Analyzing Tennessee's Recruiting Approach With 2024 QBs

Head coach Josh Heupel is heavily involved in Tennessee's recruiting strategy at quarterback, making their lack of involvement in the 2024 class puzzling.

Every week it feels like Tennessee offers a new five-star quarterback or is getting a visit from one. That trend will likely continue with head coach Josh Heupel at the helm, with one recruiting class as an exception.

The 2024 cycle has some talented gunslingers, yet the Volunteers haven't shown much interest in making ground with any, at least publicly. Meanwhile, they have been seriously linked to three 2025 quarterbacks: George MacIntyre, Antwann Hill, and Cutter Boley.

When looking at raw numbers, Tennessee has offered twelve 2024 quarterbacks and fourteen 2024 quarterbacks, despite an extra year of evaluation and contact with the 2024 class.

It seems the only quarterback that is a take for them in this class is Providence Day's Jadyn Davis. They seem to be the No. 2 in his recruitment, second to Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh.

That begs the question: why isn't Heupel aggressively targeting a quarterback? They may take one in the class, but it seems odd that they haven't been publicly linked to one yet.

For one, the transfer portal has complicated recruiting. You don't want to under-recruit, as you could be without depth in a few months. However, you don't want to leave empty promises to young kids.

These changes will cause coaches to reassess how they recruit over multiple cycles. Heupel already tried to sign a top-tier quarterback in consecutive classes in Tayven Jackson and Nico Iamaleava.

Jackson transferred after one season and to no fault of his own. The room became too crowded, a common complication in college football. Jackson's departure may be fresh in Heupel's mind and could change his strategy.

2024 may be a trial run. Heupel may not be enamored with one quarterback, meaning he will see how things progress with Davis and not rush anything. If he finds a quarterback down the road, great. If he doesn't, they should have an excellent one waiting in 2025.

You Might Also Like:

• Boo Carter, An Athletic Freak Worth Pursuing
• Derrick Henry Has Respect For Joe Milton
• Daniel Calhoun Narrows Recruitment

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.