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.
