Tennessee's balanced, underrated class
Tennessee currently has the No. 14-ranked class overall with seven ESPN 300 commitments. That puts the Vols fifth among all SEC schools in the class rankings, but the staff has put together a well-balanced and talented group of prospects.
Sixth-ranked pocket-passing quarterback
Nicholaus Iamaleava, ranked No. 27 overall, leads the group and could take over for senior
Hendon Hooker, who transferred in from
Virginia Tech. Adding Iamaleava was huge considering he picked the Vols over Alabama, Georgia, Miami and Oregon when he committed last March.
In addition to quarterback, the coaches needed to focus on linebackers because
Aaron Beasley,
Jeremy Banks,
Juwan Mitchell and
Solon Page III are all seniors. ESPN 300 linebacker
Caleb Herring is committed, along with four-star
Jeremiah Telander and three-stars
Jalen Smith and
Will Stallings Jr.
The team needs help in the secondary, as well, with safeties
Jaylen McCollough and
Trevon Flowers as seniors, as well as corner
Warren Burrell. The coaches addressed those needs in ESPN 300 corner
Jordan Matthews and ESPN 300 safety
Sylvester Smith.
From top to bottom, Josh Heupel and his staff were able to fill needs and do it with some highly sought-after recruits. He will likely supplement this class with transfers to help fill immediate voids, but by all accounts, he has the program headed in a good direction.