Putting Tennessee’s First Three Months in Historical Context

The Vols are 16-5 (6-3), tied for second in the SEC, and host Ole Miss tomorrow (6:00 PM ET, SEC Network). The Rebels are 11-11 (4-5), 76th in KenPom, and yet to win on the road this year. They are probably a little better than their record: three of their home losses were in overtime, and two weeks ago they lost at Texas A&M by two and at Arkansas by four. But if the Vols can win their eighth game in nine tries, we’ll get to test the ceiling again next week at Kentucky and at Alabama.

We’ll save the larger conversation about Tennessee’s potential until then. For now, let’s put UT’s first three months in historical context.

A dozen Vol squads have made the NCAA Tournament since it went to 64 teams in 1985. Two of them won the SEC (a four-way tie in 2000 and outright in 2008). Jerry Green’s 1999 and 2000 teams earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament; Bruce Pearl’s 2006 and 2008 squads earned a two seed. And of course, the 2010 squad made the program’s only Elite Eight from a six seed.

And all of them made it through January with less than six losses.

Season Record Pct. NCAA Seed SEC Sixth loss
2014 21-12 (11-7) 0.636 11 4th January 18
2011 19-14 (8-8) 0.576 9 7th January 11
2010 25-8 (11-5) 0.758 6 3rd February 13
2009 21-12 (10-6) 0.636 9 2nd January 24
2008 29-4 (14-2) 0.879 2 1st n/a
2007 22-10 (10-6) 0.689 5 2nd January 24
2006 21-7 (12-4) 0.750 2 2nd March 1
2001 22-10 (8-8) 0.689 8 6th February 10
2000 24-6 (12-4) 0.800 4 1st SEC Tourn.
1999 20-8 (12-4) 0.714 4 2nd February 2
1998 20-8 (9-7) 0.714 8 5th February 11
1989 19-10 (11-7) 0.655 10 5th February 1

(Records listed from Selection Sunday)

By any metric, Rick Barnes’ team is having one of those years to this point.

Tennessee’s schedule is third nationally in KenPom; the Vols have been challenged without question. But the schedule hasn’t been as kind for fans wanting to get on board with this team. The Vols’ biggest win came the day before Thanksgiving with the football program in the midst of a coaching search. They hosted Auburn on January 2, long before anyone knew Auburn was this good. Then they caught Texas A&M after the Aggies had fallen out of the Top 25.

Three of Tennnessee’s nine SEC games earned the dreaded 9:00 PM tip-off slot, and two more are on the schedule. And, other than the Battle 4 Atlantis games, the Vols will be on ESPN or ESPN2 just five times this year (North Carolina, at Wake Forest, at South Carolina, at Kentucky, and Florida).

The Vols have the television schedule of a team picked to finish 13th in the SEC. And their overall conference schedule was not only easier, but front-loaded. If you were looking to get invested in this team and wanted to come to a big home game beyond January 13, the choices weren’t great: Vanderbilt, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina at 9:00 PM on a Tuesday, Florida at 9:00 PM on a Wednesday, or Georgia. The league office didn’t do this team any favors in that regard.

It may not feel the same because of the schedule, or because the coach doesn’t paint his chest, there’s no Chris Lofton and no soon-to-be NBA stars, and they’re not breaking a lengthy tournament drought like Jerry Green’s teams. But this team is on the same pace through three months that Tennessee’s best teams of the modern era have set. And with one more win tomorrow, we can spend the next week dreaming even bigger than an amazing first three months have allowed.

Go Vols.

 

Final Weekend Preview: When the Music’s Over

This is it.  The final weekend before Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s first signing class puts pen to paper.  And not surprisingly there is still a ton up in the air with merely days to go, which makes this final weekend (and the inhome visits that are happening leading up to it) so important.  As we discussed earlier in the week, Tennessee’s board has continued to narrow as prospects have fallen off the board – some publicly committing elsewhere (e.g., WR Warren Thompson to FSU, OL Ryan Winkel to Arkansas, DL Jordan Miller to Miami), some trending away from the Vols (DL Malik Langham, CB Eddie Smith, WRs Antoine Green, Tre’shaun Harrison and Geordon Porter, RB C’bo Flemiser) and some being told there is no room at the inn (WR Trevon Johnson).  That leaves Tennessee with an increasingly small list of targets that they’re zeroing in on.

Tenneessee’s Official Visitors

As of a few weeks ago this list included DL Malik Langham and the aforementioned Green and Johnson.  But as the weekend has gotten closer those have been cancelled and the official visitor list consists of just three targets:

RB Jashuan Corbin – A former commitment to both Tennessee and then FSU Corbin is now down to Tennessee, and Texas A&M, with TCU likely only an option if neither the Vols nor the Aggies have room.  Pruitt and staff were inhome with Corbin on Monday laying the groundwork for the official visit, and this one looks like it’s trending the Vols way.  The question right now from a Tennessee fan’s perspective is whether or not Corbin ends up being a take for the Vols. What’s interesting is that it’s unclear if that is contingent upon a final decision from current Vol commit Anthony Grant. Grant, whose commitment is obviously still shaky (and it’s notable that the very well-informed Jesse Simonton from Volquest.com continues to maintain that he doesn’t see Grant signing with the Vols) is visiting FSU this weekend and has both UNC and Virginia Tech firmly in play.  Is that one spot either his or Corbin’s?  Or would Tennessee take both, with Grant projecting at a few other positions besides RB?  Or might it not matter if there ends up being room and Pruitt just wants the best available players – and Corbin is a helluva playmaker?  The goal for Tennessee this weekend is to make Corbin absolutely want that spot if it’s there, which makes this visit a big capper to a big week between the two parties

CB Isaac Taylor Stuart – In contrast to quite a few prospects like DBs Eddie Smith, Taiyvon Palmer, and Treveon Flowers (below) who have seen their recruitment skyrocket in the late period as teams reevaluate their needs and the remaining prospects after the first ever Early Signing Period, “ITS” has found himself in a strange position of being a 5-star CB who appears to have fewer real suitors and options than he had just a month ago.  That’s not to say he’s not every bit of the prospect people thought he was then – he’s without a doubt an elite talent whose 5-star status was solidified at January all-star events.  But with schools like Alabama – where he had a great visit just this past weekend – seemingly focusing elsewhere, Tennessee now finds itself in a prime position to swoop in and land the California star.  DB Coach Terry Fair, who has quickly built a nice relationship with ITS along with TE Coach Brian Niedermayer, was inhome on Monday, and secured an official visit, and now Volquest is reporting that the entire family will accompany him on the trip to Knoxville.  That’s obviously a great sign, and the guess here is that both the prospect and the family are blown away.  Whether that proves enough come next Wednesday will remain to be seen, although I wouldn’t rule out a commitment while they are in town

CB/S Treveon Flowers – As noted above, Flowers has seen his recruitment change dramatically in the Late Period, though for slightly different reasons.  The Atlanta-area prospect signed to play shortstop for Kentucky back in December but after asking out of that he’s gotten offers from Tennessee and yesterday from Clemson.  He visited the Tigers yesterday and assuming they push they will be major factors.  However, the Vols will get the final shot this weekend.  I speculated a couple of weeks ago that Flowers was lower on the DB board, but that was when Eddie Smith was penciled into this class and Olaijah Griffin (more below) was thought to be more likely to leave California than he is right now.  Obviously Clemson offering raises his stock quite a bit, and after playing only one season of high school football his coach was quoted as saying “He can be as good as he wants to be. We’ve got guys who have played for us here playing in the National Football League. He’s as talented as anyone we’ve coached here. The sky is the limit for him,” so there’s clearly talent there.  I do think he’s still lower on the staff’s board in terms of if they had their druthers, but as we all know you can’t always get what you want, so you might see the Vols go hard for him this weekend

Major Vol Targets Visiting Elsewhere

WR Jordan Young – The Tennessee commitment who Pruitt and Co. pulled out of nowhere and then became a 4-star prospect with offers and interest from tons of other schools, Young hosted Willie Taggart and some FSU staff last night and agreed to take an official visit to Tallahassee this weekend.  However, the Tennessee offensive staff is set to visit with him today in an effort to at worst solidify his already strong commitment and at best shut down his recruitment and cancel the FSU visit.  We’ll see – Young appears to be an outstanding talent and it would be a shame to lose him, but I ultimately think the fact that Tennessee found him first will make all the difference.  That said, the Vols would certainly rather that visit not take place

ATH Anthony Grant – As noted above Grant will be at FSU.  I think it’s notable that Pruitt never went inhome with him despite hosting him on an official visit – a decent sign that either a) Tennessee doesn’t think he’s coming, b) as Austin Price from Volquest astutely posited, they don’t mind if he goes elsewhere but didn’t want to be seen as “dropping” a prospect from the always-loaded Buford High School outside of Atlanta, or c) both.  Again, with numbers tight Grant’s decision will be one to watch as it could mean someone else on the board gets a spot.  I don’t think he’s going to FSU – UNC or VT seem more likely –  but FSU has room and Willie Taggart could definitely blow him away

WR Jacob Copeland – Seemingly down to Tennessee and Florida with Alabama running out of room for the talented Floridian (and former Gator commit), Copeland will be at UF this weekend.  Going into that visit Tennessee gave it all it could, sending in Pruitt and the entire offensive staff on Wednesday night.  Copeland visited Tennessee six weeks ago, seemingly a tactical error on Pruitt’s part as when he didn’t commit/sign with the Vols in the Early Signing Period (and few really thought he would) despite a great visit and a deep relationship that Pruitt has cultivated over the course of Copeland’s entire high school career, Tennessee was forced to play defense for the rest of December and January.  That could prove to be too much, as many think Copeland will end up signing with the Gators.  Copeland likely has a spot until he tells Tennessee “no,” so until then he’s one to watch

LB Quay Walker – Arguably the most important target left on the board, Walker continues to be relatively quiet as his recruitment winds down.  That said, every other school trying – Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn – thinks Tennessee is at worst tied for first here, while no one can agree who the other top contender is.  I’ve maintained for a while now that Tennessee’s combination of coaching relationships, JJ Peterson, and the allure of immediate playing time is going to win out.  Tennessee appears to have a lot of momentum right now with a trip to Georgia upcoming, and Pruitt also will be going inhome with Walker tonight to try and extend that and create a lead that is insurmountable.  Ideally Walker would commit tonight (and I don’t think that’s beyond the realm of possibility) and cancel the UGA trip.  But worst case seems to be the Vols’ increasing their momentum heading into the weekend.  Walker is UGA’s lone official visitor so they’ll no doubt roll out the red carpet and try to convince him to stay home and be the next Roquan Smith (a not-attractive proposition, mind you) so Tennessee will be sweating this one out for sure.  What will be interesting to hear is how much commination Walker has with Vol coaches while on that visit – that could be a tell-tale sign as to how serious he is about UGA and whether or not Tennessee is indeed the true leader here

DL Otito Ogbonnia –  The one true NG prospect, and one of only two DL left  on the board, Ogbonnia is a an extremely sharp young man who had a great visit to Knoxville last weekend.  He’ll visit Nebraska this weekend and then decide between the Vols, Huskers, and UCLA with Texas Tech (where two of his siblings attend) also somewhat in the mix.  Hard to read where this one is headed, but DC Kevin Sherrer and DL Coach Tracy Rocker saw him this past week so there is no doubt that Tennessee is trying very hard here.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a decision before Signing Day

TE Glenn Beal – The Vols appear to be in a good spot here for the Jumbo ATH who could play TE (his preferred position), DL or even potentially OL.  He’s teammates with new CB commitment Brandon Davis (a blueshirt candidate at the moment) and Tennessee is battling down the stretch with Texas A&M and Ole Miss, and to a lesser degree Alabama though apparently they would like to try a way to fit him in.  He’s that good of a prospect. Beal is scheduled to visit Florida this weekend, but I don’t consider them real players.  To make matters more complicated it seems like he would love a chance to go to LSU if the Tigers have room, and they may not know until Signing Day and what their other top targets do.  So unless he publicly commits somewhere or LSU pushes hard before Signing Day I think this one will be a mystery until someone receives a fax from him

CB Tyson Campbell – Likely still a longshot, Campbell had an excellent visit to Knnoxville last weekend and will be at hometown Miami this weekend along with ostensible DL target and high school teammate – and Miami commitment – Nesta Silvera.  Campbell wasn’t even in the picture as of two weeks ago, but Pruitt went inhome and convinced him to take an official visit and appears to have gotten enough positive feedback to have sent the entire defensive staff to see Campbell on Wednesday night.  It feels like this is going to be one where Tennessee comes out of nowhere and makes up a ton of ground only to fall short in the end (UGA is the likely landing spot) but it also seems like the one recruitment where Tennessee could pull off a massive Signing Day coup

Major Vol Targets Staying Home

There are really only four more realistic targets (and those run the spectrum in terms of true likelihood), and these prospects are not visiting anywhere this weekend:

DL John Mincey – Mincey is down to Tennessee and South Carolina.  Both sides seem to have some confidence and Pruitt, Sherrer and Rocker were inhome with him on Wednesday.  South Carolina coaches (sans Muschamp) will be in his house tonight.  South Carolina has more buzz right, for what that’s worth, but this one is far from over.  Mincey has great size for a 3-4 DE and would be a nice pickup for sure

CB Olaijah Griffin – Griffin has gone from saying Tennessee was his big leader as recently as New Year’s weekend to most people thinking he’s more likely than not to stay home and sign with USC.  Tennessee has fired all of its shots here and though Griffin has stayed relatively mum for a few weeks there does not seem to be a lot of momentum for the Vols right now.  Things could change though as Griffin clearly likes the Vols a lot, and even though he also really enjoyed a trip to Alabama last weekend and they are perhaps a darkhorse Tennessee is still the likely choice should he decide to leave the nest and head East to play real football in the SEC.  We shall see…

CB Taiyvon Palmer – Another post Early Signing Period fast-riser, Palmer went from a Duke commitment to having offers from the likes of Clemson, Alabama, and Tennessee.  However, after an outstanding visit to Knoxville last weekend this appears to be a Tennessee-NC State battle.  I honestly can’t understand why, even removing my orange-tinted glasses, but word from Volquest.com is that Palmer is leaning to the Wolfpack.  Palmer is a good player with a very strong academic background and would be a nice add to a class that need Cornerbacks in the worst way.  Tennessee will keep trying to sway him so we’ll see if they can be successful and of course what happens with the other CBs on the board (ITS, Campbell, Griffin, Flowers – though he might be more of a Safety)

OL Dylan Wonnum – Always a longshot, the South Carolina legacy was convinced to make an official visit to Knoxville two weeks ago.  He visited Columbia last weekend and though he’s still considerd a strong Gamecock lean he hadn’t shut the door completely on the Vols as of early this week as Pruitt and Friend went inhome on Tuesday.  Again, he’s probably going to sign with South Carolina, but Tennessee will probably keep trying to communicate with him as long as he’s willing to listen

Gameday Today: Hoops rolls, Barnes is a bad, bad man, and Papa likes Pruitt

Hoops

Tennessee dominated LSU last night, 84-61, and we have gathered up everything you need to know about it. Here are the highlights:


And a video game recap from the SEC Network with both highlights and commentary:


Here’s what Rick Barnes had to say in a short post-game segment on the SEC Network despite not being able to hear the questions at all (Flashback to: “I can’t hear you! Rocky Top is playing!”):


And here’s a playlist of Barnes’ longer post-game presser, along with a few player interviews (Grant Williams, JD3, and Kyle Alexander, whose golden tones rival Barry White’s):

Grant Williams, by the way, is fine despite having left the game early with an injury.

And OH NOES! Rick Barnes committed an NCAA violation. What is the egregious sin of which he is guilty? Paying one of his assistants out of his own pocket because he thought he deserved as much as another assistant. Barnes brought it to the attention of the purse string folks, and they said it wasn’t in the budget, so Barnes fixed that for them by paying it out of his own salary. Hang him high!

Recruiting update

Brad has an excellent status update of where we are in recruiting with under a week to go, along with a handful of awesome things we’ve already learned about Jeremy Pruitt.

In the process, I think we’ve also learned something important about Phillip Fulmer. Do you remember how a certain former coach used to get roasted for touting his own (sometimes questionable) accomplishments? And have you noticed that Pruitt’s not been doing that? Fulmer’s doing it for him. Accolades are always more credible and thus better received when it’s someone other than you giving them. Maybe that will change once Pruitt’s not playing catch up with recruits, but if that’s the model going forward, it’s an important public relations improvement.

Fulmer’s latest public praise for Pruitt is that he tripled the number of prospects considering Tennessee and did so immediately:

“He showed he can turn recruiting around in a hurry. We tripled our recruiting board in like two days, with that staff — and not people that we were looking at, but people that were looking at us. That made a big difference. Unfortunately we had the early signing period. I’d like to have had another couple weeks with that, or it could have been really good.
“But we got recruiting turned, and turned quickly, and hopefully we can finish strong here. That’s the foundation of winning, is having the good players here.”

And here’s something else The Papa understands well: Recruiting isn’t about what Tennessee wants, but what the prospect wants. Understanding that is key to crafting a good pitch.

But Pruitt still has to do the work himself, and he and his staff visited 4-star wide receiver Jacob Copeland last night. Good move, but the 247 crystal ball still points to Florida or Alabama at this point. Bummer.

Tennessee does still appear to be in great shape with Quay Walker, though.

Excited yet? USA Today isn’t. Pfffffftttt.

Other fun stuff

If you missed our Three Products Not Even Peyton Manning Could Sell post from yesterday, go check it out and add your own list. Right now, Will leads the field with his first answer, which was “Greg Schiano.”

And finally, Tennessee has sent more players to the Super Bowl than any other SEC team. Woo.

Go Vols.

The Jeremy Pruitt Project: Lessons Learned Heading into National Signing Day

As we wind down below a week until National Signing Day, this is the most clueless I’ve ever been on how Tennessee is going to finish its 2018 recruiting class.

There are so many names on the board, and while the recent rumor mill hasn’t been very kind to the Vols and head coach Jeremy Pruitt regarding top targets such as Olaijah Griffin, Eddie Smith, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Coynis Miller, Jacob Copeland and others, UT still remains players for a couple of guys on that list. Several other possibilities remain as well, as it looks like Tennessee winds up with a class of 22-23, depending on how things shake out.

While we may not know how things are going to finish, we’ve found out a handful of things about Pruitt and his coaching staff in the brief time they’ve been able to hit the road and convince kids to visit Knoxville.

Let’s take a look at what we know.

These guys swing for the fences

When Pruitt stood in front of Tennessee media, boosters, fans and everyone else in his introductory press conference, he advised Vols fans to worry about the prospects they get and not the ones they don’t.

That wasn’t setting his staff up for failure or preparing the fan base to absorb the loss of former 5-star offensive line commit Cade Mays. Instead, this was more about the MAJOR names that he had to feel confident he could get to listen and — based on the small amount of time they’ve had to build relationships — the relatively low hit rate on big fish.

Pruitt has been at Alabama, Georgia and Florida State. That’s three of the most elite recruiting schools in the country, and while Tennessee may be a tier below that, the Vols are coming off their worst season in school history, a debacle that saw them go 0-8 in the conference. On top of that, there was a very hairy coaching search that carried with it some bad publicity.

All of that is in the rear-view mirror, however. And while a lot of the top kids in the country may not want to play for Tennessee in this cycle, Pruitt is going to give them an opportunity to. That bodes well for the future.

Case in point: Elite 5-star cornerback Tyson Campbell hadn’t sniffed UT in his heated recruitment. But once Pruitt and Co. visited him in his Fort Lauderdale, Florida home a week ago, it resulted in an official visit last weekend. The same goes for 4-star defensive tackle and Campbell’s teammate Nesta Silvera. Will either of those guys commit to the Vols? That’s doubtful considering their short-term relationship with the staff, but UT gave itself a puncher’s chance by getting them on campus.

Pruitt has been able to land elite linebacker JJ Peterson because of his prior relationship, and the Vols are right in the thick of it for 4-star linebacker Quay Walker, Griffin, Taylor-Stuart, Copeland and plenty more top-level prospects who weren’t even on the radar under the Butch Jones regime.

Let’s say UT winds up with two more 4-star prospects. If you add those to guys like Peterson, tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson, offensive guard Jerome Carvin and running back Jeremy Banks, this has been a very successful late-cycle haul for Pruitt. His swing-for-the-fences mentality will produce plenty of future “hits,” but we can’t get caught up in the ones who don’t come. To be on their radar is an accomplishment (though that won’t win you any games.)

They’re excellent talent evaluators

The Jordan Young story may wind up being one that is told for years around Tennessee. How in the world did a 6’2″, 185-pound athletic wide receiver who had 17 touchdowns as a senior and won a state championship in track not have any major scholarships? Especially when this kid lives in an Atlanta suburb?

Mind-boggling.

Regardless, Pruitt and Co. found him, brought him in, offered him, and now he’ll commit to Tennessee barring any last-second change of heart. Florida State is still trying to get him to visit to flip him, but Young seems firm with the Vols. That isn’t the only diamond-in-the-dirt the Vols have pursued, either.

In the end, they may pay a penalty for finding some of these guys as they choose to go elsewhere.

It’s hard to claim Tennessee “found” Eddie Smith, but he didn’t have a ton of SEC offers and committed early to TCU before decommitting. He had a relationship with Pruitt, and the Vols were long thought to be the favorite, but now he looks bound for Alabama after the Crimson Tide offered.

Taiyon Palmer is a defensive back from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who was committed to Duke for a while, but the Vols offered, brought him in for a visit and now may land him. He’s received offers from Alabama, Nebraska, Clemson and others recently, and a lot of those came after UT expressed interest.

Safety Trevon Flowers was committed to Kentucky to play baseball, and he’s been trying to wriggle free of that situation to visit Tennessee to play football the past two weekends. Clemson offered him this week, and now the Tigers may be a threat.

The list goes on and on. This staff has evaluated some very good players who are winding up with healthy offer sheets. While that doesn’t matter if the Vols finish as the bridesmaid in the quest to get their signatures, it has resulted in Young committing. Also, it makes you feel better about unheralded defensive tackle signee Kingston Harris and cornerback Brandon Davis, who committed this week after favoring South Alabama.

They’ll make you tell them no

The Vols may be coming off a winless SEC slate, but they’re going through the Victoria’s Secret magazine and asking out every gal in the book. If they tell you no, hey, at least you tried, right?

Miller reaffirmed his pledge to Auburn while standing in the airport after just leaving his official visit in Knoxville. Oh well. Next.

Campbell, Taylor-Stuart and Griffin all have (or will) visit. They’ve been hotly pursued as if they’ve been considering Tennessee for months. Walker is a long-time Alabama commit who was once considered a lock to flip to Georgia, but UT is right in the thick of his signature.

Safety Jordan Moore is a long shot who looks destined for Texas or Texas A&M, but Tennessee visited him several times and made him tell them no. He did.

But Wood-Anderson didn’t. Peterson didn’t. JT Shrout — who was committed to Cal for months — didn’t, and UT now has its quarterback. The list goes on and on.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

They aren’t afraid to go anywhere and everywhere

One thing that was frustrating about Jones’ recruiting efforts — though he was pretty successful on the trail during his tenure at Tennessee — was his failure to sell UT as a national brand.

When Phillip Fulmer was having all his success, UT would go into California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey — wherever — and pull a kid or two every year. The Vols went where the stars were.

In the past couple of seasons, Jones and Co. had rather fill up on marginal 3-star prospects from Florida and Georgia than rub elbows with other players elsewhere. There’s nothing wrong with that if you develop them, but he didn’t.

The Vols have been adamant about having a major presence in California, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to be a one-year thing. They’re one of the top two for Griffin, getting a visit from Taylor-Stuart and pulled Shrout from that state. They’ve already offered a ton of 2019 kids from the Golden State, too. Wood-Anderson came from Arizona. The Vols look like they’re right at the top of the list for Texas defensive tackle Otito Ogbonnia. They’ve got a commitment from JUCO offensive tackle Jahmir Johnson from Philly.

They’ve kicked the tires on Florida prospects like Copeland and Campbell, and they’re trying to have a presence in Alabama with guys like Malik Langham as well as in Georgia, where they plucked Peterson and are chasing Walker and a bunch of DBs. All the while, UT grabbed a couple of major victories in an area they don’t traditionally own, getting Carvin and Banks out of Memphis.

Getting wide receivers coach David Johnson from Mike Norvell’s Tigers will probably help UT in the Bluff City in the future as well.

***

So, what does all this mean about the ’18 finish?

It’s hard to say. Maybe Tennessee winds up with a monstrous finish, getting two or three of the big-name prospects they’re in the thick of things with and adding a couple more 3-star players who would be big wins such as Ogbonnia or maybe John Mincey or Palmer.

That type of finish would be good enough to put Tennessee in the 15-18 range in final rankings, which would be nothing short of remarkable considering the Vols were in the 60s when Jones was fired.

Pruitt and Co. have focused the majority of their attention on program-changing players. Yes, UT needs bodies, and the Vols may wind up taking a few reaches to fill spots, but don’t look for them to just flesh out the class with warm bodies. They’ll save those spots for graduate transfers or a bigger class next season. In the future, Pruitt and his staff will be able to build relationships with kids who will wind up being fallback plans that will help hedge the bets if the big boys don’t head to Rocky Top.

We don’t have that benefit this season. So, just sit back and enjoy the finish. Don’t get too caught up over the huge names we’re in it for who wind up heading elsewhere. Instead, marvel at what Pruitt has been able to do in such a short time especially in the wake of the rocky postseason, and hope that translates positively for the future.

If this staff wins games, they’ll be able to recruit with anybody in the nation because this staff is elite in its ability to convince and build relationships with players. Hopefully for UT, it’ll pay off in some big commits this Wednesday.

Vols beat Tigers, 84-61

Tennessee took care of business against an out-manned LSU team tonight in Thompson-Boling Arena, beating the Tigers 84-61.

James Daniel III picked up where he left off against Iowa State Saturday and this time led the way for the Vols, scoring 17 points and adding 4 assists and 2 steals. Grant Williams added 16 points, and Jordan Bone and Lamonte Turner each had 12.

The Vols defense once again clamped down on its opponent, as the only real threat for LSU this evening was 6’11” Duop Reath, who scored 21 points for the Tigers. Tennessee held LSU as a team to 39.3% shooting from the field and a woeful 15.8% from the arc. The Vols, on the other hand, hit 54.1% from the field and 48% from three. Oh, and they had 24 assists on 33 made shots.

The Vols move to 16-5 overall and 6-3 in the conference with the following games remaining:

  • Ole Miss;
  • at #21 Kentucky;
  • at Alabama;
  • South Carolina;
  • at Georgia;
  • #23 Florida;
  • at Ole Miss;
  • at Mississippi State; and
  • Georgia

You don’t want to get too carried away, and there are no easy games in the SEC, but Tennessee should have the advantage in most of those, save the one at Kentucky in Rupp and the one against Florida. We’ll see how it goes.

Next up is Ole Miss at 6:00 on Saturday.

Go Vols.

Three products not even Peyton Manning could sell

I just finished writing the Vols link roundup for today and for some strange reason, I have this intense desire to find a Courtyard Marriott in Orlando and spend a few days at Universal waving magic wands.

I blame Peyton Manning.

Yeah, Tennessee’s favorite son makes everything more appealing. I’m just afraid he’s going to show up in my feed making jokes about kale smoothies and then I’m going to have to try one.

Which makes me wonder.

What are three products that even Peyton Manning couldn’t sell?

Just off the top of my head here:

1. Fish jerky

No. Just, no.

My wife and I went to Hawaii on our honeymoon a long, long time ago. We awoke to the salt in the air, the breeze in our hair, and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach in our ears. We enjoyed a breakfast of pancakes with coconut syrup and fresh-squeezed guava juice that we still talk about nearly 25 years later.

The day went downhill from there. We decided to drive completely around whichever island we were on at the time, and the hairpin-after-hairpin endeavor had me sick as vomit by noon when we finally got to the top and found a little shack that had some food. I basically just got out of the car and tried in vain to make the world stand still while my wife ventured into the rickety old store for something to eat. She came out with some canned guava juice (not the same thing as fresh-squeezed, it turns out) and a package of fish jerky.

When we got back in the car and started back down the mountain, she opened the bag. Suddenly, everything smelled like we’d been marinating in rotted fish guts for a week. She held some chum out to me, and I not-so-politely declined, but she completely ignored the code red coming from her sense of smell and popped a piece into her mouth like it was nothing to fear.

For nearly quarter of a century, this moment has remained the best evidence that I am in fact smarter than she is. Also, that she is destined to die of curiousity long before me.

That fish jerky was not in her mouth for long, and it wasn’t in our car for much longer. If we could have tossed it to the next island, we would have. The smell, though, I am convinced, remains in the rental car to this day. I’m guessing they had to retire that one and write “No fish jerky” into all of their contracts after that.

So, if Peyton Manning showed up at my doorstep trying to sell me fish jerky, I would first say, “Hey, it’s Peyton Manning,” and then I would beat him with an iron pipe.

2. Lasagna

This is just me. It’s a long story, and I wrote about it for a freshman comp class at Belmont many years ago. This story doesn’t begin, “Once upon a time,” but like this:

I never really liked lasagna in the first place.  Initially, I thought that someone was conducting an autopsy in the church’s fellowship hall.  There were rows and rows of steel pans, each containing steaming layers of thick, wet noodles that reminded me of folded flaps of dead skin.  In between each layer were little white specks of cheese being pushed out of their hiding places by bubbling rivers of tomato sauce.  The same sauce was splattered all over the top of the evil pie, but the soggy chunks of over-ripe tomatoes were more visible, more repulsive.  The lasagna simply did not look good.  But I was hungry, and the only chance I had to get control of my current headache was to eat.  So I slapped a heaping spoonful of it on my plate, found my seat, and choked down every last bite.

That story doesn’t end well, either, with me puking into a plastic grocery bag in the front seat of some stranger’s new car on the way to the hospital and me subsequently dropping out of school, but I’ll spare you the details.

Suffice it to say that lasagna is from the devil. Even if Peyton Manning is the delivery boy.

3. Is this a joke?

I don’t know if I actually believe that this is actually a real product, but even the mere idea of squeeze bacon is about as wrong as you can get.

Bacon has to win the award for the food product with the highest variance. If it’s crispy, it’s . . . well, I don’t even have words to describe just how perfect a perfectly crispy slice of perfect bacon tastes. You’ve had one. You know.

But contrary to popular opinion, you can actually ruin bacon, and ruined bacon is the worst of the worst. Just about every fast food place gets this wrong by taking a perfectly good piece of bacon and barely warming it in the microwave before slapping it on some breakfast sandwich. It’s limp. Stringy. Practically still oinking.

It’s nasty, is what I’m saying.

The only thing I can think of that would be worse is making it into a puree, which appears to be what the good folks of Vilhelm Lilleflosk’s have done. For this, they deserve enough jail time to fully consider their offense against society. You don’t do that to bacon.

I mean, go look at that picture again. If I saw that in the wild, my first thought would be, “I think your dog has an ulcer.”

So, no. Not even Peyton Manning can make that look appealing.

What about you? What are three things not even Peyton Manning could sell you?

Gameday Today: Vols hoops on the home stretch, recruiting updates, and more

Hoops

The basketball Vols are now #10 in KenPom, #14 in RPI, and a four seed in the Bracket Matrix. Only four Tennessee teams have ever earned a four seed or higher in the 64+ team NCAA Tournament, so woo.

With 10 regular season games to go, the Vols are sitting pretty, but can move up or down this month. Tonight, they host LSU, which has lost four of its last five games and is down four players due to suspensions. The Tigers do have all of their starters, though, so don’t expect to see any depth advantage early. The game tips early tonight at 6:30 ET and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Recruiting

National Signing Day is one week away, and Tennessee is hustling to make the most of it. This week, they earned a commitment from 3-star cornerback Brandon Davis, and they are still in the running for some highly-touted guys. That said, fans probably shouldn’t be expecting a Top 10 finish this season.

247Sports’ 16-click crystal ball slideshow suggests keeping an eye on 3-star defensive tackle Otito Obgonnia, 5-star linebacker Quay Walker, and 4-star cornerback Eddie Smith (although rumor has it that Smith is not happening). And DylanVol has a status update for us as well.

Whatever happens, just know that it’s really difficult for a new coach to get traction right out of the gate. Only five first-year coaches in ten years have been able to land classes that are in the Top 7 or better. Pruitt’s not going to get there, but he and Scott Frost seem to be the two new guys having the most success, so he’s off to a good start.

Other Tennessee sports

The Lady Vols hope to find their footing when they host Texas A&M tomorrow at 6:30 on the SEC Network.

Softball is ranked Nos. 11 and 12 in the preseason national polls and will play in 11 nationally televised games this season.

And baseball will play in 10 nationally televised games this year.

Other fun stuff

Druthers. Phillip Fulmer would like to serve at athletic director for five to six years.

Profit, baby. The athletic department had a $10.8 million surplus in 2016-17.

Bro-crush. Former Mississippi State and current Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox says good things about teammate and VFL Derek Barnett:

“Derek is one of the greatest rookies I’ve ever been around,” Cox said during a Super Bowl 52 media appearance. “He comes to work every day. He listens. He takes coaching. I can tell from his play from Day 1 and the way that he approaches everything up until now. You don’t see those technique mistakes or mental errors with him. Later in the season he was starting to catch up with the game, which is great for him.”

Schiano who? Meanwhile, Kirk Herbstreit is saying good things about Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt:


Remember the NBA? VFL Tobias Harris is being sent to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade package for Blake Griffin.

This could be interesting. And finally, Bill Connelly is experimenting with better individual stats for college football players.

8 Days a Week: State of Play as Things Begin to Focus

With 8 days to National Signing Day, there is a still a TON up in the air to determine how Tennessee and new coach Jeremy Pruitt will finish off its inaugural signing class.  As we recently discussed, the Vols had started to consolidate its board not too long ago, but as expected new names have been added and old names have been removed (some on the part of UT, some on the part of the respective recruit).  Although how many total players the Vols can take in this class is not entirely clear, and the number of ways this class could ultimately look like is nearly infinite, what is for sure is that Pruitt and his staff have set themselves to close very strong one way or another.

Quick Weekend Recap

This past weekend Tennessee hosted five official visitors and one interesting unofficial visitor.  Official visitors included American Heritage High teammates from down in Florida CB Tyson Campbell and NG prospect (and Miami commit) Nesta Silvera; Auburn NG commitment Coynis Miller; fast-rising CB Taiyvon Palmer; and NG Otito Ogbonnia.  The unofficial visitor was CB Brandon Davis from River Ridge, LA.

In what can only be a good sign for the kind of prospect Pruitt and Co. are chasing, once again there were tons of Vol targets in Tuscaloosa, including TE Glenn Beal (Brandon Davis’ teammate); WR Jacob Copeland, and DBs Eddie Smith, Olaijah Griffin, and Isaac Taylor-Stuart.

Other major Vol targets visiting elsewhere included (but were not limited to):

DL John Mincey, OL Dylan Wonnum, and WR Warren Thompson were in South Carolina

LB Quay Walker was at Auburn

Notre Dame hosted C’Bo Flemister

Texas A&M hosted Jashaun Corbin

Big Week (and Weekend) Ahead

With the penultimate official visit weekend in the books and the Dead Period set to begin Sunday, Pruitt and the staff will be working overtime to set themselves up to be able to fill their remaining spots with the best players possible all the while trying to fill as many needs as they can.  The entire staff will be spread out across the country making their last inhome visits and then will reconvene in Knoxville for one final official visit weekend. Below is a look at the remaining board by position with a quick update on where the Vols stand:

OL

I give Pruitt and Friend credit for not taking reaches at the OL spot despite clearly needing more depth here.

With Ryan Winkel having decided against a blueshirt offer to Tennessee in favor of Arkansas, Dylan Wonnum is the lone remaining OL target. An absolute take if the Vols could land him, Wonnum is a South Carolina legacy (his brother is an emerging star on the DL) who is fresh off an OV to Columbia.  Interestingly, while he considered a strong Gamecock lean he has not publicly committed.  Pruitt still has his inhome available, so if he takes it that will make it clear that Wonnum is still strongly considering Tennessee and if not then vice versa.  Chances here are still slim, but Wonnum is good enough to spend the time chasing

RB/WR

I’ve combined these two positions because it seems like there is likely only one spot between them. The Vols would absolutely like another bigtime playmaker, but with the needs elsewhere and an unfortunate gap between those who they would take and those who are truly interested at this point, they may not add anyone else:

RB C’Bo Flemister is fresh off a really good visit to Notre Dame, and while Tennessee has slow played him the Irish have made him an absolute priority.  On the other hand, former FSU commitment and once (and future?) UT commitment RB Jashaun Corbin is getting plenty of attention from the Vols.  He’s got a final three of TCU, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, and while he is coming off a really good visit to College Station Aggies coaches are very worried about UT and his upcoming OV (not to mention Pruitt having been in his house on Monday night).  With Anthony Grant still shaky (although Pruitt can use an inhome visit if he chooses), and without a doubt a less explosive player on offense than Corbin, it seems like the staff is putting the press on the South Florida star.  This weekend will be big here.

Corbin’s cousin WR Antoine Green is a prospect the former staff absolutely loved and was deep in the mix for.  He’s also a player who has seen his recruiting profile heat up significantly in the Late Period, with UGA, OSU, FSU (where he was once committed) and UNC hot on his trail.  Volquest.com  has consistently reported that Green is perhaps the 1B to Jacob Copeland on Tennessee’s WR board as well.  He’s been scheduled to visit Knoxville this weekend but that one is absolutely up in the air.  One would think that the staff, including Pruitt, would have tried to get inhome with Green while they were down in the area with Corbin and of course be trying to sell the package deal, but there has been no public confirmation of that, so his thinking is a bit of a mystery.  What is well known is that he is a Tar Heel lean at the moment – in fact, there was a report that he was back in Chapel Hill last weekend on unofficial visit.

WR Jacob Copeland rounds out the top of the RB/WR board, and with Alabama perhaps running out of room this looks to be a Tennessee/Florida battle for the former UF commitment.  Copeland took his Tennessee OV 6 weeks ago and that looks like it might have been a miscalculation on Pruitt’ss part given the fact that his prior relationship with the star pass catcher meant he didn’t have to play as much catch up as he did with someone like fellow December official visitor CB Olaijah Griffin.  However, Pruitt does still have his inhome available and will use it this week before Copeland official visits Gainesville.  Pruitt without a doubt will sell Copeland on being the stud WR in his initial class as well as playing the relationship card strongly.

Three other WR prospect who officially visited Knoxville in January – Geordon Porter, Tre’shaun Harrison, Warren Thompson – all appear to have faded by the wayside.  Porter looks very likely to stay on the West Coast after taking an unofficial visit to UCLA this past weekend, while both Harrison and Thompson still claim to have Tennessee in their respective Top 3s but are equally unlikely to sign with the Vols.  Harrison is a FSU/Oregon battle while Thompson – who the Vols would still love to have – seems down to FSU and South Carolina.  It wouldn’t shock me to see both sign with the Seminoles

TE

The Vols don’t “need” another TE, but Glenn Beal is a good enough talent to take if you can get him.  In fact, both Alabama and LSU are recruiting him as a DL (not his preference for now) and some analysts have suggested he could be an NFL OL.  He took an official visit to Alabama this past weekend after visits to Texas A&M and Ole Miss that followed a trip to Knoxville.  LSU is lurking here and if they have room (not a big chance) Beal would likely jump on a hometown offer from the Tigers.  But as it stands, the Vols are real players here and might end up being the last man standing as he doesn’t appear to be a priority for the Tide, A&M might run out of room, and Ole Miss is not as attractive as Tennessee.  The recent commitment of his teammate Brandon Davis (below) certainly helps Tennessee’s cause here.  That said, Beal will probably be a Signing Day surprise for someone

DL

With longtime targets Malik Langham and Coynis Miller and no longer options and new offer Jordan Miller committing to Miami on Monday night, the DL board has certainly thinned quite a bit.  At this point there are really only three real targets in DE John Mincey and NG prospects Otito Ogbonnia and Nesta Silvera (a Miami commitment).  With Silvera a longshot despite what by all accounts was a good official visit this past weekend (and admittedly his silence post-visit doesn’t give one a ton of confidence either way) it would be fair to say that it’s just Mincey and Ogbonnia on the board.  Mincey appears down to Tennessee and South Carolina and is fresh off two really good visits to his respective finalists.  Pruitt still has his inhome visit this week (unclear if Muschamp has used his) and while both sides seem to have some confidence they each also have a potential numbers crunch to deal with, so this one could get dicey either way.  Ogbonnia is a true NG prospect who also excels at the shot put and would like to play both sports in college.  He’s an extremely sharp young man who had a great visit to Knoxville this past weekend, and has the kind of strength that could possibly allow him to play immediately at Tennessee.  He’ll visit Nebraska this weekend and then decide between the Vols, Huskers, and UCLA with Texas Tech (where two of his siblings attend) also somewhat in the mix.

LB

The one, the only, the quixotic Quay Walker is the sole LB Tennessee is chasing.  No one will tell you anything definitive about this recruitment, but since his official visit to Knoxville in mid-January Tennessee has been the one constant.  He’s visited Alabama – where he is still technically committed – and Auburn, with a visit to Georgia coming up this final weekend.  The Vols a handful of very important things others simply cannot offer: multiple coaching relationships (Pruitt, Sherrer, Rumph), a strong friendship with a fellow recruit (JJ Peterson), and immediate playing time.  Pruitt also will be going inhome with Walker this week, no doubt trying to at best land a commitment and cancel the UGA trip but at worst maximize the Vols’ momentum heading into the weekend.  All three other finalists will no doubt go down swinging hard, and the visit to Athens will absolutely be sweated out by the Volunteer staff, but the call here is that Walker signs with Tennessee

DB

The Vols need Defensive Backs, especially Corners, in a big way, and they’ve set themselves up pretty well here and now need to close.  With the recent commitment of Brandon Davis, who is likely to be either a blueshirt (so eligible to play in 2018) or a greyshirt (not until 2019) they do have one, but the need is much greater.  The board features five-stars Tyson Campbell, Olaijah Griffin and Isaac Taylor-Stuart along with Eddie Smith and Taiyvon Palmer, and frankly the Vols need to hit on at least two of these to consider it a success.  The problem is that eight days before Signing Day, while the Vols are in deep for all of them, no one would call Tennessee the leader for any of them.

Griffin is down to USC and Tennessee, plain and simple.  However, Vol fans have seen this movie before and know that it generally ends with the Cali kid staying local.  Tennessee will keep pressing here as much as they can, and DB Coach Terry Fair was in with the Griffin family yet again on Monday night.  Pruitt has used his inhome, so it will be up to Fair and Brian Niedermayer to spend as much time as allowed with Griffin to try and convince him to play his college ball across the country.

Smith was a CB many (including myself) had penciled into this class, but things have gotten squirrely in the last few weeks.  After unabashedly calling Tennessee his leader following his mid-January visit to Knoxville, Smith took a good visit to Mississippi State and then saw Alabama not only offer but seriously turn up the heat.  Pruitt tried to use his inhome with Smith to prevent a visit to Tuscaloosa but was unsuccessful and the trip to Alabama might have been too much to overcome.  It sounds like the Vols will keep trying here but it could be too little too late.

Every action causes a reaction, and Alabama’s focus on Smith (and big move for bigtime CB Patrick Surtain) has caused Tennessee to move in on Taylor-Stuart.  “ITS” had a great visit to Alabama but it sounds like the Tide is not reciprocating, which is giving the Vols an opening.  Fair was inhome on Monday night and secured an official visit for this final weekend.  Pruitt still has an inhome available, and although Jesse Simonton from Volquest suggested earlier in the week that he might not use it (with a major caveat that things were “fluid”) my guess would be that with things trending the wrong way with Smith and potentially Griffin Pruitt makes the trip.  Without a doubt ITS would be a huge add to the class.

Palmer is one of the biggest risers of the Late Period, garnering offers from Clemson, Alabama, and Tennessee among others.  He had an outstanding visit to Knoxville this past weekend and is down to the Vols, NCSU, and Nebraska.  A great student who was a former Duke commitment (and has offers from places like Georgia Tech, Cal and Notre Dame as well), Palmer is a 6’0 CB prospect from the Atlanta area that certainly fits what Pruitt is looking for in a CB.  Pruitt will be inhome this week trying to close the deal, but NCSU in particular is right in this one.

Campbell was on campus this past weekend, and though he had a good visit most think he is an extreme longshot.

The next eight days are going to be a wild ride, and who Tennessee is willing to take with its limited spots and who wants in could change dozens of times.  But as noted at the beginning, the work that Pruitt and Co. have done have stacked the odds very high that the Vols close with a strong number of very good prospects.  It certainly will be fascinating (and anywhere from breathtaking to heartbreaking) to watch.

SEC Bracketology: The Last 10 Games

And now, the turn toward home.

The SEC didn’t disappoint over the weekend, taking the Big 12/SEC Challenge from the nation’s best conference with six wins. The Big 12 had 16 non-conference losses coming into the challenge before Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt got it done for the SEC. The Big 12 remains the leader in conference RPI, but the SEC is now third.

Lines are becoming clear in the Bracket Matrix as well:

Yep, this is still happening: 

  • Auburn is 19-2 (7-1)…and they’re getting better. After a narrow loss at Alabama, the Tigers beat Georgia by 14, won at Missouri by 18, then beat LSU by 25. Those are three bubble teams, and they all went in Bruce Pearl’s wood chipper. They’re eighth in KenPom and now a two seed in the matrix. And, already a game up on the field, they only have one game with Kentucky (February 14 at Auburn) and Florida (February 24 in Gainesville) left on the schedule. We were waiting for one of those two to show themselves as the league’s elite team…turns out it’s been the team atop the standings all along.
  • Tennessee was picked 13th in preseason, have you heard? They’re just behind the Tigers (who were picked ninth) in KenPom at #10, and now a four seed in the matrix. Only four Tennessee teams have earned a four seed or higher in the 64+ team NCAA Tournament: Jerry Green’s 1999 and 2000 squads were both a four, and Bruce Pearl’s 2006 and 2008 teams were both twos. UT’s head-to-head loss to Auburn is costly for winning the league outright, essentially making the Vols three games back. But with a strength of schedule still rated first in KenPom, the Vols have a slightly easier road the rest of the way home. Tennessee too has games left with Kentucky (in Rupp, February 4) and Florida (in Knoxville, February 21), plus a road trip to Tuscaloosa where the Tigers fell next Saturday. But its other seven games are against teams currently out of the field of 68 in the matrix.

Yep, they’re still here:

  • Florida is 6-2 in the league, though they are just prone enough to weirdness to make their fans nervous. The Gators had a 1-4 stretch in late November/early December, then ripped off six in a row. They won at A&M by 17, won at Missouri at the buzzer, then did the same at Rupp. They spanked Arkansas in Gainesville. But their two conference losses? At Ole Miss (11-10 overall), then to South Carolina in Gainesville. The Gators are a five seed in the matrix; they’ll be around.
  • Kentucky too. Back-to-back losses two weeks ago put the Cats out of the Top 25, but a win at #7 West Virginia featuring a 17-point comeback solved that problem. In John Calipari’s previous eight seasons at Kentucky, his teams have either been juggernauts by tournament time (three number one seeds and a two last year) or still capable of maturing at the right time to make a run (Final Four appearances as a four and eight seed, plus another four seed and one NIT). This team won’t see the top two lines of the bracket, but what they did at West Virginia shows they’ll still be capable of making that run from further down; they’re a five seed in the latest matrix.

Bubble In (for now)

  • Arkansas is a nine seed in the Bracket Matrix. RPI (26) likes them more than KenPom (47). The Razorbacks still have two games with Texas A&M, a visit from Kentucky, and a trip to Alabama on the schedule. But, having already lost to Mississippi State and LSU, consistency may be the biggest thing between them and the bracket. They’re at A&M tonight.
  • Alabama is also a nine seed in the matrix, and scored a huge resume win over Oklahoma in the challenge. The Tide also have an advantage in RPI (29) over KenPom (56). They’re tied for third in the SEC right now with the Vols and Cats at 5-3, but their schedule is murderous down the stretch. Their last 10 games include Florida twice, visits from the Vols, Arkansas, and Missouri, plus road trips to Kentucky, Auburn, and Texas A&M. If this team gets in, they’ll deserve it.
  • Texas A&M continues to live on the right side of the line thanks to their pre-conference resume. A 10 seed in the latest matrix, the Aggies are 2-7 since being ranked fifth in the nation. KenPom still really likes them at 35th, and their RPI agrees at 36th. Can the ship be righted?

Bubble Out (for now)

  • Missouri is in the first four out in the matrix. But the Tigers have lost three in a row since beating Tennessee, all by double digits, and now they’re at Alabama and vs Kentucky back-to-back. It’s still good progress for a program that won eight SEC games in the last three years, but Cuonzo Martin will need more of that February magic to get this team in the field.
  • South Carolina is in the next four out. The Gamecocks are 70th in KenPom and 56th in RPI, but did beat Kentucky and Florida already. Like Alabama, their schedule gives them all the opportunity they need. After hosting Mississippi State tomorrow, Carolina is at A&M, at Arkansas, vs Florida, at Tennessee, vs Auburn. They’re also at Auburn in the season finale. The Gamecocks are very much in control of their own destiny.
  • Georgia looked great at 11-3 (2-1) coming off a win over Alabama. Since then they’re 1-5, the lone victory by one point over LSU. They’ve still got two with Florida (starting tonight in Athens) and two with Tennessee, plus a visit from Auburn. But the margin of error is thin; the Dawgs could be out of the hunt before Tennessee sees them the first time on February 17.
  • LSU is likely to vanish from this conversation after dismissing two players and suspending two others, leaving them with seven scholarship options against Tennessee on Wednesday in Knoxville. Back-to-back wins at Texas A&M and Arkansas put them in a few brackets, but they’ve not followed up with any wins of note and would need something like an 8-2 finish just to have a Top 50 RPI.

The SEC has never put seven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Right now the Bracket Matrix has seven in and Missouri just out. The league has a lot to be proud of to this point; now we’ll see who can separate themselves in the final 10 games.

Vols Get Pledge from 3-Star Cornerback Brandon Davis

New Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt is swinging for the fences on several elite, playmaking athletes as the days tick off toward national signing day.

But, due to the Vols needing depth at key positions, they’re having to make sure they’ve got some high-upside players filling the class as well. That’s where Louisiana defensive back Brandon Davis comes in.

The John Curtis High School product is perhaps the least-recruited prospect in UT’s class thus far, but the Vols thought enough of him to take a commitment from him on Monday. The 3-star cornerback had offers from teams such as South Alabama, Colorado State, Nicholls State, Louisiana-Monroe and Liberty.

 

No, that isn’t exactly a murderer’s row of college powerhouses. But he pops on film despite being undersized at 5’11”, 160 pounds, and he’s a two-sport athlete who could wind up in the MLB Draft rather than on the college gridiron.

Is it possible UT got a steal from a guy who is the No. 1,728-ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports? He told GoVols247’s Ryan Callahan that UT coaches told him they see him as being a Tyrann Mathieu-type prospect who can roam all over the field, play a lot of spots and be a versatile playmaker.

So, why didn’t other teams feel the same way? Davis told Callahan he believes there’s a viable reason.

“The reason why is because I didn’t go to any camps and because of baseball,” he said. “I play (two) sports, so it was kind of hard for me. But the film’s not going to lie.”

The Vols have some huge fish left in this class, hoping to land guys like Olaijah Griffin, Quay Walker, Jacob Copeland, Tyson Campbell, John Mincey, Eddie Smith and others, but there is another prospect considering UT who may give the Vols a harder look with Davis in the fold. He’s a teammates of star defensive end/tight end Glenn Beal, who is considering Texas A&M and could also wind up at LSU if the Tigers offer.

If the Vols could get Beal, it would make the Davis pickup even better.

There are still a lot of factors remaining in Davis’ recruitment. Could he get drafted high and wind up in the minor leagues? Is he a potential blueshirt candidate at UT? Will he be a guy who comes right in and plays? Whatever the case, Davis is a guy who’s expected to be in Tennessee’s class.

This is the second commitment in two weeks for UT, who landed 4-star receiver Jordan Young last week; another late-riser who will wind up one of the Vols’ highest-ranked commitments in the class. Davis won’t, but that doesn’t mean he’s a player who won’t wind up competing.

After all, some of the defensive back pledges under the last coaching regime — guys like Brandon Cross and Tanner Ingle — weren’t highly recruited, either.

That leaves about 6-7 spots in this class with a lot of guys remaining on the board. How will the Vols finish? Right now, it’s about as up-in-the-air as any class in recent memory.