10. 2015 – Butch Jones
2014 record: 7-6 (3-5); W TaxSlayer Bowl
Number of NFL Draft picks: 0
Yes, this one made two lists that are similar to Jeremy Pruitt: Draft classes after a Tennessee football head coach’s second season and draft classes after a season in which the Vols made a bowl game but did not finish ranked. Just like it was with the previous list we did, not having anybody taken is naturally going to have this class at the bottom of the list.
However, there is a caveat, which is why it was No. 9 on the last list. Jones’ class did have two undrafted free agents sign. Justin Coleman is now the highest paid nickel in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, and he won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. So people can’t overlook just how solid he has been in the pros.
Meanwhile, A.J. Johnson would have been a first rounder had legal charges not cut short his senior season in 2014. Those charges didn’t allow him to get back on the field until 2018, after he was acquitted that summer. However, he then signed with the Denver Broncos and worked his way into the starting lineup this past year.
As a result, this class potentially could have been higher, although with only two guys, it still belongs near the bottom. The other light classes have a couple of players, or at least one, who lasted longer than these two, although they are still playing, so things could change in the future. This class was largely light for the same reason the 2014 team was unranked: extreme youth.