Three-Point Stance: Deion means business

Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney takes a look at what Deion Sanders is doing at Jackson State, some top quarterbacks who made the biggest impression at Steve Clarkson’s QB Retreat over the weekend and how Tennessee has become cool again.

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Jackson State coach Deion Sanders pulled off arguably the biggest surprise in recruiting history when No. 1 Travis Hunter flipped from Florida State to Jackson State on National Signing Day. Sanders hinted he was “going to shock the world” and for once that premonition not only proved true but backed up the hyperbole.

Hunter has superstar potential at Jackson State but let’s not forget about high four-star receiver Kevin Coleman and other talented players in that 2022 class.

Sanders is back at it to start the 2023 group with a recent commitment from four-star receiver Isiah Kendall. The Newport, Ark., standout was seriously looking at Indiana and other Power Five programs wanted him to camp this summer where more offers could be on the way.

But a source close to Kendall told me: “Deion has that affect on people.”

There are so many interesting storylines around Sanders: Can he get elite players in the 2023 class? What if he got a shot at recruiting and coaching at a Power Five program? Could elite four-star receiver Johntay Cook, who has Jackson State in his top list, really follow in Hunter’s and Coleman’s footsteps.

So many top recruits have said things about playing for one of the best ever, being taught by someone who did it at the highest level, and it’s true - which college head coach has the playing experience of Sanders? If success comes at Jackson State, it will be so incredibly interesting to see if he gets a shot at the Power Five level.

He certainly has the credentials to make it happen.

The class of 2023 rankings will get reworked this week and I still don’t know how the wide receiver position is going to shake out, especially after seeing three of the best in the class at the Steve Clarkson QB Retreat this past weekend in Santa Monica.

The current No. 1 receiver is Brandon Inniss and he’s the consummate professional. Always open, catches everything, maybe not an absolute burner but he’s such a good route runner that he creates space against anybody.

Then there is No. 3 receiver Carnell Tate who looks the part and was outstanding at the Pylon event in Los Angeles earlier this offseason playing alongside Inniss. During that weekend, Tate showed off why he’s a five-star with great speed, insane hands and the ability to make tough catches look so easy. It was during that event where he established himself as arguably the best receiver in the class.

And then there was Hykeem Williams at the Clarkson event and he’s the Adonis of this receiver group. All of 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Stranhan prospect looks so good, so smooth and like someone who could dominate on the outside with an elite quarterback.

There are others – Shelton Sampson, Zachariah Branch, Jalen Brown and others – that will absolutely be in the conversation. But seeing Inniss, Tate and Williams this weekend really sparked me thinking about how all this is going to play out.

Tennessee hosted some of the best players nationally over the weekend for Rocky Top Palooza and it was a hit. Knoxville is a destination again, the Vols already have a commitment from a five-star quarterback and the program has a pulse again under coach Josh Heupel.

The Vols usually are able to recruit but this feels different. Nico Iamaleava is an elite talent, five-star receiver Carnell Tate is serious about playing at Tennessee, 2024 five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis said the Vols will be one of three teams to definitely make his list of favorites, four-star OL Francis Mauigoa has Tennessee very high on his list and on and on it goes.

Four-star Cristian Conyer was in Knoxville this weekend and said the visit was “awesome,” the culture is “incredible” and that there is energy around the program. The Tennessee coaches told three-star OL Lucas Simmons that they’re looking for a certain type of player and that he fits the mold.

“They have the same goal in mind and that is to get Tennessee back to the top of college football,” Simmons said.

We all know that the SEC is murderer’s row. We all know Tennessee isn’t the king of the hill yet. But things are getting better in Knoxville and this weekend’s event was another sign of it.