Jeremy Pruitt faces a tough challenge in turning around a team that went 4-8 in 2017, but his first early signing day with the Volunteers should be considered a strong one.

When discussing the recruits who signed on Wednesday, Pruitt said he is very excited for the group that will be headed to Knoxville. He pointed out that the group is full of young men who are not just great football players but are also men of character.

He highlighted the work put in to keep in-state recruits from leaving for other schools while also expanding the national brand of UT:

“We are very excited to welcome this group of outstanding young men who signed with us today,” Pruitt said. “They are terrific football players, who also display exceptional character off the field. We appreciate the commitment they have made to the University of Tennessee. They will be the foundation for our first signing class here. We said we were going to build a fence around the state and this is a good start. We also know that Tennessee is a national brand, and it’s exciting that some of these players from across the country will be wearing the ‘T’ on their helmets. We hope to have a few more guys sign these next two days, too.”

Here is a list of the signees from Wednesday:

(Not listed is 4-star JUCO DE/OLB Jordan Allen who also signed late Wednesday.)

While it was a strong day for the Vols, Pruitt realized that he cannot rest on that day alone. He pointed out that there is still work to be done for 2018 with a number of recruits still available to sign in February.

“We know we still have a lot of work to do on the recruiting trail, as we will sign several more players in February,” Pruitt said, “But today is a great way to begin. We will get back to work when I return in January. I want to thank Vol Nation for all of the support these first two weeks on the job. I am honored and humbled to be your head coach, and I’m looking forward to devoting all of my time to our football team following the College Football Playoff.”

According to 247 Sports, Tennessee currently has the No. 26 recruiting class in the country for 2018.