Tennessee Football Recruiting 2016 National Signing Day Recap: Vols Snag Top 15 Class

Tennessee football jumped seven spots on National Signing Day 2016 with some huge commitments. The Volunteers closed with the No. 14 ranked class.

After one of the best offseason months in Tennessee football history, the Vols brought on an encore with a strong National Signing Day on Wednesday.

After two straight overloaded Top five classes and a ton of players returning, Butch Jones and Tennessee were limited in terms of how many players they could sign this class. But they managed to pull through with 21 signees, including one five star and 10 four stars according to Rivals.

The result was the No. 14 ranked recruiting class and the No. 6 ranked class in the SEC.

Understanding that this is not acceptable on a regular basis for Tennessee football, it was okay this year given the circumstances of the program at this point. They simply don’t need a huge class at this point.

Here are the players who signed with the Vols for their 2016 class.

In the Clubhouse (17 COMMITTED) (Rivals Star Count Next to Name)

Who’s Enrolled?

• Marquill Osborne—4 Star—Defensive Back—Charlotte, N.C. (Hough H.S.)—5’11” 183 lbs

Junior College

• Jeff George—4 Star—Wide Receiver—Dodge City, Kansas (Dodge City C.C.)—6’6″ 190 lbs
• Desmond Henderson—3 Star—Defensive Back—Dodge City, Kansas (Dodge City C.C.)—6’1″ 180 lbs
• Alexis Johnson—4Star—Defensive Tackle—Fort Scott, Kansas (Fort Scott C.C.)—6’4″ 295 lbs

Who’s Committed?

• Daniel Bituli—4 Star—Linebacker—Nashville, Tenn. (Nashville Christian School)—6’3″ 228 lbs
• Ja’Quain Blakely—4 Star—Linebacker—Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County H.S.)—6’2″ 210 lbs
• Devante Brooks—3 Star—Tight End—Washington, D.C. (St. John’s College H.S.)—6’5″ 225 lbs
• Baylen Buchanan—3 Star—Defensive Back—Suwanee, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge H.S.)—5’11” 187 lbs
• Tyler Byrd—4 Star—Cornerback—Naples, Fla. (Naples H.S.)—5’11” 160 lbs
• Marquez Callaway—4 Star—Athlete—Warner Robins, Ga. (Warner Robins H.S.)—6’2″ 170 lbs
• Carlin Fils-aime—3 Star—Running Back—Naples, Fla. (Naples H.S.)—5’11” 175 lbs
• Jarrett Guarantano—4-Star—Quarterback—Oradell, N.J. (Bergen Catholic H.S.)—6’4″ 188 lbs
• Corey Henderson—3 Star—Athlete—Shreveport, La. (Evangel Christian H.S.)—6’1″ 170 lbs
• Brandon Johnson—3 Star—Wide Receiver—Plantation, Fla. (American Heritage H.S.)—6’2″ 175 lbs
• Ryan Johnson—4 Star—Offensive Lineman—Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy)—6’6″ 275 lbs
• Nathan Niehaus—3 Star—Offensive Lineman—Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain H.S.)—6’6″ 255 lbs
• Austin Pope—3 Star—Tight End—Knoxville, Tenn. (Christian Academy of Knoxville)—6’4″ 218 lbs
• Marcus Tatum—3 Star—Offensive Lineman—Daytona Beach, Fla. (Mainland H.S.)—6’6″ 254 lbs
• Nigel Warrior—4 Star—Defensive Back—Suwanee, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge H.S.)—5’11” 189 lbs
• Latrell Williams—2 Star—Wide Receiver—Lake City, Fla. (Columbia H.S.)—5’11” 175 lbs

Junior College

• Jonathan Kongbo—5 Star—Defensive End—Yuma, Ariz. (Arizona Western C.C.)—6’6″ 260 lbs

Top Storylines

1. Tennessee loads up on position needs for the future

The Vols are clearly set for 2016, and they would have been set without one recruit coming in for this class. But with limited available scholarships, Butch Jones and the coaching staff did a tremendous job of making sure to fill the voids that will be left in the future.

That starts with defensive backs. Jones signed five, including another legacy player in four-star safety Dale Carter, four-star Marquill Osborne, and a flipped commitment in four-star cornerback Tyler Byrd the night before Signing Day. He also picked up another elite quarterback, three offensive linemen, and two linebackers as well.

This class is the perfect class to make sure the Vols do not miss a beat once they inevitably lose a ton of talent following the 2016 season. And that was crucial.

2. Butch Jones’s staff changes made a huge impact

When Larry Scott was hired three days after the Outback Bowl victory over the Northwestern Wildcats, we called it the best position coach hire that would happen in all of college football. It only took one 2016 recruiting class for us to be proven right.

The hire of Scott had a huge impact on two skill players flipping their commitments from the University of Miami, including a four-star cornerback in Tyler Byrd and a two-star receiver in Latrell Williams who is a heck of a lot faster than his ranking indicates.

Then you add Bob Shoop, and Tennessee recruiting took off. Byrd’s commitment obviously helped there, as did sealing the deal with Nigel Warrior and bringing back Jonathan Kongbo. Add in Marquez Callaway, and you have six players, at least five who were elite, who may have committed to Tennessee due to Butch Jones’s staff hires.

3. Butch Jones is all in for 2016

Amidst a solid recruiting class with a heavy focus on filling the needs for the future, Butch Jones and the coaching staff made sure they had the roster stocked for a potential national title in 2016. Sure, this class did little more than add depth to the unit.

But Jones’s biggest effort in recruiting was adding his one five-star, a junior college transfer in Jonathan Kongbo. Kongbo is also a defensive lineman, going to an already elite unit for Tennessee. The biggest thing that shows is that Jones wanted to beef up his biggest strength for 2016 to make sure he is best positioned to win a national title.

This showed with the hires of Larry Scott and Bob Shoop, who could be gone in a year if they elevate their profiles. But Jones is very aware that 2016 is his make or break year. And he’s doing everything possible to make sure it’s a great year.