Elite 5-star offensive lineman planning to visit Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols aren't in Alabama or Georgia territory when it comes to recruiting. But they're on the path that leads to that territory and they could soon be looking to put down roots. In order to land elite talent, you have to get elite talent on campus. And I'm not talking about the occasional […]
The Tennessee Vols aren't in Alabama or Georgia territory when it comes to recruiting.
But they're on the path that leads to that territory and they could soon be looking to put down roots.
In order to land elite talent, you have to get elite talent on campus. And I'm not talking about the occasional four-star or five-star player visiting. Tennessee has to become a stop on the four-star five-star tour. They essentially have to become an "automatic visit" for any top recruit. Once that happens, we'll see the Vols start landing top 10 classes on an annual basis.
If you're a Tennessee fan, I have good news — it might be happening sooner than you expect.
2024 five-star offensive lineman Daniel Calhoun, 6-foot-5/330 lbs from Roswell, GA (Centennial), is ranked by Rivals as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 6 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class.
Calhoun is the type of player that Alabama or Georgia quietly adds (offensive line recruits don't typically garner a lot of attention outside of folks who keep up with recruiting daily) and then dominates in the trenches. A player like Calhoun usually skips the Tennessee visit and focuses on Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, etc.
But that's changing under Josh Heupel.
Calhoun told Rivals.com this week that Tennessee is on his list of programs to visit this spring.
I have no idea if the Vols will land Calhoun — there's a LONG way to go in his recruitment. But the fact he even wants to visit Tennessee is a good sign for the Vols moving forward.
Yes, Heupel will have to start closing on these types of recruits to truly compete for national championships. But it's not going to happen overnight. Building a sustainable recruiting machine takes time. It's kind of like losing weight — you can't skip steps to get to where you want to be.
Tennessee is trending in the right direction. Vol fans just have to be patient and enjoy the ride under Heupel.
Featured image via Rivals.com
