Shy Tuttle Commits to Tennessee: What 4-Star DT Brings to Vols

When Lexington, North Carolina, star defensive tackle Shy Tuttle verbally committed to Tennessee on Friday, per 247Sports, it gave the Volunteers their second major national recruiting victory for a top-tier tackle during this recruiting cycle.

So much for a program that has struggled to lure elite interior linemen in recent classes.

Now, if his commitment holds, the Vols will be able to pair Tuttle with 5-star Kahlil McKenzie in the middle of their defensive line for the foreseeable future.

Tuttle solidifies what will become the nation's top interior defensive line class.

"It's been a long, long time since Tennessee landed two defensive tackles in the same class who are as talented as Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie, who are ranked by 247Sports as two of the nation's top four defensive tackles," GoVols247's Ryan Callahan told Bleacher Report.

"When you throw in Quay Picou, a 4-star prospect, I can't imagine that any other team will end up with a group of defensive tackles in the 2015 class that's more impressive than Tennessee's," Callahan said.

"King Tut" is the kind of jumbo athlete that is difficult to find to anchor an interior, and once he gets in a collegiate training and nutrition system, he's going to be a force. Though his strength is against the run, Tuttle's film displays that he has the lateral quickness to be a complete tackle.

There's a reason why he's one of the top high school players at his position in the country.

Franchise Duo

Credit: 247Sports

Though Tennessee loaded up on talented defensive linemen in the 2014 recruiting class, a group of big men highlighted by Derek Barnett and Dewayne Hendrix lacked beef. 

The Vols currently have just two defensive linemen listed on their official roster who weigh more than 300 pounds (freshmen Michael Sawyers and Charles Mosley)

Tuttle and McKenzie give the Vols nearly 635 pounds of bulk and athleticism to clog the middle of the line. In the trench warfare of the SEC against running teams like Alabama and Georgia, guys like that are essential.

The 6'3", 315-pound defensive tackle helps fill a role that currently doesn't exist on the Vols roster, and he could find himself with immediate reps because of it.

His coach at North Davidson High School, Mark Holcolm, recently told Scout.com's Chad Simmons where he believes his star projects on the next level:

"

He's gonna be a shade nose or a 3-technique at the next level. He's a run-stopper, but he can run down a line and make plays. That's one of the things people noticed about him early is his ability—he tackled a couple of jet sweeps early from a 3-technique and a 5-technique. I think that's what people see: a man that big who moves that well. ...

He can be as good as he wants to be in terms of getting with a nutrition regimen. ...

He's going to blossom into probably a 330-pound animal. That's what he's going to be down the road.

"

Tennessee identified Tuttle as a top target early and really began to emerge as a strong candidate to land his commitment toward the end of the summer.

Tuttle didn't have the same family ties to the program as McKenzie, whose father and uncle starred for UT in the 1980s, so the Vols used some out-of-the-box recruiting tactics to help lure him.

Whereas McKenzie's bucket hat campaign drew some considerable buzz over Twitter, the real unorthodox measures were taken with Tuttle when UT superimposed his image over Jay-Z's alongside Beyonce. The tactic drew headlines.

Whether UT's methods to lure Tuttle were lauded or loathed varies, but the Vols undoubtedly could not care less.

In the end, they got their man, and he will team with McKenzie to give Butch Jones and defensive line coach Steve Stripling a formidable force on the defensive front for the next three or four years.

Re-Opening North Carolina

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During the salad days of the 1990s, the Vols thrived recruiting the fertile grounds of North Carolina. After a half-decade lull, Tuttle's pledge continues a recruiting revival in that state for Jones in his short time at UT.

Under Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer, elite prospects such as Carl Pickens, Leonard Little, Heath Shuler, Montario Hardesty, Jonathan Crompton and O.J. Owens matriculated west. Even though the players didn't always pan out, UT got its share of the most coveted kids who came out of that state.

It's back to the future the past few years.

The renewed success began with star sophomore wide receiver Marquez North, who stuck with UT after it fired Derek Dooley. It hasn't stopped, either, as UT has raided its neighbor for a total of 10 players from North Carolina who have either signed or committed for future classes.

Class	# of North Carolinians	Highlight players
2013	3	4-star WR Marquez North
2014	2	4-star RB Derrell Scott
2015	3	4-star DT Shy Tuttle
2016	2	4-star QB Austin Kendall; 4-star CB Marquill Osborne

One of the many reasons Tennessee has stayed in a down cycle for so long is its struggles in recruiting the Carolinas and Virginia, but those days are over.

With a couple of its ace recruiters—Tommy Thigpen and Mark Elder—spearheading the efforts, the Vols are a force again over there, winning battles recently reserved for teams such as Clemson, Florida, Florida State and Alabama.

Tuttle may be the biggest victory yet. While he could have gone to the home state Tar Heels or Wolfpack as well as Clemson, Alabama or others, he elected to play for the Vols.

Getting a player with his size, athleticism and upside is a major win on the recruiting trail.

The Vols desperately need to add at least one more offensive lineman, a linebacker and a couple of cornerbacks in this year's class. But Tuttle is another player who is a cornerstone, an elite lineman who is essential to have when it comes to building programs that can win important conference games.

He's the prototype SEC defensive lineman and appears primed to have a big career in Knoxville.

"Tennessee might have had more pressing needs than another defensive tackle, but it's hard to imagine the addition of Shy Tuttle not making a major impact on the Vols' defensive line," Callahan said.

"He's a powerful defensive tackle with good size, and those are hard to come by. And he's planning to be an early enrollee, which should give him a good chance of contributing right away."

There are plenty of hills to climb on Rocky Top, but with players like Tuttle, better days are on the way.

Unless otherwise noted all statistics gathered from cfbstats.com. All recruiting information from 247Sports.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.