London Vol
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The signing windows for the 2023 class have now closed, so I thought we will review the Tennessee Offensive class and predict when they might make an impact at Knoxville. This of course is risky, for example Cam Sutton was only ranked a 3 STAR at No 578 and is just about to enter his seventh season in the NFL, and do you remember a WR called Cedric Tillman who was a 3 STAR and ranked 1,677? There are of course also 5 STARs who flame out. Putting all this to one side, here goes:
POSSIBLE STARTERS IN 2023
This is a list of players who I believe will start, if not on opening day but sometime during the 2023 season:
Nico Iamaleava QB 5 STAR Ranked No 3 - This guy is super special and could very well be up there with Peyton Manning in the annals of Tennessee when he leaves for the NFL. Yes, there are 5 STARs who do not realise their potential, but all the tape and the reports on Nico have only been confirmed by his performance at the recent Polynesian Bowl. Even though I think Joe Milton will not only be the starter on day 1 but I also think he will have a great year. I still believe that Nico will start at least one game this coming season, so he belongs in this category.
Ethan Davis TE 4 STAR Ranked No 142 – The forgotten man of this class for the only reason that, he signed so long ago, and when this happens you tend move on to the next ‘drama laden’ signees. But he is a very good Tight End and with Fant declaring for the Draft and Campbell in the Portal, Davis has a great chance to see plenty of early game time especially as the catching TE, remember Jacob Warren is primarily the blocking TE.
MULTI YEAR STARTERS
This a list of players who might need a bit of seasoning or that their path to playing time is blocked by established players. But I believe they will break through at some time and become starters for multiple years for Tennessee.
Nathan Leacock WR 4 STAR Ranked No 73 – Leacock is more evidence how good the evaluation staff are in Knoxville and after he was recruited, he broke out in 2022 and therefore shot up the rankings. Not only is he 6 feet 3 inches but he is also quick. \it is easy to see him as Jalin Hyatt’s replacement. I originally thought he would see plenty of playing time in 2023 but with the arrival of Dont`e Thornton from the Portal. It will mean Leacock will start the season about 5th on the WR depth chart, and unfortunately for him, Coach Heupel has only used a small group of Receivers so far. So, it is 2024 and onwards when we will start to enjoy the fruits of this signing.
Cameron Seldon ATH 4 STAR Ranked No 123 – Seldon is probably the hardest for me to predict whether he will start in 2023 or 2024. In fact it is not even clear whether he will be a Wide Receiver or a Running Back or even some other position. But what is clear, is that at 6 feet 1 inches and 209 pounds, he can also run the 100 meters in 10.74 seconds. He has great tools and when he finally finds a home, he will be a big contributor. I will sit back and observe how things pan out for Seldon but I think there is a great chance that in 3 or 4 years his name, when he finishes his time at Tennessee, will be linked to ‘Boom more than Bust’.
Shamurad Umarov OL 4 STAR Ranked No 304 – Born in Turkey, brought up in Russia, went to school at Denmark High School GA and playing at Tennessee makes this signee a writer’s dream. But not only is his back story a handful, so is Shamurad, as he is already weighting in at 337 pounds. Despite the weight he apparently is quite light on his feet which would allow him to play at Tackle or Guard, so watch this space. The only reason I have him in this section is that we already have a number of bodies in the O Line room and the Portal even brought us John Campbell, who is a starting Tackle. So, the writers will have to wait a year to wax lyrical about Umarov.
PROJECTS
Khalifa Keith RB 3 STAR Ranked No 608 – Our Running Back unit is well stacked, so outside of short yardage and goal line situations it is unlikely that Keith will see the field in 2023 much and it is a very long shot to imagine that he will start in 2023. He may be used rarely but there will be important moments when he could contribute, so he is still a very useful addition
Larry Johnson III OL 3 STAR 18 JUCU, Vysen Lang OL 3 STAR 703 and Ayden Bussell OL 3 STAR 845 – All three are projects and let’s hope there are some pleasant surprises here.
Desean Bishop RB 3 STAR Ranked No 1,284 – As mentioned earlier with Keith, it is already a crowded Running Back room, so if Desean makes some headlines, then we will all be pleased.
Nate Spillman WR 3 STAR Ranked No 1,396 – It’s easy to say this scholarship was more about recruiting his brother who is the No 1 player in Tennessee in the 2024 Class, but before you go down that rabbit hole, do you remember a WR called Cedric Tillman who was ranked 1,677 ??
I look forward to your comments here or on our Twitter page.
GO VOLS
POSSIBLE STARTERS IN 2023
This is a list of players who I believe will start, if not on opening day but sometime during the 2023 season:
Nico Iamaleava QB 5 STAR Ranked No 3 - This guy is super special and could very well be up there with Peyton Manning in the annals of Tennessee when he leaves for the NFL. Yes, there are 5 STARs who do not realise their potential, but all the tape and the reports on Nico have only been confirmed by his performance at the recent Polynesian Bowl. Even though I think Joe Milton will not only be the starter on day 1 but I also think he will have a great year. I still believe that Nico will start at least one game this coming season, so he belongs in this category.
Ethan Davis TE 4 STAR Ranked No 142 – The forgotten man of this class for the only reason that, he signed so long ago, and when this happens you tend move on to the next ‘drama laden’ signees. But he is a very good Tight End and with Fant declaring for the Draft and Campbell in the Portal, Davis has a great chance to see plenty of early game time especially as the catching TE, remember Jacob Warren is primarily the blocking TE.
MULTI YEAR STARTERS
This a list of players who might need a bit of seasoning or that their path to playing time is blocked by established players. But I believe they will break through at some time and become starters for multiple years for Tennessee.
Nathan Leacock WR 4 STAR Ranked No 73 – Leacock is more evidence how good the evaluation staff are in Knoxville and after he was recruited, he broke out in 2022 and therefore shot up the rankings. Not only is he 6 feet 3 inches but he is also quick. \it is easy to see him as Jalin Hyatt’s replacement. I originally thought he would see plenty of playing time in 2023 but with the arrival of Dont`e Thornton from the Portal. It will mean Leacock will start the season about 5th on the WR depth chart, and unfortunately for him, Coach Heupel has only used a small group of Receivers so far. So, it is 2024 and onwards when we will start to enjoy the fruits of this signing.
Cameron Seldon ATH 4 STAR Ranked No 123 – Seldon is probably the hardest for me to predict whether he will start in 2023 or 2024. In fact it is not even clear whether he will be a Wide Receiver or a Running Back or even some other position. But what is clear, is that at 6 feet 1 inches and 209 pounds, he can also run the 100 meters in 10.74 seconds. He has great tools and when he finally finds a home, he will be a big contributor. I will sit back and observe how things pan out for Seldon but I think there is a great chance that in 3 or 4 years his name, when he finishes his time at Tennessee, will be linked to ‘Boom more than Bust’.
Shamurad Umarov OL 4 STAR Ranked No 304 – Born in Turkey, brought up in Russia, went to school at Denmark High School GA and playing at Tennessee makes this signee a writer’s dream. But not only is his back story a handful, so is Shamurad, as he is already weighting in at 337 pounds. Despite the weight he apparently is quite light on his feet which would allow him to play at Tackle or Guard, so watch this space. The only reason I have him in this section is that we already have a number of bodies in the O Line room and the Portal even brought us John Campbell, who is a starting Tackle. So, the writers will have to wait a year to wax lyrical about Umarov.
PROJECTS
Khalifa Keith RB 3 STAR Ranked No 608 – Our Running Back unit is well stacked, so outside of short yardage and goal line situations it is unlikely that Keith will see the field in 2023 much and it is a very long shot to imagine that he will start in 2023. He may be used rarely but there will be important moments when he could contribute, so he is still a very useful addition
Larry Johnson III OL 3 STAR 18 JUCU, Vysen Lang OL 3 STAR 703 and Ayden Bussell OL 3 STAR 845 – All three are projects and let’s hope there are some pleasant surprises here.
Desean Bishop RB 3 STAR Ranked No 1,284 – As mentioned earlier with Keith, it is already a crowded Running Back room, so if Desean makes some headlines, then we will all be pleased.
Nate Spillman WR 3 STAR Ranked No 1,396 – It’s easy to say this scholarship was more about recruiting his brother who is the No 1 player in Tennessee in the 2024 Class, but before you go down that rabbit hole, do you remember a WR called Cedric Tillman who was ranked 1,677 ??
I look forward to your comments here or on our Twitter page.
GO VOLS
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