5 Tennessee Football Stars Who Chose the Volunteers over Vanderbilt
As good as the talent has been in the state of Tennessee over the past few years, the Volunteers have had to go to battle with several teams—including in-state rival Vanderbilt—to lure top prospects.
Several of the biggest playmakers on UT's resurgent roster considered the Commodores deep in the recruiting process. Tennessee's leading tackler, top rusher and best offensive lineman (among others) all considered Vanderbilt, especially when current Penn State coach James Franklin was at the helm in Nashville.
A couple were even committed to Vandy. Still others, like Josh Malone and Jack Jones, had the Commodores on their recruiting lists, but VU wasn't among their finalists when they chose to come to Knoxville.
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Many of those guys came from the middle Tennessee area, where UT has thrived since coach Butch Jones took over.
"At one point it was a nice area to go in and get one or two players out of, but all of a sudden, it's really been a battleground that's important particularly for Tennessee and Vanderbilt to have a firm control over," 247Sports national director of scouting Barton Simmons told the Associated Press' Steve Megargee. "I think the talent level right now in middle Tennessee is unprecedented relative to its history."
Part of the fun of Rivalry Week is that a lot of guys know each other, talk trash and became friends while visiting schools throughout the process. It's the same story between Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
Vandy coach Derek Mason himself even talked some smack about the Vols back when he was hired, telling a crowd at a Tennessee-Vanderbilt basketball game, "for the upside-down T, we'll see you, too," according to the Tennessean's Jeff Lockridge.
There's no love lost between the two programs, and Vanderbilt especially hates Tennessee because of the dominance UT has enjoyed in the series. State ownership, bragging rights and more are up for grabs when the two teams get together in Knoxville this weekend.
The chattiness began from Mason's players way back in the summer, such as Caleb Azubike's jawing, so the Vols would love nothing more than to shut him and the Commodores up with their play on the field.
Though Mason isn't winning many recruiting battles versus the Vols, it's always important for UT to beat the Commodores for prospects purposes. And Jones is always thinking about recruiting.
Let's take a look at some Vols who may be major difference-makers this weekend who could have just as easily been wearing black and gold.
Derek Barnett: 6'3", 257-Pound Sophomore Defensive End
Tennessee's most disruptive defender burst onto the college football scene last year with 72 tackles, including 20.5 for a loss and 10 sacks. Though those numbers have taken a minor dip this season, Barnett is still putting up all-conference-caliber stats.
He could have been doing it for coach Mason's 'Dores.
Back when Barnett was a terrorizing 4-star defensive end for Brentwood Academy, he had several suitors, including Missouri, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Because of his scholastic prowess, Barnett strongly considered the Commodores, and early in the process, UT feared Franklin would land him.
Early in the recruiting process, it was all Vols and Vandy, and the two teams stayed on Barnett's mind until the end, when they were both finalists for his services. He told Simmons back in 2013: "Vandy and UT are sticking out."
Then, later, while discussing Vanderbilt: "I talk to Coach (John) Donovan and Coach (James) Franklin and they’re just on the up rise. They're doing better every year and they're going to bowl games and you get good academics so it's a win-win. You go there and you don’t go to the NFL, you still get good academics."
Where would the Vols be without one of the best defensive ends in the country? It's a cringe-worthy thought for UT fans. But there was a time when he was dreaming in black and gold.
Malik Foreman: 5'10", 178-Pound Junior Nickelback
The Kingsport native has experienced plenty of ups and downs in this three-year career as well as this season, but the past few games, UT's starting nickel is playing at a very high level.
The Vols defense is improving because of it.
Though Foreman wasn't meant to be a starter this year, he was thrust into the lineup when Rashaan Gaulden was lost for the season back in August. The more the speedy junior has played, the better he's gotten.
Back in 2012, when Foreman was going through the recruiting process, he'd already made his mind up to go from his East Tennessee home to play for Franklin at Vanderbilt. For two months, he was heading to VU. But when Jones took over in Knoxville, he made Foreman a priority.
He wound up landing him along with Dobyns-Bennett High School teammate Devaun Swafford. Jones flipped him to become part of his first class in Knoxville.
"Me and my mom talked about it and I prayed about it and I've liked UT ever since growing up and it was just a dream come true," Foreman told Daniel Lewis, who then reported for Nooga.com. "Then they offered my friend, so that was another plus—that’s what led me to make the decision to switch."
Though it took some time for Foreman to develop, it wound up being a good move for UT.
Jalen Hurd: 6'4", 240-Pound Sophomore Running Back
The nation's top teams coveted Hurd, who was among the top running backs in the nation when he played for Beech High School.
Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, USC and others made the trip to the Nashville area to try to lure Hurd to their schools. Though he ended the recruiting process extremely early when he committed to Jones in March 2013 more than a year before he'd sign, he was giving strong consideration to Vanderbilt.
When Hurd shocked a lot of folks by committing to Tennessee, then-VU coach Franklin took to Twitter following Hurd's verbal pledge.
That was vintage Franklin during his tenure at VU, routinely taking to social media to voice his opinions about players who picked or failed to pick the Commodores. That little outburst drew scrutiny from several media members and many more Vols fans, according to GoVolsXtra's Evan Woodbery.
Franklin told SBNation's Steven Godfrey that "this is another instance of people trying to make a controversy where there isn't one. That wasn't related to a specific recruit." But it was just a little too much of a coincidence to be otherwise.
Regardless, that's all ancient history now. Hurd is ripping off runs and is the offensive centerpiece and workhorse for the Vols. He's coming off his career-high in carries and yards against Mizzou, and he already has more than 1,000 yards this season.
After suffering an early injury last year against VU, he's geared up to have a big night. Nothing would be better for him than lighting up his hometown team.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin: 6'0", 225-Pound Junior Outside Linebacker
Tennessee's other Jalen is a middle-Tennessee boy who was hotly coveted by Franklin as well. Back when he was a midterm enrollee out of Clarksville's Northeast High School, Reeves-Maybin chose Tennessee over a host of other finalists, including VU.
That was back when Derek Dooley was coaching Tennessee, and Reeves-Maybin represents one of the former UT coach's recruiting wins that actually wound up working out well for the Vols.
Last season, Reeves-Maybin tied for the team lead with A.J. Johnson in tackles, and as a speedy, playmaking outside linebacker, he's all over the field after spending his freshman year as a special teams dynamo. This year, he has UT's tackle lead all to himself, and he's a legit NFL prospect.
Back when Reeves-Maybin was a jumbo safety as well as a high school quarterback, his athleticism was evident. It wasn't by accident that he was a player that both SEC in-state schools wanted. He was a 4-star, and he's played up to that ranking.
Going through the recruiting process, Reeves-Maybin was a "high priority" for Vanderbilt, according to the City Paper's James Boettcher. Instead, he wound up in orange and white, and rather than playing for the Commodores on Saturday, he'll be trying to tackle them.
Jashon Robertson: 6'3", 315-Pound Sophomore Offensive Guard
Finally, one of Tennessee's most surprising stars nearly played alongside Foreman in Nashville, where he may have been on the opposite side of the trench.
Back when he played for Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Robertson was a two-way lineman who had pledged to Franklin for more than six months to play defensive tackle.
When Franklin left, he opened his recruitment back up and ultimately joined youth football teammate Hurd in Knoxville. He told GoVols247's Wes Rucker after flipping to UT:
"I've always kind of believed that things happen for a reason, and I kind of try to take everything I can from experiences. The process just showed me…it just kind of showed how you have to pick a place over a coach. It really just revealed how special a place Tennessee is. I just think that I’ll love being there regardless of what happens. Tennessee's just a special place—a really special place.
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After spending roughly a week on the defensive side of the ball once he got to Knoxville, Robertson flipped over to offensive guard where he was an almost immediate starter.
Nearly two years later, he's Tennessee's most talented and strongest offensive lineman. Though he's spent much of the season banged-up, he returned for the Missouri game, and it's no coincidence the Vols offensive front played its best game of the season.
Had Franklin stayed at VU, Robertson would be on the other side of the ball getting ready to play the hated Vols. Instead, he'll probably be announcing UT as his alma mater when he's playing in the NFL in a couple of years.
Tennessee has won many more battles than it's lost over Vanderbilt in recruiting battles the past few years, just as it has historically on the field. This Saturday, some of those head-to-head tussles for letters of intent will manifest themselves as players who have turned the Vols program around on the field.
All stats gathered from UTSports.com unless otherwise noted. All quotes and information gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. All recruiting information gathered from 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee lead writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
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