'First, congratulations to the team for finding a way to win against Missouri. Before our eyes, this team finding different ways to win games each week they would have found ways to lose a year ago. Without further discussion, lets jump right to a position-by-position review of the defensive targets.

DEFENSIVE LINE (INCLUDES TACKLES/STRONGSIDE DEFENSIVE ENDS)

After the first month of the season, the words “the defensive line is arguably the best position group on the team” are not the words anyone envisioned saying. Through 11 games, you can make the argument the defensive line, with no starters returning and their best returning player out for the season, has exceeded expectations.

This group returns everyone next season barring departures. The group adds Emmit Gooden and Elijah Simmons who are redshirting. So recruiting-wise, this position is in good shape for 2020 right? Wrong? Under Coach Pruitt, Tennessee’s defensive line recruiting has fallen well short of expectations. This group loses its 5 or 6 top contributors after the 2020 season. Defensive line is a developmental position. Therefore, in this class, Tennessee must sign three or four prospects that can not only challenge the incumbents for 2020 playing time but he ready to step in and play significant roles in 2021.


At this writing Tennessee has a single defensive tackle (Dominic Bailey) and Memphis Whitehaven linebacker Martavious French, who projects as a strongside defensive end, committed. Otherwise, 2020 defensive line recruiting has been disappointing. HOWEVER, a number of high-profile targets still consider Tennessee one of their top schools. Tennessee CAN still finish strong at this position.



Top of board

At the top tier, there are four prospects on the defensive line board


Defensive Ends

Tyler Baron, Knoxville Catholic, 6’5” 250 lbs. Baron is a top 100 prospect in country and the number 7 strongside defensive end nationally. He can play on the defensive front or play in space. Tennessee, Ohio State, and Kentucky are his top group. Tennessee has been in the top group for Baron but he has taken visits to other schools. Most think Tennessee has withstood serious runs at Baron by the aforementioned schools. He is set to make his decision on the first day of the early signing period December 18. You certainly want to limit expectations on high school seniors but Baron will have a chance to make an early impact regardless of the school he chooses.


Blaine Toll, 6’5” 245 lbs. Hazen, Arkansas. Toll is one of the top if not the top high school prospects in Arkansas. After taking an official visit and giving strong consideration to Tennessee this summer, Toll committed to Arkansas where he remains committed. With the uncertainty surrounding Arkansas coaching situation, Toll is re-engaging with schools namely Tennessee and Oklahoma. Toll is expected to return to campus for an unofficial visit this coming weekend or at worst case before the early signing period.


Regardless of the number of spots left in the 2020 class, Toll is a huge priority for Tennessee.



Defensive Tackles

Omari Thomas, 6’5” 300 lbs. Memphis Briarcrest. Omari Thomas, 6"5" 305 lbs. Briarcrest Christian, Memphis. Thomas is coveted by Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, and Ole Miss. The top two schools “right now” appear to be Tennessee and Ole Miss. Tennessee has literally done everything possible to land Thomas. Thomas has family ties to Ole Miss. However, the Ole Miss unsteady coaching situation and the vast improvement of the defensive line over the season may be enough to tip the scale toward Tennessee.


Octavius Oxendine, 6’3” 300 lbs. North Hardin High School, Radcliff, KY.. Tennessee was the first SEC school to offer a scholarship to Oxendine, a top three prospect in the state of Kentucky. Tennessee has never let up in their pursuit of Oxendine. Omari Thomas and Octavious Oxendine are 1 and 1a in any order on the defensive tackle board.


Tennessee would take all four of the above without blinking.


Next Tier:

Reginald Perry, 6’7” 285 lbs., Fairfield Preparatory School, Fairfield, Alabama. Tennessee would like to find a way to add Perry to this this class but numbers may prevent it. Perry has been a somewhat under recruited prospect. He camped very little over the summer but his senior film has impressed a number of SEC schools .


Jevon Banks, 6’2” 260 lbs., Olive Branch High School, Olive Branch, Miss. Strongside defensive end. Banks, a long-time commitment to Mississippi State, is taking an official visit to Tennessee this weekend. Banks is a very good prospect. Given Tennessee’s limited scholarship numbers, I don’t see Banks having a spot if things fall Tennessee’s way with higher rated prospects on its defensive line board .



PASS RUSH/ATHLETES

The biggest need on the defensive side of the ball is a pass rusher. When BJ Olujlari decommitted from Tennessee in favor of LSU a few weeks ago it left a huge void in the class. Tennessee did pick up a commitment from Alabama athlete Jinari Butler, At 6’5” 220 lbs., he looks the part of a pass rush end but will need a couple of years development. Butler is enjoying the fame and notoriety that come with being a recruited football prospect. This makes me uncomfortable about whether he is part of the signing class. With that said, Tennessee is leaving no stone unturned in its search for an edge pass rusher.


Morven Joseph, 6’3” 220 lbs., Lake Gibson High School, Lakeland, Florida. Personally, I would take Joseph over any other pass rush prospect on Tennessee’s board. He is fast and explosive off the edge. Joseph is rated as a 3-star prospect but he has a 5-star offer list. To me , Joseph’s film looks more like the kid we lost to LSU than any other prospect Tennessee is recruiting as a pass rush end. Check out Joseph’s season (12 games) statistics: 115 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, and 40 QB hurries.


Lakeland High schools are traditionally feeder programs for the University of Florida. Joseph was committed to Florida. However, he decommitted and then verbally committed to Florida State. Once Coach Taggert was fired, Joseph reopened his recruitment. Tennessee has done an excellent job of staying involved with Joseph and in fact hosted him for an unofficial visit during the summer. He is scheduled to take an official visit to Tennessee this weekend. I will be surprised if Joseph leaves Florida to play college football but realistically his pathway to immediate playing time may is the quickest in Knoxville compared to other schools recruiting him.



Dee Beckwith, 6’5” 215 lbs. from Florence, Alabama. Beckwith is one of more intriguing athletes on Tennessee’s board for three reasons. 1) Beckwith is arguably the best natural athlete on their board. Beckwith has a legitimate chance to play both football and basketball at a high level in college. (Coach Barnes has offered Beckwith the opportunity to play basketball at Tennessee); 2) Schools recruiting Beckwith differ on what position Beckwith’s skills best translate to in college. Some believe he is a wide receiver. Others believe he is a defensive end/outside linebacker; and, 3) Tennessee has family ties to Beckwith which seems to place Tennessee at the top of his list.


The issue with Beckwith is going to be timing. Beckwith has a spot in the class now. The longer he delays the decision the less likely there will be room for him in the class.



DeRickey Wright, 6’4” 220 lbs. Gadsden, Alabama. Wright is another prospect who is a great athlete but the position he plays in college is anyone’s guess. Wright can play tight end, linebacker, or defensive end in college. Of course, Wright wants a shot at safety in college. I’m not sure Tennessee is ready to give him that opportunity. Wright was committed to Alabama, decommitted, and is now verbally committed to Ole Miss. Arguably, Wright has taken more unofficial visits during this recruiting cycle to Tennessee than he has to Ole Miss.


LINEBACKERS:

Bryson Eason (projected as an inside linebacker) and Tamarious McDonald (projected as an outside linebacker) from Memphis Whitehaven are committed to Tennessee. Both are talented, played for an excellent high school program, and should immediately provide depth to a very thin position in 2020.


Because of numbers and needs at other positions, Tennessee can probably take only one more linebacker. And, don’t discount the possibility Jeremy Banks returns to the team this winter. The two top prospects on the linebacker board are:


Vai Keho, 6’ 210 lbs. Bishop Manogue High School, Reno, Nevada. Keho is currently committed to Nevada. Quietly, Tennessee is surging here. The head coach loves this kid because he is fast and versatile and can play all 4 linebacker positions. Coach Pruitt and Niedermeyer have a relationship with Keho and family back to their time at Alabama. Keho is taking an official visit to Tennessee for the Vanderbilt game. Keho appears to be down to three teams: Nevada, Colorado, and Tennessee. If Keho decides distance is not an issue, Tennessee has a great shot here. Tennessee will know soon after Keho’s visit. Keho intends to sign on December 18.


Desmond Tisdol, 6’0” 215 lbs., Wilcox County High School, Rochelle, Georgia. Tisdol has been selected to lay in the Army-All American game this January. Tisdol’s final three schools are Auburn, Tennessee, and South Carolina. At different times, each school has been Tisdol’s leader. Tisdol was a do-everything player at Wilcox Country excelling as a running back and linebacker. Tisdol is fast and athletic much like Kaho. Tennessee is recruiting Tisdol as an athlete with an opportunity to play running back or linebacker. Tennessee would love to add Tisdol to the class. If Keho commits during or soon after his visit, Tennessee may not have the space to add Tisdol.



DEFENSIVE BACKS

With three defensive backs currently committed (Keyshawn Lawrence, Mordecai McDaniels, and Art Green) whether Tennessee adds another defensive back this class these three provide an upgrade in speed and athleticism in the secondary.


“If there is room”, Tennessee would add an athlete / defensive back that can play all positions in the secondary. Kendall Dennis, 6’0” 175 lbs. from Lakeland High School , Florida. As mentioned above, football prospects from Lakeland worth their salt rarely leave the state of Florida to play college football. Dennis committed early in the recruiting cycle to Florida State. He decommitted when Taggert was fired and is apparently serious about looking at schools outside the state. Dennis is scheduled to visit this weekend. Dennis is a top 250 prospect in the country. He could play in anyone’s secondary. It will be interesting to see if he visits.



Tommy Wright, 6’ 175 lbs., Southwest DeKalb High School, Decatur, Georgia. Wright is beginning to see an uptick in his recruitment based off a strong senior season. Wright is committed to Appalachian State during summer and recently picked up an offer from Tennessee his first power 5 school to offer Wright a scholarship. Wright fits the Pruitt profile for defensive backs. Long arms, athletic, plays both sides of the ball, and excels as a sprinter for Southwest DeKalb’s track team.


Keontae Jenkins, 6’ 175 lbs. Frank W Cox High School, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Though Jenkins is committed to TCU, he is taking visits to other schools. He recently took an unofficial visit to Tennessee with his younger brother who is a 2021 Tennessee commitment.


Emmanuel Appiah, 6’175 lbs., Monroe Junior College. Appiah is a long, athletic cornerback that has steadily climbed up Tennessee’s defensive back board. Appiah, from Ghana, attended Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. If that sounds familiar, it is because Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano attended the same school. Appiah is an intriguing prospect because he is an under the radar prospect who has played organized football for only a couple of years. He would be a work in progress but his athleticism is apparent.



Closing Thoughts (and I have a bunch)

4px; font-weight:bold; font-family:verdana, arial, tahoma; '>What is next? Recruiting will get amped up after the Vanderbilt game. Sunday begins a recruiting contact period. This means coaches will be on the road for the next two weeks leading up to start of the early signing period. This means coaches can make contact (in-home visits and at high school) with prospects.


Where is Reggie Grimes on Tennessee’s recruiting board? Well, he isn’t. Grimes is a polarizing prospect. Recruiting services, that get paid for their analysis and evaluations, have Reggie Grimes, from Mt. Juliet rated as one of the top football prospects in the state this cycle and have assigned him a 4-star rating. Grimes is physically imposing at 6’4” 250 lbs. with above average speed. Grimes' father played at Alabama and during his time there was a teammate of our head football coach. Even with those connections, he is down the board as a prospect at both schools.


Apparently, college coaches are divided on the position Grimes plays in college. Too, given his physical abilities, he wasn’t terribly dominant or impactful in high school. Grimes is set to publicly announce his decision Thursday. I just don’t see him as part of Tennessee’s class.



Vanderbilt Weekend: The Thanksgiving holiday is certainly not slowing down Tennessee’s recruiting activities. In fact, Vanderbilt weekend is going to be a HUGE recruiting weekend… likely the biggest of the season. Tennessee will host a number of prospects for their official visits. Interestingly, Tennessee expects possibly two prospects who have already visited Tennessee officially earlier in the season to return for an unofficial visit.



Official Visitors as of November 25: Vai Keho Ramone Henderson Marcus Henderson Emmanuel Appiah Kendall Dennis Morven Joseph Jimmie Calloway (committed to Tennessee)

Unofficial Visitors Though not officially confirmed, Blaine Toll and Len Neth Whitehead may visit Tennessee unofficially for the Vanderbilt game.



Leading up to the Early Signing Window Beating Vanderbilt isn’t a layup. I don’t think our staff will have an issue getting the players’ attention this week seeing how Vanderbilt embarrassed Tennessee last season. The fans haven’t forgotten for sure. With a win, Tennessee hits the recruiting trail with as much or more momentum than any other SEC school sans LSU. It will be interesting to see how Tennessee handles early signing day given its strong close to the season.


Wait For Me? How many prospects will they sign in December and how many spots will they hold over until January? Remember head coaching changes and the resulting displacement of assistant/position coaches will impact the recruiting landscape. Arkansas and Florida State are feeling the effects of this now. Tennessee may hold a couple of scholarships over for the February signing period to make a run at a prospect that has decided not to sign early by design or because of the aforementioned coaching changes.



'X'

Tennessee Hoops: At Halftime had 11 assist on 12 made baskets.

Vols are very much uneven as they work in the new talent.

Olivier Nkamhoua is going to be really special player. He was displaying his range last night. When the game slows down for him he's going to be an All SEC caliber player.

Even though he's still not untracked from the outside, it's great to see Triple J shoot the basketball. They're going to fall eventually.


Tennessee needs more of a post presence which Tennessee did when Chattanooga tightened the game to 8 points early in the second half.


Josiah James has to do more when he's in basketball games. He's eventually going to find his way but I'm sure Rick Barnes is going to get on him about being more active.


Nkamhoua got lost last night in half court defense and it led to a few 3's from Chattanooga.


Vols went 5 minutes without a field goal. They had at least two other 3 minute droughts in the game. Vols had 3 points in that stretch of basketball.


Fulkie, Bowden and Turner were 1,2,3 in scoring. How many times am I going to type that this year? I'll get that won't be the last.


7 blocks for the Vols!

'It’s time for final what Jeremy Pruitt said vs what he meant to say of the regular season. What Pruitt said about Senior Day: “It’s the last game for the seniors. We’ll be honoring 13 seniors on our football team and also Darrin Kirkland Jr., who didn’t get a chance to run through the T last year. So he’ll be back and he’ll do that with the rest of the seniors.”


What Pruitt meant to say about Senior Day: “Well, I can tell ya these seniors are gonna run thru the T this year. Feel bad the guys last year didn’t, but I had no clue that was a tradition here. I’ll probably even tear up a bit when I hug 15.”



What Pruitt said about Vanderbilt: “When you look at Vanderbilt, one thing that sticks out to me about them is that they play really hard. They’re a physical team, they take care of the football. Offensively, starting at tailback they have one of the best runners in the league. They have a really good tight end, good wide receivers, guys that have been very productive in this league for a long time. Defensively, they always give you multiple looks. They play extremely hard.”


What Pruitt meant to say about the Commodores: “Playing hard means these guys suck. Their coach might decide to step down after the game. They’re long overdue a Big Orange ass-kicking!”



What Pruitt said about Jarrett Guarantano: “I never lost confidence in him. When you play sports, sometimes you play at a really high level, and sometimes you don’t. For everybody, you’re always trying to figure out how do you be at your best? The talent has always been there. The want to, the toughness, the instincts as a player, the ability to throw the football. But, for whatever reason, early in the year, he wasn’t at his best, and he knows that. There were no signs during fall camp, there were no signs during the spring, and you know what, you’ve got to give Jarrett a ton of credit. Like anybody that plays quarterback, they probably get too much credit when you have success, and too much blame when you don’t. He could have done one of two things when we went in another direction, he could have given up on the season and said, ‘you know what, I’m graduated, I’m going to transfer.’ But he didn’t do that, that’s not who he is. He’s a competitor, so he went back to work. He tried to fix what he wasn’t doing as well, and he’ll continue to do that this week. He didn’t play perfect Saturday — he played really, really well — but there were some plays that I’m sure when he watches the film, he’ll say, ‘man, I wish I had that one back.’ That’s with everybody on our football team. I can’t say enough about what kind of grit, determination and character that he has to hang in here and he’s helped us kind of turn this season around.”


What Pruitt meant to say about No. 2: “The guy’s always looked like a future pro in practice, aight. I think the game is finally slowing down for him. Jim has did a good job with him. In a weird way, losing the starting job took all the pressure off of him. He’s finally playin’ free and having fun out there.”



What Pruitt said about Brian Maurer playing one snap: “Jarrett was wearing a protective pad on his hand, and it came off. So, he ran off the field and Brian ran on. I didn’t even know what happened until I saw Brian running with the ball.”


What Pruitt meant to say about Maurer entering the Mizzou game for one play: “Should’ve went Wildog there. Or at least run the ball. I’m blaming that one on Jim and Coach Heisman. I’ve stayed as far away from the offense as I could this year. Learned my lesson the hard way last season.”



What Pruitt said about the team not giving up after the 1-4 start: “Our team likes each other, which is important. I feel like the guys on our team are very unselfish. They put the team first. It’s easy to be positive and be motivated when things are going really well, and you find out your true character when things aren’t going well. It’s something we had to do this year and it starts with our assistant coaches and our senior leadership and kind of trickled on down. Right now, the mood in the locker room is really, really good and it’s been like that all year. When you start out 1-4 like we did, the big thing is why? And it really came down to turnovers and execution, and that was something that we could control, and our kids have worked hard to fix it.”


What Pruitt meant to say about the team’s turnaround: “I’m just glad the players believed in me and this coaching staff and trusted us when things were going south. I’ll be honest, there was a time when I was worried about keeping my job. We’ve got somethin’ special brewing here. About 1 or 2 more ‘cruiting classes away from the top.”



What Pruitt said about not being satisfied with making a bowl game: “We have goals to be at our best every Saturday, and don’t get me wrong, our players are doing a lot of really good things, but we made some mistakes in that game that kept them (Missouri) in it. We had twice as many yards as them, but the game comes down to the last possession. We have to eliminate those mistakes.”


What Pruitt meant to say about not being satisfied: “Well, we really ain’t beat nobody that good yet. Our guys are smart enough to know they shouldn’t be too confident right now. I’m expecting us to finally play a clean game on Saturday. It’ll get ugly.”


What Pruitt said about what he’s thankful for: “Number one, I am thankful for my family. My wife, my kids, my mom, my dad, my brothers and sisters. I think we all are. I am thankful for having an opportunity to work for the University of Tennessee. I am thankful for these players that we have a chance to be around every day and what a blessing they are to us. I am thankful for the men that I work with. There are lots of things to be thankful for. This is probably my favorite holiday just because of that. I think we get caught up sometimes in the wins and losses. I realize that is what we get paid to do, but the opportunity to work with the men in this profession, to be around the student-athletes and everybody that touches the student-athletes and watch them grow over a period of time, it is why I wanted to get into coaching football, so I could be a part of something like this. So, I am thankful to have an opportunity to do it at a wonderful university that football is so important to.”

What Pruitt meant to say about Thanksgiving: “When is Thanksgiving? Wasn’t Halloween just a week or two ago?”

In honor of the 2nd anniversary of Schiano Sunday: Link

Thanks for reading!
Matt Dixon (@mattdixon3)'

Tony,

With Thanksgiving imminent on the horizon, there is no shortage of material to discuss in the world of sports. Here are some issues that have my attention.

1. Tennessee has been navigating the pre Thanksgiving portion of the schedule as well as could be expected. Now, it's down to Florida to chase a trophy.

2. The addition of Santiago Vescovi to the roster at the start of the second semester would be a huge boost to UT's SEC prospects. The Uruguayan product would allow both Lamonte Turner and Jordan Bowden some much needed breaks.

3. Florida appeared to right the ship in South Carolina over the weekend. We'll see if Michael White's squad can carry that momentum forward.

4. Georgia has definitely upgraded their physical talent level. Now, it's up to Tom Crean to piece together a cohesive, competitive team.

5. Virginia Tech did not panic when Buzz Williams left for Texas A&M. Their levelheaded approach in hiring Mike Young, a fantastic basketball coach, is already being rewarded on the floor and the recruiting trail.

6. Eric Musselman already has Arkansas fighting and clawing for 40 minutes every time they play. That hiring is going to yield huge dividends in Fayetteville.

7. I really like the proposed scheduling changes in the NBA. The in season tournament is especially intriguing to me.

8. Tennessee deserves great credit for recovering from their disastrous start. A blowout of Vanderbilt would be the perfect cap to the recovery.

9. Rutgers is in dire straits. When a coach with no other real prospects turns down 4 million dollars a year from you, that is a bad sign.

Springs Dock Resort is the crown jewel of Norris Lake. Go to springsdock.com for packages and information.

Keith