Well, it’s that time of year again. Fire up the fax machines!

Tennessee’s Class of 2021 looks like most any other class, with some success stories and some mistakes across the board. This class of 23 recruits is a little worse nationally (they were 10th a year ago) but a little better in the conference (7th a year ago).

Some notable decommits hurt Jeremy Pruitt, but they still will bring in players that can make an impact in the immediate future.

Let’s take a closer look at the 2021 signing class as it stands heading into Early Signing Period, which starts Wednesday. Remember, no commitment is official until the scholarship is signed:

By the numbers

  • SEC rank: 6
  • National rank: 15
  • 5-stars: 0
  • 4-stars: 10
  • 3-stars: 13

Top player: WDE Dylan Brooks, 4-stars

When 5-star linebacker Terrence Lewis from Miami decommitted in November, that left Dylan Brooks at the top of the class of 2021 for Tennessee. Brooks is slated to play weak-side defensive end for UT, and is ranked 3rd-best in the nation at that position. He was also ranked as the 2nd-best player overall in Alabama and had an offer from the Crimson Tide.

He’s listed at 6-5 and 250 pounds and will bulk up once he gets to campus. Tennessee will likely see multiple outside linebackers graduating after the season. Brooks could end up on the field a great deal right away.

Class strength: Wide receivers

This doesn’t appear to be a position of weakness on Tennessee’s roster, but you can never have enough talent. The Vols picked up 3 4-star pass catchers in Jordan Mosley of Alabama, Julian Nixon of Georgia and Walker Merrill from Brentwood, Tennessee.

Mosley in particular could find himself working as a slot receiver or be placed outside, utilizing his 4.5 40 speed.

Class weakness: Secondary

Tennessee took a major hit when Damarius McGhee, a 4-star cornerback from Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic decommitted in late November. That leaves 3-star safety De’Shawn Rucker from Tallahassee (Fla.) as their top player listed in the secondary.

The Vols do welcome 4 players listed as athletes. Kaemen Marley, a 4-star from North Carolina, might be the best bet of that group to be direct to the defensive backs room.

Overall that’s a position that Tennessee wishes they could have improved upon with this class.

Grading the QB class

Kaidon Salter, the 4-star quarterback from Cedar Hill (Texas) is considered to be the 6th-best dual threat quarterback in the nation. He’s been committed to Tennessee since last spring and hasn’t publicly wavered. He turned down offers from Auburn and Ole Miss among others. There was rumored to be late interest from Texas as well, but Salter is scheduled to sign on Wednesday.

Tennessee’s current crop of quarterbacks appear to be more comfortable in the pocket. Opposing defenses haven’t had to worry very much about the Vols QB’s running since Josh Dobbs went to the NFL following the 2016 season. Maybe the addition of Salter will change that somewhat.

Did Vols close the borders?

The Vols only have 5 players from the state of Tennessee in this class and just lost their highest-rated one when 4-star tight end Hudson Wolfe from Hardin County decommitted. Wolfe was ranked the 6th-best player in the state.

Clemson picked up 2 of the top 5 recruits in the state, including Jake Briningstool, a 4-star tight end from Ravenwood and the top-ranked player in the state.

Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State … they each came into Tennessee and secured talent the Vols are sorely lacking.

High school football in Tennessee might not be on the Florida or Texas level, but it is getting better. This year the Vols could only keep 1 of the state’s top 10 players. That has to be a concern for this coaching staff.

Final thought …

Pruitt might be on the hot seat, and that likely had an effect on this recruiting cycle. This class has dipped since being ranked as high as 2nd in the nation earlier this year. But you never really know about a class until a couple of years down the line.

So let’s talk again in 2023, shall we?