Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
With the recent commitment of Oak Ridge, Tenn. wide receiver Tee Higgins to Clemson, we checked to see how close he would be to making the top 10 of highest-ranked prospects out of the Volunteer State in Rivals.com history. At No. 40 in the country with a chance to rise, he just misses our top 10. Here’s a look at an interesting top 10 all-time from the state. Six signed with the home-state Vols, while two went to Florida State, one to LSU and one to USC.
Note: This order is solely based on national ranking by Rivals.com out of high school.
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The skinny: Being a five-star in-state recruit, Turner was a recruiting priority for the Vols for a couple of years. The coaching staff worked overtime to keep him home, but the pull to play at USC was too much to overcome. Originally planning to make his announcement at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, Turner delayed his decision a couple of weeks before committing to USC in late January. Turner had a productive career with the Trojans, but never really met expectations. He was still drafted in the third-round of the 2009 NFL Draft by Miami, where he played for two seasons, followed by three seasons with the New York Jets. He has been out of football since 2012.
Farrell’s take: Based on his lofty ranking and his amazing ceiling, Turner goes down as a major disappointment to me. This kid was the size of a tight end in high school with the agility and speed of a wide receiver and he couldn’t be stopped whenever I saw him. He’s one of the top-10 most talented receivers I’ve seen in my career and he would have had much more success closer to home.
The skinny: Despite committing to USC over Washington, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in July of 2012, Ramsey still kept his recruiting process pretty open. He ended up taking official visits to Florida, Florida State, Washington and Mississippi State, with both the Gators and Seminoles becoming major threats to USC. Despite never formally decommitting from USC, Ramsey finally did flip to Florida State on National Signing Day. After three memorable seasons in Tallahassee he entered the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was selected with the fifth overall pick by Jacksonville.
Farrell’s take: Talk about a home run ranking and a prospect who lived up to everything we expected of him. A big, athletic cornerback who could do so many things on defense and special teams, we expected him to be a star wherever he ended up and he could end up being the best NFL player on this list. Ramsey had a cockiness about him I loved. He always wanted to be on an island against the best and he liked to tackle.
The skinny: Richmond originally committed to Ole Miss over Tennessee, Ohio State and Alabama early during his senior season, but never seemed to close the process. An official visit followed to Ohio State and then a last minute one to Tennessee the weekend before National Signing Day. This last visit was enough for the Vols’ coaching staff to pull him away from Ole Miss as he made the flip soon after. After redshirting last fall, Richmond is firmly in the two-deep rotation for this fall with a good chance to be the starter at left tackle.
Farrell’s take: His upside is very high as Richmond had it all in high school – size, power, technique and light feet for a massive kid. I remember how big a deal it was for him to flip to the Vols in the end. He can be a star at Tennessee. You just can’t teach his level of athleticism and agility at that size. He's a natural.
The skinny: Riggs committed to Tennessee during his senior season after taking an official visit to LSU. He also took an official visit to Nebraska in January and gave a close look to both Michigan and Ohio State, but at the end signed with the in-state Vols. In Knoxville, Riggs never reached his potential. His best season in 2004 was followed by an injury in 2005 that ended his collegiate career prematurely. He went undrafted in 2006 and signed as a free agent with Miami. He spent time with the Dolphins, Chicago and Detroit, but never made an active roster. He also played in the NFL Europe and the CFL before seeing his playing career come to an end in 2013.
Farrell’s take: This kid was a stud and obviously had the bloodlines being the son of former NFL star Gerald Riggs, but it never came together. Running back is one of those positions that people think is easy to scout but it’s so hard to project stardom. For every Adrian Peterson and Leonard Fournette there is a Riggs Jr. who just started to hit his stride before an injury derailed him.
The skinny: Donald’s recruiting process came down to Tennessee and Notre Dame. Both schools seemed to be in the lead at different times and an official visit to South Bend during the fall put Tennessee fans on edge. However, in the end Donald decided to play closer to home and committed to the Vols during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Donald redshirted in 2007, only played in two games in 2008 and mainly saw playing time on special teams in 2009. After not recording a tackle in Knoxville, he transfer to Tennessee-Chattanooga, where he played one season and then retired from the game.
Farrell’s take: This one is puzzling because this was a big, physical, downhill thumper of a linebacker who seemed destined for stardom. Just watch his film and you can see the athleticism for his size, especially when he’s playing running back and dominating with good footwork. He was a tackling and big-play machine in high school who just never took to the college game. He has to be one of the biggest disappointments for the Vols in the last decade.
The skinny: After trimming his list down to LSU, Clemson, Tennessee, Mississippi State and Memphis in late May, Herron committed to the Tigers over the Bulldogs only a couple of weeks later. Herron redshirted in 2013 and then made the move to defensive tackle in 2014, when he saw minimal playing time. His hard work led to more time on the field and productivity in 2015, which has now firmly placed him in the defensive tackle rotation leading into the 2016 season.
Farrell’s take: I’ll take the blame here for overvaluing Herron. What I saw was an edge rusher with length, great size and a quick get-off who could disrupt plays either by getting after the passer or shutting down passing lanes. I didn’t forsee him moving inside at all. So far, his career at LSU has been solid but not of five-star caliber. However, he still has time to pull a Chris Jones (Mississippi State) and go from five-star outside pass rusher out of high school to the NFL first round discussion as a defensive tackle.
The skinny: Warren committed to the Seminoles prior to the start of his senior season, but the pull of possibly playing in-state had him take an official visit to Tennessee during the last weekend before National Signing Day. Despite this late push by the Vols, Warren decided to stick with his commitment and signed with the Seminoles. Warren, who was actually recruited as a tight end by Florida State, played one productive season with Seminoles in 2006 before transferring to Tennessee. After a sub-par 2008 season, Warren was kicked off the team during the 2009 season after on-field and off-field issues. He was arrested in late 2014 during a heroin/cocaine bust in Blount County, Tennessee.
Farrell’s take: Warren was a freaky athlete, but we felt his talents would be better utilized on the defensive side of the ball as an end or standup linebacker. So it was odd, at least to me, when he chose and stuck with Florida State as a tight end prospect when the ‘Noles were known for not utilizing the position back then. He showed flashes of changing things for FSU at the tight end position his first year, but his transfer and then off-field issues derailed amazing potential. Hearing about his recent run-ins with the law makes this an even more depressing story.
The skinny: Being an early enrollee, Malone took official visits to Tennessee, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State and Ohio State during his senior season. At the conclusion of his visits he committed to Tennessee in early December surrounding rumors he could choose Georgia or FSU. Malone has been productive, but not outstanding, during his first two seasons in Knoxville, totaling 54 receptions for 636 yards and three touchdowns. Malone is the most experienced returning receiver for the Vols this fall, so look for quarterback Joshua Dobbs to rely on him early and often.
Farrell’s take: Malone was a skinny, ultra-talented and very fast and reliable receiver out of high school who could stretch the field but also turn short passes into big gains. He hasn’t hit his five-star stride yet at Tennessee but he has shown flashes and he will have a breakout season this year. He’s too talented in my mind to not take the next step.
Editor’s Note: Linebacker Daniel Brooks was No. 31 in the 2003 Rivals100 but was not a five-star prospect, so the following two players make the list ahead of him.
The skinny: Phillips took official visits to Ole Miss and LSU during his senior season and then Tennessee in December. While the Rebels and Tigers looked to be the leaders for a good portion of his process, the last visit was enough for him to commit to the Vols in early January. Phillips only played in four games as a true freshman last fall before a shoulder injury required surgery. Now healthy, Phillips is part of a stacked defensive end group. While the potential is there for a big season, it will be interesting to see how much playing time he actually gets.
Farrell’s take: Everyone who knows me knows that I like my defensive ends to be tall, long and with a frame that can add weight. But Phillips, who isn’t overly long nor tall and was pretty filled out in high school, was a relentless pass rusher with the speed and natural leverage to be great. He’s a guy who just got better each time I was able to see him and he earned that fifth star at the end of the process. Now he has plenty of time to live up to it.
The skinny: Despite having offers from many of the top programs in the country, Hurd did not wait to make his decision as he committed to Tennessee almost 11 months prior to his National Signing Day. Hurd has been extremely productive in his first two seasons in Knoxville, totaling over 2,100 yards and 17 touchdowns. With this, Hurd has set the bar very high for him this fall as Tennessee fans will be expecting a huge season out of the powerful back.
Farrell’s take: Hurd was a controversial ranking for sure, a kid who had immense talent despite not playing against the best competition in the world and missing most of his senior season with an injury. Despite numerous debates, we kept Hurd as a five-star based on his size, speed and power combination and he’s certainly starting to show that faith was worth it as he continues to get better. This is expected to be a massive breakout year for him.
