National Signing Day for the 2018 recruiting cycle has now come and gone, and Jeremy Pruitt has signed his first class as head coach of the Vols. The Vols’ class ranks 20th in the country and 8th in the SEC per 247Sports, and it’s a consensus top 25 class by all the major recruiting services.
Tennessee signed 22 players, eight of which were four stars. Seven players have already enrolled early, and that makes them eligible for spring practices starting in a month.
While signing day might have been frustrating for fans because the Vols narrowly missed on a plethora of top targets, it’s important to put this entire class in perspective.
When Pruitt took over, Tennessee was in the midst of a media firestorm and had a recruiting class ranked in the mid 50’s. While I personally agree with the majority of events that transpired in regards to Schiano and Currie, I can admit that it put a lot of negative attention on the athletic department.
Pruitt came in just weeks before the signing period and immediately recruited at a high level. In just two weeks, he was able to bring the class all the way back inside the top 20. He signed several talented players that previously weren’t even considering the Vols during the early signing period.
This may not be a class full of big names, but this class is still loaded with talent. There is a nice mix of players that can have an instant impact and prospects who can develop into talented players down the road.
This coaching staff is highly regarded for their ability to evaluate and develop talent. This is the kind of class where they can show that ability off.
Tennessee’s 2018 class will be looked at much more favorably three to four years from now. As for next year, here is what I would expect from each signee.
All rankings are via the 247Sports Composite rankings
