Two weekends ago, Butch Jones and the Tennessee football team had a weekend as important as a coach can hope for.
On Saturday June 22, the Vols held their Orange Carpet event, a day of activities that attracted some of the top prospects from the 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes. The event also gathered current commitments on campus, including recent quarterback commit Quinten Dormady.
So how many stars graced the Orange Carpet last weekend?
Within an hour, the Vols picked up three new commitments: four-star junior college running back and former Alabama player Alvin Kamara, four-star defensive tackle Quay Picou and his teammate, three-star linebacker Austin Smith from Georgia’s Norcross High School.
The next night, another player added his name to the 2015 recruiting class roster. Three-star tight end Kyle Oliver committed to the Big Orange just days after receiving a scholarship offer.
To sweeten the deal, Jones landed the No. 2 punter in the country when he scooped up Florida’s Boone High School specialist Tommy Townsend on Monday afternoon.
The 2015 recruiting class is now comprised of 18 players and anywhere between five and seven more players are expected to join the class before National Signing Day. If history is any indication, Jones’ recruiting is going to play a significant role in the program’s success.
Take a look at UT rival Alabama: Nick Saban took over as Alabama’s head coach in 2007, and only one season prior, the Crimson Tide had the 12th best recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports.com. After Saban arrived without much time to retain current commits or sign some of his own players, Alabama ranked 13th in the nation– respectable, but those classes still ranked outside the top 5 in the SEC. Saban’s first season saw Alabama go 7-6.
But, in his first full year of recruiting, Saban sparked an upward trend that doesn’t appear to be slowing down. The numbers don’t lie: in 2008, Alabama finished third in 247Sports recruiting rankings, and, since then, they have never finished outside the top 5. In fact, they have sat atop the recruiting rankings every year since 2011, and their 2015 class is currently miles ahead of all others. The Crimson Tide teams have gone 72-9 beginning with the 2008 season, winning three national championships and going undefeated in 2009.
So why hasn’t UT’s recent recruiting surge over the past couple seasons translated to more victories for the Vols?
The answer: not enough time.
As with Saban’s case, the first season is no indication of what the fall may hold. Jones’s first season resulted in yet another 5-7 season, the fourth consecutive losing season for the Vols. But our success cannot be measured in wins and losses. It should be measured in recruiting and perception. It should be measured by the foundation Jones is laying for the future.
Jones’s first recruiting class in 2013 was a mixture of holdovers from Derek Dooley’s efforts and guys Jones was able to nab last minute. The 2013 class finished ranked 24th overall and 10th in the SEC. Given a whole year to recruit, Jones and his staff hauled 32 recruits and landing the fifth best class in the nation.
So far, the 2015 class is faring just as well. The five newest commitments vaulted the Vols back into the top 10, placing them firmly in seventh place on 247Sports’s rankings, giving Big Orange fans a reason to be optimistic again.
Whether it’s players with family ties to the Vols such as Todd Kelly Jr., Dillon Bates, or Evan and Elliot Berry, or highly rated recruits like Jalen Hurd, Preston Williams or Alvin Kamara, the Vols appear to be well on their way to SEC relevance. Unlike top recruits from Kiffin’s era, these players appear fully devoted to a program of excellence. The future of Tennessee football looks brighter than ever, and it’s all because of a little recruiting magic.
Nathanael Rutherford is a rising junior in English. He can be reached at [email protected].
