I'm not trying to be intentionally difficult or obtuse here, but I guess it just seems like a rhetorical question, to me. Obviously winning a national title would he more impactful in recruiting, but that doesn't mean that rising to #1 in January can't possibly have any impact for a program that has done it exactly one other time in program history.
This seems like a scenario where you can eat your cake and have it to, and both have a potential impact on recruiting. Yes, it's quite obvious that finishing the season #1 is more impactful, especially on a national scale, but both results can have varying levels of impact for a program that doesn't reach that height with regularity. Your question is probably more appropriate for a program like UNC or Michigan State, programs that have reached that level multiple times, than it is for Tennessee.