GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

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Top247 Baltimore LB commits to Tennessee May 10, 2020

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GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown — convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 Maryland linebacker linebacker Aaron Willis’ Sunday commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols stayed crazy hot on the trail by adding their second elite player from powerhouse St. Frances Academy in two days, and their third in the past two years.

What kind of prospect is Willis? Where does he fit into the plans for Tennessee’s defense? Is he potentially a plug-and-play type? What does his commitment mean for Tennessee’s class moving forward? Those are the primary points of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Top247 Baltimore DL commits to Tennessee May 09, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown — convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 Maryland defensive lineman KaTron Evans’ Saturday commitment to Tennessee.

Evans — the nation’s No. 179 overall prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite — chose Tennessee over a list of at least 40 other offers, including some of the top programs in the current college landscape.

What kind of prospect is the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Evans? Is he definitely a nose guard, or can he play other spots up front? How important is the pipeline Tennessee is building to national powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore? What does this addition mean for the rest of Tennessee’s class, especially along the defensive front? What’s next for the red-hot Vols on the recruiting trail? Those are the primary points of discussion in this breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Tennessee: The new 'it' program in recruiting? May 05, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan, and Patrick Brown convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the ridiculous run of commitments that took Tennessee from No. 17 to No. 2 nationally in 247Sports Team Recruiting rankings in just nine days.

Five-star edge rusher Dylan Brooks got the party started with his somewhat unexpected commitment to the Vols, and the rest is history. After eight commitments in nine days, the Vols now sit behind only Ohio State in the national rankings.

After spending the past two weeks discussing the individual trees, this episode takes a step back and discusses the forest. How did Tennessee get this done? How much longer can this heater last? Where do the Vols go from there? Those are the main questions discussed in this episode — the first episode we’ve ever done as a full staff from four separate locations, so bear with us as we work out these quarantine kinks.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Friday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Top247 North Carolina OL commits to Tennessee May 04, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 offensive lineman Colby Smith's commitment to Tennessee.

A torrid stretch of eight commitments in nine days has pushed Tennessee into the No. 2 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting rankings, but this episode primarily focuses on the newest addition to the class.

What kind of prospect is Smith? How did Tennessee turn a kid who admittedly grew up a North Carolina fan? Does Smith definitely project at offensive tackle moving forward? How much development will he need before getting in the mix to play? What does his addition mean for the rest of Tennessee’s O-line recruiting plans in this cycle? Which prospects might jump into the boat next? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Tuesday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Top247 RB commits to surging Tennessee May 03, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 running back Cody Brown’s commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols have been on an absolute bender in the past week, adding seven commitments — all from touted prospects with big offers — and surging into the No. 3 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings.

Again, it’s tough to keep up with torrid Tennessee on the trail these days, but this episode nonetheless touches on tons of topics in only one, easily-digestible segment.

What kind of prospect is Brown? Where does he fit into the future of Tennessee’s backfield? Is Tennessee finally getting the kind of running backs Jeremy Pruitt and his staff wanted from the beginning? How are the Vols staying so ridiculously hot on the recruiting trail? Who might be the next to jump into the boat? How can a Rucker and a Brown commit to Tennessee on the same day while those named Ramey and Callahan do nothing for the Vols? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released early this week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

BREAKING: Another touted Florida DB picks Vols May 03, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss touted Florida safety De’Shawn Rucker’s commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols have been on an absolute bender in the past week, adding six commitments — all from touted prospects with big offers — and surging into the No. 3 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings.

It’s tough to keep up with torrid Tennessee on the trail these days, but this episode nonetheless touches on tons of topics in only one, easily-digestible segment.

What kind of prospect is Rucker? Does he project as more of a safety or a versatile player in the Tennessee secondary? How did the Vols convince him to pick them despite an offer sheet that included Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, the Big Three in Florida and many, many more? How in the world has Tennessee done what it’s done in the past week? Who’s the next domino to potentially fall into the Vols’ lap? What does this commitment mean for the rest of Tennessee’s 2021 class? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released early this week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

BREAKING: Five-star Florida LB commits to Tennessee Apr 30, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss five-star South Florida linebacker Terrence Lewis' commitment to Tennessee.

Lewis, the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 outside linebacker prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite, became the fourth elite prospect to commit to Tennessee in an absolutely wild recruiting week for Jeremy Pruitt and his program.

There’s plenty of things to squeeze into this one-segment episode, but that’s what was done.

How in the world did Tennessee get this hot during the COVID-19 quarantine period? What kind of prospect is Lewis? Where does Lewis project positionally at Tennessee? How much is peer recruiting helping the Vols at the moment? Where could things be going now in this class? Will some prospects feel the need to try getting a spot now, while they can? Those are the main topics of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released by Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

'20 NFL Draft review, '21 NFL Draft preview Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house at an undisclosed location) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the 2020 NFL Draft that was and the 2021 NFL Draft would be as they related to the Vols.

It wasn’t supposed to be a big draft for the Vols in 2020, especially after star offensive lineman Trey Smith chose to return to school for his senior season, and it definitely wasn’t a big draft. Two Vols came off the board, though, with edge rusher Darrell Taylor going to the Seattle Seahawks in the second round and wide receiver Jauan Jennings going to the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round.

Several more Vols were quickly snatched up as free agents after the draft, though, with wide receiver Marquez Callaway going to the New Orleans Saints, safety Nigel Warrior going to the Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson joining Taylor in Seattle. Another former Tennessee star — inside linebacker Daniel Bituli — wasn’t selected and hasn’t signed a free-agent deal yet, but 247Sports broke the story on Bituli’s situation and explained why he’s expected to sign somewhere in the near future.

A hefty discussion on the Vols who were drafted and those who signed free-agent deals (and Bituli) is featured throughout the first segment of this episode. There was plenty to discuss there, though, so it was a lengthy segment.

The 2021 NFL Draft becomes the focal point of the show in the second segment, and that should be at least a slightly bigger deal for the Vols.

A dozen-or-so Tennessee players who could be selected in next year’s draft, so there was plenty to discuss in that segment, as well, but this episode was neatly split into two distinct segments for those who don’t have the time to squeeze everything into one listening window.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Thursday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

BREAKING: Four-star Georgia receiver commits to Tennessee Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house at an undisclosed location) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss four-star wide receiver Julian Nixon’s commitment to Tennessee.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Nixon has been a big-time prospect since early in his career at Centennial High School in Roswell, Ga., but he claimed to choose Tennessee over Ohio State and Georgia. Auburn was a factor for much of his recruitment, as well, and for a while the Tigers seemed to be the team to beat. Ultimately, though, the No. 238 overall player in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite chose the Vols.

Nixon became the Vols’ third high-profile commitment in three days, joining five star-edge rusher Dylan Brooks (who committed to Sunday) and four-star safety Kamar Wilcoxson (who committed to Monday) as the newest additions to a Tennessee class that has soared from No. 17 to No. 5 nationally in less than 48 hours.

What kind of player is Nixon? How does he fit into Tennessee’s system? Is he definitely a wide receiver going forward, or could be grow into a tight end or a hybrid pass catcher? How has Tennessee gotten so hot on the recruiting trail during this prolonged dead period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic? Is recruiting momentum a real thing, or is this three-day heater a coincidence? What does this commitment mean for the rest of Tennessee’s 2021 class? Those are the main topics discussed in this one-segment episode.

BREAKING: Four-star DB commits to Tennessee Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house at an undisclosed location) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss four-star defensive back Kamar Wilcoxson’s commitment to Tennessee.

Wilcoxson, the nation’s No. 14 safety prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite, de-committed from Florida twice during the process before choosing Tennessee on Monday. He had more than 30 offers and chose the Vols over the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and, of course, Florida.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Wilcoxson is an Atlanta-area native who recently transferred to powerhouse IMG Academy in Florida in order to help him transition more smoothly to the college level, but the work he did back home was plenty good enough to get offers from the best programs in college football.

What kind of a prospect is Wilcoxson? Does he project as a safety, a cornerback, a nickel or perhaps all of the above? How have Jeremy Pruitt and his staff gotten so hot on the recruiting trail during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine? Is Wilcoxson really done with the recruiting process this time? What does his commitment mean for the Vols’ class? How long can Tennessee stay this hot? Those are some of the many discussion points squeezed into this one-segment episode.

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