Top 10 recruits from the state of Tennessee in 2016
The 2016 recruiting season is already in full swing with many staffs beginning to move players up the priority list on dry-erase boards inside SEC football offices.
According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, the Top 10 players in the class from the state of Tennessee is defense heavy with three four-star corners in the top seven prospects. Emmit Goodwin, a strong-side defensive end, is considered the state’s best player heading into his senior prep season.
Out of eight four-stars available in the 2016 class, only one has already committed and that’s 6-foot-6, 280-pound offensive tackle Ryan Johnson from Brentwood. He has offers from Alabama and Mississippi State among several others, but has been a Vols lean since early last summer before making his pledge in July.
Last year, Butch Jones was only able to keep four of the state’s top 10 players in-state, but that includes three of the top four according to 247Sports. The Vols’ late national signing day flip of four-star tackle Drew Richmond, who was an Ole Miss commit, was a huge grab.
Losing wideout Van Jefferson to the Rebels and four-star corner Rico McGraw to Georgia weren’t fatal to one of the nation’s top classes. Tennessee has depth at both of those positions and reloaded with three out-of-state corners and five-star wideout Preston Williams from Hampton, Ga.
Player | Rating | Position | 247 Sports Prediction |
---|---|---|---|
1. Emmit Gooden | 4-star | SDE | Tennessee |
2. Daniel Bituli | 4-star | OLB | Tenn/Ole Miss split |
3. Joejuan Williams | 4-star | CB | Tennessee |
4. Donte Vaughn | 4-star | CB | Tennessee |
5. Bryce Matthews | 4-star | OT | Texas A&M |
6. Ryan Johnson | 4-star | OT | Tennessee* |
7. Nygel Edmonds | 4-star | CB | No Crystal Ball |
8. Tylin Oden | 4-star | Pro-QB | Tennessee |
9. Dillon Mitchell | 3-star | WR | Oregon* |
10. Gabe Angel | 3-star | TE | Ole Miss |
*Already committed.