Column: Signing Day Stung, but Vols’ 2018 Class is Solid

Tennessee was in on several highly-rated prospects heading into National Signing Day. The Vols were finalists for a large handful of four-star and five-star players, and they were competing with programs like Georgia, Alabama, USC, UCLA, Florida, Texas A&M, and others for some highly-touted players.

The Vols swung hard, but they struck out on three straight pitches.

Yes, Tennessee was able to hold on to elite, four-star linebacker J.J. Peterson. And they got a signature from four-star junior college defensive tackle Emmit Gooden. But those two were small silver linings in what was an otherwise disappointing and sobering day for Vol fans.

Quay Walker, Olaijah Griffin, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, Jacob Copeland, Taiyon Palmer, Glenn Beal, Otito Ogbonnia, and several more chose other teams over the Vols. And that doesn’t even include the two Vol commits, Anthony Grant and Jordan Young, who flipped to Florida State. Young especially stung for Vol fans because Tennessee “discovered” Young back in early January, and he committed to the Vols after they were the only Power Five team to offer him.

But then the Seminoles strolled in and were able to sway him to flip on the final day of the 2018 cycle.

There’s no way around it: National Signing Day didn’t go as planned for most Vol fans. Especially after how successful the early signing period ended up being for Jeremy Pruitt and his staff after only being on the job for not even two weeks.

But it’s because of that early signing period that this class is much better than Wednesday left fans feeling.

With the six players the Vols officially signed on Wednesday, Tennessee ended up with 20 official signees in their 2018 class. Of those 20 players, eight of them are rated as a four-stars according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. And 10 of the 20 players had rankings that placed them inside the top 500 overall players in the 2018 cycle.

Compared to classes from Georgia, Alabama, and other SEC schools, Tennessee’s class isn’t star-studded. But comparing it to Tennessee’s last class and Butch Jones’ first class shows that it’s not as bad as many may feel.

The class’s overall average ranking of .8776 on 247Sports is higher than the Vols’ 2017 class that averaged .8724. And if not for Trey Smith in that class, it would’ve been much lower. The 2018 class also has a higher average than Butch Jones’ first class. Jones’ first class in 2013 had an average score of .8586 for the 23 players they signed.

But even though Jones’ first class was his lowest rated and one of Tennessee’s lowest rated classes in the modern recruiting era, some of the Vols’ best players in the Jones’ era came from that class. Josh Dobbs, Cam Sutton, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Corey Vereen, Brett Kendrick, and Kendal Vickers all came from that class. And only Dobbs and Reeves-Maybin were four-stars.

And in my opinion, there are plenty of players in this class who have the ability to contribute immediately and down the line.

Players like tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson, offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson, and linebacker/defensive end Jordan Allen have the ability to come in start immediately for the Vols this upcoming season. All three of those players are JUCO guys, and I expect all three to fight for playing time as soon as they hit the practice field. I expect the same from JUCO defensive tackle Emmit Gooden as long as he qualifies in time like Tennessee’s coaches expect.

But the instant impact players aren’t limited to just the junior college players.

Alontae Taylor has the athleticism and explosiveness to come in and find a role in Tennessee’s receiving corps right away. J.J. Peterson is the type of linebacker that Pruitt and his staff love to have on their roster, and he can play almost all of the linebacking spots in the Vols’ new 3-4 defensive scheme. Defensive end Greg Emerson and running back Jeremy Banks could also come in and contribute immediately as freshmen. Offensive lineman Jerome Carvin could also play as a freshman, but even if he doesn’t, I think he’ll be competing in 2019.

And all this doesn’t even look at developmental players who could have bigger roles in the future. Tight end Jacob Warren, defensive lineman John Mincey, defensive back Trevon Flowers, and defensive lineman Kurott Garland may not make as big of an impact as freshmen, but I think all of them are underrated and perform well in 2019 or 2020.

National Signing Day was a disappointment for various reasons. Vol fans watched as Tennessee was picked over time and time again while their biggest rivals in the SEC managed to land highly-ranked players, and often times those players were also recruits Tennessee was in on. Even other schools with first year head coaches — like Florida State — pulled in classes with more stars.

But none of those schools were having to recruit to a school coming off an 0-8 season in conference play all while having two of their biggest rivals just play each other for a national title. And Florida State specifically didn’t have a first time head coach, just a first year coach. This will be Priutt’s first time as a head coach, and that’s  far different than a normal coaching change.

And if not for Pruitt and his staff, Tennessee wouldn’t have even been on these players’ radars.

The Vols weren’t even contenders for players like Quay Walker, Jacob Copeland, Isaac Taylor-Stuart, and Olaijah Griffin until Priutt was hired and he brought in his staff. Tennessee wouldn’t have been able to sign players like J.J. Peterson and Dominick Wood-Anderson if not for Pruitt and his staff either.

Tennessee missed out on Wednesday, but they were at least swinging. It’s not much of a positive takeaway, but it’s better than nothing.

There’s nothing wrong with being disappointed with Tennessee’s National Signing Day. The Vols struck out on almost every big time player they were targeting. In many ways, it was a repeat of the 2017 football season as fans watched loss after loss pile up.

But this 2018 class still has players who can play immediately and down the line. And while Vol fans are tired of hearing it, there’s hope for the future. Tennessee looks to be in great position for the 2019 class right now, and the in-state crop of players for the 2019 cycle is even more talented than the 2018 class.

Plus, by that point Pruitt and his staff will have proven themselves on the field one way or another. I fully expect them to have a positive impact this upcoming season, but anything can happen.

The Vols missed out big time on National Signing Day. But their early signing period helped ease the sting a bit of the disappointment on Wednesday, and this class should turn out better than the perception around it right now.