HoleInTheRoof
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It's the dead period and I'm having post-recruiting season blues, yet at the same time it's too early for me to pour over the 2019 recruit threads with much interest. So I figured I'd give this a go...
Note: According to 247Sports, neither Joseph Norwood nor Brandon Davis have signed their LOI. I'm not for sure if this is actually true, or if the site just isn't updated. Still, I included them in all consideration for this sake of this post.
Most likely signees make the most immediate contribution
For me, it's easy: Dominick Woods-Anderson. If he's as good as advertised, and all indications are that he is, he's a day one starter. Now, looking at the USC Trojans leading receivers, their top TE only had 23 receptions for 300 yards. Not exactly eye popping numbers. Still, Guarantano is far greener than Darnold, so odds are he looks to his safety outlet a lot more frequently. With DWA's athleticism, he ought to make more of those opportunities as well.
Conversely
Most likely signee that redshirts
Again, seems like an obvious answer to be, but it's DWA's TE counterpart Jacob Warren. No real explanation needed, other than he's built like a big wide receiver more than a TE. 247 lists his weight at only 211lbs. I would guess he spends the year under Fitzgeralds watchful eye, trying to help him gain a clean 20+ pounds while not affecting his speed or vertical ability.
In the end, most productive career for the Volunteers
This is actually a hard one to measure, because so many of our signees are trench players. And unless they're just dominant monsters - see Trey Smith - then it's sometimes hard to discern or even 'appreciate' how productive they are. Now, this answer might not be sexy, and it might cause some eye rolls, but put me down for Paxton Brooks. In this, I'm measuring productivity, not necessarily the "best player" or whatever. Simply most productive. And I think in Paxton we landed one of the countries best punters.
Now, what do we know about punters? First, good ones are grossly underrated. We all know the impacts special teams have on games. Secondly, I've been an NFL fanatic for most of my football watching lifetime, and I once got into the draft as deeply as I got into recruiting this year. And I can't recall a single instance where there was an underclassman punter declaring. So if we're measuring productivity, we could very well get four years of games started with Paxton. Hence, my selection here.
Conversely
In the end, least productive career for the Tennessee Volunteers
Not exactly a "fun" question to answer, because I obviously wish each of these kids nothing but success on the field. They each commited and signed with the team with excitement, and are all chasing dreams. But if there was one, I'd have to suggest maybe Brandon Davis. This is based off of two things - first, and easiest, is his potential baseball career. If he ends up getting drafted, he might never suit up for us on game day. Secondly, and not to get the usual suspects who declare ratings don't matter riled up, but he isn't a very highly rated recruit at all. Going into this year, we have talented players ahead of him on the depth chart. And we saw in this recruiting cycle the sheer number of highly rated corners we were efforting to land. Next year we're going to get some of those guys. They could leapfrog Davis based off of natural ability alone. Between the potential baseball draft, his rather small stature compared to what JP likes at the position, and maybe his lack of top end talent, I think this kid is the least likely to contribute.
Enough with that debbie downer stuff
Most underrated signee
We look at John Kelly and say, how was he only a three star? How were schools like Michigan considering him at safety? He came in as a rather unheralded signee, quietly went about his business, and when he got his opportunity, he made the most of it.
Which unheralded signee has the chance to play beyond their rankings? Put me down for local boy Ollie Lane. I commented in another thread how my favorite thing about him was how he sent handwritten letters to every coach that offered him. Maybe I'm reading too much into nothing, but I think that says a lot about him as a person. A level of maturity you don't often find in 16, 17, 18 year olds. And that maturity I think will serve him well. I imagine he has the potential to end up as a leader in this class - which is exactly what you need in the center position. I think in Ollie we might have found a kid who gets relatively early playing time along all three spots on the interior, before ultimately ending up as our starting center by his Junior season. Pencil me in as him being a four year guy, and potential draft pick.
Eventual NFL'ers
I hate that Gaulden, KM, and JK declared early for the draft. Still, I recognize the importance of Volunteers being drafted, and how that resonates with recruits. Despite the statistics, you know virtually every 17 year old thinks they'll make it to the league, and they look for schools and staffs that'll get them there. Of our class, I think the following eventually end up getting drafted:
JJ Peterson - Just insane natural ability, effort, leadership ability, and quite frankly he's cut from a different cloth. I think he's a surefire first rounder.
Dominick Woods-Anderson - Again, I think he's a focal point of our offense early, so his talents will be on display. NFL teams love athletic TE's who are mismatch nightmares.
Jordan Allen - Maybe it's Kongbo, but I'm wary of JUCO pass rushers. But you want to tell me this kid took 31 classes in a semester just to get here, and that tells me all I need to know about his drive. Couple that with his natural ability and Pruitts staff, and I think he shows out. NFL teams are never shy about taking pass rushers.
Brant Lawless - I was tempted to name him as my most underrated signing, but remembered he received a fair amount of fan-fare when he signed. Simply love this kids potential. Like 2017 signee Eric Crosby, Lawless is a big guy with innate athleticism for his size. He will be a bull for us.
Ollie Lane - Read my write up in the most underrated signee. Centers aren't a sexy position and they're not selected high. In fact, it's not uncommon to find NFL starting centers who were UDFA's. But I bet he finds himself taken in one of the later rounds.
Please... if you're bored enough, as I clearly was here,
gaze into your crystal balls and weigh in with your own predictions.
Note: According to 247Sports, neither Joseph Norwood nor Brandon Davis have signed their LOI. I'm not for sure if this is actually true, or if the site just isn't updated. Still, I included them in all consideration for this sake of this post.
Most likely signees make the most immediate contribution
For me, it's easy: Dominick Woods-Anderson. If he's as good as advertised, and all indications are that he is, he's a day one starter. Now, looking at the USC Trojans leading receivers, their top TE only had 23 receptions for 300 yards. Not exactly eye popping numbers. Still, Guarantano is far greener than Darnold, so odds are he looks to his safety outlet a lot more frequently. With DWA's athleticism, he ought to make more of those opportunities as well.
Conversely
Most likely signee that redshirts
Again, seems like an obvious answer to be, but it's DWA's TE counterpart Jacob Warren. No real explanation needed, other than he's built like a big wide receiver more than a TE. 247 lists his weight at only 211lbs. I would guess he spends the year under Fitzgeralds watchful eye, trying to help him gain a clean 20+ pounds while not affecting his speed or vertical ability.
In the end, most productive career for the Volunteers
This is actually a hard one to measure, because so many of our signees are trench players. And unless they're just dominant monsters - see Trey Smith - then it's sometimes hard to discern or even 'appreciate' how productive they are. Now, this answer might not be sexy, and it might cause some eye rolls, but put me down for Paxton Brooks. In this, I'm measuring productivity, not necessarily the "best player" or whatever. Simply most productive. And I think in Paxton we landed one of the countries best punters.
Now, what do we know about punters? First, good ones are grossly underrated. We all know the impacts special teams have on games. Secondly, I've been an NFL fanatic for most of my football watching lifetime, and I once got into the draft as deeply as I got into recruiting this year. And I can't recall a single instance where there was an underclassman punter declaring. So if we're measuring productivity, we could very well get four years of games started with Paxton. Hence, my selection here.
Conversely
In the end, least productive career for the Tennessee Volunteers
Not exactly a "fun" question to answer, because I obviously wish each of these kids nothing but success on the field. They each commited and signed with the team with excitement, and are all chasing dreams. But if there was one, I'd have to suggest maybe Brandon Davis. This is based off of two things - first, and easiest, is his potential baseball career. If he ends up getting drafted, he might never suit up for us on game day. Secondly, and not to get the usual suspects who declare ratings don't matter riled up, but he isn't a very highly rated recruit at all. Going into this year, we have talented players ahead of him on the depth chart. And we saw in this recruiting cycle the sheer number of highly rated corners we were efforting to land. Next year we're going to get some of those guys. They could leapfrog Davis based off of natural ability alone. Between the potential baseball draft, his rather small stature compared to what JP likes at the position, and maybe his lack of top end talent, I think this kid is the least likely to contribute.
Enough with that debbie downer stuff
Most underrated signee
We look at John Kelly and say, how was he only a three star? How were schools like Michigan considering him at safety? He came in as a rather unheralded signee, quietly went about his business, and when he got his opportunity, he made the most of it.
Which unheralded signee has the chance to play beyond their rankings? Put me down for local boy Ollie Lane. I commented in another thread how my favorite thing about him was how he sent handwritten letters to every coach that offered him. Maybe I'm reading too much into nothing, but I think that says a lot about him as a person. A level of maturity you don't often find in 16, 17, 18 year olds. And that maturity I think will serve him well. I imagine he has the potential to end up as a leader in this class - which is exactly what you need in the center position. I think in Ollie we might have found a kid who gets relatively early playing time along all three spots on the interior, before ultimately ending up as our starting center by his Junior season. Pencil me in as him being a four year guy, and potential draft pick.
Eventual NFL'ers
I hate that Gaulden, KM, and JK declared early for the draft. Still, I recognize the importance of Volunteers being drafted, and how that resonates with recruits. Despite the statistics, you know virtually every 17 year old thinks they'll make it to the league, and they look for schools and staffs that'll get them there. Of our class, I think the following eventually end up getting drafted:
JJ Peterson - Just insane natural ability, effort, leadership ability, and quite frankly he's cut from a different cloth. I think he's a surefire first rounder.
Dominick Woods-Anderson - Again, I think he's a focal point of our offense early, so his talents will be on display. NFL teams love athletic TE's who are mismatch nightmares.
Jordan Allen - Maybe it's Kongbo, but I'm wary of JUCO pass rushers. But you want to tell me this kid took 31 classes in a semester just to get here, and that tells me all I need to know about his drive. Couple that with his natural ability and Pruitts staff, and I think he shows out. NFL teams are never shy about taking pass rushers.
Brant Lawless - I was tempted to name him as my most underrated signing, but remembered he received a fair amount of fan-fare when he signed. Simply love this kids potential. Like 2017 signee Eric Crosby, Lawless is a big guy with innate athleticism for his size. He will be a bull for us.
Ollie Lane - Read my write up in the most underrated signee. Centers aren't a sexy position and they're not selected high. In fact, it's not uncommon to find NFL starting centers who were UDFA's. But I bet he finds himself taken in one of the later rounds.
Please... if you're bored enough, as I clearly was here,
gaze into your crystal balls and weigh in with your own predictions.
