Apr 20, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the first half of the spring Orange and White game at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
I know it’s only June 1 and we are still 8 1/2 months until National Signing Day, but Butch Jones and Co. are on a roll! The Vols now stand at 15 total commitments for the class of 2014 with the recent verbals from Joe Henderson and Chris Weatherd, and there are still a plethora of targets left on the board. UT currently sits atop the Rivals rankings for 2014 and the possible commits over the coming months have the Volunteer faithful very excited.
Four-star Linebacker Dillon Bates has set his announcement date for July 2nd or 3rd and many expect him to choose the Vols. Other Linebackers Kevin Mouhon and Greg Miclisse have not been shy about Tennessee being at the top of their lists. Wide Receiver Dominique Booth was set to commit on May 24, but pushed making his decision until after the summer. Other top targets the Vols are very much in the mix for include, but are not limited to:
WR Josh Malone
DE Kevin Barnett and Dewayne Hendrix
DT Poona Ford, Michael Sawyers, and Charles Mosley
CB Wesley Green and DJ Smith
S Rashaan Gaulden and Cortez McDowell
While UT is very high in the recruiting rankings, it is important to understand we are a long way away from signing day and the biggest challenge will be keeping the players that have already committed.
With Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, and other perennial powerhouses lurking, the UT coaching staff still has their work cut out for them.