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Tennessee football: What went right and what went wrong on National Signing Day 2022

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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West’s Shannon Blair (1) after his touchdown against Powell on Friday, October 18, 2019.Kns West Powell 1018
West’s Shannon Blair (1) after his touchdown against Powell on Friday, October 18, 2019.Kns West Powell 1018 /

What went right No. 2: Huge addition of preferred walk-ons

Although they didn’t add any official recruits, Tennessee football and Josh Heupel loaded up on preferred walk-ons, and those players could count as recruits. Starting on Monday, Heupel began adding a haul of walk-ons to address key needs. He brought in four that day. Then, on National Signing Day, he added six: three in the morning and three in the evening.

Most notable among those additions was Shannon Blair, a three-star defensive back across the board who was actually committed to the Michigan State Spartans. Getting him as a preferred walk-on was a huge steal for Rocky Top.

Later in the day, defensive lineman Camron Douglas, who isn’t listed on ESPN or On3 but does have a three-star rating on Rivals and 247Sports, ended up joining the Vols as well. With these two among the six commitments, Heupel found players who could certainly earn FBS scholarships elsewhere but chose to join Rocky Top.

Both are in-state guys, and they also both address huge needs for UT heading into this year. As a result, while it doesn’t show up in the recruiting rankings, it’s safe to say the Vols are flying under the radar with the preferred walk-ons they have. This could bode well in a very surprising way going forward.

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