Tennessee Volunteer assistant coach Tommy Thigpen was named Rivals’ Recruiter of the Year Monday. He led the charge for Tennessee’s recruiting class that finished fifth in the country, despite the team finishing just 5-7 for the season.
CONGRATS to @UTCoachThig Named National Recruiter of the Year by @Rivals #BrickByBrick pic.twitter.com/co6Jb6P6Z8
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) February 10, 2014
Thigpen’s haul was flat-out damned impressive. Here’s a list of which prospects Thigpen was responsible for signing, according to the article published by Rivals.
5* WR Josh Malone, RB Jalen Hurd
4* LB Dillon Bates, DL Derek Barnett, DB Evan Berry, OL Dontavius Blair, DB Rashaan Gaulden, DB Cortez McDowell, DB D’Andre Payne, DL Michael Sawyers, LB Chris Weatherd
3* ATH Elliot Berry, LB Gavin Bryant, LB Jakob Johson, ATH Neiko Creamer, DB Emmanuel Moseley, DT Jashon Robertson
By my less-than-astute math skills, Thigpen was involved in signing 17 of Tennessee’s 31 scholarship athletes, meaning he was as responsible for nearly 55 percent of Tennessee’s signatures. It was a diverse, deep and most importantly, talented group. Somebody get this man a raise.
Coach Jones says all the time that recruiting is a relationship business. Coach Thig has a knack for building those relationships, though not just with the athletes, but with their families as well. Here are a few quotes from the Rivals article linked above:
“Coach Thig laid a foundation of friendship that Josh and our family will have for many years,” Rebecca Malone, Josh Malone’s mama said.
“As confusing and exhausting as the recruiting process can be, it is a breath of fresh air when you meet someone as genuine as Coach Tommy Thigpen,” Tara Smotherland, Jalen Hurd’s mother, said.
“As a mother, the depth of these relationships continually reaffirm that Jalen definitely made the right college decision when he chose the University of Tennessee.”
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