Tennessee recruiting: Latest updates on Vols’ 2018 football class

The Tennessee coaching staff has done a solid job of keeping the Class of 2018 together.

There have been rumors about the job security of coach Butch Jones. Yet, the Vols have lost commitments from only three prospects in this class.

The most important thing right now is to not lose any more.

Here’s an early glance showing where things stand for the Vols’ Class of 2018:

Where Tennessee’s class ranks

Tennessee ranks as the No. 10 class in the country and No. 3 in the SEC behind Georgia and Florida. The Vols hold one 5-star commit, offensive tackle Cade Mays, and seven 4-star prospects.

Five of the top 10 players in the Class of 2018 from the Volunteer State have committed to the Vols.

Latest news

Former Tennessee commit Brendon Harris committed to Vanderbilt this week. It made headlines, but this wasn’t really a choice between the two schools. The Vols moved off Harris once he opened up his recruitment.

Mays is taking an unofficial visit to Clemson this weekend. It is a development Tennessee fans should definitely keep an eye on.

In case you missed anything from this week, here are the latest headlines: 

• Tennessee in good position to land 4 prospects
• Tennessee recruiting mailbag: Keeping class together, Cade Mays and more
• Where some top Tennessee commits stand with the Vols
• Brendon Harris, former 4-star Tennessee commit, commits to Vanderbilt
• Butch Jones says Tennessee offensive line recruiting is ‘paramount for this program’
• Ranking Tennessee’s top 20 prospects in 2018
• What Tennessee O-line commit Cade Mays planning 2 visits to Clemson means for Vols
• Tennessee loses commitment from Class of 2019 4-star WR TJ Sheffield
• Tennessee CB commit Tanner Ingle impresses with another strong Friday night performance

Offers by the numbers

• Reported offers: 366
• 5-star offers: 21
• 4-star offers: 194
• In-state recruits offered: 25
• Florida recruits offered: 91
• Georgia recruits offered: 62
• Texas recruits offered: 24

Commits

• OT Cade Mays, 5 stars, Knoxville, Tenn.
• DE Greg Emerson, 4 stars, Jackson, Tenn.
• WR Alontae Taylor, 4 stars, Manchester, Tenn.
• QB Adrian Martinez, 4 stars, Fresno, Calif.
• DT D’Andre Litaker, 4 stars, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• DT Brant Lawless, 4 stars, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• S Trey Dean, 4 stars, Hampton, Tenn.
• CB Jaycee Horn, 4 stars, Alpharetta, Ga.
• LB Matthew Flint, 3 stars, Gurley, Ala.
• DE Dorian Gerald, 3 stars, Valencia, Calif.
• DT Jamarcus Chatman, 3 stars, Rome, Ga.
• RB Anthony Grant, 3 stars, Buford, Ga.
• QB Michael Penix, 3 stars, Tampa, Fla.
• TE Jacob Warren, 3 stars, Knoxville, Tenn.
• OG Ollie Lane, 3 stars, Corryton, Tenn.
• OT Tanner Antonutti, 3 stars, Nashville, Tenn.
• CB Brandon Cross, 3 stars, Orlando, Fla.
• CB Tanner Ingle, 3 stars, Orlando, Fla.
• WR Shocky Jacques-Louis, 3 stars, Fort Myers, Fla.
• P Paxton Brooks, N/R, West Columbia, S.C.

3 top uncommitted targets

• 3-star OT Jerome Carvin, Cordova, Tenn.: Carvin reduced his list to 10 on June 12, but Tennessee and Alabama have remained the leaders. Tennessee holds commitments from four offensive linemen, so Carvin could be leaning toward the Crimson Tide. Carvin’s good friend, Jordan Davis, is a Crimson Tide commit, which is another knock against the Vols. Carvin will take an official visit to Arkansas this fall, which means there’s another SEC team the Vols are up against.
• 4-star OLB Richard Jibunor, Athens, Ga.: Jibunor had a 1-on-1 interview with SEC Country’s Benjamin Wolk, and the linebacker made it clear who his top-2 teams are going forward: Tennessee and Auburn. Tennessee will take on one more linebacker this class, either Adam Anderson or Jibunor. The Vols don’t appear to be in the lead for either at the moment, but they are within striking distance. When schools are close and it comes down to the wire in recruiting, anything can happen.
• 3-star OLB Cam Jones, Cordova, Tenn.: Tennessee had been on Jones, but the interest from the Vols dropped off over the summer. Tennessee has brought the interest back, and Jones could end up being the final defensive commit in the Class of 2018. The question could come down to how much the lesser contact over the summer weighs on Jones’ mind.

Position breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of the number of commits by position:

• QB: 2 (Martinez, Penix)
• RB: 1 (Grant)
• TE: 1 (Warren)
• WR: 2 (Taylor, Jacques-Louis)
• OL: 3 (Mays, Lane, Antonutti)
• DL: 5 (Lawless, Litaker, Emerson, Gerald, Chatman)
• LB: 1 (Flint)
• CB: 3 (Ingle, Cross, Horn)
• S: 1 (, Dean)
• P: 1 (Brooks)

Geographical breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of Tennessee’s commits by state:

• Tennessee: 8 (Mays, Emerson, Litaker, Lawless, Taylor, Antonutti, Lane, Warren)
• Georgia: 4 (Dean, Grant, Chatman, Horn)
• Florida: 4 (Penix, Ingle, Cross, Jacques-Louis)
• California: 2 (Martinez, Gerald)
• Alabama: 1 (Flint)
• South Carolina: 1 (Brooks)

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