War Room — Huge recruiting weekend, big game, hoops heads to Hawaii, more
We begin this edition of the War Room as we always do. The War Room is a collective effort of Tennessee notes and news gathered throughout the week by the Volquest staff that is located only on the General’s Quarters. And now, it’s on with the news.
Tennessee returns to Knoxville with a tall order as they host top ranked Georgia Saturday afternoon.
Obviously last weekend was a bad, bad day for the Tennessee offense which has changed the narrative and the outlook for this game. So the question is, how does this team bounce back and can they make it a 60 minute fight against a quality opponent?
Tennessee found a way to win ugly against Texas A&M and closed out the game at Kentucky, but they melted down at Florida and Alabama. Then were just soundly beaten against Missouri.
So one question is can Tennessee handle adversity when bad things happen to them in game? Head coach Josh Heupel said he thought the team did a decent job of resetting themselves in the Missouri game, but overall this year handling in-game adversity hasn’t been a strength.
“I don’t think we’ve handled it extremely well at every point during the course of the season,” Heupel said. “Last Saturday, I thought they reset and they competed. We didn’t play extremely smart. There’s some things defensively that we want to correct. Offensively, everybody saw that. But that’s what the next Saturday is all about, too.”
One of the challenges for the Tennessee defense last week was the loss of nickel back Tamarion McDonald who was hurt on the opening series of the game and didn’t return. Jourdan Thomas got his first experience of playing real meaningful snaps at nickel Saturday, a position that according to defensive backs coach Willie Martinez, is a ‘glue position’ for the defense.
“He sets the defense for us on the back end. He literally sets the calls,” Martinez said. “They (defensive backs) have to be smart don’t get me wrong but he also plays a position where teams put their most talented player. And the star position has to cover them week in and week out. He’s playing against a very versatile player, but at same time too he has to set up our defense. He has to make the adjustments and the calls along with the safeties. T-Mac has done a great job now in his third year with us and his second year starting. It shows up in games. His leadership, his physicality.”
McDonald should be back this weekend but Martinez indicated the defensive back field is a bit banged up.
“We will be alright,” Martinez said. “It’s the next man mentality. Everybody deals with it across the country. We have a great group.”
Thomas, before last week, had played less than 100 snaps on the season. In SEC action, Thomas had played only 10 snaps before being forced to log 74 last week.
Offensively, the challenge is obviously running the football. Tennessee is healthy in the offensive backfield. John Campbell is still banged up at left tackle but will play. Running the ball against Georgia has been a real challenge for the Vols in recent match-ups.
Tennessee has over 2,000 yards rushing per season since Heupel’s arrival, but they have lacked productivity against Georgia’s really talented defense. In the last two match-ups, Tennessee is averaging 1.9 yards a carry. Running the football is a real challenge. Georgia hasn’t been as good against the run this season. Tennessee was great running the ball against South Carolina, Texas A&M and Kentucky. But in their three losses it’s been a huge struggle.
In Tennessee’s SEC wins, Jaylen Wright is averaging 8.2 yards a carry. In Tennessee’s three losses, Wright is averaging 3.1 yards a carry.
Tennessee receiver Bru McCoy is in a walking boot and on crutches which means he could possibly be on the sidelines Saturday for the first time since his injury. McCoy is moving forward in his rehab and next is the aqua treadmill where his rehab will really start. The timing of the recovery is going to be really interesting to see where he could be in 3-4 months. Being in a boot and putting weight on the leg just six weeks or so after the injury and surgery is certainly a positive sign for his recovery.
On the facilities front, construction continues at Lindsey Nelson Stadium as the crews are benefitting greatly from the warm weather and dry conditions.
Recruiting
A massive weekend on Rocky Top is upon us in terms of recruiting. It starts and ends with Jordan Seaton. The Vols have a tremendous opportunity in front of them. Oregon and Ohio State appear to be their biggest competition for Seaton. Having plenty of talent in this weekend and players like Boo Carter will make it a comfortable trip as Seaton will have family with him this time around.
One person who won’t be in town that was set to be is Cai Bates. Bates slipped into town for a low key visit for the UConn game two weeks ago and was at FSU last weekend. He has since de-committed from LSU and is down to the ‘Noles and Vols.
“I’ve been to the Tennesee game and an FSU game and now I need a break to make my own decision,” Bates told Volquest on Thursday night.
Kam Mikell is hoping to be back in town this weekend as he continues to work toward announcing a commitment on November 23rd. Mikell did reach out to us on Thursday and let us know that he is battling the flu but will play in his game tomorrow night. How he feels on Saturday morning will determine if he makes it in.
This is one that will come down to the wire, in our opinion. If there is a leader in this one right now, Mikell is not tipping his hand very much. He has reiterated this will be an important visit for him, then he will go back home and sit down with his family to decide which school fits him best. We spoke to some people close to him this week and while Colorado isn’t out of it, the distance is weighing on him. Georgia feels good about the ground they have made up but they didn’t know as of late Thursday as to what he is going to do.
Tennessee has been a constant and checked all of his boxes academically. While the Bulldogs pose the most serious threat to the Vols, in our estimation. The more we talk to people, it doesn’t appear the late switch to recruiting him as a receiver is something holding the home-state team down in this recruitment currently.
Missouri defensive line commitment Elias Williams is in town for his official visit. He is a priority for this staff, and the Vols are a real player in this one. While he is committed to the Tigers, he is approaching the last month with an open mind. His visit will start on Friday morning, and this is an advantage for the Vols, as he was not able to do this at Missouri or Alabama. He is excited to see practice and be around campus for the build-up to the game. Tennessee has done a nice job in this one so far, and they will look to impress him and his family again this weekend.
Utah Tight End Roger Saleapaga returns to town for his official visit this weekend as well. His visit will also start on Friday morning. Tennessee is chasing Oregon in this one, with Auburn also being a contender, in our opinion. The Vols have built a nice relationship with the three-star pass-catcher and his family, so they will need to capitalize on that this weekend to have a chance to land Saleapaga heading into what is likely a late-November/early December timeline for a decision.
Tennessee will learn more about junior college defensive linemen Brien Taylor and Kemari Copeland during their official visits this weekend as it will be their first time on campus. Taylor was at Georgia last weekend, and the Bulldogs have positioned themselves as the front-runner in this recruitment, in our estimation. However, he has remained adamant Tennessee is among his top schools and he’s open in the process, so this will be an opportunity for the Vols to make a move.
Copeland comes to town as his recruitment continues to pick up steam, with Texas A&M being the most recent to offer. Tennessee continues to show him plenty of attention, and the Vols are certainly viewed as one of the favorites heading into the weekend. He has not been on many visits, so far, so it is hard to judge what to expect from him currently, but communication with the staff has remained consistently positive.
Jake Merklinger will be in town again with his teammate and South Carolina commitment, tight end Michael Smith joining him. It certainly feels like Smith will not end up at South Carolina unless something crazy happens. Tennessee and Auburn seem to be the best two options as we head into mid-November.
There are some massive 2025 names coming to town this weekend. George MacIntyre will take what we believe is his final visit before he starts working toward a decision that looks to be coming in December or January in our opinion. MacIntyre wants to play the roll of lead recruiter so he is already building bonds with players in his class.
Tennessee will also see big time offensive tackle David Sanders roll into to Rocky Top. The Vols are pushing to be a real player in this one and the Charlotte native is excited to get back up to Knoxville.
Here are the names of the prospects who have expressed interest in coming to town:
George MacIntyre
David Sanders
Josh Petty
Juan Gaston
Michael Smith
Marcus Goree
Kaleb Beasley
Dylan Lewis
Tyler Redmond
Jaren Sensabaugh
Chris Ewald Jr.
Timothy Merritt
Onis Konanbanny
Dawayne Galloway
Nassir McCoy
Samari Matthews
Boo Carter
Edrees Farooq
Jontae Gilbert
Jaylan Morgan
Chandler Jordan
Faheem Delane
Jordan Young
Martels Carter Jr.
Ivan Taylor
Zelus Hicks
Elias Williams
Carson Gentle
Kam Franklin
Lance Jackson
Brandon Caesar
Isaiah Gibson
Mariyon Dye
Bryce Perry-Wright
Brandon Brown
Jeremias Heard
Elijah Griffin
Amare Adams
Christian Garrett
Ethan Utley
Christopher Burgess
James Carrington
Edwin Spillman
Jordan Burns
Gage Ginther
Ty Jackson
Jordan Ross
Mike Matthews
Kellen Lindstrom
Damien Shanklin
Kelan Butler
Caleb Cunningham
London Merritt
Tyler Atkinson
Max Anderson
Jesse Perry
Carter Lowe
Darrius Gray
Ziyare Addison
Brayden Jacobs
Brody Smith
Jonathan Echols
Jake Merklinger
Faizon Brandon
Peyton Lewis
Justin Baker
Ousmane Kromah
Emaree Winston
Carson Sneed
Braylon Staley
Shavar Young
Phillip Bell III
Isaiah Mozee
Chanz Wiggins
Radarious Jackson
Cameron Sparks
Tyreek King
Travis Smith Jr.
Hoops
We’re all about to find out a lot more about this Tennessee basketball team next week. The Vols are part of an absolutely loaded field in the Maui Classic (being played in Honolulu). The Vols will open up with Syracuse on Monday afternoon and then win or lose will face either Purdue or Gonzaga on day two. Kansas, UCLA, Marquette and Chaminade are on the other side of the bracket.
There’s been some discussion that it’s the tournament’s most loaded field ever. Which would be saying something.
It’s early, but three games in Tennessee is giving off some ‘best case scenario’ vibes. Dalton Knecht and Jordan Gainey, who lead the Vols in scoring, have been as good as anyone could have hoped for.
Zakai Zeigler may still be a little rusty, but physically it’s hard to imagine that his recovery from a torn ACL suffered at the end of February could have gone better. People we’ve spoken with around the program have indicated that Zeigler hasn’t experienced any issues after any of his game action thus far.
The fact is that he could probably handle more than 17 or so minutes per game he’s played so far, but they are going to continue to be exceedingly cautious with him. Or at least that’s the intention, we’ll have to see if Zeigler and Rick Barnes stick to that next week if the Vols find themselves in a dogfight in the second half.
We’ll get an update on Freddie Dillone on Friday Friday evening after he had an MRI following Tuesday’s win over Wofford. Dillone has been bothered plantar fascitis in his left foot and aggravated it on Tuesday.
It seems unlikely that he’ll be available next week, but that’s some speculation on our part. The fact of the matter is that it’s an injury Tennessee can withstand pretty easily right now. Dillone has had a hard time getting minutes in the early going, and that’s not really a negative comment about him.
Dillone is plenty talented and everyone in the program thinks so. The Vols are just loaded on the perimeter at the moment, no disrespect to Dillone at all, but it just doesn’t seem like a big deal at the moment.
Speaking Dillone, consider how things must be different for him than he expected when he signed last November. At that time no one expected Santiago Vescovi or Josiah-Jordan James to be on this team and there was certainly no way to know that Gainey and Knecht would be on the roster.
He probably thought—and rightly so—that he’d be playing 25 minutes a game alongside Zeigler.
Tennessee looks like they’re going to be able to match-up with literally anyone in the country on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see how the front court holds up against some of the tests the Vols could see next week.
There are no concerns about Jonas Aidoo or Tobe Awaka, but the post is an area where the Vols are going to have to turn to freshmen for depth. Everyone has been encouraged by Cade Phillips and JP Estrella thus far, but they also haven’t really been thrown into the fire like they could be in Hawaii next week.
Baseball
Tennessee baseball will have several visitors in for the Georgia football weekend. Most of the 2024 signing class will be in. These players include:
Jay Abernathy
Levi Clark
Andrew Dumont
Aidan Hayse
Jack Jones
Brayden Krenzel
Tegan Kuhns
Manny Marin
Robinson Martin
Dane Morrow
Chris Newstrom
Lucas Ramirez
Beau Revord
Stratton Scott
Anson Siebert
Brennan Seigler
Ryler Smart
Ty Southisene
Tate Strickland
Jaxon Walker
Brooks Wright
The following include 2025 (committed) official visits for this weekend:
Ari Bethea
Jax Bishop
Nathan Eisfelder
Adam Kilburn
Chandler Jones
Taylor Tracey
Graham Jones
Evan Hankins
Colton Denton
Tyler Wood
Hiram Lewis (not committed)
Tate Southisene (not committed)
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