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Tennessee football: Ranking position groups in Vols’ 2022 recruiting class with grades

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Detailed view of the checkered endzone at Neyland Stadium during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Chattanooga Mocs on October 11, 2014 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee won the game 45-10. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; A Tennessee Volunteers helmet is seen pregame before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports /

With seven starters gone and an eighth who started half the season last year in the transfer portal, Josh Heupel wasn’t under as much pressure to restock the cupboard for Tennessee football with his 2022 recruiting class. However, he had to address depth concerns at some places, and he had to make sure the future was set up.

Although it’s not likely to be the standard he hopes to set in the future, Heupel did secure a top 25 class across the board with 21 signees. Coming off a 7-6 season and coaching most of the year under the cloud of an NCAA investigation, that was much better than it could have been.

How did Heupel do across each position unit, though? Well, that depends on his needs everywhere and the quality of the talent he brought in. This post will rank every unit and grade it based on those two things. There are five offensive positions, four defensive positions and a special teams unit in general. This is our ranking of each group in Tennessee football’s 2022 class.

10. Special teams: F

Heupel lost his star returner in Velus Jones Jr., which leaves a huge opening there. He also suffered a transfer in long snapper Will Albright. As a result, there are some needs in this role. However, nobody was added, including specialists, kickers, punters or speedsters who could replace Jones in the return game.

Now, to be fair, Albright transferred because Matthew Salansky is the starting long snapper. However, place kicker Chase McGrath and punter Paxton Brooks will have no more years of eligibility after this upcoming year. Kickoff specialist Toby Wilson will be a fifth-year senior.

Taking that into account, Tennessee football needed to add some talent here. They did improve in the walk-on route, but these rankings are specifically based on the Vols’ 2022 scholarship signees, so preferred walk-ons and transfers don’t count. As a result, not having a player in this role naturally gives it an F, but future needs accentuate it.

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