2018 Recruiting Rankings: Where does Tennessee stand?

If there’s one thing Butch Jones can hang his hat on to this point as the leader of Tennessee football, it’s recruiting. Jones was handed a dumpster fire, void of talent in need of a total rebuild. Butch has righted the ship and to his credit, restored the talent in Knoxville.

He’s made great strides in-state, regaining control of Tennessee which has seemingly grown into a bit of a hotbed as of late. Keeping those top level Tennessee guys in Knoxville is the base of his current 2018 haul. Cade Mays, Alontae Taylor, Brant Lawless and Brendon Harris are all staying in Tennessee. Getting those top local guys is an absolute must. There’s still work to do, but Jones and his staff are making progress.

The 2018 class is looking like one of his best to this point, grabbing a consensus top ten ranking from three biggest recruiting outlets out there. Here’s how Tennessee’s class is shaping up as we head into the Summer months.

ESPN: 7th

247 Sports: 9th

Rivals: 8th

That’s a fantastic start. It’s sure to fluctuate some, but a top ten number beside the Tennessee logo is never a bad thing at any point. We’ll see if Jones can bring this class home and sustain that recruiting momentum.

There’s little doubt that the pressure is on Butch Jones to perform on the field this season, but I think it’s important to keep the whole picture in focus here. What he’s doing on the trail can’t be forgotten. It’s a part of all this. Following Derek Dooley was no easy task, but Butch Jones has done an admirable job on the trail and restored Tennessee to a top flight destination once again.