Tennessee’s addition of three quarterbacks in the 2015 class certainly will help stabilize the position, but that doesn’t mean that 2016 won’t be important at the position.
Joshua Dobbs – despite only grabbing the starting responsibilities in the second half of 2014 – only has one or two more seasons on campus, so adding depth and looking for his likely successor will be a continual process over the next two recruiting cycles. Expect the Vols to bring in at least one quarterback in 2016, and the obvious leader in the clubhouse is commitment Austin Kendall, who is visiting Knoxville this weekend.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Kendall originally committed to the Vols in August of 2014, and hasn’t publicly wavered much since that time. But a lot has changed since that original decision. Most notably, former offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian has moved on and Mike DeBord has stepped into his role. Kendall will spend much of his visit getting to know DeBord and finding out how he fits in his plans, and he seems to have enjoyed his visit, based on his follow-up tweet.
Great time at UT. Enjoyed my time with @UTCoachDeBo !!!
— Austin Kendall (@A_Kendall11) March 1, 2015
Kendall, who is now ranked No. 27 overall in the nation by Rivals.com, has also had new offers thrown into the mix – most notably from Auburn. Kendall’s brother, Ryan, is also a walk-on receiver at the University of Kentucky. So while he’s committed to the Vols, this will be an ongoing process for Butch Jones and DeBord to ensure that he is the Vols’ quarterback in this class.
Rankings:
247Sports: ★★★★
ESPN.com: ★★★★
Rivals.com: ★★★★
Scout.com: ★★★★
RTI average: 4 stars
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