6 reasons Vols fans should be excited about the Jim Chaney hire

247Sports’ Patrick Brown broke the news last night that Tennessee has hired Jim Chaney as its new offensive coordinator. The school just made the news official.

After a long, drawn-out process that rivaled last year’s search for a new head coach in time if not in drama, it appears that Tennessee has once again ended up better off for having taken its time. Here are a few reasons why this hire is an absolute homerun for the Big Orange.

Offensive Productivity

This is the one you’ll read about the most today, so I won’t spend much time on it. But Chaney knows what to do with great players, and he’s able to develop good players into great ones. Sure, the Georgia Bulldogs are stocked with elite talent, but as Tennessee fans can attest, just having highly-recruited players running around out there doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to produce up to their potential.

That shouldn’t be a problem with Chaney.

Chaney’s not only done well with a roster full of blue-chippers at Georgia, he also managed to provide one of the bright spots for a Tennessee program woefully lacking them over the past decade. As OC for the Vols in 2012 — a season otherwise so bad it got Derek Dooley fired — Chaney guided Tyler Bray, Cordarrelle Patterson, Justin Hunter, and three future NFL offensive linemen to a prolific 36 points per game. Chaney was never the problem during Dooley’s time on Rocky Top, and his productivity and offensive prowess will be an asset to Jeremy Pruitt and the Tennessee program.

A lateral move to division rival

We’ve described rebuilding in the SEC as rebuilding during the hurricane before, and, well, it’s apt. SEC coaches don’t have the luxury of waiting for sunny skies to get to work.

They’re building with the left hand and battling with the right.

It’s an especially difficult task for anyone at the helm of the Tennessee program during Alabama’s reign of terror due to the Vols’ annual rivalry with the Tide, and Georgia getting nearly as good is terrible news for a program trying to re-make something nearly from scratch.

So anything that both makes Tennessee better and weakens an annual rival is a good thing. Regardless of Georgia fans complaining about Chaney when they happen to lose to other good teams, Chaney was the guy the coaching staff wanted, and now he’s not only gone, he’s defected to Rocky Top. He’s switched sides in the middle of the battle.

It’s not just the re-balancing of power, either. It’s also the regional and national perception. The Bulldogs have had a tough month. They lost a lead over Alabama in the SEC Championship and eventually lost the game. They were left out of the playoff, and then they lost their heart and their bowl game. It’s a different sport, but because things tend to run together in college sports, I’ll also throw in that the Tennessee hoops team just absolutely thumped Georgia. Now Chaney throws in with the Vols.

Fun. I like it. I also like the whispers that some NFL teams might be considering Kirby Smart as a head coach. Nick Saban may have been-there-done-that, but Smart hasn’t. He should try it. Really. Totally unbiased opinion here.

Maybe Georgia will be fine. But it sure looked like Alabama missed Jeremy Pruitt against Clemson Monday night, didn’t it?

Fit

Jeremy Pruitt is old school. You can tell by looking at him, watching him work, and by analyzing the teams that he’s coached. So it was a bit strange to hear some of the names bandied about during the offensive coordinator search, names like Kendal Briles and Mike Yurcich. Fair or not, guys like that, whose resumes are built on spread concepts and tempo, feel like shiny new objects.

Jim Chaney is not that. Like Pruitt, he’s old school. He is flexible enough to be able to incorporate new wrinkles that work, but at heart, he’s exactly what Pruitt expects in an offensive mind.

Upgrade in experience

I refrained from writing this all last preseason and throughout the entire fall, but when Pruitt’s staff was announced, one of my biggest fears stemmed from the fact that so many of them were getting promotions into positions for which they were unproven. Pruitt himself was stepping up from coordinator to head coach, and his coordinators were primarily former position coaches. Whether Tyson Helton had any real experience as offensive coordinator calling plays was always cloudy, but if he had any, it wasn’t much. It seemed that nearly everybody had a learning curve to climb.

Not so with Chaney, whose first job as a Power 5 offensive coordinator was all the way back in 1997 for Purdue. Except for a brief period as a position coach in the NFL, he’s been one ever since.

It’s not that Pruitt’s staff doesn’t have experience, but many of the key guys last season had been learning something new. Chaney brings some much-needed experience to the staff, and the fact that he’s on the offensive side of the ball should allow Pruitt to focus even more on the defense, which, let’s be honest, also needs some work.

No apparent head-coaching aspirations

One of the oddest things about Jim Chaney is his incredibly long-tenure as a coordinator without ever having served as a head coach (the one-game as Vols interim notwithstanding.) As I said above, Chaney’s been an offensive coordinator since 1997, except for a three-year period as offensive line and tight ends coach in the NFL. He was part of Lane Kiffin’s Coaching Chimera in 2009, and when the Tennessee Rumspringa was over, the entire Chimera disappeared into the dark night with the exception of Jim Chaney. Derek Dooley was many things, but not-smart wasn’t one of them, and he persuaded Chaney to stay. Chaney didn’t leave Rocky Top until Dooley was fired and Butch Jones brought in his own guys. That didn’t work.

I can’t seem to find it, but I have a vague recollection of Chaney once telling Tennessee media while serving as Vols coordinator that he was content as a life-long coordinator and simply didn’t want to be a head coach. Maybe I made that up. Maybe that’s graciously responding to an insulting question. I don’t know. But he’s been a really good coordinator for a really long time, and in a world of ladder-climbing and self-ambition, he appears to have that rare talent of being content. The chief problem with coordinators is that they either don’t succeed or they leave when they do. If I’m reading him right, Chaney seems to be the perfect combination of excellence and stability.

Recruiting? Maybe?

I don’t know if Jim Chaney is a prolific recruiter. Heck, maybe he hates it or is terrible at it or something, and maybe that’s the main reason he has no ambition to become a head coach.

But I do know that he’s served as the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs that past few seasons and that the Bulldogs are currently neck-and-neck with Alabama for recruiting the most talent to their respective campuses. For what it’s worth, 247Sports credits Chaney with landing some of Georgia’s most impressive guys. There are a lot of stars on that list.

If the hiring of Chaney can help Tennessee to lure more and better talent to Knoxville than Athens, that will be a very good thing. At the very least, you’d have to think that losing a coordinator would introduce some uncertainty into the mix for guys on the fence.

Tennessee’s search for an offensive coordinator to replace Tyson Helton may have taken forever, but it seems clear that the Vols have once again stuck the landing and somehow ended up with an upgrade at an incredibly important staff position.

Tennessee 87 Missouri 63: Each Surprise More Pleasant

Isn’t this the game Cuonzo would’ve wanted?

Grant Williams fouled out with four points on 1-of-8 shooting. The Vols lead the nation in assist percentage at 69%. Tonight: only 12 assists on 31 made shots, 38.7%. Missouri made Tennessee beat them with more one-on-one play, and do so without much of anything from its best player.

And…we did. Convincingly. Massively.

Cuonzo remains a Rorschach for Tennessee fans, but what is fact is the way his UT teams played at home against the best competition. His first team beat an Elite Eight Florida squad and lost to Kentucky’s National Championship team by three. His second team saw Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss pull away late for a 92-74 win, but the Vols were within single digits for most of the second half. They beat Wichita State and another Elite Eight Florida squad in Knoxville, plus Kentucky by 30. His final team battled the Gators, undefeated in the SEC, to the final minute in Knoxville.

I’ve never seen a Cuonzo Martin team take a beating like this at home.

If Tennessee can do this, with Grant Williams and effective ball movement handcuffed, to a bubble squad on the road? I’m not sure how many SEC teams on the bubble or below are going to beat the Vols this year. At this point, we get to question how many will even threaten.

When great individual efforts were required tonight, how about Kyle Alexander: 14 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks. Jordan Bowden came off the bench with 20, again. And best of all, Lamonte Turner looked off in his return against Georgia, but not tonight: 3-of-4 from the arc.

Tennessee was favored by seven and won by 24. The good news, in a sense, is the challenge continues to increase: we’re off to Gainesville on Saturday, where the Vols were only favored by one in KenPom before tonight. As was the case after Georgia, I keep trying to remind myself any win is a good win and to appreciate everything about this team. But this team, even outside of what we would consider its best basketball, is giving us far more to appreciate than we thought possible.

Onward and upward. Go Vols.

Tennessee at Missouri Preview

The Vols held on to number three in the AP poll, 18 votes behind Michigan for number two, 10 votes ahead of Virginia at number four. Those three and number one Duke are also the one seeds in the most recent Bracket Matrix. The Cavaliers and Blue Devils will square off on January 19, with the winner there likely to jump or stay ahead of the Vols unless they lose somewhere else. The somewhere else possibilities this week:

  • Duke: at Wake Forest (158 KenPom) Tuesday, at Florida State (20) Saturday
  • Michigan: at Illinois (106) Thursday, vs Northwestern (51) Sunday
  • Virginia: at Boston College (104) Wednesday, at Clemson (36) Saturday

It’s clearly the week to be on the road at the top of the polls: Tennessee is at Missouri tonight, at Florida on Saturday. The game with the Gators gets primetime treatment: 6:00 PM Saturday on ESPN, though a little luster is off with Florida’s loss to South Carolina to open SEC play. But first, the Tigers.

Last Year

Missouri built a 10-point lead with 6:47 to play, then didn’t make another shot…but it was enough. Tennessee shot 5-of-21 from the arc (23.8%) and 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the line, and couldn’t put it together in the final minute while the Tigers finished off a 15-of-17 performance at the line in a 59-55 Missouri win.

The Tigers earned an eight seed in the NCAA Tournament, but were vanquished by Florida State in the opening round. Then they essentially lost their top four scorers with the graduation of Kassius Robertson and Jordan Barnett, Michael Porter Jr. heading to the NBA after appearing in just three games, and then his brother Jontay tore his ACL in a preseason scrimmage.

But this is still a veteran team: Jordan Geist and Kevin Puryear are seniors, Jeremiah Tilmon played 19 minutes a game last year and Mark Smith did the same at Illinois before transferring in.

The Cuonzo Rorschach

…looks about the same as last year to me: unexpectedly playing without the guy they would’ve counted on most, Missouri started slow: 17-point loss at Iowa State, 15-point loss to Kansas State on a neutral floor, two-point home loss to Temple, all in November. But when they get hot, they burn it down: a two-point overtime win over Central Florida sparked the current six-game winning streak, including a 15-point win over Xavier and a 16-point win over Illinois. And, as noted by many, they haven’t played since December 29. There will be some rust to knock off, but I’m sure there will also be a long and detailed scouting report.

The Tigers are 74th in KenPom and 66th in NET. The tempo (327th fastest nationally) and defense (69th in defensive efficiency) are what you’d expect. But a few things do stand out about this match-up:

  • Get dunked on: Jeremiah Tilmon is 6’10” and Kevin Puryear is 6’7″, but the rest of the major contributors on this team are between 6’2″ and 6’4″. Missouri is 311th nationally in shot blocking percentage. That’s bad news, because the Vols are first in the nation in fewest shots blocked.
  • Opponents average just 62.3% at the line against Missouri. It’s totally random, but does represent the sixth-lowest opponent percentage in college basketball. In their current winning streak, Xavier went 12-of-21 (57.1%) and Illinois 7-of-14 (50%). The Vols shoot 74.2% at the line, 52nd nationally; Grant Williams is 12th nationally in fouls drawn per 40 minutes (via KenPom).
  • Mark Smith is the primary shooting threat. After shooting just 23.2% from the arc at Illinois, he’s 30-of-65 (46.2%) this year at Missouri.

It’s the first of two with Missouri this year, with the return match in Knoxville on February 5. Don’t expect everything to resemble a 46-point beat down. Vegas likes the Vols -7.5, KenPom -7. If Tennessee is going to distance themselves from a Cuonzo Martin team, expect them to do so on the defensive end: less viper, more boa constrictor tonight.

7:00 PM ET, ESPN2. Go Vols.

Grateful for the Dead Period to be Over

With the December 2018 Early Signing Period in the books, the recruiting world will get cranked back up this weekend after the dead period ends.  And after watching last night’s National Championship Game one can be sure that Coach Jeremy Pruitt is chomping at the bit to do everything he can to get the Vols back to that kind of meaningful game.  There is no doubt that the class he’s assembled thus far is a step in the right direction, having the kind of top-end talent as well as depth that immediately and significantly improves the roster.  However, Tennessee has anywhere from 3-5 spots to fill in the class depending on how they can/want to work the numbers, so they have a chance to further improve the program by adding more elite players. 

He’ll Flip Ya For Real?

After putting together an incredibly strong core of his second class, Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt set his sights on an exceptionally large number of high level prospects that were committed elsewhere, trying to flip some longstanding commitments to elite or least very strong and stable programs.  However, none of them signed with the Vols after each sticking with their respective schools:

DL Justin Eboigbe (Alabama)

LB Owen Pappoe (Auburn)

WR Jaylen Ellis (Baylor)

Akeem Dent (FSU)

DL Bill Norton (UGA)

DL Zion Logue (UGA)

LB Trezeman Marshall (UGA)

OL EJ Ndoma-Ogar (Oklahoma)

DL Joe Anderson (South Carolina)

DB Kenyatta Watson (Texas)

That list, along with RB Noah Cain who Tennessee got involved with very late before he ended up signing with longtime leader PSU, obviously represents a very large investment in time and resources that came up with nothing to show for it. 

Conversely, in the 2017 class, Pruitt and Co. signed multiple bigtime uncommitted prospects, in a very short time after being hired, for whom they had to beat out the nation’s elite:

Dominick Wood-Anderson (beat Alabama)

Jerome Carvin (beat Alabama)

JJ Peterson (beat Alabama)

Alontae Taylor (beat UGA)

S Treveon Flowers (Clemson)

And following that up, Pruitt’s 2nd class is ranked in the Top 15 nationally after the 2018 ESP despite missing on so many potential flips.  That’s because of the sheer number of blue chip recruits Tennessee signed and beat out top-tier programs for, with more than 50% of the 19 signees ranked as 4 or 5-stars – not even including former 5-star Michigan DL transfer DL Aubrey Solomon.

So as the Vols look to finish out their class with a few more elite players, there is no doubt that Pruitt and his staff can go head to head with the top programs in the country.  However, what is still to be proven is whether Pruitt can flip that elite kind of player who is committed to another power program.  Because while the Vols are undoubtedly going to go hard after uncommitted studs, such as OL Darnell Wright and LBs Henry To’oto’to (again, head to head with Alabama) and Chris Russell, they are also spending quite a bit of time trying to get in the door with FSU Defensive Back commitment (and Tallahassee native) Travis Jay, along with Auburn WR commitment George Pickens and even DB Maurice Hampton (LSU) who can’t seem to tell Pruitt know strongly enough.  One could also equate Tennessee’s attempt to get in with DB Kair Elam, who not only is the nephew of former Florida Gator Matt Elam star but also has never been to Knoxville while visiting both UF and UGA campuses multiple times, with that of the aforementioned Noah Cain.  The Vols might end up getting him to campus for an OV, and you can never count Tennessee out when a kid visits Knoxville, but that one in particular looks to be a massive longshot.

To be clear, none of this is to say that recruiting the likes of DBs Jay/Elam/Hampton is mutually exclusive to recruiting the likes of DBs Robinson or Jamal Hill (mentioned in this space as one to watch and now having set up an OV for 1/25).  It’s also not to say that the recruitments of all committed prospects are the same.  For example, Pickens is seemingly much more open to Tennessee than Jay, Elam, and Hampton, and Pickens has already been to Knoxville while neither of those DBs have.  Further, Pruitt’s ties to Pickens’ Hoover HS in Alabama give Tennessee another in with that recruitment that distinguishes it from others. 

The question is, especially given the above track record of this staff in terms of signing elite prospects who are committed elsewhere vs. top uncommitted players, which prospects remaining on the board should Tennessee focus on.  Because outside of Wright and maybe LB Chris Russell, Tennessee isn’t the odds on favorite for anyone left on its board. 

Final Board

Below is Tennessee’s likely final board of players headed into the final few weeks, although the Vols could certainly also get a couple of prospects not listed to campus.  Tennessee will hope to add as many from the “Elite Tier” as possible, but could dip into that “Tier II” and still feel good about the kind of prospect it’s getting.  What I don’t think Pruitt will do this cycle, unlike at the end of the 2018 cycle, is settle for clearly lesser prospects if he misses on the large majority of his preferred prospects.  Both because they have fewer spots to fill than they did last year when they did ”reach” for a few guys at the end and because they appear to be in good enough shape with enough of the targets below to avoid needing to do so

Elite Tier

No doubt players who would instantly upgrade the talent on Tennessee’s roster at their respective positions and also could play at programs currently competing for championships

OL Darnell Wright – As close to a Vol lock as there can be, even if he takes OVs elsewhere (UGA, UNC, WVU) in January.  Wright, along with Wanya Morris, could find himself pushing for immediate playing time in 2019 and will instantly upgrade the size and talent on the all-important OL

WR George Pickens (AU commit) – Pickens was in an earlier iteration of Tennessee’s “Tier II” targets mostly due to their lack of traction with him.  But while LSU is considered by many to be in the strongest position for a flip, and UGA is also heavily in the mix (and will receive an OV this weekend), the Vols do appear to have a real chance here for this bigtime WR.  Tennessee has strong ties to his Hoover HS and he took a secret visit to Knoxville for the Missouri game.  Tennessee should get him back for an OV and, especially with the right OC hire, could find themselves in strong position.  Stealing Jim Chaney from UGA especially could at the same time hurt the Dawgs in this one and also help the Vols.  The fact that he’s already OV’d to AU and LSU is also a good thing for Tennessee. I might be more sanguine about Tennessee’s chances than most, but this one just has the feel of a Pruitt pull, and Pickens is the kind of WR who would have felt right at home in the Clemson-Alabama game

DL Charles Moore (MSU commit) – Perhaps strange to have him in this tier given that the Vols backed off Moore due to a subpar senior season. However, he was one of the best DL on the Mississippi side all week leading up to the AL/MS All-Star game, looking more like the prospect he was his junior year.  He then followed that up with a great week at the UA Game. Auburn is a very strong contender, as his good friend Jared Handy signed with the Tigers already, but the Vols absolutely can get him to campus and make a big push should they choose to.  Everyone needs as many talented DL as it can get, so expect Tennessee to do just that

OLB Khris Bogle (Alabama commit) – News came out on Monday that Bogle had actually decided on Tennessee as little as an hour before committing to Alabama on national TV.  Given that he’s not signing anything until February it will certainly be interesting to see how hard the Vols push.  Pruitt has already used his inhome, so that’s not available, but Bogle is a bigtime passrusher so expect Tennessee to do all it can to get him back on campus unofficially and land his signature

ILB Henry To’oto’to – Elite LB who is basically down to Tennessee and Alabama with some West Coast schools fighting to keep him in the region.  He’s currently scheduled to be in Knoxville this weekend and then at the Poly Bowl (with Tennessee signee Jackson Lampley and some Bama commits as well) and then will visit Bama the weekend of 1/25 before announcing on Signing Day

ILB Chris Russell – Instate LB with tremendous measurables and senior film to match, the Dyersburg native is a huge need given the lack of bigtime LBs on the roster as well as his being from the Volunteer State.  The Vols are scheduled to get his final OV, so they’ll be sweating out trips to College Station, Auburn, and Fayetteville between now and then but right now it feels like Tennessee is in good shape

DB Anthony Harris (Vols commit) – Incredibly talented player who didn’t sign in December for unknown reasons.  Harris is a great athlete who starred at QB for his high school team, taking them to the state title game in NC, and could project to either side of the ball in college.  The instate Tar Heels are trying to make a push but right now it’s an incredibly quiet recruitment.  More clarity should come in the next couple of weeks as he takes visits, but it does appear the Vols will push to keep him in the fold

CB Travis Jay (FSU commit) – Showed out at the UA Game practices and proved himself to be a bigtime CB with great size. Jay is scheduled to visit Knoxville the 1/19 weekend; however, he’s going to be a very tough pull away from the Seminoles, so while he and Elam (below) are Elite Tier talents they are the least likely of this bunch

DB Kair Elam – Although he’s uncommitted Elam is a longshot for the Vols unless and until something changes with his frontrunners UF and UGA AND the Vols blow his visit out of the water should he actually make it to Knoxville

Tier II

Solid prospects who project to be good college players and would likely help the Vols sooner rather than later.  Will end up at very good programs should they not sign with the Vols

WR Arjei Henderson (UF commit) – Sitting on his 3rd commitment, he says he’s going to take an OV to Tennessee in January.  Florida will certainly try and shut that down when he’s in Gainesville this weekend, so that’s TBD.  He’s a very good WR but I’m not sure if he’s a no-doubt take for the Vols given other positional needs

DL Ledarrius Cox (Vols commit) – How hard they Vols want to keep him will be determined this weekend when he OVs, but Cox, like Moore, had a strong week of practices at the AL/MS Game.  The major determining factor could be how Tennessee feels about where they sit with Moore as well as what’s going on at other positions 

DL Kristian Williams (Minnesota commit) – Williams is a very solid DL who looks like he could help an SEC team in a couple of years and would also be another nice pickup from Memphis.  The Vols can probably land him should they choose to push.  They question is, do they like him more than both Cox and Moore and players at other positions?

ILB Eugene Asante – A new offer for the Vols (and a bunch of other schools) since December, Asante has already taken an OV to instate Virginia Tech and will be deciding between the likes of the Hokies, UCLA, Nebraska, and a few others along with the Vols.  It’s unlikely the Vols take two LBs if To’oto’to isn’t one of them, so Asante is likely is a backup to Russell for now

DB Jamal Hill – Hill tore up the 2018 camp scene, picking up offers from the likes of Alabama and Michigan among many others and then earned a spot on the Georgia All-Region 4-AAAAAA team after his senior season. Although he likely projects as a physical, hard-hitting safety in college, he has underrated coverage ability and 10.96 100-meter dash speed.  At that length and with that speed, he fits the mold of a Pruitt CB, and the Vols are in his Final 4 with USC, Oregon, and Colorado.  Colorado is in there due to Mel Tucker having recruited him while at UGA, but obviously USC and Oregon are very good programs which reflects Hill’s ability.  He’ll OV to Knoxville the 1/25 weekend, at which point both sides will have a better feel for which way they want to go

DB Jammie Robinson – Robinson has been on the board since midseason, with his tie being his former high school head coach Shelton Felton who was a QC coach for the Vols.  However, Volquest.com reported that Felton is leaving for a fulltime position elsewhere, which might close the door between the two parties.  Robinson is a dynamic player but is much shorter and perhaps not as fast as Hill, so his ultimate ceiling isn’t as high.  He’s likely going to end up at South Carolina or Kentucky

Visits to Watch this Weekend

As the dead period ends and OVs get started back, the Vols will be hosting a handful of prospects (TBD) while watching a good number of its top targets who are visiting elsewhere.

LB Chris Russell (Texas A&M), WR George Pickens (UGA), and DL Charles Moore and DB Travis Jay (UF) are the main ones to keep an eye on, while LB Eugene Asante (UCLA) and DB Jamal Hill (Colorado) are Tier II targets taking OVs as well.

Tennessee 96 Georgia 50: This Was Not Normal

When you carry the number three next to your name, it’s easy for the enjoyable to get a little too normal. You nitpick, you look ahead, etc.

Tennessee was favored by 15 (via KenPom) over Georgia today in the SEC opener, a team Rick Barnes had beaten once – barely, to win the SEC last year – in his tenure in Knoxville. The Dawgs play a bunch of guys and are still trying to figure it out in Tom Crean’s first year, but had won five of six, including a near-miss with Arizona State and an 11-point win at Georgia Tech. There’s no such thing as a bad win in college basketball, especially to open league play. Getting the W is still at the top of the list, but the Vols are also still trying to stay in the chase for number one, in the polls and the bracket. That’s the standard you get to get judged by in the top five.

Today, Tennessee was incredible by any standard. And we should take the opportunity to appreciate it as much as possible.

A 46-point win is one shy of the program record in an SEC game. It’s the fifth 40+ point win in league play for the Vols, but the first since 1979. Georgia’s Derek Ogbeide, in foul trouble immediately, still finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting with six rebounds. The rest of the team? 11-of-44 (25%), 33 points. Georgia was 1-for-20 from the arc.

Tennessee? Eighteen each from PB&J, 20 from Jordan Bowden off the bench, and a 12-14 from Kyle Alexander. The Vols shot just 6-of-18 from the arc and won by 46, thanks to a lethal 28-of-46 (61%) inside the arc, 22-of-26 at the line, +15 in rebounds and a 25-9 assist-turnover ratio. This was a 40-minute (or like 39.5 minute as the Vols held the ball with a chance to get that record) beat down in every way.

The Vols also got Lamonte Turner back, who went 0-for-3 from the arc but still scored six points. His presence and the blowout allowed the Vols to keep everyone under 30 minutes.

In KenPom, the Vols moved from 11th to eighth. Their current rating there – +24.72 (margin of victory vs the average team in 100 possessions) – is now the best in program history. We could find ourselves saying that a lot more often this year. But first…

It’s a trap!

As Rob Lewis pointed out on VolQuest a few days ago, Missouri is next, and the Tigers will be well-rested. Cuonzo’s squad hasn’t played since December 29, and didn’t open SEC play today because they’re not in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge (neither is Auburn or Mississippi State, a big fail by whoever puts these together). So the Tigers will have ten days of preparation for the Vols, who get the short turnaround for a 7:00 PM Tuesday night tip in CoMo. It’s the first of two between the Vols and Tigers; Mizzou won last year 59-55.

Tennessee is only favored by six over the Tigers in KenPom. They won’t all be 46-point wins. But in the midst of what could be a special season, this was a special chapter. We haven’t seen this level of dominance in my lifetime in conference play. That qualifies as a good start.

Go Vols.

Tennessee vs Georgia Preview

When last we met:

It’ll be another sellout, this time to open league play. Thought this was interesting:

Before the split last season, the Vols lost two games (one in the SEC Tournament) to Georgia by three total points in 2017. And in 2016, Georgia won 81-72 in Athens.

Mark Fox is out after nine years, Tom Crean in. The Dawgs made three NIT’s and a one-and-done in the NCAA Tournament from 2014-17, but went 18-15 (7-11) last season, Yante Maten’s last.

This is still a huge team. Rayshaun Hammonds, Nicolas Claxton, and Derek Ogbeide go 6’8″, 6’11”, 6’9″. Like Tennessee, they love blocking shots (18th nationally) and don’t eat many on the other end (24th). Their first-shot defense has been pretty good: teams shoot 29.8% from the arc and 43.1% inside it against them.

But the biggest issue for Georgia has been turnovers. The Dawgs give it away on an astounding 22.4% of their possessions, 319th nationally. Georgia averages 15.7 turnovers per game and forces only 11.3. My math says that’s nearly 4.5 extra possessions for the opposition every night. For a Tennessee team that has struggled to create turnovers so far this year, Georgia should be a welcome sight.

One reason why: this is the longest bench I’ve ever seen. Nine players average double digit minutes, a dozen average six or more. Georgia is playing really fast with a new coach and a bunch of different lineups off the bench, which right now is leading to a bunch of turnovers.

It’ll be interesting to see if Georgia’s defense can slow Tennessee’s offense, but the Vols should have the clear advantage on the other end of the floor. Keep an eye on Tyree Crump, a career 32% shooter from the arc who’s incredibly hot at 43.1% so far this year.

KenPom likes the Vols by 15. That would qualify as a good start to league play. 3:30 PM, SEC Network. Go Vols.

SEC Basketball Preview

Last year the SEC rose from its slumber: after placing three teams in the 2017 Elite Eight, the league sent eight to the dance floor last March. Six won in the first round. And then, disappointment.

No. 3 seed Tennessee lost to No. 11 Loyola-Chicago. No. 4 seed Auburn lost to Clemson by 31 points. Only two SEC teams made it through to the Sweet 16, where No. 5 seed Kentucky lost to No. 9 seed Kansas State, and Texas A&M was routed by Michigan after routing North Carolina in the second round.

In KenPom, the league had no teams in the Top 10 but five ranked between 13-29. No one was special, but plenty were really good. And at the bottom, only Ole Miss was ranked outside the Top 100 (108th).

Entering league play in 2019, the league looks a little better in KenPom: still no one in the Top 10, but five teams between 11-20. The AP voters think even more highly of the league’s best: the Vols are third and receiving first-place votes, Auburn and Kentucky sit at 12 and 13, Mississippi State at 17, and Florida is receiving votes.

Those five look like safe bets for the NCAA Tournament; they’re joined by LSU with a Top 35 NET rating and in the most recent Bracket Matrix:

The Vols and a Number One Seed

At this point, chasing the first No. 1 seed in program history is a reasonable goal. Last year we looked at the records of the last No. 1 seed and all four No. 2 seeds since 2012. Six times in the last seven years, the lowest No. 1 seed either had six or seven losses, or was Gonzaga. Only in 2015 (undefeated Kentucky, 32-2 Villanova, 31-3 Wisconsin, 29-4 Duke) have we seen four truly elite No. 1 seeds.

Tennessee already has a leg up on Gonzaga via head-to-head; keep an eye on Nevada at 13-0, but right now the Vols are on pace to be in this conversation all year. KenPom projects Tennessee to win the SEC at 13-5, which would send the Vols to the SEC Tournament at 25-6. Tennessee is one of seven power conference teams projected to go to their conference tournament with between four and seven losses. We’ll see if anyone can separate themselves from the pack, but matching last year’s 13-5 SEC run could be enough to both win the league and get a one seed.

Something else to keep an eye on for the NCAA Tournament: the closest first-and-second-round venue is Columbia, SC. That will also be the closest option for any ACC Champion from North Carolina or Virginia. The bigger prize: the regional final in Louisville. Those same ACC teams would prefer Washington DC, and the Jayhawks would love Kansas City. So you might want to keep an eye on Big Ten teams like Michigan who would also prefer Louisville. The Final Four is in Minneapolis, if you’re into 14-hour drives.

What to Expect From the SEC

Rebuilding/Reloading:

  • South Carolina (5-7, 126 KenPom) – Somehow Chris Silva is still in school, but the Gamecocks have losses to Stony Brook, Providence, Wofford, and Wyoming, plus Michigan and Virginia.
  • Georgia (8-4, 108 KenPom) – Tom Crean’s first team is 319th in turnovers and 310th in turnovers forced.
  • Texas A&M (6-5, 97 KenPom) – A 15-point loss to Texas Southern ended a five-game winning streak after a 1-4 start. The Aggies are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country (29.1%).

The Bubble:

  • Missouri (9-3, 72 KenPom) – It’s what you expect from Cuonzo: 322nd in tempo, early struggles against Iowa State, Kansas State, and Temple, but now on a six-game win streak including UCF and Xavier. The Tigers have also benefited from teams shooting just 62.3% from the free throw line against them. Appearing in 2.8% of the Bracket Matrix.
  • Alabama (9-3, 63 KenPom) – Losses to Northeastern and Georgia State, but wins over five Top 100 teams. 6’7″ sophomore Herbert Jones is 34th nationally in free throw rate, and Donta Hall is 28th in true shooting percentage. Appearing in 8.6% of the Bracket Matrix.
  • Vanderbilt (9-3, 59 KenPom) – Lost freshman Darius Garland for the year to a knee injury, but fellow freshman Simi Shittu has done a nice job picking up the slack from the post. The names you know and love are gone (Fisher-Davis, LaChance, Roberson), but these guys are young and get after it inside the arc on both ends. Double-digit losses to NC State and Kansas State, a double-digit win over Arizona State. Bracket Matrix next four out.
  • Arkansas (9-3, 57 KenPom) – Three losses by seven total points to Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky, and Texas in overtime. A one-point win over Indiana is currently their only selling point. Still fast (47th in tempo), but actually more efficient on the defensive end this year. Appearing in 11.4% of the Bracket Matrix.
  • Ole Miss (10-2, 47 KenPom) – The biggest mystery in the league entering conference play. Kermit Davis’s first team lost to Butler and Cincinnati but beat Baylor and San Diego, all in November. In December they went 6-0 against teams rated between 173-301 in KenPom. At Vanderbilt to open league play on Saturday, then play Auburn and Mississippi State the following week, so we’re about to find out a lot more about them. Bracket Matrix first four out.

Might Be Contenders, Might Be On the Bubble

  • LSU (10-3, 40 KenPom) – Will Wade’s team has neutral-site losses to Oklahoma State and Florida State in overtime, plus a six-point loss at Houston. They beat Saint Mary’s on December 15. Much like Tennessee, their SEC schedule is extremely back-loaded: they won’t play any of the next tier until February. Third nationally in steals. Bracket Matrix nine seed.

The Contenders

  • Mississippi State (12-1, 20 KenPom) – It might have taken Ben Howland one more year than Rick Barnes to get them here, but they’re here: a five-point loss to Arizona State on a neutral floor is the only blemish, but they have six wins over Top 100 teams, including a pair of 11-point wins over Clemson and Cincinnati and a 23-point beat down of BYU last time out. Eighteenth in offensive efficiency, 19th in effective FG%, 21st in offensive rebounding percentage. The Brothers Weatherspoon are doing their thing, and point guard Lamar Peters is 13th nationally in assist rate. Bracket Matrix five seed.
  • Florida (8-4, 17 KenPom) – A 21-point loss to Florida State in the opener put them on most people’s back burner. Then they lost close games to Oklahoma, Butler, and Michigan State. But they beat West Virginia by 10, and in a rematch with Butler they won 77-43 (!). KeVaughn Allen is still around, and the Gators are sixth nationally in KenPom defense. We’re in Gainesville on January 12. Bracket Matrix ten seed, but 31.4% of brackets haven’t updated since that beat down of Butler.
  • Kentucky (10-2, 13 KenPom) – Got run over by Duke in the opener, and lost to Seton Hall in overtime. Throw in Quade Green’s transfer, and plenty were hitting the panic button. But the Cats beat North Carolina and won at Louisville by 13. Stanford transfer Reid Travis gives them an unusual veteran presence, and PJ Washington is back too. Freshman Keldon Johnson is shooting 43.2% from the arc. Bracket Matrix five seed.
  • Auburn (11-2, 12 KenPom) – Bruce Pearl’s team is first in the nation in forcing turnovers, first in shot-blocking, and fifth in offensive rebounding percentage. This is now a veteran team, and a healthy one at that: Austin Wiley, Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Chuma Okeke, and Anfernee McLemore all play their roles well. There’s a six-point loss to Duke and a seven-point loss to NC State, but Pearl still knows how to schedule: wins over Washington, Xavier, Arizona, Dayton, UAB, and Murray State. These guys are plenty tested and plenty good. We’ll only see them once, on the last day of the regular season. Bracket Matrix three seed.
  • Tennessee (11-1, 11 KenPom) – Where do the Vols stand out, other than an overtime loss to Kansas and a win over then-#1 Gonzaga? Tennessee is sixth in KenPom offense and first in the nation in fewest shots blocked. The Vols are good at some of the same stuff from last year – second nationally in assist rate, same cast of characters – but are much improved inside the arc, now 13th nationally in two-point field goal percentage. Lamonte Turner’s health remains a question. The Vols play Florida twice (Jan. 12 and Feb. 9), but don’t face any of the rest of this tier or LSU until February 16. The top No. 2 seed in the Bracket Matrix.

Friday Recruiting Musings

As next week brings All-Star Games, each game includes Vol signees and targets as well, with OL Darnell Wright and ILB Henry To’oto’to the prime prospects at the Under Armour All-America Game and All-American Bowl, respectively.  Tennessee signees OL Wanya Morris and S Jaylen “Tank” McCullough will represent the Vols at the UA Game, while RB Eric Gray, WR Ramel Keyton and OLB Quarvaris Crouch will carry the Tennessee banner at the All-American Bowl, each looking to raise their own respective profiles as well as doing as much peer recruiting as possible.

While Wright is considered to be a Vol in everything but the signed LOI, the battle for To’oto’to is likely down to Tennessee and Alabama, and he plans on taking OVs to both in January.  Greg Biggins of 247 Sports reported this week that there is buzz that, contrary to prior consensus opinion, the Vols could be in front at the moment.  However, the Tide will certainly have its share of signees in his ear just like the Vols will, as they have 5 of their own at the game. 

What will be newsworthy coming out of interviews and rumblings during the week at both games is what kind of traction Tennessee really has with targets like WR George Pickens and CB Kair Elam in particular.  Both are 5-star level talents at positions of need for the Vols, especially WR, and the Vols appear to be in position to at least get an OV from each of them.  However, Elam is the nephew of former Florida Gator Matt Elam star and has been to both UF and UGA campuses multiple times while to my knowledge never having been to Knoxville.  So he seems like a severe longshot.  With Pickens, while he is a longtime Auburn commitment for whom may think LSU is at worst a very strong 2nd place, the Tennessee staff obviously has strong ties to his Hoover HS and that recruitment is more of a wildcard, especially with him having already used his OVs to AU and LSU.  Notably, both Pickens and To’oto’to will also be at the Polynesian Bowl (January 19th) along with Tennessee signee Jackson Lampley.

Perhaps the more likely WR possibility who will be at the UA Game is Arjei Henderson, the 4-star former OU (and Oregon) commitment who the Vols visited during the contact period and appears to have real interest in Tennessee.  Henderson has good size at 6’1 and while he has a relatively slender build he possesses the kind of speed lacking in the WR room for Tennessee right now.  is only OV currently scheduled is to FSU the 1/25 weekend, so what he says about the Vols will be illuminating.

FSU DB commitment Travis Jay and Mississippi State DL commitment Charles Moore are the two other prospects to watch at the UA Game, as Tennessee has tried to get involved with Jay and Moore has been an on-again off-again target for the Vols throughout the process.  Odds favor both sticking with their respective commitments come February, but Moore in particular has been quoted as saying that among other January visits he is looking hard at Tennessee for one.  Notably, it has been thought that the Vols backed off Moore due to a subpar senior season; however, he was one of the best DL on the Mississippi side all week leading up to the AL/MS All-Star game, looking more like the prospect he was his junior year. Auburn is probably a stronger contender at the moment though, as his good friend Jared Handy signed with the Tigers already.

Another name to watch as January rolls around and the Vols try to add to their board is DB Jamal Hill.  Hill tore up the spring/summer 2018 camp scene, picking up offers from the likes of Alabama and Michigan among many others.  He also shined at an OSU summer camp despite not earning a Buckeye offer.  However, the chiseled 6’2, 190 lb player’s recruitment seemed to stall out a bit during the season despite a year-long performance that earned him a spot on the Georgia All-Regin 4-AAAAAA team alongside players like Alabama signee Justin Eboigbe and FSU signee Derrick McClendon, as well as Vol WR signee Jerrod Means. Although he likely projects as a physical, hard-hitting safety in college, it was noted by OSU writers that at the Buckeye camp he impressed with his coverage ability, showing the ability to break on the ball as well as closing speed. The speed is real, too, as Hill ran a 10.96 in the 100-meter dash during the spring.  At that length and with that speed, he does fit the mold of a Pruitt CB, and having visited Knoxville for the UF game there is a bit of history in this recruitment.  We’ll see if anything comes up here, but Hill could be an intriguing target and someone whose recruitment heats up in January (Oregon offered last week, for example).

While the odds of Tennessee signing current JUCO LB commitment Lakia Henry look increasingly slim, what happens with the other two unsigned Vol commitments – S Anthony Harris and DL Ledarrius Cox – will play a big role in not only how many spots are available for new additions to the Vol class but also which positions the Tennessee staff prioritizes. 

Harris is a very talented prospect who showed put at Carolina Shrine Bowl practices but elected not to sign with Tennessee in December despite it being unclear which if any schools are pursuing and/or he might have interest in.  Harris has not, however, received an inhome visit from Jeremy Pruitt, nor has he yet taken an OV to Tennessee.  Therefore he could be a blueshirt candidate, making that recruitment that much more interesting.

Cox is a player whose commitment to Tennessee has been viewed as soft since the day he pledged, and many think he is very unlikely to ultimately sign with the Vols.  However, he has maintained as recently as during the AL/MS Game week that he is solid to the Vols despite having January OVs scheduled to both Auburn – long thought to be the #1 flip candidate – and Ole Miss.  He does also has an OV scheduled to Tennessee though (1/18 weekend), so the Vols have a chance to hang on should they want to.  Like Charles Moore above, there have been questions about his senior season and how much Tennessee really does want to keep him; however, he did finish the season strong and earned first team 7A All-State honors and followed it up with multiple noteworthy performances during the aforementioned week of AL/MS Game practices. Given the need at DL for Tennessee it seems likely that the Vols staff will at the very least keep themselves involved here and then decide how hard to push pending what’s going on with other prospects, either DL or otherwise.

Where Can The Vols Improve?

With apologies to our friends from Cookeville, I’m not sure how much is left to learn about the Vols entering conference play. Tomorrow, Tennessee hosts Tennessee Tech: 330th in KenPom, where the Vols are projected to win by 30. From there, we begin at last season’s end: Georgia comes to Knoxville next Saturday to open SEC play.

There’s plenty of consternation about the #3 Vols not being #2 this week, but the Vols already cleared the biggest hurdle to getting to #1 by beating Gonzaga. The rigors of conference play offer plenty of opportunities for Duke, Michigan, and Virginia to stumble, which would not have been the case for the Zags.

Tennessee’s rigors are extraordinarily back-ended this season. Right now there are six SEC teams in the KenPom Top 50, led by the Vols at #11. Tennessee plays Florida (KenPom #27) on January 12 and February 9. Every other match-up with the top of the SEC is in the last seven games:

  • 2/16 at Kentucky (KenPom #15)
  • 2/19 vs Vanderbilt (#62)
  • 2/23 at LSU (#41)
  • 2/27 at Ole Miss (#54)
  • 3/02 vs Kentucky (#15)
  • 3/05 vs Mississippi State (#23)
  • 3/09 at Auburn (#13)

If form holds, a significant chunk of the argument for or against Tennessee will be made down the stretch. Before then, and before the grind of league play begins, here are two ways the Vols can improve:

Create Turnovers

Last year defense was Tennessee’s calling card: sixth in KenPom defensive efficiency and 14th in effective FG% allowed. The offense was good – 36th in KenPom – but the Vols were winning with defense.

This year, the script has flipped: Tennessee is eighth nationally in offense, a number I’m not sure many of us thought the Vols could get to. Meanwhile the defense is good – 31st in KenPom – but hasn’t been Tennessee’s ace card.

Some of the numbers are down, but not alarmingly so: the Vols are still 38th in effective FG% allowed, 63rd in three-point percentage allowed, and continue to excel at shot blocking (38th). The biggest difference so far this year? Last year Tennessee created a turnover on 20.4% of opponent possessions, 53rd nationally. This year? Just 17.9% of opponent possessions, 238th nationally.

The Vols averaged 14.9 turnovers forced in the first seven games, including 16 from Kansas. But in the last four games, the Vols forced only 40 turnovers, including a possession-heavy affair with Memphis.

This leads us to…

Lamonte Turner gets healthy (or the Vols grow playing small ball without him)

I’m still not exactly sure what this means:

Turner, last season’s SEC Sixth Man of the Year, is definitely a component of Tennessee’s best basketball. He’s best known for the big-shot quality that helped the Vols beat Purdue and Kentucky last season; Tennessee clearly has that in Admiral Schofield and the reigning SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams, but Turner provided it in Tennessee’s back court.

But something we may have underestimated about not only Turner, but the graduation of James Daniel: Tennessee can’t pressure opposing guards with the same efficiency right now.

Some of it is just math: the Vols are playing a glorified seven-man rotation right now, getting 32+ minutes from Bone, Schofield, and Williams. Bone only played 23 minutes last year, Schofield and Williams 28. Throw in recurring issues with foul trouble, and your defense has to be a little more tentative (and the offense has been good enough to make up the difference).

But without Turner, the Vols are leaning heavily on Bone and Jordan Bowden in the traditional guard role. Yves Pons is clearly a disruptor, but trails only John Fulkerson in fouls per 40 minutes. The longer Turner is out, the more important Jalen Johnson becomes. He didn’t play at all in Brooklyn when Turner briefly returned, but since then he’s averaged nine minutes per game.

Remember, Tennessee’s most frequent lineup at the end of last season put Bone, Bowden, and Turner on the floor together with Schofield and Williams. We’re all glad to see Kyle Alexander carrying a heavier load this year, but the Vols really haven’t put anything resembling that three-guard small-ball lineup on the floor (Bone, Bowden, Johnson plus two forwards and no Alexander).

Again: Tennessee is ranked third, beat Gonzaga and went to overtime with Kansas on neutral floors. We’re plenty capable. But there’s still room to grow on the defensive end, with or without Lamonte Turner’s return.

Holiday Weekend Recruiting Thoughts

Tennessee’s Early Signing Period class ranks #13 in the country and #6 in the SEC.  These respective rankings of course do not count the addition of the Aubrey Solomon, who was a 5-star DT in the class of 2017 and has played in both of his seasons at Michigan – the equivalent of the bluest of blue-chip JUCOS is probably understating it.  They do show both the strength of the SEC as well as the difficulty of the league overall (SEC teams hold the Top 4 spots!!!) and the latter ranking could perhaps cause one to view the class as a slight disappointment in a league of 14.  However, a deeper dive gives one more reasons for optimism, especially when viewed from the prism of “How can Tennessee take a big step forward not just in the SEC but more importantly in the SEC East and relative to teams against whom it has struggled mightily of late.”  The Volunteer class is #2 in the SEC East, behind UGA (who sits at #2 overall) and one spot ahead of Florida.  The Gators are the team that Tennessee should expect to compete with in the East, along with UGA, who for now everyone is chasing.  But of course that’s an expectation not based on current rosters or results, as the Vols find themselves looking up in the standings at the likes of South Carolina (#21 overall); Kentucky (#31 overall) , Missouri (#34 overall), and even Vanderbilt (#49 overall).  The fact that that – again even ignoring the addition of Solomon – before what promises to be a fruitful Late Signing Period for the Vols they sit ahead of all of the other SEC East teams is a promising sign.  Digging a bit deeper, the Vols actually signed only one fewer 247 Composite 5 and 4-star players (8) than the rest of the non-Florida SEC East team combined

Another reason to be excited about Tennessee’s early signees is the impressive depth of class.  While you undoubtedly need 5 and 4-star studs like OLB Quarvaris Crouch and OL Wanya Morris (and Solomon) – and 11 of the 19 signees are rated 4-star or higher by one of 247 or Rivals – when you’re rebuilding the roster like Jeremy Pruitt is in Knoxville you also have to have quality all the way down to the bottom of your class’s individual player rankings

Tennessee’s class has, unsurprisingly, no players lower than 3-stars.  But that belies the fact that among Tennessee’s 3-star signees there are players who held legitimate offers from the likes of Clemson (TE Jackson Lowe); Michigan and Texas (OL Chris Akporoghene); Auburn (TE Sean Brown, CB Warren Burrell and LB/S Aaron Beasley); FSU (OL Melvin McBride); and Georgia and Alabama (DL Darrel Middleton).  Tennessee’s 3-star QB signee Brian Maurer – an early enrollee – had West Virginia as his other finalist.  Further, arguably the class’s biggest sleeper is WR Jerrod Means, a prospect who clocked a 4.4 40-yard dash at a UT summer camp at 6’2, 200 lbs and won a spot on Georgia’s All-Region 4-AAAAAA team.  A cursory glance at his HUDL gives one a hint at why other than UNC he might have been fairly lightly recruited – he plays Safety half the time, and among his offensive highlights are a bunch of handoffs for a 7-5 team that was likely trying to get one of its best playmakers the ball any way it could regardless of his future college position.  And finally, NG Elijah Simmons is a 350 pound wrecking ball with the athleticism to dunk a basketball, throw the discus, javelin, and shot put, and return an INT 55 yards for a touchdown.  It’s simply a deep, deep class that has the kind of star power you need at the top but solid-at-worst players all the way down, exactly what Tennessee’s roster needs

At this point the only Defensive Back on the board for Tennessee is Jammie Robinson. Assuming the Vols do want to add another DB to the class and don’t want to put all of their eggs in that basket, don’t be surprised if Tennessee kicks the tires on CB DJ James from Spanish Fort, AL.  James is a Mississippi State commitment who didn’t sign in the early period after getting a late offer from instate Auburn.  He also got offers on Friday from Oregon and Nebraska, indicating that not only do people smell a soft commitment but also might think that the Tigers aren’t necessarily going to be unbeatable.  James visited Tennessee back in the spring and picked up a Vol offer on that visit, and he has a prior relationship from having visited Alabama a few times while Pruitt was the DC there. James has 4 OVs left to take, with his one having already been to Mississippi State.  Expect Bama to also get involved in what could end up being one of the most heated Late Signing Period recruitments of the year

Another player that could be an interesting add to the board should Tennessee wish to add a 5th OL to the class – assuming they land Darnell Wright – is OG Kamaar Bell. Bell, from the same Colquitt County HS in South Georgia that produced DL Ja’Quain Blakeley and 5-star 2018 LB JJ Peterson, is an interior mauler much like OU signee EJ Ndoma-Ogar, who the Vols coveted and made a run at until the end. He holds offers from all of the other SEC big boys including Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, and this past weekend received a tender from FSU and immediately set up a visit for the January 25th weekend, his only one so far. The needs elsewhere could ultimately mitigate the Vols’ interest level, but given the close ties between Tennessee and his high school you might see the Vols throw their hat in the ring and see what transpires

Speaking of former targets that didn’t sign last week, DL Kristian Williams had somewhat surprisingly committed to Minnesota but elected not to sign.  Williams, a 4-star DL on 247 Sports, was a standout at both a major LSU camp last summer (where he dominated one-on-one matchups including vs. 5-star OG Kardell Thomas) as well as at a combine in May where he showed out as one of the most athletic defensive players.  Williams is also a city champion in shot put and at 6’2, 275 has really good strength and quickness.  Depending on how things shake out both on the DL – and the addition of Solomon could make the addition of another DL a luxury – as well as at other positions, Williams could be a nice find for the Vols come February

Scratch WR Xavier Legette off of Tennessee’s February list after he signed on Friday with homestate South Carolina when the Cocks came through with a full scholarship.  Legette was a Tier II target for the Vols but it is notable that their WR options are now one fewer

Could Bama be filling up, and could that help with stud LB target Henry To’oto’to?  The Tide exited the early signing period with 23 signees, 3 unsigned commitments, and room for ~4-5 more signees.  They are in the Top 2-3 (at worst) for DE Khris Bogle (for whom Tennessee is likely 3rd but perhaps within shouting distance) and CB Marcus Banks, both of whom are set to announce on January 5th at the Army All-America Game.  They’re also major players for DT Ishmael Sopsher; DT Nathan Pickering (another MSU commit); CB Noa Pola–Gates; DT Jaquaze Sorrells; and DE Jared Harrison-Hunte.  The consensus opinion is that they’ll make room for To’oto’to, and they likely won’t land all of their other targets in the first place.  However, this situation is firmly in play and will be one to watch into January