First, Tenn did a 5* job this weekend. That is undeniable and I think they've positioned themselves well with still a lot of time to go. I don't think anymore could have been accomplished this weekend than what Butch was able to do. Our recruiting guru worded it well, IMO:
Vols head coach Butch Jones shadowed Feaster for much of the day, and we would have been more shocked if Feaster had not given the trip high praise. Tennessee's recruiting reputation is earned, and you don't make that visit without wanting to be the object of immense affection - something the Vols dole out well.
With that, Clemson's coaching staff are no slouches on the recruiting trail. One thing that has been mentioned on here (I only read a couple pages back, this is obviously a fast moving thread) is that he wasn't feeling the love from Clemson. I'm aware that was stated in his interview, but trust me, he's been a priority for this class for 4 years and nothing has changed since he committed. Clemson has contacted him as much as they legally can, via phone calls, visits, etc.
Dabo's been in this situation before with Ray Ray, Cain, and Deshaun and others. Most of Clemson's elite talent are usually committed by this point in the cycle, so this isn't something new and Dabo has a good track record of putting out such fires. They can't all be like Sammy, who essentially told schools to not even bother calling him after he committed.
All of this is to essentially to say that he's not looking to garner more attention from Clemson or genuinely feels underappreciated. Committed prospects are off the radar, they don't get as many articles written about them as some of their peers (even when they're clearly better), and sometimes just like to create a little buzz.
I want to spell this out, because I don't want that to be misconstrued, this is not to dismiss how he feels about Tenn. I do think he has a high level of interest in them, and I can't blame him. Tenn has a lot to offer, phenomenal facilities, and Butch is one of the best recruiters in the business. Of course he's going to knock it out of the park during his biggest recruiting weekend, and all returns are that he did just that.
In short, Feaster's recruitment went from a forgone conclusion to something everyone will be keeping a very keen eye on. IMO, people who dismiss this visit, and Tenn, are just as crazy (and wrong) as those that are completely freaking out and in meltdown mode.
Clemson still has a lot of advantages, which I'll come back and detail later this afternoon.........
I'm going to try and go back and answer some of these questions, as well as my take, along with what our insiders are hearing.
