Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols will have top 5 2020 recruiting class

5. There’s more talent in the state of Tennessee for 2020 than 2019.

Tennessee football built its two top 5 classes under Butch Jones with legacy players and securing all of the highly-rated local talent. Jeremy Pruitt, to his credit, was not going to go for an in-state guy just because he had a high ranking and was in the state.

In fact, there were certain players that the Vols notably didn’t target too much, such as Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver commitment Trey Knox. Pruitt’s focus was getting players who wouldn’t be overhyped and who would fit his system, which is why Jackson Lampley and Eric Gray were elite in-state targets he got.

This year, though, the in-state talent should be better. There are already more four-stars in the state than there were last year, and they haven’t even played their senior season. In fact, there is a five-star in the class in outside linebacker Reggie Grimes, and the 2019 class had no five-stars.

Also, the number of East Tennessee elite prospects are much higher. Six four-star recruits are from a place in Tennessee east of Nashville, whether it be Murfreesboro, Chattanooga, Maryville or, in three cases, Knoxville. In 2019, there were only four four-star recruits from a place east of the Nashville area, and all four of them were from Murfreesboro.

Simply put, the Vols have a lot more local options this year when it comes to elite talent, and that should make things easier on Pruitt and his staff. Add in that the prospects cover six different positions, and Pruitt has a wide range of talent to choose from.