Ryan Woolridge, North Texas 
43) Donte Fitzpatrick-Dorsey, Tennessee State 
48) Nic Thomas, Norfolk State

It does seem likely that Barnes will wait to make any moves until Bone officially decides, so it could be a week or so before we start to hear about any movement in this regard.  But there has been no discussion about adding a high school PG since Jalen Cone reclassified and decided to sign with Virginia Tech, so as of now it appears to be a grad transfer or bust for the (likely) 13th scholarship.

When it comes to the aforementioned class of 2020, after adding both fast-rising 2019 signee Oliver Robinson-Nkamhoua and Plavsic to go with the three fall signees, Coach Barnes and the Vols currently have three total spots for the class.  One of those is held by 5-star F Corey Walker, who recently transferred from his Florida high school to Hargrave Military Academy (where Gaines just spent a prep year).  Walker is a bigtime talent and projects as an instant impact player in both the low post and on the wing and will give Tennessee a 5-star signee in back to back classes for the first time ever.  The Vols are also the presumed front-runner for borderline 5-star Wing Keon Johnson who hails from Bell Buckle, TN and will announce his commitment on August 6th to either Tennessee, Virginia, or Ohio State.  If Barnes is able to land Johnson, that will not only give the Vols two elite players in the class but also leave just one spot remaining (assuming no future roster movement, which is all we can do at the moment).  With the Vols in very good shape for multiple other high-level 2020 prospects (see list below), one could make the case that adding Plavsic – who might have to sit out the 2019-20 season pending a transfer exemption from the NCAA – in particular could be seen as puzzling. 

#11 Jaden Springer – CG

#22 Cam Hayes – PG currently in the 2021 class who the Vols have approached about reclassifying

#31 Caleb Love – PG

#40 Jayden Stone – SG

#58 Sam Ruzhentsev – Wing

#62 Bryce Thompson – CG

#65 PJ Hall – PF/C

#85 Matthew Murrell – SG

#141 Chris Moore – PF

#149 Dylan Cardwell

And while Love in particular is directly related to new Tennessee assistant coach Kim English (per Rob Lewis of Volquest.com), this list of prospects for whom the Vols are very much in the mix is all before the upcoming summer AAU circuit, when Tennessee’s newfound spot among the country’s top programs along with English’s new (to Tennessee) connections could add to the list.

With all that talent realistically on the board but likely with only one spot remaining, Vol fans can fairly ask the question: “Why add Plavsic, who though a 4-star coming out of high school and is said to possess good mobility and shooting skill along with his 7’1, 240lb frame, was a) not pursued by Barnes initially despite playing up I-75 in Chattanooga, b) was initially committed to Cleveland State before signing with the Sun Devils, and c) redshirted last season, therefore being a bit of a mystery in terms of development and calling into question why he wasn’t able to see the floor? Especially if he might not even be eligible this coming season.” 

Yes, the Vols have a hole in the frontcourt with the loss of Grant Williams (to the NBA), Kyle Alexander and Admiral Schofield (to graduation), and Derrick Walker (to transfer) and with only unproven and inexperienced, albeit potentially talented, backfills.  But neither Plavsic nor Robinson-Nkamhoua project as immediate contributors despite what are clearly talented profiles, so I don’t think getting instant production is the reason. 

Here’s my answer: As much as Barnes clearly has Tennessee recruiting at a higher level than ever, what he values as much as anything is stability and development.  Having the “next man up” ready to step in each and every year and not necessarily bringing in large classes where you’re replacing players who’ve transferred because they’ve been recruited over or are dissatisfied with their role (the anti-Jalen Johnsons) or even one-and-dones that you might not have gotten enough out of (which Barnes experienced a ton of at the end of his run at Texas).  Also, with the 2020 class looking to be heavily loaded with guards and wings – and the potential that James might stay for a second season – it makes sense to have more experienced bigs on the 2020 roster to pair them with.  So rather than, say, PJ Hall (who the Vols are still recruiting and might even take an OV to Knoxville as early as next month) or a Dylan Cardwell coming in as true freshman with theoretically more talent than Plavsic or even Robinson-Nkamhoua but way less experience, Barnes is making the bet that the the two late 2019 signees will be more ready to help the Vols make a big run.  It’s not an across-the-roster bet on experience and development over pedigree, as again the Vols project to have plenty of highly ranked talent, especially at the guard and wing spots (and maybe even down low depending on how they play Corey Walker). 

Barnes clearly is confident in his and his program’s ability to develop players who come to Tennessee with a particular set of skills (shooting, athleticism) and the work ethic to improve.  And he’s also shown, with guys on the current roster like Jalen Johnson, Zach Kent, and Jalen Johnson as clear examples, that he’s not going to run players off who he sees as putting the kind of work in to get better.  That’s what this move with Plavsic seems to be a bet on, even if it’s at the cost of roster spots that very possibly could go to higher ranked/more talented players.  Whether that turns out to be the right play remains to be seen, and we likely won’t know until the 2020-21 season, but it’s hard not to trust a guy who’s done what he’s done while at Tennessee.

Tennessee Recruiting Positional Update: Running Back

While Tennessee has some talented Running Backs on its 2019 roster, and all but one (Carlin Fils-aime) are expected back in 2020, the Vols lack both enough sheer numbers – there are only five true RBs on the roster -as well as the kind of dominant, star talents at the position needed for a truly elite offense.  With needs across the roster, Coach Jeremy Pruitt must be prudent about numbers at each position in each class, thereby making it a step-by-step process in terms of simply having the kind of necessary depth at Running Back.

Tennessee already has a commitment from 3-star Ebony Jackson, and the Vols staff thinks it has struck gold with the 6’2, 210 pound track star.  With Jackson in the fold and possessing both the big body they covet at the position but also the game-breaking ability due to his elite speed, Tennessee can afford to be picky with its 2nd RB spot.  While they have a relatively small but promising board as we head into the spring/summer evaluation and camp periods, the number of realistic targets will likely grow over the course of the year.

RB Tank Bigsby – The 4-star Bigsby, like Jackson, is a top-shelf RB prospect from Georgia.  LSU, Auburn, and South Carolina were considered the leaders heading into his visit to Tennessee for the Orange & White Game – his first visit to Knoxville – but the visit has put the Vols into that top group.  He doesn’t appear to be close to a decision so the Vols have some time to keep making up ground.  Bigsby is likely right a the top of the board right now for Tennessee so look for them to keep pushing

Daijun Edwards named Tennessee his leader as recently as last month, but with instate Georgia picking up its efforts the Vols have a battle on their hands – Auburn is also in the mix as they always are for Georgia RBs.  Edwards is a very talented back who’s slightly smaller than Bigsby but still well put together with great speed and agility.  He’s likely one of a few RBs on this list who’d be takes for the Vols right now, but he’s not going to be making a decision until the summer at the earliest

RB Deondre Jackson is a former Auburn commit who made his third visit to Knoxville and second in less than a month for the Orange & White Game.  The 3-star has offers from Alabama, Texas A&M and Florida to go with those from Auburn and Tennessee and brings a really nice combination of power and speed with his 6’0 200+ pound frame.  He’s not dissimilar to Edwards in that way, and the Vols would also likely take him if he wanted that second RB spot

Jabari Small is more of an All-Purpose Back than the rest on this list, but the Memphis native is a dynamic playmaker.  Similar to Eric Gray – another Memphis private school running back who looks a bit bigger on film than his listed size – Small is also currently enamored with Michigan early in the process.  He recently named the Wolverines his leader following a visit to Ann Arbor for the spring game and said that right now his plan is to either commit somewhere this summer or name a top group.  Small has been to Knoxville 3-4 times, including last season’s Alabama game as well as a March Junior Day.  He’s also a teammate of bigtime Vol DL target Omari Thomas, and Vol Defensive Coordinator and ace recruiter Derrick Ansley visited their school last week.  As an aside, one wonders whether the experience with Eric Gray last cycle will color Michigan’s approach to Small’s recruitment one way or the other, and also whether Gray’s experience with a summertime commitment to a school that far away that didn’t end up lasting will impact Small at all

Zach Evans is a 5-star and one of the highest ranked players regardless of position in the country.  The Lonestar State native visited Tennessee in late January and while the Vols made a great impression they are likely on the outside looking in as instate Texas is the presumed leader while other programs like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson appear to be ahead of the Vols in terms of out of state options.  Should Tennessee be able to secure another visit, whether unofficial or official, they would become more serious players in this recruitment.

Tee Hodge – The Maryville product was just on campus for the Orange & White Game for least his fifth time since Pruitt took over and second this year, so he’s very familiar with the staff and the campus.  Hodge was already big for a RB at 6’2, which Tennessee likes, but he’s recently put on a lot of (good) weight and is now at least 230 pounds.  He’s recently picked up offers from Penn State and Ole Miss to go with his Vol offer, and he seems to be blowing up a bit on the recruiting trail.  Given his size one wonders whether he might end up being a better LB prospect when all is said and done, but either way it was good for Tennessee to get him back on campus yet again and keep pushing forward in his recruitment

Trenton Simpson, like Hodge, is a multi-position prospect who many bigtime programs are recruiting at both RB as well as Linebacker.  He visited Tennessee once each in February and March and likes the Vols quite a bit.  However, instate North Carolina appears to hold an edge at the moment and other programs like Georgia and Auburn are also heavily involved.  Simpson has indicated that he might prefer LB ala fellow Tar Heel state native Quarvaris Crouch, so how Tennessee handles that aspect of his recruitment could play a role in its ultimate success. 

For both Hodge and Simpson, it’s worth noting that the Vols currently don’t have a plethora of realistic ILB targets at the moment, which could impact how Tennessee’s staff approaches each of them.  That is, with both of them being outstanding athletes and prospects regardless of position, and with Simpson in particular being more enamored with the LB position anyway, perhaps that could be the way for Tennessee to ingratiate itself with him – and conversely if Hodge thinks of himself more as a RB maybe the staff tells him “sign here and we’ll figure it out when you get here.” 

Mid-April Recruiting News and Notes

After taking an unofficial visit to Knoxville the previous weekend for the Orange & White Game, USC WR transfer Velus Jones took an official visit this past weekend to Auburn.  An Alabama native who signed with the Trojans when current Tennessee WR Coach and fellow Alabamian Tee Martin was the position coach in LA, Jones has two remaining seasons of eligibility. Assuming he would be immediately eligible and then have two seasons to play makes Jones an attractive addition, both because of the relative lack of quality/experienced depth at the position for Tennessee in 2019 but also because he’d effectively function as a JUCO prospect with high level major conference experience.  Jones would also allow Tennessee coaches to keep Georgia transfer Deangleo Gibbs at the Nickel/Star position instead of at WR effectively functioning as a 2-for-1 addition to the roster.  Auburn’s entrance into the sweepstakes means that, should Tennessee want to add Jones, it’s no longer a layup and the Vols will absolutely have to fight to land him

Bigtime Vol DB target Brian Branch committed to Alabama over the weekend.  Branch, who’d been to Knoxville twice in 2019, committed to the Tide over the Vols and Oklahoma, where he’d just taken his official visit.  Branch’s main recruiter at Alabama is Charles Kelly, the former Vols Safety coach.  Kelly had been recruiting Branch to Tennessee as well and had a prior relationship with Branch’s high school coach.  Kelly is likely to be a thorn in Tennessee’s side during the 2020 cycle in particular, as he is a strong recruiter overall and has built good relationships with multiple prospects in this class especially in the state of Alabama where Tennessee is recruiting heavily – Branch won’t likely be the be the last time we hear from Kelly

LB Mekhail Sherman was one of a handful of Tennessee targets who were in Athens this past weekend for UGA’s spring game, as he took his first of five allotted official visits.  He joined the likes ofOL Paris Johnson, Tate Ratledge and Cooper Mays as well asRB Tank Bigsby; DL Zykevious Walker; OLB BJ Ojulari; TE Arik Gilbert; and DB Joel Williams as UGA visitors.  Sherman is notably a high school teammate of major Vol and fellow 5-star prospect WR target Rakim Jarrett which could play in Tennessee’s favor as the Vols are right at the top for Jarrett if not his current outright leader.  Sherman is an elite LB prospect and while he’s not been commonly mentioned name among Tennessee recruitniks the Vols are absolutely in the mix.  He’s scheduled to take an official visit to Ohio State this coming weekend, and Tennessee is among a group with Florida and LSU (where Jarrett is OV’ing this coming weekend) who appear to round out his Top 5.  The Vols do need to get Sherman to campus soon but he is somehow an “under the radar” prospect despite being a 5-star

With coaches getting on the road for the spring evaluation period, Tennssee handed out a few new offers for the 2020 and future classes.  Among those new offers were midstate DT Michael Reese. Although a new name on Tennessee’s board, Reese does currently have offers from Georgia Tech, Arkansas, and Vanderbilt.  He’s been to campus twice during the Pruitt era and at this point seems wide open.  Adding another DL prospect to the offer board, as well as another instate player, seems like a good idea.  It will be interesting to see how Reese, who’s currently listed at around 250 pounds, plays his senior season and in turn what happens with his recruitment

Having found success in the JUCO ranks in his first two classes at Tennessee, with Dominick Wood-Anderson, Emmitt Gooden, Savion Williams, and Darrel Middleton (though not so much with Kenneth George…can’t bat 1.000), Coach Jeremy Pruitt and staff seem intent on tapping that resource again in 2020.  Holding an early commitment from the #1 JUCO prospect in the country in DL Jordan Davis, Tennessee already had offers out to CB Art Green of Hutchinson; WR Kundarrious Taylor of Copiah-Lincoln (Davis’s teammate and fellow Memphian); and DL Perrion Winfrey of Iowa Western.  Tennessee’s newest JUCO offer is to CB Brian George of Highland, the country’s #2 overall JUCO prospect, making it five JUCO offers so far.  While Pruitt has made great strides in remaking the roster since taking over in December 2017, there are still holes to fill and talent upgrades to be made, and between upper-echelon high school talent, blue-chip transfers, and Junior College talent, he’s showing that he’s willing to use any channel necessary

Turning to basketball recruiting, Tennessee (and now other schools like Texas A&M, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest) has offered North Carolina-based 2020 PG Jalen Cone the option of reclassifying to 2019.  After an inhome visit with Coach Rick Barnes and assistant Des Oliver, the 60th ranked overall player in the 2020 class by Rivals has scheduled an official visit to Knoxville for the weekend of May 10th.  Cone is a 5’9 guard with explosive athleticism and the ability to score at all three levels while also being a distributor.  What’s interesting about this development of course is that with Jordan Bone’s likely early exit to professional basketball (hopefully via the NBA draft) the Vols could have a large hole to fill not just on the roster in general but specifically in the backcourt.  While incoming 5-star freshman Josiah James is ostensibly a PG, at 6’6 he could also function as a 1-through-3 guard/wing on offense and potentially even a 1-through-4 on defense due to his length and strength.  Therefore, the addition of Cone would not only give the Vols another playmaker in the backcourt but also give Tennessee a bigtime player on the roster for 3-4 years vs. just one more year for Bone.  That’s a trade that could be a slight downgrade for 2020 – Bone is clearly more prepared to lead a team in 2019 than Cone is, even if Cone might have more pure talent – but it could actually give Tennessee more flexibility in the backcourt by allowing Barnes the freedom to play different combinations of Cone/James/Turner/Bowden (vs having to play Bone strictly ay PG and for 30+ minutes) but will also make the 2020 roster more experienced by giving Cone that extra season.  Bone says he will take OVs to Yale (is he another Grant/Dobbs type?) and Baylor along with Tennessee, but Texas A&M and Virginia Tech will absolutely fight to get him to campus as well.  Bet on the Vols absolutely trying to lock him down on the Mother’s Day Weekend visit, a development that would have large implications for the 2019-2020 season and beyond

Vols Land 5-Star Corey Walker: What is and What Could (Ever) Be*

As we speculated two weeks ago, 5-star Wing Corey Walker committed to the Vols this past weekend in what was without a doubt the biggest recruiting weekend in the history of the Tennessee basketball program. 

What’s noteworthy about this commitment isn’t just that this is Barnes’s 2nd 5-star commitment in as many classes, who was not coincidentally joined by the other 5-star signee, 2019 Guard Josiah James, in Knoxville this past weekend; it’s also not just that Walker, the 247 Sports #23 overall player in the class, has the kind of all-around game – able to play inside and outside on both ends of the floor at 6’7 with a shot that projects out to NBA three-point range – that is tailor made for Coach Rick Barnes’s system.  It’s also that Walker, to be honest, wasn’t on most recruiting junkies’ radar when it came onto Tennessee’s 2020 board, yet here we are and he’s first in the boat.

Taking a step back to review the weekend for a moment, the Vols hosted not just Walker from the 2020 class but also 5-star Jaden Springer (247’s #18 player overall), who plays for former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze’s B.Maze Elite AAU program; 4-star Samson Ruhsentzev (247 Sports #60 overall); and 4-star Keon Ambrose-Hylton (247 Sports #75 overall player).  This while previously scheduled visitors C Walker Kessler (247 Sports #12 overall player) and PG Jalen Cone (247 Sports #121 overall player but the #60 overall player by Rivals) were not able to make it due to their respective teams playing games and instate Vol lean Keon Johnson (247 Sports #32 overall player) didn’t make the drive from the midstate for the same reason.  Then there are SG Jayden Stone (247 Sports #49 player) as well PF PJ Hall (247 Sports #69 player in the country), who’s been the campus multiple times, most recently last month for the UF game.

So right now you’re talking about a board with very realistic targets that include the #12/18/32/49/60/69/75/121 players in the country – 2 of whom are 5-stars and one of whom sits 6 spots away – with one 5-star already committed.  That is, to put it mildly, bananas, and frankly I don’t know if there is a coach in the country, including the legends at places like Duke and UNC and Kentucky, who wouldn’t gladly trade places with Barnes when it comes to where they sit with their respective 2020 classes.  As a reminder, there is currently one 4-star player on the current roster that’s won 52 of its 64 games since the start of last season, and he (DJ Burns) reclassified from the 2019 class and is redshirting.  So when you’re talking about this kind of talent – talent that is basically being handpicked by Barnes to ensure that they fit what he’s building in Knoxville – that Tennessee is legitimately in on, it’s mind-boggling to consider the possibilities. 

There are, to be honest, too many bigtime players for the amount of spots that are going to be available in this class, but with Walker in the boat already Barnes and Tennessee can afford to be about as picky as they want.  To that end, there are two interesting wrinkles to keep in mind:

  1. The possibility that Kessler himself could reclassify to 2019.  Now, right now Tennessee does not have any scholarships available, but as discussed here there are multiple scenarios in which at least one becomes available. Now, the best case scenario is that a) Grant Williams decides to return for his senior season, b) a scholarship opens up because a player who hasn’t seen any playing time at all decides to transfer out, and c) Kessler reclassifies and signs with the Vols.  That’s a lot of “ifs” but none of them are particularly far-fetched.  Kessler has now missed two previously scheduled official visits, both of which would have been for massive home games (UF and UK), but they were both for legitimate reasons.  Nevertheless the Vols absolutely need to get him on campus for that visit.  Assuming he does one can then feel certain that Tennessee is in that one deep, and then those other “ifs” become less daunting, particularly “b.” The fact that Corey Walker is travel teammates with Kessler certainly is a positive for the Vols here
  2. How urgently Barnes and the staff think they need a true PG.  Both Springer and Johnson are combo guards – capable of being a lead guard but with a scorer’s mentality.  And Stone is a pure SG.  At 6’5 Johnson is potentially growing into more of a Wing anyway, joining the likes of Walker, Ruhsentzev, and Ambrose-Hylton.  So that leaves, right now at least, only Jalen Cone in terms of a true PG that the Vols have invested a lot of time in.  But Cone – a very good player in his own right, without a doubt – probably isn’t the same overall prospect as those Wings, and the Vols will also need at least one big man in that class too.  So do the Vols take a “lesser” prospect due to positional need or do they just try and load up on Combo Guards simply because they’re all studs? 

It’s a high class problem to have, and one that will likely sort itself out both as Tennessee’s roster matures and evolves as well as of course not every player on the board ultimately wants to be a Vol.  Ideally Kessler does reclassify and sign with the Vols and has such a great freshman year that he (and maybe James?) is a one-and-done guy, leaving those four spots for one less prospect.   We’re getting greedy now, but given what Barnes has done on the court as well as the kind of recruiting he’s doing now, it’s not just dreaming.  It’s an exciting time to be a Vol hoops fan for many reasons, and when one looks into the future things look even better.

*Apologies for the tortured Zeppelin reference

Rocky Top the Place to be on March 2nd

Knoxville is going to be buzzing on the weekend of March 2nd, as Tennessee will host Kentucky in a rematch of the Cats’ thrashing of the Vols two weeks prior.  Of course, both teams have two games in between now and then, with the Vols going on the road twice in very difficult games against LSU (Saturday) and Ole Miss (Wednesday).  Regardless of the outcome, however, the showdown will have big implications for both the conference as well as nationally in terms of NCAA Tournament seeding, so the CBS national broadcast will be showing a sold out (yet again) and hyped up Thompson Boiling Arena.

Coach Rick Barnes will be using this showcase for his program and will be bringing in a contingent of outright studs from the 2020 class as visitors.  Tennessee basketball has rarely if ever hosted this volume of talent for one weekend, and they’ll look to take full advantage of the opportunity:

C Walker Kessler is a 5-star and 247 Sports #12 player in the 2020 class and the Vols are going head to head with the likes of Duke, UNC, UVA, and Michigan.  As we wrote about here, Kessler fits the mold of what Barnes’s program is all about to a tee, and the fact that he’s taking an official visit is a strong sign of his interest.  The wrinkle in Kessler’s recruitment is the very distinct possibility that he could reclassify into the 2019 class.  Should he choose to do so, that would work to Tennessee’s advantage (though, perhaps not solely) as it’s been stated that UNC for sure does not have a spot for him in 2019 and that the same could be the case for Michigan as well.   Duke – who already has 5-star C Vernon Carey committed, might be reluctant to take him for 2019.  Additionally, while Tennessee does not currently have a 2019 spot open, the Vols appear to be recruiting Kessler with no reservations about making that work.  Kessler, as an official visitor, will no doubt be given the grand tour of everything from the brand spanking new and state of the art basketball facility as well as an in-depth view of Tennessee’s renowned skill development process to everything the University of Tennessee has to offer academically.  Barnes and Assistant Des Oliver were in to see Kessler at Woodward Academy on Wednesday. Expect the Vols to take a massive swing here that weekend.


Wing Keon Ambrose-Hylton – 4-star from Ohio who used to be at Chattanooga’s Hamilton Heights HS, 247 Sports #75 overall player, broke out last weekend at the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, showing high energy and high level defensive ability. “KAH” is evidently considering the possibility of reclassifying as well, and as an interesting wing prospect he could be someone the Vols turn the heat up on depending on scholarship availability and what Kessler decides in that regard. 

Wing Corey Walker is a 5-star and 247 Sports #23 overall player in the class.  At 6’6 or even 6’7, he’s got the kind of all-around game – able to play inside and outside on both ends of the floor with a shot that projects out to NBA three-point range – that is tailor made for Barnes’s system.  Importantly, he’ll be making his second visit in just 2 weeks, as he just attended the Tennessee-Florida game.  He raved about the visit and quickly set this follow up trip, leading a handful of prominent national analysts to log predictions in favor of Tennessee landing him.  What’s unclear is whether a decision is imminent, and it’s also unclear as of now if this will be another unofficial visit or if Walker will be on his first of two allowed official trips to Tennessee.  Obviously the Vols would be thrilled to land his commitment this early over the likes of local powers UF and FSU along with others like Louisville and Michigan.  This will absolutely be one to watch.

SG Jayden Stone is 4-star originally from Australia and 247 Sports #49 overall player.  He’s a smooth shooter playing his high school basketball in Birmingham with Auburn among others hot on his trail.  Stone has had the Vols in his top group for a while and this will be his first look at Tennessee.

PG Jalen Cone is a 4-star from North Carolina and 247 Sports #121 overall player (interestingly the #60 overall player by Rivals).  He’s very small (listed anywhere from 5’9 to 5’11) but very quick and a pure PG.  He visited Knoxville last September so he’s familiar with the campus, but this will be his first time in TBA.  Depending on what Tennessee’s needs at the position are – that is, does Josiah James come back in 2020, do they otherwise need someone like a grad transfer who can provide immediate help, etc, Cone could be someone they look at strongly.

Although in recent seasons Barnes and his staff have zeroed in on a handful of prospects to target going into the summer before the early signing period, at this point the board is bigger than it’s ever been.  And as noted it contains the kind of talent that befits the kind of program Tennessee Basketball has become.  Along with the group above, Tennessee is firmly in the mix for Wing Keon Johnson (247 Sports #32 overall…Vols lead); Wing Samson Ruhsentzev (247 Sports #60 overall); PF/C PJ Hall (247 Sports #69 overall…Vols could very well lead); SG Matthew Murrell (247 Sports #80 overall); and C Dylan Cardwell (247 Sports #147 overall). 

Pruitt Joining in on the Fun

Tennessee Football will also be taking advantage of the big game atmosphere in TBA and will be bringing in a large number of high-level 2020 (and probably 2021 and even 2022) prospects to campus to take in the spectacle.   While the below list is relatively small, it will certainly grow by quite a bit and already contains four 4-star prospects, three of whom are making return visits.

DL Jacolbe Cowan is a high 4-star from Charlotte making his 4th visit to campus since Pruitt has been coach, along with attending the 2018 opener vs. WVU.  He’s a bgitime player at a major position of need, and while he’s shown no signs of making an early decision he clearly like the Vols a lot.  Getting him back to campus again – especially for a weekend like this – is without a doubt good news

RB/LB Trenton Simpson is another Charlotte native, the 6’3, 220 pound Simpson will be making his 2nd visit in 6 weeks.  The 4-star now has offers from OU/ND/LSU among others and will be facing a similar decision as Quarvaris Crouch in terms of which postion to play, and while the Vols do like him at RB – especially due to his size – his ranking is as a LB which shows his skill level there.  While he may not be on commitment watch, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him pledge to the Vols

ATH Demarcus Beckwith is a 4-star Alabama native with offers from Auburn and Michigan among others.  Beckwith got his first offer from the Vols in mid-January and plays WR and QB for his high school team while also standing out on the hardwood.  He’s a big kid who projects to both sides of the ball with high-level athleticism and would be an interesting piece.

WR Kris Abrams-Draine is a 4-star LSU commitment has been on campus once already but seems intrigued by fellow Mobile native Tee Martin.  Relatively small at 6’0, 160 pounds, he’s got good speed and plays a position that will see Tennessee sign upwards of 4 players, so the outcome of this trip could influence where he is on Tennessee’s board and vice versa.

With a nationally televised Top 10 (at worst) matchup in Thompson-Boiling Arena, both Coaches Rick Barnes and Jeremy Pruitt – who seem to have formed a quick friendship and absolutely recognize the importance of a symbiotic relationship to their respective recruiting efforts – will be using the weekend to showcase the University of Tennessee to the kind of prospects that will continue and even elevate the run that Barnes’s program is on while accelerating the rebuild that Pruitt has well underway.  It should be a weekend that pays big dividends down the road for both programs.

Can Vols Start a Whitehaven Pipeline in Football and Hoops?

It’s common knowledge that Coach Jeremy Pruitt is making Memphis a huge priority in the class of 2020.  The Vols have targeted upwards of ten Memphis prospects in the class, and Memphians make up four of the top 7 prospects in the state according to 247 Sports.  Pruitt and Co. have already made inroads into the city, having signed OL Jerome Carvin and RB (LB?) Jeremy Banks in his first class (along with DL Emmit Gooden and Greg Emerson, from West Tennessee towns of Brownsville and Jackson, respectively) in his first class and following that up with the addition of OL Melvin McBride from Memphis’s Whitehaven HS in December.

Whitehaven will continue to be a popular stop for the Vols staff, as the Tigers have a LB trio that features two four-stars in Bryson Eason and Martavius French, who have offers from most of the SEC as well as other national powers like Oklahoma, along with well as Tamarion McDonald who is currently being heavily pursued by Ole Miss.  Eason and French were both on campus twice last spring/summer, and as the Vols continue to look to rebuild the LB position both of those prospects will certainly be purused.

It’s not just football, though, where Whitehaven has some real prospects in the class of 2020.  SG Matthew Murrell was recently bumped to the #78 overall prospect and is widely considered to be the best prospect in the city of Memphis regardless of class outside of University of Memphis 2019 signee James Wiseman, the #1 overall player in that class.  As we discussed here, Murrell fits the bill of what Coach Rick Barnes is looking for in terms of the culture of the program, and the Vols have already spent quite a bit of time recruiting him.  Notably, as we’ve also detailed, Tennessee has set itself up for a monster class of 2020 in terms of sheer talent it’s in deep with, and Penny Hardaway certainly won’t let Murrell go without a fight (see what I did there?).  Whitehaven’s basketball team features another player with a Tennessee offer in 7’4 C Jordan Wilmore.  Wilmore is definitely a project and given how Tennessee has positioned itself not just with so many bigtime players in the class but also with a handful of big men like PJ Hall and even recent visitor Dylan Cardwell, Wilmore is likely down the list currently.  But Tennessee did offer him in January, and Barnes does not hand out offers lightly, so while he’s raw he could definitely be one to watch.

McBride is a gregarious individual who no doubt will be doing some peer recruiting between now and when he enrolls in Knoxville over the summer, which won’t hurt in the least.  So as both head coaches Pruitt and Barnes spend time all over Memphis, expect there to be a Big Orange presence in the halls of Whitehaven HS for the next year as the Vols look to build a pipeline on both the gridiron and the hardwood. MartavʼnPYl