Tennessee Vols miss out on one of the top recruits in the 2024 class
The transfer portal has captured the attention of college football fans the past week, as players have begun to announce their departures and, for some, their new destinations. Lost somewhat in those announcements has been traditional recruiting, and there was a very big announcement on Thursday for the Tennessee Vols. Unfortunately, it didn't go as […]
The transfer portal has captured the attention of college football fans the past week, as players have begun to announce their departures and, for some, their new destinations. Lost somewhat in those announcements has been traditional recruiting, and there was a very big announcement on Thursday for the Tennessee Vols.
Unfortunately, it didn't go as Tennessee fans had hoped.
The Vols were dealt a major blow on the recruiting trail on Thursday, as IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) offensive tackle Jordan Seaton committed to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes over Tennessee and a host of other programs.
The loss is even more painful considering the Vols appeared to be a serious contender for his services. He had visited Knoxville twice this fall: unofficially for the South Carolina game and officially for the Georgia game and had appeared to have enjoyed his time around the Vols program.
Seaton is the #1 ranked offensive tackle for the 2024 class and the #15 overall player, per 247 Sports' composite rankings. He was the highest-ranked uncommitted recruit the Vols were in contention for.
The Vols could use some young impact talent at their tackle positions, although the return of John Campbell, Jr. will give the Vols one more year to kick that can down the road to some degree. Tennessee does have three tackles coming in the 2024 recruiting class in Bennett Warren, Max Anderson, and Jesse Perry. Warren and Anderson are four stars, while Perry is three.
However, there's no masking that this was a big swing and miss for Heupel and his staff. Seaton is a day one type of impact starter, or at minimum would almost certainly have been on the field some as a freshman in Knoxville, as Heupel is not shy about rotating his linemen. He's the caliber of player that separates the top programs from the very good ones and is the kind of player the Vols need to land if they're going to compete with the Georgias and Alabamas of the football world.
Now, Heupel will have to do here what he's had to do often on the field in 2023: look to the next man – or men – up.
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