After an offseason where most of the hype centered on SEC programs like Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Missouri, it seems the national media is finally taking notice of the Tennessee Vols.
And it's because Tennessee is red hot on the recruiting trail over the last month.
The Vols have landed several top recruits over the last month, including four-star wide receiver Travis Smith, four-star defensive back Lagonza Hayward, four-star linebacker Christian Gass, and four-star tight end Da'Saahn Brame.
20 days ago on July 9, the Vols had the No. 15 2025 recruiting class in the nation.
After Brame's commitment to Tennessee on Sunday, the Vols now have the No. 5 2025 recruiting class in the nation.
And they're not done yet. Tennessee is still in the mix for several top 2025 recruits, including 2025 five-star offensive lineman David Sanders Jr (the feeling is that Tennessee is well-positioned to win the battle for Sanders, who is also considering Nebraska, Ohio State, and Georgia).
The Vols are just behind LSU and Georgia in the 2025 team recruiting rankings. And they're above media darlings like Notre Dame, Oregon, and Texas.
Because of Tennessee's recruiting surge, which has been a slow burn until recent weeks, the national media has opened their eyes to what's happening on Rocky Top.
"Tennessee's the one to keep an eye on," said CBS Sports' Josh Pate on Sunday. "Tennessee's the program to keep an eye on. If you want to know which program that's not currently at the head table of college football will probably be the next one given their current trajectory to join the head table of college football, it's Tennessee.
"Josh Heupel is very cerebral about how they recruit. It's not checkers, man. It's more chess to that guy. And he's very, very intentional about what they do. They're very intentional and they're excellent at how early they identify kids. And how ahead of the curve they are in evals (evaluating recruits). They're really good at that. And that just means they get a head start on some other programs with kids they're going to end up competing with."
"There is a lot of really good in their program right now that is knocking on the door of great to elite," added Pate. "That's the next step. It wasn't an overnight thing. Josh Heupel didn't walk in and they immediately became Bama 2.0. It's happening at Tennessee in a much more realistic way. A much more realistic way is step by step by step by step. And in an immediate gratification world, a lot of the country is paying attention initially and then they don't immediately see you win a title so they turn their back and walk away."
Pate nailed it. Heupel hasn't taken shortcuts while rebuilding Tennessee. He hasn't sacrificed his culture to land a player that might help the team for a season while bringing bad vibes to the locker room.
Heupel, for example, probably could've been more aggressive in the transfer portal before the 2023 season. He probably could've found a better quarterback than Joe Milton. And maybe the Vols would've won 10 or 11 games instead of nine. But that could've potentially jeopardized the progress that Tennessee's made under Heupel the last three years.
It's obvious that Heupel is trying to build something sustainable. He isn't interested in quick fixes. He's displayed patience in his approach since taking over as Tennessee's head coach in early 2021. And now he's seeing the fruits of that patience.
The national media is seeing it, too. And they've finally realized that they can't ignore the Volunteers any longer.
Related: Bob Stoops should root for Josh Heupel over Oklahoma in 2024 and it shouldn't even be a hard decision
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