KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel and his staff closed the first day of college football’s early signing period in strong fashion, welcoming 20 new signees as part of an #eVOLution22 class that finished ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Just shy of 11 months on the job, Heupel and his staff instilled a proven culture built on trust, accountability and being a fun program on and off the field. The quick results in their debut season led to the signing of 11 offensive players and nine defensive student-athletes.
“When we got here there was a lot of uncertainty about what Tennessee football is going to look like in the future,” Heupel said. “Because of all the people that I mentioned before, in particular our 10 full-time coaches – you guys have steadied the ship and who you are has shown through. That’s why the culture of Tennessee football has changed. That’s why the trajectory of our football program has changed and that showed up today with the men we were able to sign.”
At the conclusion of Wednesday, the Volunteers’ Class of 2022 was ranked as high as No. 11 by Rivals.com. The class was tabbed No. 13 by 247Sports.com and No. 17 by On3.com with a February signing period still remaining.
Tennessee loaded up on the defensive line and pass rushers, signing four-star Tyre West of Tifton, Georgia; four-star James Pearce of Charlotte, North Carolina and four-star Joshua Josephs of Kennesaw, Georgia. In-state linebacker Elijah Herring, who prepped at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro, was Heupel’s initial commitment and the four-star made it official on Wednesday.
“His ability to see through the weeds and trust us early in the process, being an in-state kid and how much it meant to him to wear the Power T, was hugely important as we kicked off this recruiting cycle, as far as getting kids to buy in and ultimately commit to us,” Heupel said.
Offensively, speed was an emphasis as the Vols welcomed multiple fast playmakers, including four-star wide receiver Marquarius “Squirrel” White of Birmingham, Alabama; four-star wide receiver Kaleb Webb of Powder Springs, Georgia, four-star running back Dylan Sampson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; four-star running back Justin Williams of Dallas, Georgia and four-star track standout Chas Nimrod of Bentonville, Arkansas.
A crop of four offensive linemen was headlined by four-star and top-five interior player Addison Nichols of Atlanta, Georgia.
Profiles of the full #eVOLution22 class can be found on UTsports.com/evolution22. On-demand video of #eVOLution22: National Signing Day featuring Heupel, offensive coordinator Alex Golesh and defensive coordinator Tim Banks with host Mike Keith is now available here.
Existing UT season ticket holders can renew their tickets for the 2022 season now by visiting AllVols.com. Fans wishing to purchase new season tickets for the 2022 campaign can submit a request by clicking HERE.
Class Breakdown by Position
QB: 1 (Tayven Jackson)
OL: 4 (Maurice Clipper Jr., Brian Grant, Addison Nichols, Masai Reddick)
RB: 2 (Dylan Sampson, Justin Williams)
WR: 4 (Cameron Miller, Chas Nimrod, Kaleb Webb, Marquarius White)
DL: 4 (Joshua Josephs, James Pearce, Jordan Phillips, Tyre West)
LB: 2 (Elijah Herring, Kalib Perry)
DB: 3 (Christian Harrison, Jourdan Thomas, Desmond Williams)
Head Coach Josh Heupel National Signing Day Press Conference
Opening Statement …
“Good afternoon, everybody. Appreciate everyone being here. Great day for Tennessee football and the future of Tennessee football. I want to thank the families and the high school coaches I’ve gotten an opportunity to know over the last 10 and a half months. Appreciate your support and trusting us with your young men, we don’t take that lightly. So excited about being able to add the 20 young men to Tennessee football here today. It was a culmination of a lot of hard work over the last 10 and a half months. I want to thank our staff. Obviously our 10 on-field coaches, but really, it’s everybody here. Our recruiting department on campus led by Angelia Brummett just did a fantastic job and her passion for Tennessee, being a former student here and having worked here previously, showed throughout this entire process. I want to thank her team, our content team did a fantastic job getting up and running 10 and a half months ago and (I’m) so appreciative of what they’ve done. To the faculty and staff on campus, you’re a huge part of the experience our recruits have on campus, and I cannot thank you enough for showing them (around), taking the time to show them what it means to be a Volunteer. That’s a huge part of their experience, so thank you very much. Our staff, the 10 main recruiters, just the time, effort and energy that they put into this over the last 10 and a half months. When we got here there was a lot of uncertainty about what Tennessee football is going to look like in the future. Because of all the people that I mentioned before, in particular our 10 full-time coaches – you guys have steadied the ship and who you are has shown through. That’s why the culture of Tennessee football has changed. That’s why the trajectory of our football program has changed and that showed up today with the men we were able to sign.
“The class as a whole I’m really excited about. I think we added a lot of athleticism in our skill spots and on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Up front, big, long athletes and, defensively, they can rush and effect the passer on the inside and on the edges. On the offensive line, added a lot of size (and) strength. Kids that are extremely bright and very focused. Love this group. I think we had 10 captains that came out of these 20 guys. Multiple guys won state championships. Guys that know what it takes to win, the dedication, focus, strength and endurance that you’ve got to have to win. Excited about these guys coming in, I believe that we will have a good portion of them show up in January, potentially have a few of them that are a part of bowl practice here as we get going. Just excited about what we had happen today.”
On the family atmosphere of Tennessee …
“I think that word gets thrown around in recruiting a lot. I think it’s very rare to actually have it lived out inside your building every day. The consistency of our approach has rang true with our own players, our recruits felt that and saw that as well. The greatest salesmen of our program are our current players. When recruits come on campus, they have an opportunity to ask real questions and spend time with them. Players don’t lie to players, and I think that showed in our ability to recruit these guys. The time and energy from the time we got here, living out Fast, Fun and Real every single day has rang true. Our current players see it, feel it. Our recruits did too. Not only did we recruit great players, but we really believe in who they are as people too, that we’re adding to the culture of our locker room in a really positive way.”
On the biggest key to putting the class together and what he has learned about recruiting to UT …
“I think, you know, over the last 10 and a half months, there were a lot of different stages that we went through in the recruiting process. At the beginning we were just trying to introduce ourselves and tell them what we were going to be about, but no tangible proof for them at Tennessee. What we had done schematically at different programs, who and what we were. As we got into the summer, they got a chance to see that the culture had changed here, when they got the chance to come on campus, meet our coaches face-to-face instead of doing it over Zoom, and spend time with our current players. Then you go through the fall and now they have the ability to see what we are. That’s schematically in on-field production and performance. Because of those different stages, I think that’s a huge part of why we finished as strong as we did this recruiting cycle. As far as being here, man, why I came to Tennessee is the why recruits want to come here too. This is one of the great, iconic traditions in college football. The brand and the logo is as strong as anywhere in the country. You look at it, top-10 in the history of college football in wins, top-10 in the history of college football in first-round draft picks. The ability to chase and win championships. Anything you can and want to do has been done here before. They can see that we are on that trajectory again. I think they believe in the culture that has been built, who and what we are about as a coaching staff. Our consistency, the ability to be real with our players – that’s when things are going great and when things are not. Just excited about what we were able to do here with this group of individuals.”
On the momentum that comes with adding 20 signees …
“I think what’s different about college football is that recruiting never changes. That’s true because you’re pushing onto the ’23 and ’24 classes immediately, not that we haven’t been doing that, but your focus turns in that attention a little bit. The transfer portal has changed things as well. You’re constantly adding. I think that’s one of the hard things about college football today for your coaching staff and as a head coach. Your ability to manage your roster is a constant ebb and flow. You’ve got to continue to keep your eyes on and add great players that are great people, as well, to your culture and continue to add the pieces that you need, throughout the offseason, spring ball and as you get into May and the early part of summer.”
On how a successful signing day compares to a win on the field …
“It’s important because we’re adding critical pieces to the future of Tennessee. If you feel really strongly and know—not just the player—but you know the person too, then you can feel really confident about the pieces that you’re adding to the puzzle. From today, to the first day that you kickoff with these guys, there’s a lot of time in between that. But, if you know who and what they’re about and can keep them on that course, then you’re adding the things that you need to in order to continue building your program. We feel really good about that today.”
On transiting more of his focus to the classes of 2023 and 2024 and how important signee Elijah Herring is to the 2022 class …
“The ’23 and ’24 classes, we’ve already been on. You’ve had those kids to campus. You’ve had them to games. That’s what’s unique about college football today versus what it was 20 years ago. You’re recruiting multiple classes at a time. Those players are guys that we’ve had on the phone during each week during the course of the season. You’re going to continue to recruit those guys. Today is unique in that you’re finalizing the end of the recruiting process for your ’22 class, but you’re having conversations with your ’23 class as soon as everybody stepped in the building today. Those are guys that we were still reaching out to today.
“Elijah was hugely important to me and to our staff for a lot of different reasons. We really believe in who he is as a player and as a person. We think he’s got an extremely bright future here at Tennessee as a football player. The person, we’re extremely confident about. His ability to see through the weeds and trust us early in the process, being an in-state kid and how much it meant to him to wear the Power T, was hugely important as we kicked off this recruiting cycle, as far as getting kids to buy in and ultimately commit to us. Him being the first guy was hugely important to us.”
On the signing of quarterback Tayven Jackson …
“He’s a two-time state champion. He comes from an elite program and understands the work habits that you have to have to go achieve something individually and collectively as a team. I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he’s going to be as a quarterback. He’s got a long frame and is going to continue to build that out. He has the ability to use his feet both in the pocket and out of the pocket to make plays down the field as a passer. He has the ability to use his feet as a weapon as well. I think that’s only going to increase as he gains confidence in his body. He’s got a very compact type of delivery. As he understands and learns some fundamental things, I think he’s going to have a chance to spread the ball sideline to sideline and vertically down the field. He’s an elite basketball player. I watched some of his basketball tape. He’s got great spatial awareness, which is something that I think is important and correlates over to playing the quarterback position, as he understands bodies in motion and understands windows. We’re really excited about him.”
On the signing of Dylan Sampson and Sampson having a higher GPA than 40-yard dash time …
“I’m not sure that I’ve seen that. That’s a rare combination. He’s just super intelligent, bright and has an engaging personality. He’s dynamic in who he is. As soon as we got a chance to get him on campus this summer, we fell in love with him and his family. He obviously has some unique traits with his speed, some characteristics that we’ve had in our offense in the past. We’re excited about him and his future.”
On what the team is adding at the wide receiver position …
“Kaleb (Webb) and Chas (Nimrod), I feel like we’re adding length, speed out on the outside. In particular, just our roster, it felt like that was something that we had to add in this recruiting class. Add some depth at that position. Young men that will be here mid-year and have the chance to go through spring ball with us. I think that’s going to be hugely beneficial to them as we head into the ’22 season. Squirrel (Marquarius White) inside, just electric with his ability to run past you. Got real, real, long speed. Uniquely has the ability to have that type of speed to be really loose with his hips, can play on the edges, and I think he’s going to be a dynamic playmaker inside the middle of the football field.”
On if NIL will affect the core of how he recruits …
“The core of how you recruit is not going to change for us here under me. I believe in relationships. I think that matters in the short term and in the long term. The culture that you build is hugely important to me. You got to add the right pieces, so all of those got to be right. I believe that kids are looking for that as well. It’s a different era than it was twenty years ago. The transfer portal is here, it’s not going anywhere. Some of that’s beneficial to coaches and recruits, and some ways there’s some things that probably aren’t as beneficial, but it’s here. I believe in building a really strong culture, one that players want to be a part of, and then with that you’re going to have the right guys inside of the locker room.”
On how he addressed balancing the prospects they needed and the best prospects available …
“You’re constantly battling what are our numbers potentially going to be, what they end up actually being as far as how many you’re able to sign. Where your roster currently sits, and how you’re navigating those waters, meaning how many old kids do you have, how many young kids do you have at those position groups? Is there somebody in the transfer portal that you can potentially add, rather that’s a one-year kid or a multi-year kid that can benefit inside of your program? Who are you potentially losing inside of your roster, rather that’s NFL or rather that’s through the portal? So, you’re trying to balance all of those things and position yourself for strength in the upcoming year, but also for strength long term inside of this program.”
On talking to recruits about playing time …
“Yeah, I truly believe this – I’ve sat in a lot of elite players’ living rooms or at their school – to me, if you’re promising a kid that he’s going to be your starter, man, if I’m a recruit I’d be on the lookout. What’d he promise the guy in front me, what’s he going to promise the guy behind me? You know, we talk about the ability to compete and earn an opportunity to play on this field. I believe in that because you got to have great competitors inside of your locker room. If you’ve got guys that want something given to them, man, their ability to strain, fight and compete on a daily basis may not be there.”
On the three four-star recruits added today …
“Important for us that we won those. It’s a big part of this class. Three guys that we feel like have an opportunity to make an impact here early on in their careers as they grow inside of this program. From an elite pass rusher on the edge to an elite pass rusher inside that’s got the ability to play on an edge. Justin’s (Williams) ability, just in his frame, his physical attributes are something we felt like we needed to add inside of the running back room, as well. So, feel really strongly about all three of those guys.”
On signing difference makers in pass rush game …
“Huge for us to add guys that can affect the quarterback. They can change the way the game is played, from how people have to pass protect, how much pressure you have to bring versus being able to bring pressure with your front four. I think it’s important that you got guys on both edges so that offensive coordinators can’t just scheme you and eliminate a guy from affecting the football game. Those two young guys have an ability to grow physically inside of our program. Just long term, I think they have an opportunity to make huge impacts in the way that the game is played. Certainly, you got to add elite level play at the quarterback position. Feel really strongly about Tayven (Jackson) here as we’re moving forward.”
On recruiting Tyre West and what it took for him to sign with Tennessee …
“Someone that we had initial contact with. Coach (Mike) Ekeler was actually the first one that went down there. Coach (Rodney) Garner went down there later in the recruiting cycle, spent a ton of time with the people that were influential in his life, family, and people at the high school. I got a chance to go down there, his head coach actually is from Michigan originally. I recruited his quarterback to Oklahoma and had a previous relationship with him as well, so I think there was great trust in who we are, what we’re about and how we’re going to take care of the young man on and off the field, just help him grow into being a great person and great leader. Tyre’s got a ton of upside as a player, man. His ability to play with great pad level, play on an edge, bend the corner. Physically, he’s just going to mature so much when he gets in our strength and conditioning and nutrition program. Got a ton of upside. I think that Tyre and everyone that was around him just trusted who we were and that we were real in the things that we were saying. Had a great official visit with him and some of his family. Ultimately, he believed in Tennessee. He believed in the Power of the T. He believed in the people that were here that were going to help him navigate the road over the next three, four, five years. He fell in love with the stadium too, man. That’s a special place. You take recruits in there, outside of the construction that’s currently going on, they fall in love with that place.”
On Desmond Williams and what he brings to UT’s special teams unit …
“One of the first things that I watched was his all-play cut up, what he was doing on special teams. Dynamic playmaker, really natural and fluid, great hands. Then you see him on the defensive side of the football, smooth in transition, really confident. The 50-50 ball, he’s very patient and calm with. Super athletic kid. You meet him, and you fall in love with who he is as a person, too. His ability to communicate and be real with you, extremely confident in who he is, and very excited to have him part of our program.”
On in-state recruiting and building relationships across Tennessee …
“Some of those things don’t happen overnight. Our entire staff, from me on down, has placed great importance on recruiting in-state the right way. That means spending time getting to know coaches and people that are influential here inside of the state, taking phone calls from VFLs that watch a guy on Friday night and like what they see. I think in this recruiting cycle in particular, that was maybe the biggest hurdle for us to overcome, and I say that meaning that the players inside of the state heard all of the noise for the two and a half months before I got here, and all the noise previously as well. (We had a) short amount of time to get to spend a bunch of time with them. (Due to) COVID, didn’t have them on campus. So, in some ways, I think it was harder in-state than maybe out-of-state this year a little bit.”
_UT Athletics
