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
Recruiter rankings can be a good indicator of a few different things.
For one, they tell who the best recruiter in the nation is.
But they also tell you how much a school relies on just one guy.
The Vols have three recruiters ranked in the top 40 of 247Sports recruiter rankings list.
Tight ends coach Mark Elder is ranked 24th, linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen is ranked 26th and running backs coach Robert Gillespie is ranked 36th.
Some cynics may look at that list and be disappointed that the Vols don’t have a recruiter higher on the list.
I believe that’s the totally wrong attitude to have and here’s why.
The Auburn Tigers’ co-offensive coordinator, Dameyune Craig, is ranked as the top overall recruiter, but the Tigers don’t have anyone else ranked in the top 100.
Auburn also has the 17th ranked 2014 recruiting class (247Sports).
The Vols on the other hand, have the 4th ranked class, without a recruiter ranked in even the top 20.
Which goes to show that the Vol’s recruiting success is a complete team effort, not defined by one guy.
If Auburn were to lose Craig, where would they turn?
If Tennessee lost Mark Elder, or Tommy Thigpen, as important as they are, Tennessee would still trudge forward, successfully.
Butch Jones has made it clear that one person doesn’t define Tennessee, which is why Vol fans have completely forgot about how important Jay Graham seemingly was. (by the way he’s not ranked in the top 100)
There’s always a silver lining and for the Vols they’re showing up a lot these days.