Tennessee football: 5 strongest states for Vols in 2019
1. Tennessee
Number of players: 40 (5 newcomers)
Key talent: Jauan Jennings, Ty Chandler, Daniel Bituli
As national as Jeremy Pruitt is trying to go to build Tennessee football, and it is indeed more notable than you would think, the core of the talent still remains in-state. And heading into this year, the Vols have a team built around veterans from within the state.
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There are still dozens of players from the state, and many of the key players hail from Tennessee as well. UT’s roster is already made up of seven guaranteed starters from the state, and there are two other players who are major favorites to start. One, Trey Smith, depends on health, while Emmit Gooden is still the top defensive lineman so far on the roster this year.
But the standouts are Jauan Jennings, Ty Chandler, Daniel Bituli, Alontae Taylor, Ryan Johnson and both the kicker and the punter, Brent Cimaglia and Joe Doyle. Jennings and Chandler are the Vols’ top two defensive playmakers, and Bituli could become the top player on the defense this year. Johnson is the most versatile offensive lineman, and Taylor’s future is very bright at cornerback.
By the way, we don’t know Gooden’s potential, and Smith is clearly the best offensive lineman when he’s healthy. So these guaranteed starters aren’t just starters, they are among the best players on the Vols. Then there’s Riley Lovingood, a long-snapper who is one of the elite snappers out there.
Although Pruitt recruited Georgia more heavily with this past class, he still got some talent from Tennessee, and three of his five commitments from there are four-star recruits. Then guys like Jerome Carvin, Jeremy Banks, K’Rojhn Calbert, Greg Emerson, Maleik Gray, Theo Jackson, LaTrell Bumphus and Austin Pope all figure to fight for significant playing time as well.
Next. Vol football's top 30 players since 1998. dark
However national Tennessee football ever goes under Pruitt, and this breakdown already proves they’re trying to do that, it’s clear they need to continue to close off their home state. Even this roster is dependent on in-state talent, and despite being more specific about who he gets, Pruitt knows he needs to get the elite players from the state to keep winning.