Tennessee Football: 2015 Recruits Vols Must Land

As an encore to his seventh-ranked class in his first full season as Tennessee football coach, Butch Jones has pieced together an even more dynamic, versatile class in the 2015 cycle.

The Volunteers currently have a group of 26 prospects that is ranked fourth in the nation, according to the 247Sports. It also features more 5-star prospects (three) than anybody else.

But just because this class is clearly among the best doesn't mean UT is loaded at every position.

Hammering out an exact number of players Jones wants has been a practice in futility each of the past two seasons. Last year, UT brought in 32 players. So, while one would think that means the Vols would have a smaller class this year, it hasn't been the case.

Not only do the Vols already have more than the 25 commits that teams are allotted to sign, but they're actively recruiting several more players—a couple of which could really put this class over the top in terms of talent.

From elite skill-position players to need-meeters across both lines of scrimmage, the Vols have myriad options out there and remain high on the list of some of the nation's top players.

Let's take a look at the six players UT needs to sign in the next three months leading up to national signing day.

Offensive Tackle Drew Richmond

Credit: 247Sports

Drew Richmond crushed the hearts of many in Big Orange Country when he shrugged off being one of Butch Jones' top targets for the better part of two years and pledged instead to Ole Miss back on Sept. 9.

The Vols haven't eased their pursuit of the 6'5", 320-pound Memphis University School 4-star offensive tackle since then. If anything, they've turned up the heat.

If UT loses out on Richmond—who plays, without question, the team's biggest remaining need position—it will have missed on a franchise player in its very own state. While Memphis is quirky to recruit, that's still a major loss for perception purposes.

The Rebels are much closer to Richmond's home, and he has seemed fairly firm despite some obvious love being thrown in UT's direction recently. Rebels247's David Johnson (subscription required) wrote:

"

Richmond likes to tweet, and some of his recent Twitter activity has appeared to be pro Tennessee, and the Volunteers are no doubt the Rebels’ greatest threat. With that said, though, Richmond has always maintained he will continue to take visits. I believe there is little to be concerned over for Ole Miss fans, as the MUS product sticks to his commitment to the Rebels.

"

The Vols are in desperate need of signing another offensive tackle in this class to go along with Jack Jones and Chance Hall. They're still trying with Richmond and Georgia commit Patrick Allen.

Swaying either appears to be a long shot, but if UT can make a bowl game, it may help its efforts, especially with plenty of playing time to sell.

Defensive End Kyle Phillips

Credit: 247Sports

Another in-state player Tennessee finds itself in a hotly contested battle to obtain is 4-star Hillsboro defensive end Kyle Phillips.

The 6'4", 258-pound defensive lineman is athletic enough to come off the edge but also possesses the frame to play defensive or offensive tackle. His preference is to stay at his current position, and he would have every opportunity to do that at UT.

The Vols have made the midstate a major priority since Butch Jones arrived on campus, and Phillips can look at the breakout season that fellow Nashville-area prospect Derek Barnett is having as a freshman as a key selling point for UT.

Two other SEC programs pose the biggest threat to UT: LSU and Ole Miss. Phillips' buddy Ugo Amadi is a cornerback who is committed to play for Hugh Freeze's Rebels, while another friend, athlete Vincent Perry, is committed to the Vols.

Currently, 68 percent of Phillips' Crystal Ball projections on 247Sports points him toward Rocky Top, but this one is far from over.

Tennessee needs to sign at least one more defensive end in this recruiting class, and Phillips has been a priority target for a long time. The Vols need him for multiple reasons, not the least of which is he's a surefire SEC starter down the road.

Justin Martin, Cornerback

Credit: 247Sports

A lot of concerns about defensive back recruiting in this class were alleviated when UT received a commitment from Atlanta-area standout Micah Abernathy in early October. But the Vols would still love to get another cornerback in the fold.

While Nashville prospect and Ole Miss commit Ugo Amadi would be tough to turn down, perhaps the biggest remaining target at the position on UT's board is fellow Nashville player Justin Martin.

The 3-star prospect has a huge offer sheet, boasting scholarships extended from Florida, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and many others. The 6'2", 192-pound junior college prospect who is currently playing at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M is thought by 247Sports experts to be a heavy lean to UT.

Martin told Bulldawgs247's Paul Jones (subscription required) this week he knows that UT, LSU and Georgia will get three of his official visits, and he plans to take all five.

A cornerback of Martin's size and athleticism coupled with the 6'1" Abernathy would give defensive backs coach Willie Martinez a pair of corners ideal for his system. They'd fall into the same mold as current cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Michael Williams.

Martin is the fourth-rated JUCO cornerback, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, but he's the top-rated on 247Sports. His length, technique and especially his speed make him a heavily coveted player.

Though he needs to work on his ball skills and tackling, Martin is the kind of player who could contribute right away. If UT could secure a commitment from him, the Vols would likely be done at the position.

Bryce Love, Running Back

Credit: 247Sports

Butch Jones and his staff have been able to sell the upcoming program angle and get a bunch of elite recruits at all positions to buy in.

But one thing the Vols still don't have enough of is next-level speed.

That's where the next two prospects on this list—highlighted by 5'10", 180-pound 4-star running back Bryce Love—could really add an element to the UT offense that doesn't exist on the roster.

While UT is still in hot pursuit of several runners to go along with already committed Alvin Kamara and Rocky Reid, Love may be the Vols' best hope to land another top-shelf back.

GoVols247's Ryan Callahan (subscription required) reported recently, "Tennessee and Stanford are believed to be among the top contenders for the four-star all-purpose back, who attended the Vols' game Oct. 25 against Alabama, and he's planning to take official visits to both schools, most likely in December or January."

UT recently became a key player for 5'8", 192-pound Nebraska commitment Kendall Bussey and is battling Duke and North Carolina State in trying to pry Johnny Frasier from Florida State. But Love may be the guy UT has the best chance of landing.

The Wake Forest, North Carolina, product isn't too far away from Knoxville, and he would be the perfect fit for UT's power-spread offense. Now that quarterback Josh Dobbs is showing what he can do on a national level, Tennessee should be much more attractive to offensive playmakers.

Love also may be the player the Vols need the most other than an offensive lineman. Adding speed of his ilk to the power of Jalen Hurd and Reid and the versatility of Kamara would be the ideal scenario.

Ryan Newsome, Wide Receiver

Credit: 247Sports

Though it may be a long shot to pull the 5'9", 170-pound burner from the state of Texas, Tennessee received a visit from Ryan Newsome and is at least in the mix.

The Aledo High School standout can absolutely fly, and he is also a dynamic kick returner who could be a centerpiece for UT's offense for years to come. He'd fit in nicely with 5-star commitment Preston Williams.

Another receiver is a bit of a luxury more than a need in this class, but a player with Newsome's speed (much like Bryce Love) would be impossible to turn down.

The 247Sports' Crystal Ball currently has him as a heavy lean to Texas, but Oklahoma and Baylor are also thought to be threats, along with Texas Tech. Ole Miss has gotten in the mix for Newsome along with Tennessee in recent months.

The Vols made quite an impression on Newsome, who visited for the Alabama game. He told GoVols247's Ryan Callahan that Tennessee "shook a lot of things up for me" and that the Vols are "really in the mix."

Newsome is in no hurry to make a decision and told Callahan he plans to return to Knoxville with his family in tow in January. That bodes well for the Vols to stay in the thick of the race until the end.

He's the clear-cut top receiving target on UT's list, and if the Vols can make it to a bowl game, they'll have a major selling point with the Midwest prospect.

D'Andre Walker, Defensive End

Credit: 247Sports

Tennessee has gone into the traditional Georgia-Auburn battleground of Fairburn, Georgia, and become a major factor in the recruitment of pass-rushing specialist D'Andre Walker.

The U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant still has the Bulldogs and Tigers among his top three, but the Vols are up there, too, thanks to the recruiting efforts of ace recruiter Tommy Thigpen.

Getting Walker's pledge to go along with commitments Darrell Taylor, Marques Ford and target Kyle Phillips would be ridiculous for UT, considering the Vols also have pledges from two major defensive tackle prospects in Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle.

Phillips is a 6'2", 218-pound player with a projectable frame that will add 30 or so more pounds without losing too much of his elite speed. He's the nation's 11th-rated weak-side defensive end, according to 247Sports' composite rankings, and you can never have too many rushers.

If the Vols are going to land him, they'll have to beat out some of the nation's top recruiters. Rodney Garner is recruiting him for Auburn. Tracy Rocker and Bryan McClendon are targeting him for Georgia, and Lance Thompson is on the trail for Alabama.

That alone speaks volumes about the type of prospect he is.

If Tennessee can get him in orange, it would be yet another signal that the Vols can beat anybody on the recruiting trail.

All recruiting information taken from the 247Sports' composite rankings, unless otherwise noted.

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