By Missy Grimes
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel welcomed 25 new signees as part of the #RockyTop25 recruiting class on Wednesday and Thursday during the early signing period.
As of Thursday evening, the Volunteers boasted a top 10 class by On3, 247Sports and Rivals.
“It’s a great day to be a Volunteer and wear the orange,” Heupel said. “We had an opportunity to practice with our guys today, got some really good work, in particularly for our young guys, but the story of the day, obviously, is signing day. I love the group that we’ve signed up until this point. Great competitive makeup. A lot of leadership traits, guys that are still playing right now as they’re chasing state championships. But, the athleticism and the makeup of the individuals, couldn’t be more excited about what we’re bringing into this program. I want to thank the families that have entrusted their young men to us, and we can get a chance to be a part of their journeys and help them go chase their goals and dreams.”
The Vols signed 11 offensive players and 14 defensive players, including six players from the state of Tennessee. The group was headlined by On3’s No. 1 Volunteer State prospect quarterback George MacIntyre of Brentwood Academy in Nashville and the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation in David Sanders Jr., who announced his signing with the Vols Thursday on SEC Network.
“When we first got here, I said that developing relationships inside of this state, that’s high school coaches, that’s everybody that has their feet on the ground, was going to be a real priority for us,” Heupel said. “Our staff has done that. We’ve tried to do a great job of evaluating the guys within the state. It doesn’t mean we take every one of them. It doesn’t mean we get every one of them, but we’re going to recruit (Tennessee) the right way.”
View profiles on the entire #RockyTop25 signing class at UTsports.com/RockyTop25.
The three-day early signing period lasts until Friday. Tennessee continued its College Football Playoff prep with practice on Thursday and will learn of its matchup and location at noon ET Sunday on ESPN.
COURTESY TENNESSEE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
