Recent Recruiting Efforts Are a Sign of Things To Come

With the commitment of five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews on Wednesday, the Tennessee Volunteers have begun surging on the recruiting trail.

On Wednesday, the Tennessee Volunteers landed five-star wide receiver Mike Matthews. The prospect out of Lilburn, Georgia, chose the Vols over Clemson, USC (Calif.), and Georgia. He is the first five-star the Volunteers have in the class of 2024. With the commitment of Matthews, Tennessee's 2024 recruiting class is starting to form nicely. It looks very similar to their 2023 recruiting class that ranked 11th overall by the end of the cycle.

This 2024 class is ranked 15th in the country and has 17 total commitments, including Matthews as the lone five-star, 11 four-stars, and five three-stars. The class headlines some big names like quarterback prospect Jake Merklinger, South Carolina native wide receiver Braylon Staley, and big-time inside offensive line prospect William Satterwhite. This success in recruiting for 2024 continues the prolonged success head coach Josh Heupel has had at Rocky Top since he signed on prior to the 2021 season. He has brought in a top-25 class every year that seems to be getting better as time passes. It is this type of recruiting success that may be common at Tennessee throughout history, but it is reassuring that Heupel has come into the program with the mentality of retaining talent to keep the Vols on the winning edge within the college football landscape. 

2024 WR Mike Matthews during his official visit to Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 23, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Mike Matthews)

Another aspect of the recruiting success to look at is how he has recruited successfully outside of the state. In particular, this applies to this incoming class. A total of 12 out of the 17 recruits in the Volunteers' 2024 class come from outside of the state of Tennessee, and a lot come from states with SEC rivals within them. Heupel has landed four recruits from the state of Georgia and has even dipped into the pool of prospects in Florida at the illustrious IMG Academy for recruits. The 2024 class is looking good and is really helping Tennessee move forward with helping their football succeed in the long run. 

Tennessee's 2024 Recruiting Class

• Jake Merklinger, QB
• Peyton Lewis, RB
• Mike Matthews, WR
• Braylon Staley, WR
• Jonathan Echols, TE
• Gage Ginther, OL
• William Satterwhite, OG
• Max Anderson, OG
• Jesse Perry, OT
• Kellen Lindstrom, DE
• Carson Gentle, DE
• Jeremias Heard, DL
• Edwin Spillman, ILB
• Jordan Burns, ILB
• Marcus Goree, DB
• Kaleb Beasley, CB
• Boo Carter, S
• Edrees Farooq, S

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