Vols Linebacker Coach Tommy Thigpen Ranked As 11th Best Recruiter

Apr 20, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Alton Howard (2) signs autographs after the spring Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Vols are on a serious hot streak when it comes to recruiting, that’s something we all know.

While Butch Jones is getting (and deserves) most of the attention surrounding the Vol’s recruiting success, it’s important to remember the incredible support staff Jones has surrounded himself with.

Included in that support staff is linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen.

Thigpen, who came to Tennessee after serving as an assistant at Auburn for four seasons, has had a lot of recruiting success during his first several months on the job.

So much success that 247Sports rates him as the 11th best recruiter in their latest recruiting rankings.

Thigpen has a very impressive list of commits that are credited to him.

Among those credited to Thigpen are five-star running back Jalen Hurd, four-star linebacker Dillon Bates, four-star cornerback DeAndre Payne, four-star wide receiver Eric Lauderdale and the the Vol’s most recent commit four-star safety Cortez McDowell.

That’s a pretty impressive list of commits and just goes to show how important it is for a coach to surround himself with great assistants.

Thigpen has definitely turned out to be a star recruiter for the Vols.

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