Burning questions: Tennessee recruiting
While Tennessee is unlikely to finish with a top 10 class this recruiting cycle, the Volunteers have still landed (and will land) their share of talent as the rise continues in Knoxville.
So with that, here are some key questions, and answers, about Tennessee’s class of 2016.
This class isn’t rated as highly as some previous Tennessee classes. Any cause for concern?
No, there’s no cause for concern. This isn’t a vast, roster-transforming type of class that the Vols have had in previous cycles under Butch Jones, but you don’t sign a class like that every cycle in terms of numbers, so you look for quality. I think Tennessee has a high-quality class and one that quite frankly has some real steals in it, like JUCO wide receiver Jeff George, a 6-foot-6 freak athlete that can help immediately.
Who are some of the top targets the Vols are trying to get down the stretch?
Jones and his staff have done a tremendous job of landing Tennessee legacy recruits (Bates, McKenzie, Kelly Jr., the Berry twins) and four-star safety Nigel Warrior (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge), the son of former Vols great Dale Carter, could be the next one. The forces of nature have been kind to the Volunteers in the sense that there have been plenty of talented players in recent cycles with family connections to the Tennessee program, in particular the glory days under Phillip Fulmer.
Jones has batted 1.000 in landing these “VFL” players. (VFL = Vol For Life, for those that aren’t familiar). Also, offensive tackle Landon Dickerson out of North Carolina is big, athletic, mean and nasty. Tennessee has been in the thick of this for a long time, but Florida State is a big factor as well.
It will go right down to the wire, but if the Vols are able to land Dickerson, that’s a potential All-American at offensive tackle down the road. Regardless of ranking/hype, offensive linemen are always a crapshoot, but Dickerson is that good and I would even go so far as to call him special at this stage.
Give us one player in the Tennessee class that isn’t ranked all that high but who could be great.
I would have to go with two prospects here. First and foremost, offensive tackle Marcus Tatum (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland) has the frame (6-foot-6.5, 255 pounds) and the athleticism to be a big-time offensive tackle in this league. He obviously just needs to add the strength and bulk needed without losing the athleticism and also develop at a high level. You look at how early some of the Vols offensive linemen have been able to play and hold their own in recent years and I have no doubts about the development end of things. It really is up to Tatum and how hard he works as to how good he can be.
Three-star tight end Devante Brooks (Washington, D.C.) is a 6-foot-5, 248-pound jumbo athlete with good size and athleticism that in a few years can be a superstar with hard work and development. Brooks was a sneaky-good eval by the Volunteers in this cycle.
What do you think of Tennessee’s quarterback in the class?
Four-star Jarrett Guarantano (Oradell, N.J./Bergen Catholic) made the right call with Tennessee because the Vols have guys like Josh Dobbs, Quinten Dormady and Sheriron Jones on the roster who are better-suited to play right now than Guarantano, who has excellent upside but needs time to develop at the college level.
You look at the quarterback situation in Knoxville right now and its one of the best situations any school in the country has. Guarantano has to embrace the development process and wait his turn, but he can definitely be good in time given the tools that the 6-foot-4 prospect has.
I think this article is B.S. Should it be a cause for concern that Tennessee’s recruiting class isnt highly ranked? Answer is heck yeah. Look at Bama,LSU, Ole Miss,Florida, Ohio State, and so on. Their rosters are deep and stacked yet always in top 10 if not top 5 in recruiting. Dont tell me Tennessee roster has enough talent because thats all B.S. There is always a need to recruit big and get better. Saban, Meyer, and Miles does that every year.
They also have nc rings on their fingers to bring in a class full of 5 stars Jones doesn’t jave that YET. When you are rebuilding to a championship team you have to use what you can get in order to get there give it time.
Exactly. Jones needs to put on his big boy boots and get out their and recruit his arse off.
He has been. Look at Dooley’s recruiting classes and his ZERO communication with Tennessee high school coaches etc., and look what Jones did in his first year with NOTHING!
Brick by brick takes time.
Dont brag too much about Jones. His record is just a little better than Dooleys. Dooley had classes ranked 9th,12th, and 20th in his 3 years at Tennessee. Bringing in the talent is big, but coaching that talent is even bigger. Jones hasnt impressed me on the coaching aspect yet.
But also Jones needs to make changes on offense as well. Ole Miss and LSU dont have those NC rings and they ate constintly in the top 5 every year. Recruits watch games as well. Jones didnt do Tennessee any favors this year when the media was making fun of him. It does take time to rebuild but you have to have the troops in place as well.
Ole miss has only had good classes since 2012 they are not some recruiting powerhouse you are making them out to be.they have made their bread and butter on juco talent and poaching Memphis where Hugh freeze was a high school coach.
Ole Miss has done a very good job in developing their talent. So what if most are juco players, they whooped the snot out of Tennessee couple of years ago with those same players. Coach Freeze is a very good coach and recruitor. Memphis has alot of talent. Still dont see why coach Jones and UT doesnt recruit there more often. Fulmer used to always do great in that Memphis/Jackson area in recruiting. Bama and Ole Miss have a fence around that area now. Jones needs to take it back.
It’s hard to take you seriously when you have NOTHING but negative things to say.
alright alright… a couple of things. LSU does have the rings… 2 in the last 15 years… one for the current coach. so.. yea. Also, with regards to playing freshman, LSU plays plenty of freshman. We’ve been one of the youngest teams in the country for 2 years now. In 2014, Tennessee played the most true fresh in the country, LSU was 2nd. And this year we played Donta Jackson, Arden Key, Derrius Guice, Nick Brosette, Brykethion Mouton, 3 freshman OL at differnet points, Tyron Johnson, David Ducre, and Kevin Toliver…. so…. carry on. Just leave LSU out of it if you’re going to “Butch-er” the truth…. hehe.
WilliamduVol go back to being a Vandy or Kentucky fan. I bet you was all smiles when Dooley was making a mockery of Tennessee too. When I see Jones start beating ranked teams instead of overated scrub teams and SEC bottom dwellers, I will share your happiness.
I thought there is only so good one can do when recruiting when you have 17 players coming back. A lot of kids especially 4 and 5 stars want to start immediately.
Ok explain Bama,LSU, Ohio State. They are all loaded with 4 and 5 star athletes. In fact, their whole team is made up of them. How much playing time do you think their freshman get?
refer to my other comment. left it in the wrong place. we play A LOT of freshman.
god bryan, you’re still alive? seriously man. troll yourself off a bridge. tennessee fans don’t want you. you embarrass us. get lost sucker
Go fack yourself little boy. We are all entitled to an opinion boy. Tell you mom I said hi too.
Go Vols
I would say getting Kahlil McKenzie to get his weight up another 50 pounds to closer to 450 and getting Shy Tuttle to commit to not leaving the team mid-year should be at the top of this list.
38-31, and worse is coming this year, you sad little troll.
1 out of 6 years isn’t too bad for you little brother
Larry, your infatuation with Kahlil is adorable. It must be true love. Also, Shy Tuttle left the team mid-year because he had a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments from a dirty hit by a UGA player. So, your comment seems completely asinine. I know you’re nothing but sad, life-less troll.. but there’s something in me that thinks you may be a sad life-less ignorant troll, and I want to help the ignorant part.
Chippy
You must be unemployed, living in your mom’s basement and smoking a lot of maryjane.
You can not mention Tennessee in the same sentence with Bama, LSU, Florida or Ohio State. Those programs are elite programs and Tennessee is not.
After you sober up you can compare Tennessee to Ole Miss…….
Uh, excuse me; what right do you possibly have to come on a football forum. Now, shew! Go away. You don’t belong here.
Lol SevenT I am living in your moms basement taking care of her cat. Hows your cheek SevenT, heard you got a nasty bruise after getting slapped by a weiner. And the only thing that I am making smoke right now is your moms a$$cheeks on my pole.