3. Tennessee wasn’t afraid to trust its evaluations
I mentioned a couple points back that the Vols beat plenty of big programs for some prospects. But this staff also hasn’t been afraid to trust their eyes and their own evaluations and break away from the pack at times to try to find the right fits. Cornerback D.J. Henderson is a good example of that in this class. Tennessee took him relatively early in the class without him holding many significant offers. They’re trusting that their evaluation of him is better than other schools and some analysts too. This has worked in the past with guys like Von Pearson, Emmanuel Moseley and others, but it can be risky at times too.