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.

Gameday Today: Vols hoops defense travels, recruiting heats up

Hoops

Tennessee did its part in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge/Showdown/Clash/Contest, throttling Iowa State 68-45 on Saturday. To be fair, the Cyclones did some throttling of their own early, but Tennessee was the first and only team to find its offense, finding the right combination in bench guards James Daniel III (JD3, anyone?) and Lamonte Turner. The Cyclones never found their offense, and 45 points was the lowest total for the team since 2009. Defense, yo. It’s what’s for dinner.

If you missed it . . . well, first, stop that . . . but also watch the highlights:

As that highlight package shows, JD3 was key in the game, and he was just as impressive in his post-game interview with Bob and Bert. The Vols are now 7-3 away from home overall, 5-7 in true road games and 2-3 in neutral-site games.

Also noteworthy is Turner, who’s not only been casually tossing daggers into the hearts of opponents most of the season but also playing professional keepaway:

Which of course means he’ll now throw it right to a defender on the first possession against LSU Wednesday, but that tweet will still live forever.

The Lady Vols? Uh, having a bit of trouble lately, most recently having lost on the road to LSU, 70-59.

Recruiting

If you’re looking for all of the latest developments over this past weekend on the recruiting front, 247Sports has a premium post with all of the particulars ($$$).

The Vols appear to have missed on defensive tackle Coynis Miller, but are still in the running for some highly-touted guys.

For a national perspective, check out this post from SB Nation, which includes a nod to Vols receiver commit Jordan Young’s highlight tape.

Other fun stuff

SEC Country predicts a 6-6 or 7-5 regular season record for the Vols next season (notably with a win over Florida, though, so there’s that), which sounds better when you remember that Kirby Smart went 8-5 with a bowl win in his first season with Georgia. We’ll take that first year if we can have the second, too, please.

And finally, GETTING TOO CLOSE TO BRUCE PEARL DURING BASKETBALL GAMES IS HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH:

Vols Stretch Their Legs at Iowa State

Tennessee was 14-5 entering today, but got there without any start-to-finish statements against major conference foes. The Vols ran away from Wake Forest in the final eight minutes, slowly pulled away from Texas A&M, and survived a furious rally from Vanderbilt after a 20-point lead earlier this week. But there was little relaxation available for much of those games.

Today wasn’t technically start-to-finish: Iowa State got out to a 12-5 lead in the first six minutes, denying the ball to Grant Williams and frustrating Tennessee’s offense. The Vols put more guards on the floor and started taking the threes the Cyclones were giving them.

And in the game’s final 34 minutes, Tennessee outscored Iowa State 63-33.

The lead was 12 by halftime, then the Vols outscored ISU by 11 in the second half. The Cyclones, weak in defending threes all year, watched Tennessee take a season-high 30 of them, knocking down a dozen (40%). Jordan Bowden was a chilly 1-of-4, but Lamonte Turner hit 6-of-9 and James Daniel added 3-of-7. And the Vols continued to share the ball well, scoring 14 assists on 24 made field goals. Tennessee made 12 two-point shots, 12 three-point shots, and eight free throws.

Meanwhile, Iowa State struggled from everywhere against Tennessee’s defense.

The defense was good, but the Cyclones also went 7-of-17 (41.2%) from the free throw line.

We hadn’t seen it much under Rick Barnes, but it’s good to know this team had this kind of blowout in them, and on the road. It earns Tennessee a Top 10 slot in KenPom, eighth overall and passing Auburn for the moment to re-take the top spot in the SEC. With ten games to go, the Vols continue to play themselves up the seed line, and emphatically so today.

Gameday Today: Jauan Jennings’ list and the Smokey Grey uniforms

Football

While everyone else is just reporting the fact that Jauan Jennings has a list of things to accomplish (including anger management) before he can get back in the good graces of the team, Celina Summers drives home the most important part of all of it:

Whatever is on that list, Jauan, just do it. Not for us. Not for Tennessee or the team or the fans. Do it for yourself, for your future, for your family. Give yourself the opportunity to continue to develop as a football player on Rocky Top. Go to your classes. Learn to control your impulses. Don’t just slog through that list either, like it’s a bunch of chores you have to do because you got grounded. The knowledge you’ll gain by completing those tasks is so much more than football.

Go read the whole thing.

AD Phillip Fulmer seems to have the right take on Tennessee’s Smokey Grey uniforms, affirming the importance of tradition while also granting the authority to coach Pruitt to use shiny new objects to lure 5-star players to Rocky Top:

“I talked to Jeremy about our traditions here in a lot of things,” Fulmer said. “In the end, that will be his choice, but we have talked about it. I think he’s pretty much a traditionalist, but I can’t sit here and tell you what his plans are about the grey uniforms. That’s a recruiting thing as much as it is anything.
“I don’t think you would call me old-fashioned, but as much a traditionalist as I am, that has to be his call, because he’s the one that’s out there working and trying to get great football players here.”

The Papa may be in denial about being old-fashioned, but isn’t that one of the many things we love about him?

Also, Tennessee is guaranteed to earn at least a cool $2.5 million for its neutral-site season-opener against West Virginia in Charlotte, North Carolina this fall. Are buyouts like debts? Can you pay them off early and save money?

Hoops

As part of this weekend’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge, Tennessee travels to Aimes, Iowa to take on the Iowa State Cyclones. The game tips at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow, and it’s televised on ESPNU. Will has the only game preview you need. ESPN likes the Vols, 74-71.

Here’s more on the weekend slate from the SEC Network, which includes some love for Grant Williams toward the end:

We’re inching closer to March Madness, which is from March 13 to April 2 this year, and so it’s probably time to start learning the new language of quadrants:


Tennessee’s probably in good shape in that department.

Also, the Lady Vols beat Ole Miss, 75-66 yesterday. Highlights:

Football Recruiting

We’re now 12 days out from National Signing Day, and the Vols are hosting five highly-ranked prospects this weekend ($$$). Among them are three defensive tackles, including 4-star Miami commit Nesta Silvera.

Tennessee has made the final cut for 4-star running back Jashaun Corbin, who has set his official visit to Tennessee for next weekend.

The school is having three NSD Celebrations on February 7 and 8. They’ll be held in Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis, and you can get tickets here.

SEC Country has a full update on this year’s class as it now stands.

Other fun stuff

Do you love Chris Lofton? Of course you love Chris Lofton. And you’ll love this article about him, especially the part where Bruce Pearl says he was hoping Lofton was pregnant.

This is why defensive tackles don’t kick field goals:

Hey, he’s been told “LOW MAN WINS” his entire career, what did you expect?

ALVINNNNN!

Florida has hired former Vols offensive coordinator Larry Scott to coach their tight ends this season.

 

SEC/Big 12 Challenge: Tennessee vs Iowa State Preview

Opportunity knocks for the SEC tomorrow, and particularly hard for a handful of bubble teams. The Big 12 has five teams in Ken Pomeroy’s Top 20 and three more in the Top 40. They lead the nation in conference RPI with a ridiculous .863 winning percentage (101 wins with just 16 losses) in non-conference play. But with an out-of-conference strength of schedule ranking just 16th out of 32 conferences, tomorrow may be the toughest non-conference test for several non-marquee Big 12 schools.

This continues to be the best SEC of at least a decade, but some clear divisions are beginning to appear. Auburn and Tennessee are in the Top 15 in both KenPom and RPI; Kentucky and Florida may be frustrating fans a little this week but both are in good shape. Then there’s chaos in bubble town: Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas A&M are all a nine or ten seed in the latest Bracket Matrix, with Georgia in the first four out. LSU and South Carolina – teams well off the NCAA radar when conference play began – are playing themselves into the conversation. There is simply no such thing as an afterthought in this league.

The bad news for the SEC in looking to win the challenge tomorrow:  Auburn isn’t in it this year, and neither is Missouri or LSU. Vanderbilt hosts TCU in a one degree of separation game for Jamie Dixon, while Ole Miss is at Texas. The SEC will be a significant underdog in both of those games. But there are games that can make a serious difference for South Carolina (vs #14 Texas Tech), Alabama (vs #12 Oklahoma), and Texas A&M (at #5 Kansas).

Is there such a thing as a bad team in the nation’s best conference? Tennessee gets to find out.

Last year Iowa State was a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Purdue in the second round by four points. But they lost their top four scorers and started the year getting blown out by Missouri (74-59) and Milwaukee (74-56) in one degree of Bruce Pearl games. Then they won nine in a row en route to conference play.

After a blowout home loss to Kansas State, the Cyclones were feisty in defeat: overtime losses to Texas and at Oklahoma State, then a five point loss at Kansas. In the last two weeks, they have avoided close games like the plague: beat Baylor by 10, lost at TCU by 23, beat Texas Tech by 18, lost at Texas by 16.

What Iowa State does well:

  • Guards who let it fly. Lindell Wigginton and Donovan Jackson are 6’2″ and unafraid: between them they average 13.1 threes attempted per game. And they’re not just volume shooters: Wigginton shoots 43% from the arc, Jackson 42%. Nick Babb is the distributor with 7.2 assists per game.
  • Ball security. Iowa State is 59th nationally in turnover percentage, giving it away on just 14.6% of their possessions.
  • Free throw shooting. The Cyclones shoot 73.2% from the line, and Donovan Jackson is one of the best free throw shooters in the country at 40-of-43 (93%) on the year. They also defend without fouling, allowing the 11th fewest free throw attempts in college basketball this year.

What Tennessee can do to win:

  • Wear them down. This isn’t just a nine-man rotation, it’s essentially a nine-man roster. Their pace isn’t slow (139th nationally), but I’ll be curious to see if Tennessee tries to speed them up. Nick Babb has an amazing stat line of 12.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, but it comes in nearly 38 minutes of work every night.
  • Good looks from three. And they’re available against Iowa State, 222nd nationally in three-point percentage defense. Assist percentage and three-point shooting continue to be the best predictors of success for Tennessee.
  • Take the crowd out early. This is the first year we’ve seen Tennessee as a ranked team in a non-conference road game since 2011, which means it’s the first time we’ve seen these Vols wear the target associated with a meaningful win for the home team. The Vols have traveled extremely well and not allowed teams like Wake Forest and Georgia Tech to find that win. Against an Iowa State team recently familiar with blowing out or getting blown out, the Vols need to make sure it’s going to be the latter Saturday as soon as possible.

Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, ESPNU. Go Vols.

Gameday Today: High praise for Pruitt, and players adore The Papa

Time to light this fire

For any still wary of getting too excited about Tennessee football under Jeremy Pruitt, we have two things that should help this morning.

First, Albert Haynesworth says that the worst is over, and if you disagree with Albert Haynesworth, you will most certainly die a sudden, painful, and humiliating death. It’s the law in Tennessee. Seriously though, go read Haynesworth’s Players Tribune post. It will make you feel better, and the line about Haynesworth’s mother may even make you laugh.

Second, according to Gridiron Now, some anonymous SEC coach has a nose tackle-sized mancrush on Jeremy Pruitt, saying that Pruitt’s better at defense than both Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. If you haven’t noticed, Nick Saban is pretty good at defense, so that’s a doozy of a compliment.

Said unnamed source also said this:

“Tennessee will play better defense with whoever they have (now) than they’ve played in the last 10 years,” he said. “The second year, I could see some real [FULMERIZED] happening at Tennessee.”

Well that sounds fun. Let’s do it.

Everybody Loves The Papa

Speaking of The Papa, make some time to listen to this entire interview with Phillip Fulmer on the Erik Ainge Show two days ago:

And I haven’t yet listened to his interview on the Swain Event this morning, but here it is:


One thing that really sticks out when you listen is just how much The Papa’s former players absolutely adore him (it’s evident just from Swain’s introduction). And it’s that that makes you a believer when Fulmer says that one of his main priorities is restoring trust, warmth, and a culture of caring about each other to Tennessee athletics.

Hoops

The Vols beat Vandy last night, 67-62, in a Woo! Wait! Whew! game. If you’re wondering what makes these guys tick, Will has figured it out.

If you missed it, here’s a video recap of the game, along with a bunch of post-game interviews:

Grant Williams is shouldering the blame for letting Vandy back into the game last night, as he was matched up against Riley LaChance at the time the dude caught fire.

Also, Jordan Bowden is feeling much better, thank you, after awakening himself from his mini-slump, and is going to keep shooting. This is a good thing for a shooting guard to say.

Football Recruiting

National Signing Day is a mere two weeks away, and the Vols currently have the nation’s No. 17 class. If you’re wondering who to keep an eye on, here’s a list of 18 guys we think are priorities for coach Pruitt and his staff.

SEC Country takes a closer look at the defensive tackle prospects here, and 247Sports notes that Pruitt and two assistants visited 3-star cornerback Eddie Smith last night. Tennessee appears to be a slight favorite to land him.

The News Sentinel has an article on the importance of the right coaching staff footprint ($$$) that’s worth reading as well. Based on where the guys on Tennessee’s staff have gained most of their experience, expect the Vols to be major players in the key states of Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi.

Other fun stuff

Woo for Tennessee’s Pro Bowlers:


And finally, Monday Night Football is desperately seeking a student of the game with personality named Peyton Manning to take over for Jon Gruden.

Is Tennessee Consolidating Its Board with Two Weeks To Go?

When new Coach Jeremy Pruitt and his new blockbuster recruiting staff first took over, they threw a whole lot of offers out and cast an incredibly wide net.  Taking advantage of existing relationships across not just the South but also as far as California, Tennessee hasn’t been afraid to go to head with programs like Alabama and USC and other blue bloods or be told no by elite players with whom they are simply too late.  Pruitt created a large board from which to work from and signed a very highly regarded early signing class, especially when one considers he had less than two weeks to work.
At the same time, as we enter the stretch run to National Signing Day, it looks like we’ve seen them move on from a good number of guys they initially showed interest in:
S Nikko Hall
DL Caleb Okechukwu
DB Rayshad Willliams
WR Brandon Aiyuk
CB Richard McCreary
RB Mo Washington
RB Tavion Thomas
RB C’Bo Flemister*
DL Emmit Gooden **
* This one is less clear, but there is no doubt that Tennessee has slow played him to a degree while Notre Dame is showing him much more love –  I wouldn’t be shocked to see him commit to the Irish weekend
**Gooden continues to have academic questions surrounding him, and with the limited spots available I don’t think the staff can afford to take him despite its relatively recent offer
In contrast,with only 5-6 spots scholarships to give, the staff has made it clear by its actions – in-home visits and scheduled official visits – that the following 18 are high priorities (some more than others, of course):
WR Jacob Copeland
WR Geordon Porter
WR Antoine Green and his cousin, RB Jashaun Corbin
WR Tre’shaun Harrison
WR Warren Thompson
OL Dylan Wonnum
OL Ryan Winkel
TE Glenn Beal
DL Coynis Miller
DL Malik Langham
DL John Mincey
DL Otito Ogbonnia
LB Quay Walker
CB Olaijah Griffin
CB Eddie Smith
CB Isaac Taylor-Stewart
S Trevon Flowers
This list will continue to thin more and more the next two weeks as Tennessee gets a better feel for whom they have a realistic chance -for instance, it seems like they have little traction with WRs Thompson and Harrison – and others simply come off the board or others take their spot.  Ogbonnia and Flowers are two in particular who will be in Knoxville this weekend, and the staff will get a chance to size both of them up and at the same figure out where each fit into their plans and vice versa.  But the above is probably a good working list for the next two weeks, although this staff has proven they will continue to beat the bushes such that another player could jump onto the board.
Stay tuned, it’s going to be a wild ride…

Vols nearly coast into a ditch, but recover to beat Vandy, 67-62

Tennessee raced out to a huge early and sleepy 20-point lead before nearly coasting over the shoulder against Vanderbilt tonight. Fortunately, the rumble strip jarred them awake just in time to finally seal the deal, 67-62 over the Commodores.

It really wasn’t close at all for much of the game, as the Vols’ tenacious defense stifled Vandy and held them to a woeful 15 first half points. It was just more of the same to being the second, with Tennessee extending the lead to 41-21 with 14:28 left in the game.

Cue Riley LaChance.

After a teammate’s layup and a couple of free throws, Vandy’s LaChance found his three-point range. After going 0-3 from the arc in the first half, he hit 4-6 in the second, and scored 15 straight points for Vanderbilt over a three-minute stretch. At that point, Tennessee started sprinting at him when and wherever he had the ball, which opened up huge lanes leading directly to the basket and multiple opportunities for assists to open teammates. By the time the clock hit 7:06, the ‘Dores had cut the Vols lead from 20 to 4.

Cue the rumble strip.

Admiral Schofield shook everyone awake and hit two free throws, but then everyone on both teams went cold and clunky for a time. Vandy resorted to hack-a-Shaq on Grant Williams, and Williams mostly made them pay. Still, the lead was down to only two points with 1:19 left after a Jeff Roberson free throw.

Cue the woo. And the whew.

On the next possession, Schofield drove to the basket, drew a double team, and passed outside to Lamonte Turner, who hit a clutch three and extended the Vols lead to 63-58. LaChance missed a well-defended three-point attempt, and Schofield and Jordan Bowden raced to the other end for a layup and a 7-point lead. From there, the foul fest was on, and Tennessee eased into the garage safe and sound at 67-62.

Bowden silenced talk of any shooting slump and led the team with 19 points on 6-10 shooting (5-7 from three), and Williams was just behind him with 18. Other than that, it was a team effort, although you shouldn’t be surprised if Derrick Walker starts to see more minutes, as he’s becoming more and more reliable and effective near the basket.

The Vols move to 14-5 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. Next up is a trip to Iowa State on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.

Go Vols.