‘It’s going to be a great deal for us:Good news for Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee Volunteers’ Early Signing Day Preview for the Class of 2023

Fans of the Tennessee Volunteers are happy after the team finished the regular season with 10 wins and a trip to the New Year’s Six bowl. Tennessee hasn’t had a better season in nearly 20 years than this one. When Tennessee last made a NY6 bowl, this website wasn’t even around! For some of us, these are unknown waters!

Presumably, the good news will continue throughout the Early Signing Period. It’s likely that you already know more about recruiting than 99 percent of fans if you’re reading this article. As you are also aware, the regular signing day used to be in February, but a few years ago, the Early Signing Period/Day in December took center stage and became the main event. To be honest, I thought the dates in February were better.

You most likely just want to get right to it, though, as you didn’t come here to hear what I think. What Early Signing Day activities can you expect in Tennessee, and is there anything you should know before you put pen to paper?

I’m going to use Early Signing Day and Early Signing Period interchangeably to make things easier. Additionally, I’ll just use ESP and ESD as acronyms.

The Early Signing Period: What Is It?

Prospective student athletes have three days to sign their National Letter of Intent (NLI) during the Early Signing Period. For football, this is the Early Signing Period. The ESP for this year will take place from December 21 to December 23.

You’re not going crazy, I assure you. There is not much time left for early signing. The dates of last year’s were December 15–17. A week later this year, there have been numerous grievances raised regarding how near the holidays are. This coming weekend, the 16th, is the last recruiting weekend. A recruiting dead period starts on December 19. which implies that recruits and coaches can only communicate by phone.

Most college football recruits will sign between the 21st and the 23rd. There are very few high school athletes who are unsigned after ESP. They may be unable to sign due to special circumstances or concerns about their academic performance.

What is it that we ought to be focusing on?

We are officially in the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) era. Now that college athletes are eligible for compensation, more opportunities have arisen. There are undoubtedly a ton of illegal NIL deals in addition to the numerous legal NIL deals, and everything in between. If a recruit in the top 500 has committed to you, chances are good that you offered them compensation linked to NIL.

Tennessee has undoubtedly benefited initially from this state of affairs. However, our second full recruiting cycle with NIL involved is quickly approaching. When signing day arrives, there is a possibility of much more activity and surprises.

I’m just stating my general observation about the scene, not that I’ve heard rumblings behind the scenes. Tennessee, in my opinion, is better equipped and has the ability to put up stronger defenses than many other teams. However, we should all be conscious of the small amount of uncertainty that still exists.

What is the current status of Tennessee’s recruiting class for 2023?

Right now, Tennessee’s 2023 class is outstanding. Tennessee has 25 commitments, good for ninth place overall. Thirteen of the 25 commits are top-tier recruits. Among them, four rank among the top 100. After everything is said and done, there is still room for the Volunteers to advance in the class. In the current recruiting environment, the Volunteers are realistically getting close to their ceiling.

Beyond Tennessee’s star power and rankings, there’s more to this story: Tennessee has been incredibly effective at filling in its roster gaps. I made a similar observation during the Jeremy Pruitt administration, when Tennessee had good overall talent in the classes but lacked quality in certain position groups.

It’s not the same issue for Josh Heupel and his team.

The shortcomings of Tennessee’s secondary have been evident to all. Tennessee’s defensive back class aims to address that. Three elite defensive backs, including two cornerbacks in 4-star Rickey Gibson and 4-star Jordan Matthews, are currently committed to the Volunteers. In the class, they also have three more defensive backs. They are better depth than what Tennessee used in the last few weeks of the regular season, even though they are not blue chips.

That was but one illustration out of many. They are basically hiring new talent for every position where they might need assistance (and some where they don’t). Right now, there isn’t really a weakness in the class.

The list isn’t very long. Tennessee does have some space in the class, but not much. Tennessee probably only has space for one or two of the names on the above list. Transfer portal targets would likely take up the remaining available roster spots. Tennessee is expected to be quite active there, and we’re monitoring any offers they make.

Gadson is an odd circumstance. Rumor has it that he is not accepted into FSU’s class for whatever reason (I’ve heard that grades are the main issue). Although I am unable to evaluate the veracity of those rumors, I am aware that something is happening. Recently, Gadson traveled to Kentucky, and Rodney Garner paid him a recruiting visit at his home. Pay attention to this one. Although he has stated that he will not be signing in December, you never know if a team will give him the go-ahead.

I could see Tennessee giving Scott the go-ahead to sign early or persuading him to wait until February if they don’t succeed on Early Signing Day.

Writing this section is not easy. Seldom have there been rumors that any of Tennessee’s current recruits are actively looking for work elsewhere. With Tennessee having had such a great season and a strong NIL presence, I’m guessing that most people are booked and eager to get to Knoxville. I could try to make some educated guesses about commits who might be affiliated with other universities, but that would be all. Conjecture.