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

3. Jeremy Pruitt can focus on talent over needs for 2020.

One of the reasons Jeremy Pruitt was so light on the in-state talent for 2019 and couldn’t secure a top 10 recruiting class was where he needed to focus. Tennessee football had glaring holes and immediate needs given the fact that they were so thin on the roster.

Too many players either were not a fit for Pruitt’s pro-style and 3-4 system, key guys graduated, and others were limited due to injury. As a result, he had to spend this class focusing on shoring up specific needs like the historically bad offensive line from 2018. No matter what, Pruitt had to immediately beef up that group.

He also had to build his inside linebacker and secondary depth for the future, especially since those are the two areas that require a specific style of recruiting for the 3-4 defense. And he had to shore up the trenches overall, including at defensive tackle. With all three starters leaving, he even had to get desperate there and sign two junior college guys.

Simply put, the Vols had immediate needs for depth that Pruitt had to fill in 2019, and he sacrificed a recruiting ranking to do so. Now, though, his needs aren’t as pressing. Wide receiver is the only position that needs to be immediately reloaded for 2020.

Outside of that, most of the Vols’ needs will be for 2021. As a result, Pruitt can focus on targeting top guys in this recruiting class and just getting in the elite talent he needs. That should significantly improve his recruiting class. More leeway and flexibility is always a good sign on the recruiting trail, and Pruitt has that now.