junder13
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I began with Jones first full signing class (2014). I highlighted in red font those decommits that are thought to have been "recruited over". The order is based on the 247 composite rating. Ideally it would be based on the original commitment date and would note the decommitment date, but I did not take the time to get those dates (but provide it and I'll add it).
The take away for me: The sooner in the process a commitment occurs, the less likely the commitment is to stick and the more likely the commitment is a reach by the staff (based on the 2014-2016 classes), although I think a strength of the staff is talent evaluation overall.
2017
1) TN WR Tee Higgins (#15) - likely recommits to UT
2) IN QB Hunter Johnson (#17) committed to Clemson
3) TX WR KD Nixon (#290)
4) NC DT Jordon Riley (#421) committed to UNC
-Nixon and Riley may not have been "recruited over" per se, but I get the impression that the staff passively allowed the decommit without putting up much of a fight
-I'm still shocked that HJ was recruiting for Clemson while on our campus as a Vol commit before decommiting; his family is supposedly diehard UT fans; they shouldn't consider themselves fans anymore after that backstabbing (I wouldn't say that if HJ parted ways with us properly). That move was about as cool as a dry HJ on your honeymoon. Its appropriate his initials are HJ.
2016
1) CAN DE Jonathan Kongbo (#1 JUCO) recommitted and signed with UT
2) NC QB Austin Kendall (#187) signed with Oklahoma
3) TN DT Emmit Gooden (#312) a week before NSD committed to Miss St; went JUCO
4) LA DT DAndre Christmas-Giles (#322) signed with Texas
5) GA OL Brodarious Hamm (#343) signed with Auburn
6) GA DE Chidi Okonya (#358) signed with Duke; December decommit
7) GA LB Emanuel Bridges (#573) signed with Georgia Tech
8) TN LB Tim Hart (#662) signed with Memphis
9) AL ATH TaDarryl Marshall (#722) signed with Samford
10) TX CB Bailey Phillips (#1101) unsure where he signed; does not show on 247
11) TN ATH Dorian Banks (#1176) KS JUCO
-Austin Kendal may have seen the writing on the wall with how hard the staff pursued JG despite his commitment, so in a way he was recruited over; Bridges seemed to have been allowed to walk but it was never stated outright since his decommitment was so early in the process (similar to Jordon Riley); not sure about Hamm; I think Gooden was a grades issue from early on; I bet the staff fought to regain DCG but, for whatever reason, he just wasn't interested once his ranking soared
2015
1) FL DE Marques Ford (#274) dropped with less than 2 weeks to choose a new school before NSD, signed with Rutgers; after freshmen season, went JUCO
2) LA RB Kendall Bussey (#375) - signed with TxA&M; may have redshirted - no stats in 2015
3) FL LB Cecil Cherry (#424) signed with Texas, transferred to USF
4) NC RB Rocky Reid (#563) signed with Wake Forest; redshirted in 2015
5) TN DE Dylan Jackson (#611) - signed with Stanford
-Cherry is viewed to have lost his spot since he took visits, but he took visits partly bc UT was gaining steam w/ Kirkland; his visits justified a "mutual" departure; the handling of Ford was a black eye and one that I view unfavorably
-I don't have an issue w/ dropping Jackson, considering the DE talent we signed in 2015; I think he did well to sign w/ Stanford and will be a player there; this decommitment appeared to be handled very well by both the staff, player, and family (as best I could tell)
-I did not include Duke Shelley (#442) bc his commitment was allegedly never accepted by the staff, which is why it was quickly retracted
2014
1) GA DE DaVonte Lambert (#6 JUCO) - this guy left us at the alter to sign w/ Auburn; now in the NFL
2) FL WR Eric Lauderdale (#19 JUCO) - CA JUCO; signed w/ Arizona St; RS '14, played in 3 games '15; one yr left w/ 1 career reception
3) IN WR Dominique Booth (#242) has 8 career receptions for 70 yards at Indiana with 70 yards and no TDs. Recent article shows that he was a medical waiver at IU and is seeking to transfer
4) GA LB Kevin Mouhon (#399) - signed w/ Cinci; solid freshmen season last year w/ 18 tackles in 10 games (stats thanks to kamoshika)
5) FL WR Brandon Powell (#400) flipped to UF (also decommitted from Miami)
6) GA OT Orlando Brown (#449) - grades prevented his signing with UT; signed w/ Oklahoma, started as a freshmen, and is developing into one of the best tackles in the country
7) FL WR Lawrence Lee (#560) signed with Mizzu but never made an impact before getting into legal troubles; not sure if returning
8) MS DE Cory Thomas (#562) - signed with Ms St; RS in 2014, played as a DT at RS FR, had 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT (thanks kamoshika)
9) MD LB Jerome Dews (#955) - committed to Marshall after going to prep school; committed armed burglary
10) TX WR Kameel Jackson (#118 JUCO) not sure what became of him while at Grand Valley State in 2014: 3 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD (stats thanks to kamoshika)
-I remember when Jayson Swain said on his radio show that Jackson would be UTs best receiver; unfortunate he never realized his potential
-Powell did not have an offer from the big 3 in FL when he committed; he committed to Miami when they offered and then flipped to UF when the Gators lost Dalvin Cook in January (thank goodness they didn't sign Cook); he was a lifelong Gator fan, so nothing shocking there
-The staff recruiting over Mouhon was surprising bc they signed and coached his brother at Cinci (Silverberry - a really good DE); the staff allegedly moved on in late January, so it could have been a PR black eye; perhaps a pre-existing relationship w/ the family helped both sides handle the situation in the best way possible
-Losing Brown due to grades was very unfortunate; he could have solved some huge questions at the left tackle spot that we've had ever since Ja'Wuan James graduated; CBJ and staff did a great job evaluating Brown bc he was not highly rated despite his numerous offers early on; I remember there was concern over "bad weight" also
-Booth was never treated like a commit during his visits to Knoxville, so it wasn't surprising that he was recruited over
-I think we'll look back and regret not trying harder to keep Cory Thomas; he's now a DT after a redshirt year and will likely be a solid contributor at Miss St; he now has ideal DT size (6'5, 305 lbs)
-Jerome Dews...wow...I wasn't a fan of how he was strung along during his recruitment his sr year; I think the staff went out of their way to place him in prep school w/ the intention of signing out of prep but it became apparently that he was not physically developing as hoped (rather diminutive size to be a LB/rush DE in the SEC), which wasn't really surprising given his narrow shoulders & build; of all the parents who have posted over the years on VN, Dews step-father impressed me more than any; it seemed apparent that he had a strong father figure (even though it was not his biological father); the step father was very level-headed and never showed frustration w/ how Dews was recruited, even indicating that he was in agreement with the staff and felt they were making decisions that would help Jerome further down the line (this included when it became apparent we passed on him during his prep school year); this kind of parental support and guidance was why JD's involvement in an armed robbery was so shocking and saddening for me
*FYI for everyone: Jabo Lee (#597) was in the class of 2013, which is why he's not on the list; he ended up at Temple; his Temple bio shows he redshirted in 2014 as he was still recuperating from a knee injury and re-injured the knee in 2015 and did not play; so the knee concerns were certainly justified here.
Also, De'Vondre Campbell (#76 JUCO) was a commit in 2013 but at some point decommited, signed w/ Minnesota and was recently drafted by the Falcons w/ the 115th overall pick.
The two decommits that resulted in negative press from the media were Marques Ford and Tim Hart. Both occurred in late January. The takeaway there is that the staff should avoid dropping players late in the process. Also, the number of players that are recruited over in the past three classes is disconcerting IMO. If we have a great year in 2017, its very likely we have 5-7 in the 2017 class as well.
It may be that CBJ aims to fill up much of the class before the season starts to create a sense of scarcity for the remaining spots. This may help to create a rush for higher rated players to make a decision and not string out their recruitment. In this regard, some of the earlier commits are likely to be recruited over even without landing all of our primary targets. There are a few players I suspected would get recruited over ended up signing, however (Raulerson and Darrell Miller are two examples), so you can't simply look at ratings and know the eventual outcome.
The take away for me: The sooner in the process a commitment occurs, the less likely the commitment is to stick and the more likely the commitment is a reach by the staff (based on the 2014-2016 classes), although I think a strength of the staff is talent evaluation overall.
2017
1) TN WR Tee Higgins (#15) - likely recommits to UT
2) IN QB Hunter Johnson (#17) committed to Clemson
3) TX WR KD Nixon (#290)
4) NC DT Jordon Riley (#421) committed to UNC
-Nixon and Riley may not have been "recruited over" per se, but I get the impression that the staff passively allowed the decommit without putting up much of a fight
-I'm still shocked that HJ was recruiting for Clemson while on our campus as a Vol commit before decommiting; his family is supposedly diehard UT fans; they shouldn't consider themselves fans anymore after that backstabbing (I wouldn't say that if HJ parted ways with us properly). That move was about as cool as a dry HJ on your honeymoon. Its appropriate his initials are HJ.
2016
1) CAN DE Jonathan Kongbo (#1 JUCO) recommitted and signed with UT
2) NC QB Austin Kendall (#187) signed with Oklahoma
3) TN DT Emmit Gooden (#312) a week before NSD committed to Miss St; went JUCO
4) LA DT DAndre Christmas-Giles (#322) signed with Texas
5) GA OL Brodarious Hamm (#343) signed with Auburn
6) GA DE Chidi Okonya (#358) signed with Duke; December decommit
7) GA LB Emanuel Bridges (#573) signed with Georgia Tech
8) TN LB Tim Hart (#662) signed with Memphis
9) AL ATH TaDarryl Marshall (#722) signed with Samford
10) TX CB Bailey Phillips (#1101) unsure where he signed; does not show on 247
11) TN ATH Dorian Banks (#1176) KS JUCO
-Austin Kendal may have seen the writing on the wall with how hard the staff pursued JG despite his commitment, so in a way he was recruited over; Bridges seemed to have been allowed to walk but it was never stated outright since his decommitment was so early in the process (similar to Jordon Riley); not sure about Hamm; I think Gooden was a grades issue from early on; I bet the staff fought to regain DCG but, for whatever reason, he just wasn't interested once his ranking soared
2015
1) FL DE Marques Ford (#274) dropped with less than 2 weeks to choose a new school before NSD, signed with Rutgers; after freshmen season, went JUCO
2) LA RB Kendall Bussey (#375) - signed with TxA&M; may have redshirted - no stats in 2015
3) FL LB Cecil Cherry (#424) signed with Texas, transferred to USF
4) NC RB Rocky Reid (#563) signed with Wake Forest; redshirted in 2015
5) TN DE Dylan Jackson (#611) - signed with Stanford
-Cherry is viewed to have lost his spot since he took visits, but he took visits partly bc UT was gaining steam w/ Kirkland; his visits justified a "mutual" departure; the handling of Ford was a black eye and one that I view unfavorably
-I don't have an issue w/ dropping Jackson, considering the DE talent we signed in 2015; I think he did well to sign w/ Stanford and will be a player there; this decommitment appeared to be handled very well by both the staff, player, and family (as best I could tell)
-I did not include Duke Shelley (#442) bc his commitment was allegedly never accepted by the staff, which is why it was quickly retracted
2014
1) GA DE DaVonte Lambert (#6 JUCO) - this guy left us at the alter to sign w/ Auburn; now in the NFL
2) FL WR Eric Lauderdale (#19 JUCO) - CA JUCO; signed w/ Arizona St; RS '14, played in 3 games '15; one yr left w/ 1 career reception
3) IN WR Dominique Booth (#242) has 8 career receptions for 70 yards at Indiana with 70 yards and no TDs. Recent article shows that he was a medical waiver at IU and is seeking to transfer
4) GA LB Kevin Mouhon (#399) - signed w/ Cinci; solid freshmen season last year w/ 18 tackles in 10 games (stats thanks to kamoshika)
5) FL WR Brandon Powell (#400) flipped to UF (also decommitted from Miami)
6) GA OT Orlando Brown (#449) - grades prevented his signing with UT; signed w/ Oklahoma, started as a freshmen, and is developing into one of the best tackles in the country
7) FL WR Lawrence Lee (#560) signed with Mizzu but never made an impact before getting into legal troubles; not sure if returning
8) MS DE Cory Thomas (#562) - signed with Ms St; RS in 2014, played as a DT at RS FR, had 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT (thanks kamoshika)
9) MD LB Jerome Dews (#955) - committed to Marshall after going to prep school; committed armed burglary
10) TX WR Kameel Jackson (#118 JUCO) not sure what became of him while at Grand Valley State in 2014: 3 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD (stats thanks to kamoshika)
-I remember when Jayson Swain said on his radio show that Jackson would be UTs best receiver; unfortunate he never realized his potential
-Powell did not have an offer from the big 3 in FL when he committed; he committed to Miami when they offered and then flipped to UF when the Gators lost Dalvin Cook in January (thank goodness they didn't sign Cook); he was a lifelong Gator fan, so nothing shocking there
-The staff recruiting over Mouhon was surprising bc they signed and coached his brother at Cinci (Silverberry - a really good DE); the staff allegedly moved on in late January, so it could have been a PR black eye; perhaps a pre-existing relationship w/ the family helped both sides handle the situation in the best way possible
-Losing Brown due to grades was very unfortunate; he could have solved some huge questions at the left tackle spot that we've had ever since Ja'Wuan James graduated; CBJ and staff did a great job evaluating Brown bc he was not highly rated despite his numerous offers early on; I remember there was concern over "bad weight" also
-Booth was never treated like a commit during his visits to Knoxville, so it wasn't surprising that he was recruited over
-I think we'll look back and regret not trying harder to keep Cory Thomas; he's now a DT after a redshirt year and will likely be a solid contributor at Miss St; he now has ideal DT size (6'5, 305 lbs)
-Jerome Dews...wow...I wasn't a fan of how he was strung along during his recruitment his sr year; I think the staff went out of their way to place him in prep school w/ the intention of signing out of prep but it became apparently that he was not physically developing as hoped (rather diminutive size to be a LB/rush DE in the SEC), which wasn't really surprising given his narrow shoulders & build; of all the parents who have posted over the years on VN, Dews step-father impressed me more than any; it seemed apparent that he had a strong father figure (even though it was not his biological father); the step father was very level-headed and never showed frustration w/ how Dews was recruited, even indicating that he was in agreement with the staff and felt they were making decisions that would help Jerome further down the line (this included when it became apparent we passed on him during his prep school year); this kind of parental support and guidance was why JD's involvement in an armed robbery was so shocking and saddening for me
*FYI for everyone: Jabo Lee (#597) was in the class of 2013, which is why he's not on the list; he ended up at Temple; his Temple bio shows he redshirted in 2014 as he was still recuperating from a knee injury and re-injured the knee in 2015 and did not play; so the knee concerns were certainly justified here.
Also, De'Vondre Campbell (#76 JUCO) was a commit in 2013 but at some point decommited, signed w/ Minnesota and was recently drafted by the Falcons w/ the 115th overall pick.
The two decommits that resulted in negative press from the media were Marques Ford and Tim Hart. Both occurred in late January. The takeaway there is that the staff should avoid dropping players late in the process. Also, the number of players that are recruited over in the past three classes is disconcerting IMO. If we have a great year in 2017, its very likely we have 5-7 in the 2017 class as well.
It may be that CBJ aims to fill up much of the class before the season starts to create a sense of scarcity for the remaining spots. This may help to create a rush for higher rated players to make a decision and not string out their recruitment. In this regard, some of the earlier commits are likely to be recruited over even without landing all of our primary targets. There are a few players I suspected would get recruited over ended up signing, however (Raulerson and Darrell Miller are two examples), so you can't simply look at ratings and know the eventual outcome.
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