2015 Recruiting Class

[WestEndVol]

Definitely. Having said that, it doesn't mean he hasn't learned his lesson. I figure Butch doesn't put up with much shit so, if Kamara thinks he can just transfer and continue on the same path, I'm sure he's got another thing coming. Assuming he really has decided to not be a retard, he'll probably make y'all one hell of a back.


He'll also get introduced to a mean ass defense of a team he put his self before and greatly let down.

Hope he gets his head on straight, don't need any distractions in the locker room or off the field incidents. Maybe he'll come in with a different attitude. Guess we'll just have to see.

 

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Look at the smug, douche bag grin in his face...we're doomed.

 

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on*

 

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Lady Vols just recently got a UNC basketball transfer, and apparently her and Kamara are both from Norcross, GA. He has a pic of her on Twitter, calling her "Bae" (which stands for Before Anything Else). Wondering if she is/was his GF and if so, how much that influenced his decision.

 

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Kamara and WR Jason Croom. Believe they both played on the same team in HS.

 

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Venzell Boulware

 

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Got a commitment from 3-star TE Kyle Oliver - teammate of Tennessee commit Jack Jones.

Kyle Oliver

 

[4down20]

Former Alabama RB Alvin Kamara now headed to one of Tide's biggest rivals | AL.com

 

[WestEndVol]

Received a commit from the #5 kicker.

Tommy Townsend

Every sign pointed toward Tommy Townsend sticking with his family's tradition at the University of Florida.

Except a trip to a University of Tennessee junior day, followed by a subsequent visit to the Vols' specialists camp, changed everything for Townsend, Rivals.com's No. 5 kicker in the country from Orlando's Boone High School. The athletic 6-foot-1, 180-pound Townsend, a consensus top-target kicker nationally who also plays safety, committed to Tennessee Monday afternoon --- the Vols' fifth commitment in barely 48 hours.

"It's actually a funny story. All my family has gone to Florida," Townsend told VolQuest.com less than five minutes after hanging up with UT coach Butch Jones. "My oldest brother is up there studying pre-med. My middle brother between me and the oldest is Johnny, and he's punter there at Florida as well.

"Basically, what's been going on is since Day 1, I've really wanted to go to Tennessee. From the junior day, I just loved the place. When I went back to camp, everything was great; just still in love with the place. I had the idea then that's where I wanted to be. After camp I was waiting and hoping on the offer, that was the number 1 place on my list. I was very excited when I got it, which was on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I had to wait to commit. My parents and family wanted me to wait till I got home because I was out at the Chris Sailer Camp. A couple of friends committed out there to Missouri (Corey Fatony) and Toledo (Jameson Vest). So, it was a pretty big weekend out there for recruiting and commitments to college."

-VQ

 

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2016 prospect, Isaac Nauta, was on campus yesterday. Rated a 5-star and #1 TE in the country by 247.

Isaac Nauta

(Him n the center)

From his visit:

He said his trip to Tennessee on Saturday put the Vols “on my list.”

“I love all the renovations that they did,” Nauta said. “They’ve got top-notch facilities, being just about a year old now. As a recruit, that’s something you definitely look for. They have one of the best stadiums in the country and one of the best fan bases in the country.

“And I like my tight end coach a lot, coach*(Mark) Elder. He’s a really good guy. And they’ve got good recruiting classes coming in. There’s something going on at Tennessee, and it’s kind of exciting to think about.

“(Elder said) mainly just that I’m his guy that he wants for my class, and he definitely feels that I’m the top tight end, if not the top player in the class. And to hear that, that’s really humbling.”

Nauta said having two teammates committed to Tennessee could help the Vols’ chances, although that won’t be the deciding factor in his college choice.

“I mean, that definitely helps,” he said. “At the end of the day, is that going to be what separates when you’re picking one school from the other? No, not at all. But that helps (Smith and Picou) are all over me already about (joining them at Tennessee), and I don’t see them stopping any time soon, either.”

Nauta said he also recently visited Georgia, and he’s planning to travel to Florida State on July 18 and Notre Dame sometime this summer. He said he’s hoping to attend games at Tennessee, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, and Ole Miss this year before narrowing his list of college choices “down to a top five” after the season.

“I’ll probably make a decision in spring next year,” he said, “because I want to be a guy who’s an early graduate so I can get to a school and get on campus and have a chance to play some spring ball.”

 

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Octavis Johnson

-Fortenberry

Committed to South Carolina... so much for leading.

 

[UTVolCountry]

Torrance Gibson says Tennessee has backed off of him. Not sure why, but I believe in Butch and the coaching staff.

 

[UTVolCountry]

Actually after reading his tweet, I can't tell if he's being serious or not. Oh well...we'll see.

 

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Why would we do that?

He was just on campus for a visit to too long ago. Sigh...time for me to stalk his twitter.

 

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Montavious Atkinson

While he remains committed to Auburn, he said he “most definitely” will attend one of Tennessee’s home games this season, and there’s “a good possibility” that the Vols will get an official visit from him later this year.

Atkinson —*a teammate of Top247 defensive end*D’Andre Walker, who’s also being recruited by Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn — said he’s still visiting other teams because “I just want to make sure I make the right decision for me.” He said he’s interested in Tennessee for a few reasons.

“I like, first off, their fans. Plus, I like the way the coaches bring us together and the way they help their players out with anything they need —*and Coach Butch’s attitude to win,” Atkinson said, referring to Vols coach*Butch Jones.

“(Tennessee linebackers coach*Tommy Thigpen) was just saying he knows that they’re turning linebackers out of Georgia, and I would be one of them. They said I’ve got a great chance (to play). If I come in, get stronger, get faster and get bigger, I’ll have a great chance of playing early.”

Atkinson, who’s being recruited to play the Star position in Auburn’s defense, said his opportunity to play linebacker for the Vols is appealing.

“That’s one of the big things that’s really making them stand out, because I want to play linebacker before anything,” he said. “I would prefer to be a linebacker first, but I wouldn’t mind playing Star. But I would prefer to be a linebacker first, before anything.”

He said he’s also still interested in Georgia.

“It’s a pretty good school,” Atkinson said. “One thing (I like) is that’s my home (state). That’s where I grew up.”

Atkinson currently doesn’t have any additional visits scheduled for this summer, but he said he’s “going to visit Auburn soon.” And he said his mind is set on the Tigers for now.

“I liked Auburn as I was growing up, and I was waiting on that offer, so I just really liked them and that’s where I wanted to be,” he said. “I guess that’s just where I want to be, and I like the coaches. And the fans are outstanding.
I didn't know he's visited us the last 2 weekends.

 

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Was thinking about our WR's for 2015 and were gonna pretty stacked:

(Per Rivals)

5-star Josh Malone
4-star Marquez North
4-star Jason Croom
4-star Lavon Pearson
4-star Alton Howard
4-star Kameel Jackson
4-star Vic Wharton
4-star Preston Williams
4-star Van Jefferson

Only two of those guys (Preston Williams & Van Jefferson) won't be on the roster this year but that's still pretty good. Preston Williams is committed and has said that he has shut down his recruitment, and Van Jefferson is considered a Vol lock by most.

Josh Malone
Preston Williams
Marquez North
Jason Croom
Lavon Pearson
Alton Howard
Vic Wharton
Kameel Jackson
Van Jefferson

 

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I'm still stumped as to how Malone was the 4th ranked WR and a 5-star, and North was the 2nd ranked WR and a 4-star.

 

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Was thinking about our WR's for 2015 and were gonna pretty stacked:

(Per Rivals)

5-star Josh Malone
4-star Marquez North
4-star Jason Croom
4-star Lavon Pearson
4-star Alton Howard
4-star Kameel Jackson
4-star Vic Wharton
4-star Preston Williams
4-star Van Jefferson

Only two of those guys (Preston Williams & Van Jefferson) won't be on the roster this year but that's still pretty good. Preston Williams is committed and has said that he has shut down his recruitment, and Van Jefferson is considered a Vol lock by most.

Josh Malone
Preston Williams
Marquez North
Jason Croom
Lavon Pearson
Alton Howard
Vic Wharton
Kameel Jackson
Van Jefferson

Accidentally left off Drae Bowles, who was another 4-star recruit. Believe he battled injuries last year so didn't see the field much.

Drae Bowles

 

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About some of our remaining targets:

KAHLIL MCKENZIE
Defensive tackle
De La Salle High School, Concord, Calif.
Crystal Ball picks: Tennessee 97%, Southern California 3%
McKenzie, a five-star prospect who’s the son of former Tennessee standout Reggie McKenzie, announced June 3 that he will make his college choice known July 10 at Nike’s The Opening in Beaverton, Ore., and he will be deciding between the Vols and Arizona. He named UT his leader last month, with Arizona at No. 2 on his list, and 37 of the 38 current predictions — including all 10 picks that have been made this month — point to Tennessee as the favorite.

QUARTE SAPP
Linebacker
Milton (Ga.) High School
Crystal Ball picks: Tennessee 89%, North Carolina 11%
Sapp, a four-star prospect, recently has referred to Tennessee and Miami as the two teams standing out most to him. But the Vols have emerged as the heavy favorite to land Sapp on the Crystal Ball since hosting him for one of their junior days in early March. Tennessee has received the last eight predictions for the 6-foot-2, 203-pound Sapp, including five over the past month and four within the past week.

CAMERON ORDWAY
Cornerback
Giles County High School, Pulaski, Tenn.
Crystal Ball picks: Tennessee 88%, Ole Miss 12%
Earlier this month, Ordway named a top 10 of Florida State, Ole Miss, LSU, Tennessee, Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame, in no particular order. But Tennessee has remained the heavy favorite on the Crystal Ball for Ordway, who has visited the Vols twice this month. Tennessee has received 15 of the 17 current predictions, including the two picks that have been made this month.

JUSTIN MARTIN
Cornerback
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Miami, Okla.
Crystal Ball picks: Tennessee 82%, Ole Miss 18%

Four-star cornerback Justin Martin
Martin, a former standout at Overton High School in Nashville, Tenn., enrolled at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in January and already has received offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, South Florida, Memphis and Middle Tennessee. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound Martin participated in one of Tennessee’s camps earlier this month, and nine of the 11 early predictions point to the Vols as the favorites to land him.

D.J. JONES
Defensive tackle
East Mississippi Community College, Scooba, Miss.
Crystal Ball picks: South Carolina 50%, Tennessee 36%, Clemson 14%
South Carolina emerged as the early favorite on the Crystal Ball for Jones, the nation’s No. 1 juco defensive tackle in the 247Sports Composite. But Jones, who has been recruited by Tennessee since he was a senior at Wren High School in Piedmont, S.C., named the Vols his leader earlier this month, with Alabama, Clemson, South Carolina and Auburn rounding out his top five. The last five predictions for Jones on the Crystal Ball all have been for Tennessee.

TORRANCE GIBSON
Athlete
American Heritage High School, Plantation, Fla.
Crystal Ball picks: Auburn 45%, Tennessee 35%, Ohio State 12%, Miami 5%, Foggy 2%
Gibson, a five-star prospect, briefly referred to Auburn as his leader coming off his visit with the Tigers on May 31 for their “Big Cat Weekend.” But he once again named Tennessee his leader less than two weeks ago following a five-day visit with the Vols. Five of the last six predictions on the Crystal Ball point to Tennessee as the favorite to land Gibson, who’s hoping to play quarterback in college, despite Top247 quarterback Quinten Dormady’s recent commitment to the Vols.

TIM SETTLE
Defensive tackle
Stonewall Jackson High School, Manassas, Va.
Crystal Ball picks: Alabama 27%, Virginia 19%, Tennessee 16%, Clemson 16%, Ohio State 11%
Settle’s recruitment still is believed to be wide open, and the Crystal Ball reflects that, with the 37 predictions for the five-star prospect currently being divided between five teams. Settle named Tennessee his leader last month, leading to six Crystal Ball picks for the Vols, including one earlier this month. But the last six predictions have pointed to Clemson as the favorite to land Settle after he named the Tigers his new leader on June 8.

JOSH SWEAT
Defensive end
Oscar Smith High School, Chesapeake, Va.
Crystal Ball picks: Virginia Tech 45%, Florida State 40%, Tennessee 10%, Ohio State 5%
The Crystal Ball still points to Virginia Tech as the favorite to land Sweat, the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 weakside defensive end in the 247Sports Composite. But Tennessee has received two of the four most recent predictions for Sweat, who visited the Vols for the first time last week during a road trip that also took him to Georgia. Sweat, who’s scheduled to visit Ohio State on Wednesday, also has added two picks for Virginia Tech over the past two weeks.

Tennessee Vols trending in 247Sports' Crystal Ball

 

[WestEndVol]

Cecil Cherry

“Coach Butch Jones, we went and sat in his office for a good hour before the camp started. He was just telling me he can’t wait for me to get there and how much he cares about me. I met with a lot of people. Me and Coach Jones were just talking about how I’d fit the system, how I can make the team better and how I can be a leader.”

The 6-foot-2, 229-pound Cherry said he also spent plenty of time with some of Tennessee’s current players, including senior linebacker A.J. Johnson, redshirt junior linebacker/defensive end Curt Maggitt and newcomers Vic Wharton, Jalen Hurd and Von Pearson.

“A.J. and Curt, they’re like my brothers,” Cherry said.

Cherry said he has continued to hear from a number of other teams in recent months, including Alabama, Arizona State, Southern California, Auburn, North Carolina State, Michigan State and LSU.

He admitted “there’s a possibility” he could visit a few other schools to give himself a chance to “go visit and meet new people.” He said he’s at least interested in taking official visits to Auburn, Alabama, Arizona State and USC in addition to Tennessee.

“I know I’m going to Oregon," Cherry said, "but I don’t know the rest."

Still, Cherry said he doesn’t envision himself changing his mind about playing at Tennessee, and he’s already looking forward to his future with the Vols.

“I like the rebuilding process, and I like how Coach Jones, he gets all the players to believe in each other, and we’re trying to building a bond,” said Cherry, who recently transferred to Victory Christian Academy from Frostproof (Fla.) High School. “Anybody can say they’re trying to build something, but Coach Jones is building for real. And he doesn’t just care about football.

“I can say I won’t change my mind. I’m not going to change it. I love the atmosphere (at Tennessee). I love how the city is. I love the fan base, and I love the coaching staff. I’m a Vol for life. I feel comfortable there. I’m really comfortable with it.”

Cherry, who’s planning to return to Tennessee for its home game against Florida on Oct. 4, said he’s currently focused on preparing for his upcoming senior season and the challenges that await him at the next level.

“I’m just trying to get quicker, faster and better hips so I can prepare to come up in the SEC and do what I have to do to lead the defense,” he said.