Tennessee football is on recruiting hot streak, even if Josh Heupel can't say it

CHATTANOOGA — It’s the big win that Josh Heupel simply can’t talk about, even when he’s pressed to do so.

At Tuesday’s Big Orange Caravan stop, a TV reporter asked Heupel about Nico Iamaleava, the high-profile five-star quarterback who committed to Tennessee football.

Heupel stayed silent.

Then a radio host tried to get Heupel’s reaction to the commitment earlier in the day of Caleb Herring, the Riverdale edge rusher and No. 1 recruit in Tennessee.

Again, Heupel didn’t say a word.

Finally, during the Q&A portion of the event, an eager fan asked if Heupel could talk about Iamaleava and members of UT’s top 10 recruiting class for 2023.

Heupel politely declined.

Per NCAA rule, coaches aren’t allowed to talk publicly about specific recruits until they sign a National Letter of Intent. Most reporters know that. Understandably, some fans do not.

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But the line of questioning highlighted the heightened interest in the Vols’ recent success in recruiting — from the highly touted Iamaleava to a recent string of in-state commitments.

“I feel like all our coaches, (including) our 10 full-time assistants, have a done a great job of building relationships with kids,” Heupel said, speaking generally about recruiting.

“We are starting to see the fruits of that."

In-state recruiting has spiked

UT’s 2023 class is ranked No. 8 by 247Sports Composite with eight committed prospects.

It’s way too early to see where the Vols will finish. There’s eight months until the December signing period and more than a dozen commitments to go. But they’re off to a great start.

Iamaleava, of course, is the centerpiece of the class. He would be UT’s first five-star quarterback signed since James Banks in 2002. But UT’s success in recruiting in-state players may be a close second among positive storylines.

Five of UT’s eight commitments are from Tennessee, including Herring, Knoxville Catholic defensive lineman Trevor Duncan, Greenbrier edge rusher Nathan Robinson, Mount Juliet offensive lineman Ayden Bussell and Lipscomb Academy wide receiver Nate Spillman.

Compare that to Heupel’s first class, which had only two in-state signees — wide receiver Cameron Miller (Memphis Academy of Health Sciences) and linebacker Elijah Herring (Riverdale), Caleb’s older brother.

“Elijah had nothing to do with my decision and he never even pushed me to commit to Tennessee,” Caleb Herring said. “He just told me to commit wherever I feel is most comfortable for me, and (Tennessee) is the place I chose.”

How often have Vols signed state’s No. 1 recruit?

The No. 1 prospect in Tennessee signed with the Vols four times in the past 10 years, including Ensworth safety Key Lawrence (2020), University School of Jackson offensive lineman Trey Smith (2017), Hillsboro defensive end Kyle Phillips (2015) and Station Camp wide receiver Josh Malone (2014).

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So landing Caleb Herring is significant. He’s also ranked No. 76 overall in the 2023 class and the No. 8 edge rusher.

But Heupel’s staff has mined the state for more talent.

Duncan is the No. 12 ranked prospect in Tennessee and No. 382 nationally. Robinson is No. 15 in Tennessee and No. 445 nationally.

That gives the Vols three top-500 prospects from Tennessee in the 2023 class. They had only one in the 2022 class.

Bussell is No. 24 in Tennessee and No. 603 nationally. Spillman is No. 36 in Tennessee and No. 855 nationally. Recruiting rankings often change during a player’s senior season.

“We’ve tried to do it the right way,” Heupel said. “That doesn’t mean we offer every kid in the state. But we want to know about them and have an opportunity to evaluate them. We want to get to know them as a player and as a person.”

Why in-state recruiting has improved in Heupel’s second year

Heupel and his coaches were handicapped in signing their first class.

Following the firing of coach Jeremy Pruitt, they were on the job for only 10 months when the December signing period arrived. They had to recruit against the perception that sanctions would hit the program after an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations under Pruitt.

And COVID-19 protocols didn’t allow them to recruit in-person until the summer, when most of the top in-state 2022 recruits had already committed to other schools.

Once restrictions loosened, Heupel did a barnstorming tour of Tennessee high schools to build relationships with coaches. His assistants capitalized by locking up commitments from targeted players in the 2023 class.

“It’s one of the hard things of taking over in the middle of COVID,” Heupel said. “You didn’t get a chance to be on the road recruiting. So this is a lot more of a normal cycle.”

Moderate success in Heupel’s debut season undoubtedly helped, as well. The Vols went 7-6 while breaking numerous school records for points and yards. And Heupel earned the Steve Spurrier Award, given to the top first-year coach in college football.

There are more opportunities ahead.

In the 2023 class, 15 prospects from Tennessee are ranked in the top 500 nationally. Three are committed to UT, along with one each to Ohio State, Kentucky, Arkansas and Florida State. But eight have not committed to a school.

“I certainly hope (in-state recruiting) continues to snowball. But I think each kid has an independent decision that they’re making,” Heupel said. “We’ve got an unbelievable product to sell at UT. The culture sells itself.”

Reach Adam Sparks at adam.sparks@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football is on recruiting hot streak, even if Josh Heupel can't say it