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Tennessee football: Ranking position groups in Vols 2021 recruiting class with grades

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 29: A general view of Neyland Stadium during the South Carolina Gamecocks game against the Tennessee Volunteers on October 29, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 18: Detail view of footballs lined up on the field before the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won 31-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 18: Detail view of footballs lined up on the field before the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Florida won 31-17. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Running back: A-

Number of signees: 3 (4 with Kaemen Marley)

This was needed given what Tennessee football lost. Eric Gray, the Vols’ top offensive producer this past year, transferred to the Oklahoma Sooners. Ty Chandler, one of their top producers, transferred to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

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With both running backs gone, the Vols had a ton of work to do here. Well, they got it immediately with the commitment of Cody Brown. A four-star across the board, Brown could immediately be one of the players in the system next year. He stands at 6’0″ and somewhere between 210 and 220 pounds, making him more of a complete back.

Then there is Tiyon Evans. A junior college transfer, Evans brings immediate experience, and he is a four-star on 247Sports and ESPN. That means the Vols offset their losses with quality, quantity and some experience.

However, for good measure, they also added Jaylen Wright, who is a three-star across the board. Losing two guys and bringing in three, one of whom is unanimously considered elite, another with experience and another for depth, are all huge deals.

We also come back to Kaemen Marley here, another four-star. There is an off-chance he plays running back as well, and that has to count toward this grade. If he did move here, then the unit would earn an A.

Next. Five reasons Josh Heupel hire could work out for Vols. dark

Overall, Tennessee football was lucky that there was an Early Signing Period this year. Josh Heupel has the best recruiting class for any first-year UT head coach since Derek Dooley, and that could be a big help down the road. The running backs are a key part of that.

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