Butch Jones’ motto in building the University of Tennessee football program since he took over in 2013 has been “brick-by-brick,” but Wednesday on National Signing Day, Tennessee’s head coach added a bucket hat and a bow-tie to the mix.
For the second year in a row Jones has brought a top five recruiting class to Tennessee, this time his 17 players added Wednesday to the 10 already early-enrolled at UT was good enough for a No. 4 ranking, behind only Alabama, USC and Florida State.
“I understand that with this class comes great expectations and very rightfully so,” Jones said at his press conference Wednesday. “I’m going to sit here like I do every signing day and guard against that in terms of these are still 17 and 18 year old individuals. They are still going to develop at their own pace. Things don’t get changed overnight.”
But they can get a lot better. And it all started with five-star defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie, the No. 6 ranked prospect in the country and an early commit to Tennessee. McKenzie has been an ambassador for the program since he made his decision and his trademark bucket hat was converted to the team logo for this year’s recruiting class.
“Kahlil helped us immensely, and it was all his doing,” Jones said. “Again, he took great pride in this recruiting class. He forged relationships with every single individual within this recruiting class. I believe they had a group chat, and you could feel that closeness, that bond. When he came on his official visit, you could see he was the alpha male or the alpha dog.”
While McKenzie may have been the biggest get of the class, offensive tackle Drew Richmond may have been the most important. The four-star lineman had only recently de-committed from Ole Miss and was coveted by many schools. Richmond asked Jones to wear a bow tie if he chose to come to Tennessee. Wednesday, Richmond made his choice and Jones updated his wardrobe. Where Richmond would end up was a mystery to the Vols up until the last minute.
“We knew we had a great opportunity, but he wanted to make me work right to the end,” Jones said. “Even prior to ten minutes before he signed, he called me thanking me and he said, ‘Will you still love me if I don’t come to the University of Tennessee?’ I told him love was conditional on some things. But, we are really fortunate to have him and really excited about his future here.”
While Richmond may have “completed the class,” to quote Jones, he was one of five offensive linemen secured by the Vols. Jack Jones out of Murfreesboro, Tenn. is a four-star tackle and ranked No. 9 nationally to go along with three three-star offensive linemen including 6-foot-4, 295-pound Zach Stewart who played for Class A Coalfield High School just 30 minutes outside Knoxville.
Three four-star quarterbacks will add depth after the departure of back-up Nathan Peterman to Pitt. Juan Jennings from Murfreesboro, Tenn. and Sheriron Jones from Moreno Valley, Calif. bring similar skills to the position as current Tennessee starter Joshua Dobbs. Quenten Dormady out of Boerne, Texas was the No. 12-ranked Pro Style quarterback in the country and could add another dimension to the offense if he can win the job in a couple of years. With the departure of Peterman, Dobbs was the only QB on scholarship at Tennessee.
While Jones bulked up his team on both the offensive and defensive lines, this class was poor on the skill positions with just one running back, four-star JuCo transfer Alvin Kamara the only running back to sign. Four-star Preston Williams was the only wide receiver added, with three-star athlete John Kelly from Oak Park, Mich. also a possible offensive addition, though UT is expected to blueshirt two possible offensive athletes, Jocquez Bruce from Knoxville, Tenn. and Vincent Perry from Hillsboro, Tenn.
“With this class, we had to go coast-to-coast,” Jones said. “I think we have proven that Tennessee is a national brand. I think we have proven that we have the respect around the country of what we’re building here at Tennessee.”
Tennessee Volunteers 2015 Football Recruiting Class
- Kahlil McKenzie (6-3, 354) – Concord, Calif. – Defensive Tackle – Five Stars
- Kyle Phillips (6-3, 250) – Nashville, Tenn. – Defensive End – Four Stars
- Alvin Kamara (5-10, 210) – Hutchinson, Kansas – Running Back – Four Stars
- Shy Tuttle (6-3, 320) – Lexington, N.C. – Defensive Tackle – Four Stars
- Jack Jones (6-5, 290) – Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Offensive Tackle – Four Stars
- Darrin Kirkland Jr. (6-1, 223) – Indianapolis, Ind. – Linebacker – Four Stars
- Juan Jennings (6-4, 188) – Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Quarterback – Four Stars
- Quinten Dormady (6-4, 200) – Boerne, Texas – Quarterback – Four Stars
- Andrew Butcher (6-2, 242) – Alpharetta, Ga. – Defensive End – Four Stars
- Preston Williams (6-4, 191) – Hampton, Ga. – Wide Receiver – Four Stars
- Drew Richmond (6-5, 310) – Memphis, Tenn. – Offensive Tackle – Four Stars
- Micah Abernathy (6-1, 187) – Norcross, Ga. – Cornerback – Four Stars
- Quart’e Sapp (6-1, 200) – Alpharetta, Ga. – Linebacker – Four Stars
- Justin Martin (6-2, 190) – Miami, Okla. – Cornerback – Four Stars
- Sheriron Jones (6-2, 191) – Moreno Valley, Calif. – Quarterback – Four Stars
- Darrell Taylor (6-4, 230) – Hopewell, Va. – Defensive End – Four Stars
- Vencell Boulware (6-4, 290) – Fairburn, Ga. – Offensive Tackle – Three Stars
- Chance Hall (6-5, 305) – Roanoka, Va. – Offensive Tackle – Three Stars
- Stephen Griffin (6-3, 190) – Charlotte, N.C. – Safety – Three Stars
- Quay Picou (6-2, 271) – Buford, Ga. – Defensive Tackle – Three Stars
- John Kelly (5-10, 203) – Oak Park, Mich. – Athlete – Three Stars
- Zach Stewart (6-4, 295) – Coalfield, Tenn. – Offensive Tackle – Three Stars
- Austin Smith (6-3, 235) – Buford, Ga. – Linebacker – Three Stars
- Kyle Oliver (6-5, 230) – Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Tight End – Three Stars
- Darrell Miller (5-10, 171) – Cedar Hill, Texas – Cornerback – Three Stars
- Tommy Townsend (6-1, 168) – Orlando, Fla. – Punter – Three Stars
- Vincent Perry (5-11, 170) – Nashville, Tenn. – Athlete – Three Stars
- Jocquez Bruce (5-10, 165) – Knoxville, Tenn. – Athlete – Three Stars
- Riley Lovingood (6-1, 240) – Hendersonville, Tenn. – Long Snapper – Two Stars
