Tennessee football must beat South Carolina to regain recruiting edge

It may be lightning in a bottle for Tennessee football. When they face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, this won’t just be a battle between two first-year head coaches needing a win to reach a bowl game.

Something much deeper could be in play. This may be a battle to see who recruits the state of South Carolina better in the future. It’s Josh Heupel’s opportunity to make a statement and gain an edge in Shane Beamer’s backyard.

Right now, the Clemson Tigers are struggling. A narrative is out there that the dynasty will never return. They’re in the top 25 right now but barely, and it’s easy to see them falling out if they lose another game. In fact, it’s easy to see them missing the top 25 altogether.

If Clemson is falling and South Carolina doesn’t look like it’s on the right track under Beamer, Tennessee football is in the perfect position to regain supremacy in that state. There’s precedence for this to happen as well.

When the Vols won their national championship in 1998, their entire defensive line was from South Carolina. Even after that, notable stars like Albert Haynesworth hailed from the state, and into the early 2000s, Phillip Fulmer was good for two or three superstars from there every year.

However, a few things happened. Obviously, Clemson beating the Vols in the Peach Bowl in 2003 didn’t help matters, but in 2005, a major dagger came when Steve Spurrier joined the Gamecocks. Spurrier’s instant credibility allowed him to close off the state in a way other coaches hadn’t.

Then, in 2008, Dabo Swinney took over. He built his program first by accepting UT rejects like Tajh Boyd, who went onto become superstars, and installing an updated spread offense in an outdated ACC. It worked, and by the early 2010s, both South Carolina schools were regular top 25 program. Both teams finished in the top 25 from 2011 to 2013 and in the top 10 in 2012 and 2013.

Make no mistake, the Vols suffered. During that time, they were in the midst of their first run of four straight losing seasons since the first decade of the 1900s. As Spurrier’s luster faded at South Carolina and he retired, there seemed to be an opening, but Swinney had turned Clemson into a powerhouse and was getting everybody he wanted.

From 2009 until last year, at least one of the teams, South Carolina or Clemson, finished in the top 25 every season. Now, though, there’s a real credible threat that neither finishes ranked this year, and honestly, Clemson shouldn’t be there now.

All of this brings us back to Saturday. Tennessee football has the chance of a generation to take back that state on the recruiting front. If the Vols can dominate South Carolina and then build off of that the rest of the way, it could happen just as Clemson fades. Heupel’s momentum would have a lasting impact in that state, and that’s what makes this game so crucial.