Volosaurus rex
Doctorate in Volology
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I have already seen speculation on how this class might compare with some of the best in UT's history and I ran across an article (Tennessee Football Recruiting: The 10 Greatest Recruiting Classes Since 1980 | Bleacher Report) that could provide some perspective on the matter. I realize that its source, bleacherreport.com, automatically raises a red flag in the minds of many UT fans. If nothing else, however, this data should illustrate just how quickly we forget the recruiting juggernaut that Fulmer once orchestrated. According to this source, Tennessees best recruiting classes since 1980, based purely on final Rivals.com rankings, are as follows:
1994: Rivals No. 2 Class. The 1994 class was revered because it boasted two of the top quarterback prospects in the country. When future NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning became the choice early in the 1994 season, the second of that duo, Brandon Stewart, transferred. This class didn't feature a ton of stars. Between Marcus Nash, Terry Fair, Jonathan Brown and, of course, Manning there's plenty of starpower to land this group among the top two ever at Tennessee. The '94 signing class was a part of three bowl wins and an SEC title.
2000: Rivals No. 2 Class. With the Vols coming out of the highly successful 1990s, the 29 players in this class were expected to be a huge part of continuing Tennessee's winning tradition. Ultimately, this class never won a conference championship and won just one bowl game. The quarterback signed in this class ended up as one of the Vols most prolific passers, however. Casey Clausen led fellow '00 signees Jason Witten and Mark Jones through one of the more offensively gifted eras in recent UT history.
2002: Rivals No. 2 Class.
1996: Rivals No. 3 Class. Shaun Ellis, Darwin Walker, Eric Westmoreland, Raynoch Thompson and Tee Martin were all members of this class. Those names are hallowed in Knoxville as the core group of players that landed Tennessee its first consensus national championship since 1951. . . . This class experienced two bowl wins, two SEC titles and the first-ever BCS National Championship.
2007: Rivals No. 3 Class. Thirteen members of this 32-member class either didn't qualify, were released from their scholarships or transferred. When the class signed, there was all sorts of promise. It finished as one of the most disappointing signing classes in program history.
Two other recruiting classes that deserve special mention because of their productivity are the 1995 and 1997 classes:
1997: Rivals No. 5 Class. The best way to begin this slide is with a list of names.
Deon Grant
Travis Henry
Jamal Lewis
Travis Stephens
Andre Lott
Cedrick Wilson
Cosey Coleman
David Martin
Recognize any or all of those names? One is the all-time leading rusher in Tennessee history (Henry). Another (Grant) is currently in his 12th year in the NFL. Lewis was one of the NFL's leading rushers for nearly half a decade. There is over 70 years of NFL experience from this signing class. All of these players were integral pieces of the Vols' championship run in '98. Members of this class won two SEC titles and one national championship.
1995: Rivals No. 12 Class. A class that included such Vols royalty as Chad Clifton, Leonard Little and Peerless Price was the senior class that experienced the Vols national title in 1998.
This class was a part of three bowl wins, two SEC titles and, of course, the 1998 BCS title.
1994: Rivals No. 2 Class. The 1994 class was revered because it boasted two of the top quarterback prospects in the country. When future NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning became the choice early in the 1994 season, the second of that duo, Brandon Stewart, transferred. This class didn't feature a ton of stars. Between Marcus Nash, Terry Fair, Jonathan Brown and, of course, Manning there's plenty of starpower to land this group among the top two ever at Tennessee. The '94 signing class was a part of three bowl wins and an SEC title.
2000: Rivals No. 2 Class. With the Vols coming out of the highly successful 1990s, the 29 players in this class were expected to be a huge part of continuing Tennessee's winning tradition. Ultimately, this class never won a conference championship and won just one bowl game. The quarterback signed in this class ended up as one of the Vols most prolific passers, however. Casey Clausen led fellow '00 signees Jason Witten and Mark Jones through one of the more offensively gifted eras in recent UT history.
2002: Rivals No. 2 Class.
1996: Rivals No. 3 Class. Shaun Ellis, Darwin Walker, Eric Westmoreland, Raynoch Thompson and Tee Martin were all members of this class. Those names are hallowed in Knoxville as the core group of players that landed Tennessee its first consensus national championship since 1951. . . . This class experienced two bowl wins, two SEC titles and the first-ever BCS National Championship.
2007: Rivals No. 3 Class. Thirteen members of this 32-member class either didn't qualify, were released from their scholarships or transferred. When the class signed, there was all sorts of promise. It finished as one of the most disappointing signing classes in program history.
Two other recruiting classes that deserve special mention because of their productivity are the 1995 and 1997 classes:
1997: Rivals No. 5 Class. The best way to begin this slide is with a list of names.
Deon Grant
Travis Henry
Jamal Lewis
Travis Stephens
Andre Lott
Cedrick Wilson
Cosey Coleman
David Martin
Recognize any or all of those names? One is the all-time leading rusher in Tennessee history (Henry). Another (Grant) is currently in his 12th year in the NFL. Lewis was one of the NFL's leading rushers for nearly half a decade. There is over 70 years of NFL experience from this signing class. All of these players were integral pieces of the Vols' championship run in '98. Members of this class won two SEC titles and one national championship.
1995: Rivals No. 12 Class. A class that included such Vols royalty as Chad Clifton, Leonard Little and Peerless Price was the senior class that experienced the Vols national title in 1998.
This class was a part of three bowl wins, two SEC titles and, of course, the 1998 BCS title.
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