Biggest takeaway: No big surprises
In spite of the walk-ons and nobody committing, Tennessee football had no big surprises on National Signing Day. The biggest one may have been nobody getting a commitment from Giovanni Davis, as the Vols seemed like the heavy favorite to land him.
Still, UT entered the day with 21 commitments and 20 signees, and they left with 21 signees. Nothing unexpected good or bad happened to them. The walk-ons may have been the positive surprise to outweigh Davis, particularly Shannon Blair’s commitment, but once again, that wasn’t a big surprise given what had already happened.
Most of the splash news happened during the Early Signing Period, and that was the case for Rocky Top more than it was for other programs. UT came in with a top 25 class and a top 20 class across most services, and they walked out with one. None of the services moved them more than two spots.
Of course, this doesn’t mean Heupel’s done putting together his 2022 roster. Tennessee football still has multiple scholarships available, and the Vols will likely add more talent via the transfer portal going forward. With the way that, early signing and NIL deals have changed the sport, National Signing Day clearly isn’t what it used to be.