How Tennessee Football Can Recover from Recent Recruiting Slide

Tennessee football coach Butch Jones' three-season tenure with the Volunteers is highlighted with memorable recruiting runs that featured commitments in clusters and momentum-making weeks that helped produce highly ranked classes.

The past few days was the exact opposite of that.

The Vols lost a pair of highly touted commitments, saw a couple of targets pledge elsewhere and lost a little more ground (at least temporarily) in the recruiting arms race that is the SEC.

But with plenty of time between now and national signing day, and with plenty of top targets still interested, the Vols have time to recapture their recruiting swagger.

"There's no question it's been a tough week for Tennessee," GoVols247 recruiting writer Ryan Callahan told Bleacher Report. 

With some of the nation's top programs longing after Vols commitments, uncertainty surrounding Jones' assistants and with new head coaches who boast impressive recruiting resumes getting gigs at rival institutions, the challenges are many.

Tennessee is building plenty of on-field momentum heading into an Outback Bowl berth against Northwestern, but the Vols could use some good news in prospects' living rooms.

Before discussing what needs to happen for Tennessee to turn its 2016 recruiting class back in the right direction, it's important to relive the week that was.

After recently going separate ways with former commitments TaDarryl Marshall and Chidi Okonya (who has since committed to Duke), it appeared that UT was gearing up for a big haul of some top targets.

Instead, a spiraling stretch left fans of an 8-4 Vols team with an improving on-field resume flummoxed. Top target Jordan Smith committed to Florida while on a trip to Gainesville over the weekend, according to the Palm Beach Post's Anthony Chiang. 

Then, fast-rising defensive tackle commitment D'Andre Christmas-Giles re-opened his recruitment on Sunday, according to the Times-Picayune's James Smith, just two days after receiving a scholarship offer from in-state powerhouse LSU. UT was one of the first big schools to offer Christmas-Giles after evaluating him.

Then, to add a major sting to an already crummy week, the jewel of Tennessee's 2017 recruiting class, 5-star quarterback Hunter Johnson, decommitted after visiting the Vols and pledged with Clemson, per 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong.

Credit: 247Sports

"Some people have tried to combine this week's events with the recent decommitments of Chidi Okonya and TaDarryl Marshall, but those were guys the Vols chose to part ways with," Callahan said. "The losses of D'Andre Christmas-Giles and Hunter Johnson were different. Tennessee didn't want to lose either of them, and while the Vols still have plenty of time to recover from both losses, they're both good players.

"The good news for Tennessee is that the Vols still are in the running for a number of good players, and signing day still is about seven weeks away. And, in Johnson's case, UT still has plenty of time to find a good quarterback in the 2017 class."

To top it off, prize 4-star top JUCO defensive end Jonathan Kongbo remains committed to Tennessee but is obviously exploring his options after visiting Washington and receiving an offer from Alabama.

Yes, it was a several-day swath of big news for the Vols in the recruiting ranks, and none of it was good until Tuesday's news that Alabama receiver and UT target Velus Jones Jr. was delaying his announcement after being rumored to be heading to Oklahoma.

So, what does Tennessee need to do to quit hemorrhaging recruits?

The biggest thing that would help Jones and UT is to keep winning on the football field, obviously. A convincing victory in a quality bowl game over top-15 ranked Northwestern would cement a nine-win season and tangible progress that will be a huge selling point down the stretch.

Considering the Vols still have some playing time to sell at positions of need such as wide receiver, defensive back, offensive tackle and interior defensive line, prospects will listen to an up-and-coming team that appears on the cusp of contention.

It also wouldn't hurt for Tennessee's offense to spice up the bowl season with a little passing pizzazz. The Vols' mantra has been running the football, and while there's no reason to get away from that, showcasing they aren't scared to throw the ball a little more could benefit offensive skill-position recruiting.

Secondly, Tennessee needs to quell some of the uncertainty around its coaching staff, and that likely can't be helped until this nationwide coaching carousel quits spinning.

After the news hit this week (via the Tennessean's Matt Slovin) that Jones is receiving a significant raise, there's no concern about who's running the show in Knoxville. But who's staying with him? UT assistants' names are popping up everywhere as candidates at other places.

Tennessee tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Mark Elder was named Eastern Kentucky's new head coach last week. Passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni is being mentioned as a candidate to join D.J. Durkin's inaugural staff at Maryland as offensive coordinator.

The Palm Beach Post's Antwan Staley mentioned UT defensive backs coach Willie Martinez as a candidate to join former college roommate and boss Mark Richt at Miami. There's also some uncertainty how Jones will reallocate his staff position-wise once all the fallout ends.

While none of that necessarily had anything to do with the recent defections of players, it would help to have stability and certainty moving forward in what is shaping up to be a contentious stretch run in recruiting.

Finally, you can never underestimate the impact of luring a "big fish," one of those alpha recruits who fellow peers listen to and want to follow.

In Jones' first full class in Knoxville, Vic Wharton was the initial pledge and began laying the groundwork for the class. But elite in-state players Todd Kelly Jr. and Jalen Hurd committed early in the process and began working the phones, too. The results paid huge dividends.

Last year, Kahlil McKenzie became one of the most vocal Vols commitments, talking to anybody who would listen. Not only did he give Tennessee exposure because of his talent, but he also turned into an avid recruiter. It was like having another coach on the trail.

Credit: 247Sports

This year's class lacked that vocal presence, for the most part. Quarterback commit Jarrett Guarantano is picking up the slack lately.

He's never been bad at helping recruit for Tennessee, but he hasn't had any luck convincing fellow New Jersey prep stars to give UT a long look. Because of geographical reasons, Guarantano hasn't had a noticeable connection with players from regions where the Vols normally recruit, either.

But shortly after Johnson decommitted, Guarantano took to Twitter to voice his feelings about his college decision.

Guarantano told Volquest's Paul Fortenberry that he wasn't directing the tweet at Johnson, only "hoping to voice that he believes Tennessee takes a back seat to no one, as some were suggesting to him."

Credit: 247Sports

Regardless, it's that kind of fiery leadership the Vols can use from a commit right now, aggressively standing by his college choice publicly. He could use a little help, too.

If Tennessee could pick up a commitment from a star legacy such as Nigel Warrior, for instance, it may go a long way in securing a strong finish.

The Vols still have late official visits lined up for star prospects like Warrior, Derrick Brown and Jaleel Laguins, among others, and offensive lineman Landon Dickerson and receiver Donnie Corley remain possibilities as well.

Tennessee is still firmly in the mix for a bunch of strong prospects, and with this class always being short on numbers, the Vols can narrow their focus on a few big targets. Plus, there's plenty of quality in this class. UT is ranked just 22nd in recruiting, but its average rating of commitments is 10th.

"For now, Tennessee fans who might be worried probably should take a step back from the ledge," Callahan said. "The sky is not falling, and Tennessee's 2016 recruiting class is not falling apart. 

"The Vols lost a couple of good players this week, and they missed out on one of their top defensive end targets in Jordan Smith. But they have plenty of time to recover, and they still have a chance to finish on a high note leading up to signing day."

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.