2016 Recruiting Class

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Football Recruiting - 2016 Prospect Rankings, Team Commit Rankings, Analysis - Scout Front Page

Tennessee will get an official visit this weekend from 2016 offensive tackle Kellen Diesch, who Wednesday earned his fourth star from Scout.

Diesch, who recently re-opened his recruitment after being committed since June to Arkansas, has already been to Knoxville for a spring junior day and a summer camp, so he has an idea of what he likes about the Volunteers entering this weekend's official visit.

"I really like the coaching staff and the facilities. I feel like I'd be a really good fit there," said Diesch, who is now the No. 4 offensive tackle in Texas and No. 25 player nationally at his position. "They're already a really good program, but I could see them competing for a national title in the next few years."

 

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List ov visitors for the UGA game, per VQ:

"Donnie Corley
LaVert Hill
Kyle Davis
Javon McKinley
Jordan Woods
Kellen Diesch

It will also be a strong list of unofficial visitors:

2016

Nigel Warrior
Mecole Hardman
Derrick Brown
Ryan Johnson
Marquill Osborne
Troy Pride
Austin Pope
Aaron Dowdell

2017

Lamont Wade
Trey Smith
Trey Sermon
Cam Akers
Jaylen Harris
Jeremiah Gemmel
Shawn Smith
Lynn Bowden
Toryque Bateman
Jacob Rimmer
Tyler Fannin
Joseph Sewell

2018

Emil Ekiyor
Trevor Lawrence
Christian Tutt"

 

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Nigel Warrior, DB, Peachtree Ridge, Ga. (undecided) — “I say it’s going to be whichever team comes out the hardest, also, both teams need to come out and redeem themselves after the loss they both had this past weekend. So whichever team comes out the hardest and maintains momentum before the half is over, I think is going to win. I think it’s going to be Tennessee.”

Nigel Warrior - Yahoo! Sports

 

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Football Recruiting - 2016 Prospect Rankings, Team Commit Rankings, Analysis - Scout Front Page

"The best part about this visit to Tennessee was the atmosphere," said Hardman, Jr. "It was really loud and it felt like the stadium was shaking."

The 5-foot-11, 176 pound senior out of Elberton (Ga.) Elbert County is the No. 10-ranked prospect in the country and he knows everything about life as a Volunteer football player. He is close to coaches, he is very familiar with the campus, and he has a real comfort when he is there.

The coaches have a simple message for the top athlete in America; "They want me bad. They just tell me to come there."

A decision could come as early as next month, but if he does make one then, do not expect to hear about.

"I am still going to make a silent commitment," said Hardman, Jr. "I am going to go ahead and tell the coaches, but I will not announce it until signing day. I am going to make everyone wait, then surprise them."

Hardman, Jr. is being recruited as a wide receiver by Tennessee. He does not plan to take an official visit there.

He has already visited Miami officially and he is set to visit Michigan next month. Official visits will likely go to schools farther from home that he cannot get to driving.

 

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Since Tennessee didn't make a major move in the chase for Rivals100 defensive tackle Derrick Brown until earlier this year, Saturday's victory over Georgia was the first time the Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier prospect was inside Neyland Stadium for game. It's safe to say he picked a good game to make his debut on Rocky Top.

Brown enjoyed his time in Knoxville.

"It was loud. That's probably the loudest place I have ever been," the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Brown said. "When I left out of there I could barely hear because my ears were still ringing."

Brown, who is also one of Georgia's prime targets, said the Vols resilience was impressive after falling down 24-3 early.

"It was a well earned victory and they faced deficts and coming back from down 24-3 was pretty impressive," Brown said. "They did was they had to do. Josh Dobbs came out and led them to two touchdowns and that's when I felt like, 'oh, man. Tennessee is going to win this thing.'"

After the game Brown was in the Vols locker room to witness the celebration, as well as to spend some time talking with his primary recruiter and Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek.

"It was crazy in the locker room," Brown said. "Everyone was hype and just celebrating the win. It was fun."

Jancek has told Brown to pay extra attention to the Vols defensive linemen during the game, and Brown said he was impressed.

"They rotated a lot and the young guys made big plays," Brown said. "They are a dominant force. Someone would make a play then someone else would rotate in and make a play."

Brown said he and Jancek didn't discuss how he might factor into that rotation if he were to end up at Tennessee, but did say he will be back in Knoxville for an official visit before he announced a decision on Signing Day.

"I'm going to go back in January for my official visit," Brown said. "I haven't set it yet, but it will be one of those two weeks after the dead period."

Derrick Brown - Yahoo! Sports

 

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Marquez Callaway probably knew what Tennessee's players felt like down 24-3 Saturday afternoon to Georgia.

That's because Callaway and his Warner Robbins High School team found themselves in a similar situation down 21-0 during the first game of their season earlier this year. But, just like the Vols against the Bulldogs, Callaway's team stormed back to win in the end and he liked the fight the Vols showed on their way back to the win.

Callaway has had a strong senior season.
"I liked how they never gave up," Callaway said. "They could have easily gave up when it was 24-3. They could have laid down but they showed heart and a will not to lose and made that comeback and it reminded me of us when we were down 21-0 in the first quarter. We could have laid down but we came back just like they did."

The defining moment of the game, like for most people, was the 14-point rush at the end of the second quarter.

"I thought it was going to get ugly when things were going towards halftime. But, then Tennessee got that touchdown to make it 24-10 and they had some momentum and got the turnover and scored in under a minute, that changed the game," Callaway said. "It changed everything."

After the game Callaway and his family were able to spend time with Tennessee's coaches and he felt like his parents were able to get to know the staff even more.

"I talked to a lot of different coaches. I talked to coach Jones, coach Azzanni and coach Jancek. My parents came with me and they probably talked to them more than they talked to me. It was their first game there," Callaway said. "They had been to Tennessee before but just to visit. That was probably the loudest game they've been to. I think they enjoyed it just as much as I did."

Tennessee is one of four schools the 6-foot-2, 170-pound athlete is hearing from the most right now. Along with the Vols, Callaway mentioned South Carolina, Notre Dame and Mississippi State as the four schools he's been in touch with the most recently.

"Those teams talk to me the most. They are always checking up on me," Callaway said.

Callaway said he's not quite ready to make a decision yet. He still wants to take more visits and plans to take some official visits down the road as well. He said the Vols will likely receive one.

"I want to go see more games because this will be the last time I can go out and visit college because the time to make a decision is going to come up faster than I think," Callaway said. "I'm going to try to see as many places now so I won't have any regrets."

-Fortenberry

 

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Sources have believed since August that the Vols were in the driver’s seat for the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Callaway, and his latest trip to Tennessee did nothing to change that. His mother accompanied him on the visit, attending her first game at Neyland Stadium, and while Callaway only has been to Tennessee three times in a little more than a year, he has become increasingly comfortable with the Vols on each of his past two trips. His has been particularly high on UT since his visit in June for one of its camps.

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Marquez Callaway - Yahoo! Sports

 

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Tennessee is still looking for defensive back help and that includes junior college defensive back Mark King. The former Auburn commitment from Mobile, Ala., told us earlier this week he will be taking an official visit to Tennessee and the only other official he knows of right now is Florida. The Gators are the favorites at this point but he seems genuinely interested in the Vols.

-Hubbs

JaMarcus King - Yahoo! Sports

 

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inally, the fallout of several coaching vacancies is beginning to show up on the recruiting trail and look for Tennessee to get involved with several players like South Carolina commitment Marlon Character.

-Hubbs

Marlon Character - Yahoo! Sports

 

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