Coming out of the Missouri game, Tennessee is 5-5 and has a win or go home matchup against fellow .500 squad Vanderbilt in Neyland West, aka Memorial Stadium in Nashville. Coach Jeremy Pruitt currently has the #2 recruiting class in the SEC East and 15th nationally, with needs addressed across the roster and positioned for an outstanding finish to their first full class.
Since we looked at the Offensive Board last week, there have been a few happenings on that side of the ball:
RB Eric Gray once again eschewed a visit to Michigan – where he as of this writing is still committed – to take another visit to Knoxville and the Vols are in excellent position to flip him. He would be an outstanding addition to a roster in desperate need of playmakers, not to mention another stake in the ground for Pruitt and Tennessee in the fertile recruiting area that is Memphis.
WR Javonta Payton took his official visit to Mississippi State and committed to the Bulldogs. While at one point it seemed like he was a Tennessee lean, Payton appears to have made a final decision. That puts WR Khafre Brown at the front of the list of remaining WR targets – although they will absolutely continue to try for 5-star WR Jadon Haselwood (who took an OV to Florida State this weekend, though the Seminoles are not a real contender in this writer’s mind) – and while Brown isn’t as physically developed as the JUCO product Payton he is a burner (10.7 in the 100-meter dash) and will absolutely improve the speed on the roster.
OL Darnell Wright was thought to be a possible unofficial visitor in Knoxville but once again didn’t make it. However, the Vols appear to still be in the driver’s seat for the 5-star West Virginia native. With his season having ended this past Friday, Wright will start to set up his official visits. The Vols will need to continue to fight for the coveted lineman until he makes a final decision, with Alabama continuing to be the primary competition and UGA and Clemson trying to be players.
ATH Xavier Leggette was left out of the previous piece because Jeremy Pruitt to this point has taken prospects who play on both sides of the ball and put them on Defense. However, Leggette – who took another unofficial to home-state South Carolina this past weekend – has expressed a clear desire to play WR. Both the Cocks and the Vols still have official visits left to host Leggette, but his coach recently stated that Tennessee has seemed to show him more love to Carolina to this point.
Below we take a look at the Defensive Board, where the Vols have needs at each position and current commitments Lakia Henry and Ledarrius Cox are still looking around:
Defensive Line/Pass-Rushers
At position where no program can ever have enough bodies, and Tennessee in particular has a need for both quantity and quality, the Vols do in fact have six commitments from Defensive Linemen/Pass-Rushers. And while the recruiting rankings for the six prospects run the gamut, from this vantage point Tennessee has amassed a group that has a great mix of immediate impact potential and long-term upside. At the same time, there is still a need to add at least one more player to this list, and Tennessee is recruiting as such. Interestingly, however, the majority of the players on the list below are committed elsewhere, which will make it that much more difficult to land another impact DL prospect.
DL Justin Eboigbe – An Alabama commitment who visited Knoxville over the summer and then again for an UV for the Kentucky game, the Atlanta-area native has had an outstanding senior season playing both inside and out on the DL. As of now it remains to be seen if the Vols can get him back to campus again for an OV, and regardless the Tide will host him on the last weekend before Signing Day. Therefore it goes without saying that this will be a tough pull, but Tennessee has positioned itself as well as one can for a player committed to the national champs
Pass-Rusher Niadre Zouzoua – Perhaps the most “gettable” prospect on this list, as well as one of the most intriguing, Zouzoua is an early-enrollee JUCO Passrusher who along with his Vol offer (picked up in early October when his film got out) also holds offers from Nebraska, Baylor, Temple, and Rutgers. He’s 6’5, 230-pounds with really nice speed off the edge and right now is scheduled to take his Tennessee OV the December 7th weekend, followed by an OV to Baylor the following weekend that immediately precedes Signing Day. Zouzoua was a multi-sport athlete in high school, playing hoops and running track, so he fits that mold of what Pruitt likes in his signees. Given the need for pass-rushers on the roster, as well as the struggles in gaining traction with them in this class – not to discount the two current commitments Jalil Clemons and Roman Harrison, both of whom I am very high on – I think Zouzoua could be a guy who if the Vols like what they see on his visit to Knoxville that they pounce on. Being an early enrollee would allow him to go through spring practice and be ready to immediately join the rotation in 2019.
DL Jared Harrison-Hunte – At 6’4 and 285 lbs, the New York native is a prospect that has quietly been on Tennessee’s radar for a long time. Originally scheduled to officially visit Knoxville this past weekend, he’s instead was at Arizona State. He is now set for a gauntlet of high-profile visits that belie his 3-star ranking, starting with Ohio State this weekend, followed by PSU the following and then Tennessee either December 7th or 14th. A January OV to Michigan State has also been discussed, so whether he signs in December or February appears to be up in the air. Depending on how things go with Eboigbe in December and of course whether or not he makes it past his OSU and PSU visits, the Vols could really turn the pressure up when/if he makes it to Knoxville.
DL Nick Figureoa – A JUCO prospect with a Tennessee offer; Figueroa is a 6’5, 270-pound DE who is originally from California and is playing his JUCO ball there as well. He’s got a UCLA offer and they could be the favorite, but he’s also got offers from Virginia Tech (11/30 OV) and Georgia Tech. Not likely a priority at the moment, the Vols could turn back here depending on how things go with other prospects.
DL Kristian Varner – A former Louisville commitment took an unofficial visit to Knoxville for the Missouri game, Varner doesn’t appear to be a priority at the moment despite having a Vol offer for a while. However, he’s got a large offer list after a nice senior season and the GA native is a nice-looking developmental prospect.
DL Zion Logue/Travon Walker/Nolan Smith – Three UGA commitments, two of whom – Smith and Walker – who took official visits for the Missouri game. None of them appear to be truly in play for the Vols at this point.
DL Joseph Anderson – South Carolina commitment from Nashville who at one time tried to commit to the Vols but was put on hold. There have been some rumblings that there could be something brewing here but at this point I don’t put much stock into it unless and until he shows up again in Knoxville.
Inside Linebacker
Perhaps more than any other position on the defense, Inside Linebacker is a position on the current roster that has been exposed during the 2018 season as being in need of a major talent upgrade. The current ILBs on the roster – with the exception of freshman JJ Peterson (and this is solely based on his rating coming out of high school) – simply don’t have the athletic ability/size combination to both play in space while at the same time matching up against run-heavy offenses. To this point, however, the Vols only have one ILB commitment, albeit from a bigtime JUCO prospect in Lakia Henry. The good news is that Tennessee is very much in the mix for some elite level Linebackers who should be able to step in and help immediately in 2019. None of them are done deals – far from it – but this position in particular could see a December to remember in terms of talent upgrade if things go according to plan.
Owen Pappoe – An Auburn commitment since the spring, Pappoe is an elite athlete who plays for the bigtime Grayson HS program and as such is teammates with Vol OL commit Wanya Morris as well as CB target Kenyatta Watson (more on him below). Pappoe has been to Knoxville dozens of times since he was in 8th grade, and due to a number of factors, including but far from limited to Auburn’s on-field struggles and the subsequent roar around Gus Malzahn’s long-term if not immediate job insecurity, the Vols have surged here. Morris being in his ear while the Vols have shown real on-field improvement and the longtime relationships Pappoe has with multiple Vol staffers have also helped. Although nothing is set in stone, the word is that not only will Pappoe (and hopefully Watson) take an official visit to Tennessee the weekend prior to Signing Day but he is also unlikely to take an official visit to Auburn. Should those come to pass that would be the strongest sign yet that Pappoe ends up a Vol, and as an early enrollee he would instantly be a frontrunner for early playing time in 2019.
Trezeman Marshall – A UGA commitment, Marshall took his official visit to Tennessee back in the spring before committing to the instate Dawgs. However, the Vols dogged (pardon the pun) pursuit along with his longstanding relationships with many members of the Tennessee staff got him back to Knoxville this past weekend for another unofficial visit. Marshall’s status as an elite prospect is certified by the fact that not only is he a UGA commitment coveted by Tennessee but he’s got upcoming visits with the likes of Alabama (this weekend) and Auburn. Coming out of his visit to Knoxville it sounds like the Vols are neck and neck with the Dawgs, but this one will have some twists and turns before he signs his papers and enrolls at the school of his choice in January.
Henry To’oto’to – Another elite LB prospect on the board, what makes To’oto’to on this list is that he’s not a Southeast prospect but instead is from California. That said, Tennessee is fighting a familiar foe in Alabama, as both the Vols and the Tide have a De La Salle HS alum on its side, with former Vol great Kevin Simon fighting the good fight for Tennessee. To’oto’to took unofficials to both schools in the spring/summer, and plans on officially visiting both before signing in February. West Coast schools such as Oregon and Cal aren’t going quietly, but the Tide are considered the leaders right now with the Vols right behind. To’oto’to is without a doubt an elite prospect, but both schools have other LBs on the line and how they fare with those prospects could play a role in where To’oto’to ultimately signs.
Quavaris Crouch – At one time considered a Vol lean, despite taking an official visit to Knoxville for the Kentucky game this one appears to be a long shot at the moment as Clemson has taken control. Anything can happen in recruiting, of course, but at this point I think anyone expects Crouch to end up in the right shade of orange.
Secondary
Although the Vols have 4 DB commitments (maybe 5, depending on Aaron Beasley signing Tennessee and at which position he ends up), they would love to add another if it’s the right prospect.
DB Kenyatta Watson – A Texas commitment and high school teammate of the aforementioned Wanya Morris and Pappoe, Watson has been pretty quiet about his recruitment for a while. However, there has been a lot of buzz around him and the Vols, and while there have been conflicting reports about whether he attended this past weekend’s Missouri game, it wouldn’t surprise me if he wanted to keep that quiet. Watson is an elite athlete with great length at 6’2 and could play any position in the secondary. The hope in Knoxville is that he and Pappoe take their final OVs before Signing Day together to Tennessee. If they do all bets are off, and this will be one to watch until then…
DB Jammie Robinson – Another Georgia native, Robinson is a very nice prospect with offers from South Carolina, Michigan and Tennessee among others and strong interest from the instate Bulldogs pending their needs. Robinson’s tie to the Vols is Quality Control assistant Shelton Felton, his former high school coach, and he made his first visit to Knoxville for the Florida game. He hasn’t scheduled an official visit to Tennessee yet – he’s took his OV to South Carolina over the summer – but he’s not signing until February so there isn’t a rush. Given that timing, it will be interesting to see how things shake out for the Vols with the rest of their board and how hard they pursue Robinson, but he’s a prospect I really like as he’s got all the athletic tools and plays with a real edge.