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Well, Coach Jones was bound to miss one eventually. Tennessee recruiting had been riding a wave of momentum that began with the huge early commitments of in-state stars Todd Kelly, Jr. and Jalen Hurd, and continued throughout the year, with star running back Derrell Scott committing earlier this week. Despite securing a deep and talented class, Tennessee will not close out the 2014 class with a bang, as the last remaining big target on the recruiting board has removed the Vols from consideration. Adoree' Jackson, a 5-star defensive back and the last remaining uncommitted prospect in the 247 Sports top ten, tweeted his final four schools yesterday, eliminating Tennessee and Oklahoma from his list.
Final Four For Signing Day #Gators #Tigers #Trojans #Bruins
— SWEET PEA (@AdoreeKnows) January 29, 2014
Jackson, a multi-sport athlete, plans to compete in track-and-field as well as football, so it's a minor miracle that Coach Jones was able to stay in the hunt for his commitment, given the current shambles of the Tennessee track program.
With Jackson off the board, Tennessee is most likely done with recruiting for the current cycle, although coaches may reach out to a few more prospects, like 4-star defensive back D.J. Smith (committed to South Carolina), 3-star safety Emmanuel Smith (committed to Vanderbilt), and 4-star defensive tackle Michael Sawyers (decommitted from Vanderbilt). In the meantime, expect Vols coaches to remain on top of currently committed but wavering prospects like 4-star defensive end Dewayne Hendrix and 3-star defensive end/tackle Cory Thomas, who are being pursued by Missouri and Mississippi State, respectively.
