Wu's very own recruiting thread.

Significant headway was made last week in the recruitment of the quarterback position as both Scout five-star Torrance Gibson and four-star Zach Gentry spent time on campus in Knoxville and later announced Tennessee as their leader.

Gibson maintains that he will sign with a school that gives him a legitimate shot to stay at triggerman and will commit after his American Heritage team makes a run at back-to-back FHSAA state titles. He also says he won’t declare until after his five official visits, which will include trips to Ohio State and Tennessee. More on his top schools is expected May 5.

As you may have read in the front-page story, Gentry does not plan to enter his senior season without having made his declaration. Tennessee has flat outrecruited all other schools to this point but the 6-foot-6 right-hander is going to give Alabama, Oklahoma State, Texas and possibly others a shot this spring and early summer to overcome the Vols. Regardless, the staff has to like where it sits with the New Mexico-based standout.

A handful of signal-callers that had the staff interested have already come off the board. Two more make public declarations this week —*Jauan Jennings (Monday) and Drew Lock (Wednesday). Tennessee is believed to be in the top 2 for both Jennings and Lock. House money has Jennings declaring for Auburn and Lock to Mizzouri but both have been well-educated on how a career in orange could work out for either. Expectations are for Jennings to be in town this weekend.

With Justin Worley likely to own the starting spot come Utah State this August and graduating later this fall, the competition figures to be even more wide open in 2015 and that should help Tennessee close on possibly two talented QBs.

Two other juniors — four-star cornerback Cameron Ordway and four-star defensive end Kyle Phillips —*that were on campus last weekend appear to have Tennessee extremely high on their lists and some sources indicate the Vols lead for both. Ordway has gone on record saying the Vols are in his top 4 at the very least. Phillips has now been on Rocky Top a half dozen times since last summer. Four-star defensive tackle Shy Tuttle made it in as well.

Van Jefferson of Ravenwood High in Brentwood is Scout’s No. 38 wide receiver in the country. Jefferson visited Tennessee’s campus for a practice on Haslam Field this spring already. The top-rated junior wideout in the Volunteer State also recently saw Ohio State’s campus. Jefferson says he will draw closer to a list of finalists in roughly two weeks.

Alex Ofodile is the top-rated junior wide receiver in Missouri and tripped to the Tennessee campus with his father the same day as Jefferson (both fathers have NFL ties). Ofodile is a four-star prospect that earned praise from Scout national analyst Greg Powers during a regional breakdown:

Really enjoyed breaking down his film and watching the highlights on this kid. He is a tall, lengthy playmaker. He has the ability to jump into the air and contort his body to make tough catches. One of the ones who seems to just hang up there in the air. His quarterback looks to him often and he draws the attention of the opposing defense at all times, but is still very hard to stop. An outside receiver with great ball skills.

Another wideout that could slot into the one remaining (if Zach Azzanni isn’t allowed to sign a third receiver) is Kay Jay Hill. Hill is the top-rated pass catcher in Arkansas and told IT on Wednesday night that he is “definitely” interested in the Vols and is a fan of former Tennessee receivers Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson.

Scout four-star linebacker Darrin Kirkland picked up a Tennessee offer while on campus to watch the Vols’ second spring scrimmage on March 29.

The Indianapolis native has now visited Knoxville twice this spring and spoke highly of the Vols before adding an offer. With the scholarship now in hand, Kirkland calls the Vols “one of my favorites, if not my favorite, for sure.”

“I’m just learning more and more about the program and I just get a great impression of them. The more I learn, just the more I like Tennessee,” Kirkland told IT. “It’s a great place. The Vols will definitely be up there for me. They’re one of my favorite schools by far.”

Kirkland, the nation’s No. 7 middle linebacker prospect, can't name just one reason why he’s so high on the Vols. He simply says, “I like everything about Tennessee.”

“It’s a school that presents a lot of opportunities,” Kirkland said. “I’d say that’s the best way to put it. A lot of opportunities as far as both academics and athletics go. It has it all. I feel like home there.”

Even thought Tennessee will still pursue Miami commit and Scout four-star tight end Chris Clark, Hale Hentges of Missouri seems to be next in line to climb to the top of the list of the Vols’ tight end targets.

But landing Hentges may be an uphill battle. The four-star last visited Knoxville in August and says he’s not likely to visit this spring. He has plans to visit Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Alabama and Auburn.

“Me and coach (Mark) Elder are still in contact. I don’t hear from the Vols as much as some from some other schools, but I like (Elder) a lot,” Hentges told IT. “I still hear from them and I like their program, I think it’s great.”

Hentges said he plans to make his decision this summer, or “perhaps even a littler earlier.”

Jahvoni Simmons is Scout’s No. 2-rated middle linebacker in the nation. He spoke with IT last weekend in Charlotte and maintains that the Vols are undoubtedly one of the schools he is considering and he plans to trip to Rocky Top before his senior season gets underway. Four-star running backs Nyheim Hines and Bryce Love both had positive things to say about Gillespie, Jones and the Vols. The thinking remains that Tennessee will sign two runners in the ’15 class.
 
Looks like we have a shot at this Waller cat too. Some darn good QB's interested in them Vols.
 
In previous volumes of Gate 21 we’ve noted the competition Tennessee has with its Orange & White game falling on Saturday, April 12. For that reason, don’t expect the star-studded cast on campus as the last couple spring games. However, several key targets and commits are still expected.

Rocky Reid is a Scout three-star running back than ran for 3,355 yards as a junior. Expect the Concord (N.C.) High School standout to be on Rocky Top this weekend. If there’s an uncommitted player that will be at the O&W game that could pull the trigger on on a pledge, it’s Reid. So, keep an eye on him.

At the moment, four-star offensive tackle Chuma Edoga still plans to be on hand Saturday. However, Edoga recently named USC his leader and has flip-flopped throughout his recruitment. Edoga’s shakiness will cause Tennessee to seriously reassess its tackle targets in the 2015 class.

Chandler Cox continues to be an intriguing prospect that would likely be used as an H-back/tight end type in the Vols offense. Cox has ties to both Butch Jones (through brother’s recruitment) and Tennessee (father’s recruitment) and plays at the same Apopka (Fla.) High School that produced former Vol running back Tom Smith.

Four-star defensive end D’Andre Walker should be making his third unofficial visit to Tennessee in 13 months this weekend. He perfectly fits what the staff seeks in a Leo end and is ferocious coming off the edge.

Andrew Butcher accepted an invitation to play in the Under Armour All-America game in early January just before he enrolls at Tennessee. The defensive end should be in Knoxville with family again this weekend. He picked up a Kentucky offer on Thursday.

Quentez Johnson is a three-star defensive tackle of Cedar Grove (Ga.) High School that had to reschedule a trip from earlier this year. He’s a one-technique that measured in at 6-2 1/2, 326 at the Atlanta NIKE Football Training Camp. Johnson says he’ll be at the O&W game.

Four-star tackle Sterling Jenkins of Pittsburgh, Pa., was once near the top of the board, but sources tell IT the Vols are no longer in the running for his talents.

It seems Patrick Allen, a four-star from Maryland, will see his recruitment heat up in coming weeks. He’s a name to watch. Tennessee also is still gunning for three-star Tyree St. Louis.

But other than those two, Tennessee’s search to add tackles will turn to in-state prospects. Offensive line coach Don Mahoney plans to tour the state, making stops to see Nathan Gilliam, Zach Stewart, Jack Jones, Bryce Mathews, Ryan Johnson, Alex Givens and Drew Richmond.

Those close to his recruitment say the Vols are still “very much” in the hunt for Richmond, a four-star from Memphis.

Gilliam and Givens are local products to watch closely. Gilliam, a Farragut (Tenn) High School standout, has impressed at camps and the Vols plan to study some film and seriously consider extending an offer, which will likely result in an immediate commitment. Same goes for Givens (Auburn leads). The staff plans to evaluate his skills and an offer could be a few weeks away.

Tennessee coaches will return to the airports and car rental locations soon as the NCAA Evaluation Period is set to get underway April 15 and run through May 31. The coaches can see prospects up to two times during this window. One catch is that if a coach sees a prospect practice, his other trip must be for checking up on the recruit’s academic progress. If both evals are done the same day, then the coach may use another eval for the athletics side.

With another week passing, another quarterback high on Tennessee’s board came off with four-star Drew Lock committing to Missouri on Wednesday. The hunt is on to sign two quarterbacks in the 2015 class and the eval period could yield several more scholarship offers from the staff. Some names to keep in mind that could fit coordinator Mike Bajakian’s scheme are Joey Burrow, Eric Dungey, Jimmy Fitzgerald (Illinois commit) and Travis Waller (Tennessee offer Tuesday).

Brandon Wimbush would fit Tennessee’s offensive philosophy perfectly but the Jersey City field general listed several top schools (Boston College, Miami, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford, Virginia Tech) but made no mention of the Volunteers.

Another Jersey-based prospect that teams all over the country covet is four-star cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick. However, things aren’t looking good for Tennessee with the 6-foot, 190-pounder. He listed programs he hears from the most (Alabama, Miami, Ohio State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech) but made no mention of the Orange & White.

We’ve mentioned several cornerbacks coming off the board —*Ugo Amadi, Mark Fields, Rico McGraw and Garrett Taylor —*in previous volumes of Gate 21. In the ’15 group, expect Tennessee to sign two corners. Here’s a list of prospects that figure to be high on the board: Micah Abernathy, Josh Butler, Dechaun Holiday, Isaiah Langley, Iman Marshall and Cameron Ordway.

Kyle Phillips at one point was Scout’s top-rated prospect in the Volunteer State in the 2015 class. The Nashville native has been to Tennessee’s campus over a half dozen times in the last several months, including spending the weekend on Rocky Top just weeks ago. He told Scout last weekend that the Vols, along with Alabama, Ohio State and Ole Miss are the schools recruiting him the hardest. The four-star wants his family to be comfortable with his decision and has a great desire to compete for championships on the collegiate level.

Class of 2016 offensive tackle prospect Ben Bradeson of Wisconsin will visit Knoxville Saturday for the spring game.*
 
If you paid attention to the last volume of Gate 21, you didn’t see Scout three-star running back Rocky Reid’s commitment as a surprise. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder gives the Volunteers a pounding, between-the-tackles ball carrier, which was a primary goal for the 2015 signing class. That leaves one spot open for backfield and several top targets are still on the board, including four-stars Johnny Frasier, Nyheim Hines, Bryce Love and Eric Swinney.

The current thinking is to sign 18-20 in the ’15 group. However, a pair of blueshirt candidates are on the current commitment list and one of the first pledges has work to do off the field to keep his spot. Thus, some see Tennessee having eight true commitments (that will receive National Letters of Intent) presently.

A trio of highly recruited out-of-state targets made their way to Rocky Top this week, including Ohio’s best defensive lineman Elijah Taylor, Scout’s No. 6 outside linebacker in the nation Jerome Baker and California’s best defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie. Having all three trip unofficially and getting ample individual time is key. Mark Elder is the regional recruiter for Baker and Taylor (making second trip in just over a month). McKenzie is one of the top five D-tackle targets and is a Vols legacy.

The NCAA Evaluation Period got underway April 15 and continues until May 31. Travel-wise for coaches, it’s not completely different from the road time for recruiting in the winter months in non-game weeks. The coaches tend to head out on Sunday or Monday and return on Friday. The scheduling can be tricky depending on when prospects or potential targets are working out with their prep or JUCO teams or if they’re competing in a spring sport.

A vast number of players on Tennessee’s board saw Vols coaches on their campuses this week, including Andrew Butcher and Cameron Ordway, and several got scholarship offers — three-star defensive end Marques Ford, sophomore four-star wideout Mecole Hardman, three-star offensive guard Mike Horton, four-star cornerback Stanley Norman and sophomore five-star offensive tackle Greg Little.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian is off to a hot start this month issuing offers to quarterbacks as junior Travis Waller as well as sophomores K.J. Costello and Jarrett Guarantano were extended grants. Bajakian spent the first eval week mostly in Florida, checking in on junior quarterbacks Deondre Francois and Dwayne Lawson and sophomore triggerman Jack Allison.

Defensive coordinator John Jancek spent time roaming Georgia. Four-star Roquan Smith is one of the elite linebackers high on the recruiting board and Jancek made it a point to be seen by Smith down in Macon County.

Sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano picked up an offer from Tennessee earlier this week. While the Vols are somewhat late to offer (sounds weird, we know) the fast-rising prospect, they likely immediately become a serious contender.*

“I’ve always liked Tennessee, you know that,” Guarantano, who holds offer Auburn, Clemson, Nebraska, Virginia and more, told IT. “I was waiting on that for a while. … It means a lot.”*

As previously reported by IT, Guarantano has a lengthy list of Tennessee ties. His father was coached by Butch Jones at Rutgers and he goes to the same school —* Bergen Catholic (N.J.) High School — as Bajakian.

Another prospect with ties to Jones is four-star junior Chandler Cox. The H-back raved to IT about his time in Knoxville days ago and promises he’ll be back. Tennessee figures to sign just one H-back/tight end type. Cox may fill that role. Chris Clark, who moved up to the No. 2 tight end in the nation spot, has already backed off his commitment to North Carolina and remains a person of interest for the Orange & White ’15 class.

Early next week, three more out-of-state recruits are expected on campus — Ben Bredeson, Jordan Colbert and Chance Hall.

Although just a sophomore, Bredeson (6-4 1/2, 255) is already rated a four-star recruit. Where along the offensive front he will play remains to be seen and depends partially on how he physically matures. Bredeson plays at Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wisc.

Colbert (6-3, 200) is a four-star prospect and rated the No. 19 outside linebacker in the nation for the ’15 class. The Griffin (Ga.) High School standout is expected to be in town Monday.

Hall (6-5, 283) is a three-star prospect and the No. 44 defensive tackle in the nation. He competes at Northside High School in Roanoke, Va.

Class of 2016 offensive tackle prospects and teammates at Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy Bryce Mathews and Ryan Johnson recently made the short trek to Knoxville to see what they already knew: the Vols have a passionate fan base, one which drew more than 68,000 people for the spring game. However, both also learned new things about the program.*

“I’ve heard so many recruits talk about the family feel with Tennessee and never really got it. Now I get it,” Mathews told IT. “There’s something about the way coaches interact with players that makes you feel really good. Like, they’re not a salesman. They’re people who honestly care about you.”*

Added Johnson: “These coaches just do such a good job. I mean, I can’t put a finger on it or nothing, but when you’re at Tennessee you just feel relaxed and welcome.”*

Both Johnson and Mathews should be expecting a visit from Tennessee offensive line coach Don Mahoney this week, as he takes a tour of the state to see all of its top offensive line prospects.*

It’s that same family feel that helped Reid pull the trigger after visiting for the Orange & White game.*

“They just make you feel at home, I’ve said that a bunch of times and it was really true (at the spring game),” Reid said. “Just talking with them and watching them get after it, I wanted to hop out there and play.”

Just as the switch from adidas to NIKE will help the next men’s basketball coach, the move will lend itself to the recruiting efforts on the gridiron as prospects continue to support the idea.

“I really where NIKE a lot; that’s pretty much my whole wardrobe,” three-star outside linebacker and prime target Austin Smith told IT. “I’ve tried adidas but they have one shoe for each skill position. I really didn’t like it. So, that was even more of a turn-on to go to Tennessee. Plus, they have the biggest name in college football. You can’t ask for anything better than that.”
 
Have y'all seen the group chat Cameron Ordway was talking about? Good Lord, the star power in that group.
 
Tim Settle and Sterling Johnson have named us their leaders. It's assumed we lead for Kahlil McKenzie. DJ Jones talks about how UT stuck with him and how much that means to him.

Boys, finna rake at this DT position
 
Who do you think would be trolling us? Supposedly Settle has already been recruiting other kids to UT for a while now, especially other NC kids. I really can't see McKenzie actively trolling his dad's alma mater. Jones has mentioned his appreciation for UT sticking with him through the whole JUCO process, which would be a really strange strategy to troll with.

Doesn't mean any of them will definitely sign with us but I just can't get much troll feel from any of those scenarios. Settle I have no idea about though.
 
I was being somewhat facetious, but it's odd that we lead for these big names.

If Gentry commits before Gibson, I wonder how the "group message" will react? They seem pretty tight knit.
 
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