For years, the state of Tennessee has been dwarfed by some of its neighboring states when it comes to in-state talent at the high school level. States like Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama all had more highly-rated recruits on average every single recruiting cycle for years.
But recently the state of Tennessee has seen an uptick in talent.
Over the last three recruiting cycles (2014-16), Tennessee has produced 26 recruits that were rated as at least a four-star by 247Sports. Compare that to just 19 four-star recruits in Tennessee from 2011-13 and 15 such prospects from 2008-10, and it’s easy to see the high school talent has grown substantially in Tennessee the past few years.
And the Vols have capitalized on that abundance of in-state talent.
A large part of the reason the Vols have been able to put together some impressive recruiting classes during Butch Jones’s tenure as head coach has been the rise of in-state talent in Tennessee. And Jones has done a much better job than his predecessor, Derek Dooley, of nabbing the talented players from inside the state borders.
Jones and his staff have hauled in 11 of those 26 four-star or higher in-state recruits since 2014. And when looking at the state’s annual top 10 players over that three-year span, the Vols have secured 14 of those 30 players.
Not only have the Vols pulled in a plethora of in-state talent, but that talent has been at the heart of Tennessee’s rebuild since Jones took over.
Players like Jalen Hurd, Derek Barnett, Todd Kelly Jr., Jashon Robertson and Jack Jones have been instrumental in Tennessee’s success, especially last season. And players like Drew Richmond, Kyle Phillips, Josh Malone and Rashaan Gaulden have plenty of time remaining to fulfill their potential. And the newest highly-rated in-state recruits, Daniel Bituli and Ryan Johnson, have high upside.
As important as in-state players have been to Tennessee’s recruiting successes in the past, the 2017 recruiting cycle might depend on the in-state crop more than any of Jones’s previous classes.
Tennessee’s 2014 recruiting class was loaded up with in-state prospects. Ten of the 32 recruits the Vols signed from that class came from within their home state, and the Vols signed nine of the top 11 players from Tennessee in that class. But even as in-state heavy as that class was, the 2017 class is still more important.
The in-state recruiting class of 2017 might be the deepest pool of talent the state of Tennessee has ever seen– at least in recent memory. The 2017 class boasts two 5-stars and another five 4-stars according to 247Sports. Then there are another nine players after the last 4-star that are still in the top 500 recruits in the nation.
Currently only four-star, receiver Amari Rodgers, has committed anywhere of the state’s top 16 players, but the Vols are expected to make a concerted effort to try and sway him before next year’s National Signing Day. Four-star athlete Maleik Gray has already announced the Vols are in his top three schools, and Tennessee is in on plenty of the other highly-rated in-state players.
And it also helps that many of the most talented players in the state are at positions of need for the Vols in 2017.
The Vols likely need running back, wide receiver, defensive line and offensive line commitments for the 2017 class. And the in-state group are loaded at those positions.
Of the top 16 players in the state of Tennessee in 2017, three are listed as running backs, three as wide receivers, two as offensive linemen, two as defensive linemen, and two as athletes that could play on either offense or defense. Which means the Vols can try and address some of their biggest needs in their 2017 class by looking no further than their own state.
The Vols won’t be able to simply pick and choose whomever they want in this in-state class, however. Rodgers has already committed to Clemson, and although it’s early, that still puts Tennessee behind the eight ball with him. Tee Higgins was committed to Tennessee and has since decommitted, and a handful of the top players in the state are out in the Memphis area, which is a very tough region for the Vols to recruit.
Regardless, this crop of in-state talent is still a rich one, and the Vols will be able to get at least a handful of them.
In-state recruiting has always been important for the Vols. But with the 2017 class, much like the 2014 class, some of the Vols’ best talent will come from within their own borders.
