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Tennessee football: 10 must-have 2022 in-state football prospects

By Dean Zulkofske

Walter Nolen listens to instruction from a coach Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, during a practice at St. Benedict at Auburndale High School in Cordova.091520 Walternolen 04 Msg
Walter Nolen listens to instruction from a coach Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, during a practice at St. Benedict at Auburndale High School in Cordova.091520 Walternolen 04 Msg /
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Hillsboro’s Jacob Hood blocks during their game against Beech Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.Nas Preps Beech Vs Hillsboro Photos 211
Hillsboro’s Jacob Hood blocks during their game against Beech Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Nashville, Tenn.Nas Preps Beech Vs Hillsboro Photos 211 /

The dust has all but settled from the first National Signing Day for Tennessee football, leaving the floor open for new head coach Josh Heupel to begin recruiting his own players to Rocky Top. Luckily, the former UCF Knights head coach won’t have to look far to find elite-level talent for his first recruiting class in Knoxville.

Heupel emphasized in his first press conference that recruiting the state of Tennessee was crucial, he is is overflowing with opportunity in the 2022 in-state class. According to the 247 Sports’ composite rankings, the average rating of the top 10 players in this year’s in-state class ranks among the best over the last five years, evenly matched with 2020 and better than 2019.

Obviously, the Vols can’t land all of these names, nor are they really expected to, but landing most of them is paramount in providing Heupel and his staff a healthy stable of talent. Here are the top 10 in-state prospects for Tennessee football to pursue. All rankings are according to the 247 Sports Composite rankings which take into account rankings from all major recruiting services.

10. Jacob Hood – Offensive Lineman

Hometown: Nashville, Tenn. (Hillsboro High School)

Junior college transfer Jeremiah Crawford is the one player Josh Heupel was able to recruit and sign himself in the Vols’ 2021 recruiting class, and it’s no coincidence that he plays offensive line. That’s an area of desperate need for the Vols.

It’s clear the Vols need to rebuild their depth there, especially given the losses of guys like Trey Smith, Wanya Morris and Jahmir Johnson for this year alone. Given where he focused his limited recruiting efforts in 2021, Heupel knows that.

As a result, he’s likely continue to to target more offensive linemen in 2022. Jacob Hood would be a good start. Hood is the No. 15 ranked player in the state of Tennessee on 247Sports Composite, and while averaging out as a three-star, he does have a four-star rating on Rivals. As a result, he’d be a in-state solid addition to Tennessee football in 2022.

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