Tennessee 2021 Signing Class Superlatives

The Early signing period came and went for Tennessee without much surprise. Dylan Brooks was able to keep his signing quiet for roughly two weeks before announcing it, and Jeremy Pruitt's staff was able to keep the bulk of their class intact, but there are still some outliers with questions about their future. Tennessee seems more likely to hit the transfer market over the next few months, so we will do our signing class superlatives early this year.

Cornerstone: For the past two years, this award has gone to a player from the state of Georgia with Wanya Morris (2019) and Harrison Bailey (2020). However, this year, it is headed elsewhere. Dylan Brooks is as vital of a recruit as any in this class, and he helped springboard it early on. His length and explosive off the edge is something that the Vols had to have. Kaidon Salter joined the class shortly after Brooks, and the duo has remained two of Tennessee's top national recruits. The Vols sold Salter's dynamic ability to multiple players in this class. He is a guy they have coveted since early in the Spring, and he is a big recruiting win for Tennessee and the cornerstone of the class. This one is just too close to call, so Salter will be the offensive cornerstone, while Brooks earned the defensive cornerstone piece.

Steal of the Class: I rarely get to write about someone from my area because, as many of you know, I live in a small town near no major cities, but Christian Charles is the steal of the class for me, and not just for the proximity to home. On and off the field, Charles is everything Tennessee should want in a football player. Coming out of the Gainesville (Ga.) area, just a little over an hour from me, Charles's name is among A.J. Johnson and Deshaun Watson as the best football players to come out of the area in recent years. Charles has played offense for most of his career, but much like Bryce Thompson, he is as versatile of a player as you will find. Jeremy Pruitt should be chomping at the bit to get him to Knoxville. He is a guy that will have no bad tendencies to go along with a high IQ, which should make for a great developmental opportunity for Pruitt and Co.

Usain Bolt Award: This award always goes to the guy with the best top-end speed in the class, and that is Jaylen Wright this year. The touted running back from Durham (N.C.). Wright is one of the top sprinters in the entire country; in fact, his 55-meters time was the fastest in the country at one point. He has been clocked at 6.25 seconds on the 55-meters, making him an easy choice for this award.Wright will get a chance to showcase his game-breaking speed once he arrives in Knoxville.

Pancake Award: This award goes to the best offensive lineman, and Tennessee's class is currently thin with just J'Marion Gooch and William Parker in the mix. Both have tremendous upside, but Parker is the winner of the award this time. He is a road-grader on the offensive line, and he is probably one of Tennessee's best evaluations in the entire class. He has an opportunity to be exceptional at the college level.

Paul Hornung Award: This is our version of the most versatile player in the class award, and it goes to Kaemen Marley. The 6-2 205 pounds athlete from North Carolina could play more than four different positions for Tennessee and impact either side of the ball. Marley's highlight film is literally stacked with nothing but touchdowns in all three phases of the game. Finding his true fit in Rocky Top is going to be interesting to watch.

Biggest Recruiting Miss: This one goes to Nyland Green, and it stung for Tennessee. Green's recruitment was filled with ups and downs for months, and Tennessee was virtually a non-contender for a stretch, but Derrick Ansley refused to go away. In fact, Tennessee vaulted to the top late in the process, so much that I sat down privately and discussed with Green why he was committing to Tennessee. Those commitment plans never came to fruition, and that Interview is long gone. Still, he ended up at Georgia, and the Vols were left without an immediate impact player at a critical position of need. Green is the prototypical defensive back that Pruitt and Ansley have coveted for the last decade, and his ball skills may be better than all of them. This was easily the biggest miss for the Vols.

Flip Award: This was easy to choose, as J'Marion Gooch was the biggest (literally and figuratively) flip in the class. Tennessee was surprised when Gooch opted for Auburn early in the cycle, but he ultimately returned to Tennessee. The Vols never stopped pursuing him, and it paid off. Gooch brings a massive presence to Tennessee's offensive line.

Fan Favorite: This is obviously from outside observations and watching interactions on social media. This award goes to Cody Brown. Tennessee fans desperately wanted the bowling ball of a running back from Parkview (Ga.). During the recruiting tear in the late Spring, nothing was good enough until Browm joined the class. Tennessee fans have long waited for CB7's time in Knoxville, and rightfully so, as Brown capped an unfathomable prep career by rushing for over 5,000 yards.

Biggest De-Commitment: One could be inclined to give this to Hudson Wolfe because of how bare Tennessee's tight end room is, but the Vols have options there. They still lack a true cornerback in the class, and that is something they have to have. The Vols coveted Damarius McGhee, but the allure of LSU was too much. McGhee's de-commitment hurt the Vols, and they are still searching for answers at the position.

Unsung Hero: This award easily goes to Aaron Willis. He saw an opportunity at Tennessee, and he never wavered in his commitment. Willis moved high schools to play football this fall when his season at St. Frances was shut down, and he had an impressive showing as a sideline-to-sideline striker. He supported Tennessee in everything he did, and he is a key piece in the linebacker room with the opportunity to see the field early on. 

Favorite Interview: I speak for our entire staff when I say this award easily goes to William Parker. There was not a time that he was not all smiles and jokes during the process. He was very excited when I broke down his commitment with him beforehand, and you can always hear his excitement through the phone. He is just excited for the opportunity ahead of him, and he does not shy away from the media at all. Nyland Green was also a fun one to do. Green would speak rain or shine, win or loss. He always brought a fun side to things.

Recruiter of the Year: You can go a couple of different directions with this, which is why we had a tie with Jay Graham and Joe Osovet. Both of these guys were key in building Tennessee's 2020 class. Graham landed his top running back targets, and Osovet hit on multiple tight ends in addition to guys like Aaron Willis. It was a solid cycle for these two assistants.

Biggest Recruiting Win: Another category with many options, but this goes to a duo of JuCo stars. The Vols coveted Tiyon Evans at running back, and he is the most likely of any in the class to make an early impact, while Byron Young brings a huge addition off the edge for Tennessee. Tennessee needed both of these guys in the class, and they both have three years left to play, which sweetens the deal even more.