Josh Heupel Impresses Williams Nwaneri, Brandon Baker

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel is one of the biggest stories in college football, and he continues delivering after a big recruiting weekend.

If you're going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. Call it cliche and redundant, but that saying defines college football. Recruiting, coaching, development - everyone is great until you have to do it. One of the best parts of college football is projection, but a resume beats all.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has certainly talked the talk - more specifically, people around him and the Vols have been talking for him. However, he's using the spring period to prove to recruits and the public that this is real and sustainable. The Vols had their first scrimmage on Saturday, and the coaching staff hosted several priority recruits.

Two visitors stand out: five-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri and five-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker. They are quite literally the cream of the crop; multiple recruiting services have both as the No. 1 players at their position. Nwaneri is a consensus top-30 recruit, while Baker is a five-star on 247Sports.

Entering the weekend, the Vols weren't high on either's list. Nwaneri visited Knoxville for the first time in January and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it seemed like it would be difficult to pry him away from the midwest and programs like Missouri and Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Baker is a west coast prospect being courted by USC, Oregon, and Nebraska. He doesn't often travel to the south, and this was his first look at Tennessee; there were no promises on his side of a return visit.

Williams Nwaneri, 2024 DE

Courting two five-star rising seniors requires all hands on deck. It helped that Tennessee had a productive, competitive scrimmage, and the assistant coaches have been doing excellent work with both over the past few months. However, these battles will come down to two things: NIL and your head coach. It doesn't seem like monetization is a large concern for either; they will be handsomely compensated wherever they land, but both are placing a premium on environment and coaching.

Early reports out of both camps are extremely positive. Baker confirmed a return visit with 247Sports, a monumental win for this staff. He fits the offense well at right tackle, and they could benefit him in return. Nwaneri seems very keen on the Vols, and if he were to commit to an SEC program, it would be Tennessee.

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