Vols Football: 30 is the Magic Number

Nov 9, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Butch Jones and his staff have been blazing the recruiting trail ever since they stepped on campus at the University of Tennessee.  For the past several months, UT fans who follow recruiting have noticed there was a numbers issue.

It has been very well publicized the magic number for Tennessee to be able to sign in the 2014 class is 30.  Here is the kicker — Jones currently has 31 known commits.

There has been speculation that certain recruits have been or will be asked to grayshirt.  There has also been speculation that some current commits may be told to look elsewhere in order to make room for higher priority recruits.

One thing is for certain, 30 is the number Jones’ staff must adhere to for this recruiting class.

While speaking with a credible and reliable source, I was told the 30 number is a firm number and he does not know how Jones will get there.  He even went as far as to say Jones has not made a decision on how he will go about getting the numbers down just yet.

While this is a tough situation to be in, it is a great problem to have when trying to rebuild a program.  Having so many high caliber players interested in your program shows what a great job Jones and the rest of his staff have done in recruiting thus far.

Having to tell recruits to look elsewhere is a hard thing to do for a coach who is selling family, but at the end of the day…business is business.

Winning is the name of the game and the Vols must get a mass influx of talent and speed in order to return to glory in the SEC.