GoVols247: A Tennessee Volunteers athletics podcast

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss four-star North Carolina athlete Kaemen Marley’s Wednesday commitment to Tennessee.

The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Marley, who plays at Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, N.C., adds another versatile athlete to a Tennessee class that already has several Swiss Army Knife players.

What kind of prospect is Marley? What positions on which side of the ball could he play at Tennessee, and how will he need to change his body in order to play those spots? Is Marley’s relative lack of competition at his small school an issue? How important has it been for Tennessee to get back into North Carolina in a big way? How much of a help has Jay Graham been in that process? Those are the main topics of discussion in this episode.

This week’s first GoVols247 Podcast episode — an episode breaking down touted Atlanta-area tight end Miles Campbell’s commitment to Tennessee — can be found HERE.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan convened via the Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Atlanta-area tight end Miles Campbell’s commitment to Tennessee.

The 6-foot-3, 234-pound Campbell has nearly 30 offers but chose the Vols over Florida State and many others.

What kind of prospect is Campbell? What kind of a tight end does he project to be at the college level? Can he develop into an all-around tight end, or will he remain more of a pass catcher at that spot? How many more tight ends will Tennessee hope to sign in this cycle after not getting any for-sure tight ends (some could move there) in the 2020 cycle? Those are the main points of discussion in this breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released later in the week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown — convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss top-100 quarterback Kaidon Salter’s Sunday commitment to Tennessee.

Salter — the nation’s No. 88 overall prospect and No. 4 dual-threat quarterback prospect, according to the analysts at 247Sports — chose the Vols over a long list of offers.

What kind of prospect is Salter? Is he a thrower who can run, a runner who can throw or both of those things? Where was he on Tennessee’s big board? How important is it to sign at least one quarterback every year? What does his commitment mean for a Tennessee recruiting class that’s getting bigger and bigger? Those are the main points of discussion in this breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown — convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 Maryland linebacker linebacker Aaron Willis’ Sunday commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols stayed crazy hot on the trail by adding their second elite player from powerhouse St. Frances Academy in two days, and their third in the past two years.

What kind of prospect is Willis? Where does he fit into the plans for Tennessee’s defense? Is he potentially a plug-and-play type? What does his commitment mean for Tennessee’s class moving forward? Those are the primary points of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan and Patrick Brown — convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 Maryland defensive lineman KaTron Evans’ Saturday commitment to Tennessee.

Evans — the nation’s No. 179 overall prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite — chose Tennessee over a list of at least 40 other offers, including some of the top programs in the current college landscape.

What kind of prospect is the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Evans? Is he definitely a nose guard, or can he play other spots up front? How important is the pipeline Tennessee is building to national powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore? What does this addition mean for the rest of Tennessee’s class, especially along the defensive front? What’s next for the red-hot Vols on the recruiting trail? Those are the primary points of discussion in this breaking-news episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s full staff — Wes Rucker, Grant Ramey, Ryan Callahan, and Patrick Brown convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss the ridiculous run of commitments that took Tennessee from No. 17 to No. 2 nationally in 247Sports Team Recruiting rankings in just nine days.

Five-star edge rusher Dylan Brooks got the party started with his somewhat unexpected commitment to the Vols, and the rest is history. After eight commitments in nine days, the Vols now sit behind only Ohio State in the national rankings.

After spending the past two weeks discussing the individual trees, this episode takes a step back and discusses the forest. How did Tennessee get this done? How much longer can this heater last? Where do the Vols go from there? Those are the main questions discussed in this episode — the first episode we’ve ever done as a full staff from four separate locations, so bear with us as we work out these quarantine kinks.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Friday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan convened via Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 offensive lineman Colby Smith's commitment to Tennessee.

A torrid stretch of eight commitments in nine days has pushed Tennessee into the No. 2 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting rankings, but this episode primarily focuses on the newest addition to the class.

What kind of prospect is Smith? How did Tennessee turn a kid who admittedly grew up a North Carolina fan? Does Smith definitely project at offensive tackle moving forward? How much development will he need before getting in the mix to play? What does his addition mean for the rest of Tennessee’s O-line recruiting plans in this cycle? Which prospects might jump into the boat next? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released Tuesday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Top247 running back Cody Brown’s commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols have been on an absolute bender in the past week, adding seven commitments — all from touted prospects with big offers — and surging into the No. 3 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings.

Again, it’s tough to keep up with torrid Tennessee on the trail these days, but this episode nonetheless touches on tons of topics in only one, easily-digestible segment.

What kind of prospect is Brown? Where does he fit into the future of Tennessee’s backfield? Is Tennessee finally getting the kind of running backs Jeremy Pruitt and his staff wanted from the beginning? How are the Vols staying so ridiculously hot on the recruiting trail? Who might be the next to jump into the boat? How can a Rucker and a Brown commit to Tennessee on the same day while those named Ramey and Callahan do nothing for the Vols? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released early this week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss touted Florida safety De’Shawn Rucker’s commitment to Tennessee.

The Vols have been on an absolute bender in the past week, adding six commitments — all from touted prospects with big offers — and surging into the No. 3 spot nationally in the 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings.

It’s tough to keep up with torrid Tennessee on the trail these days, but this episode nonetheless touches on tons of topics in only one, easily-digestible segment.

What kind of prospect is Rucker? Does he project as more of a safety or a versatile player in the Tennessee secondary? How did the Vols convince him to pick them despite an offer sheet that included Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, the Big Three in Florida and many, many more? How in the world has Tennessee done what it’s done in the past week? Who’s the next domino to potentially fall into the Vols’ lap? What does this commitment mean for the rest of Tennessee’s 2021 class? Those are the primary discussion points in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released early this week, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Grant Ramey (from GoVols247’s Blount County Satellite Office in Maryville) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss five-star South Florida linebacker Terrence Lewis' commitment to Tennessee.

Lewis, the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 outside linebacker prospect in the 2021 industry-generated 247Sports Composite, became the fourth elite prospect to commit to Tennessee in an absolutely wild recruiting week for Jeremy Pruitt and his program.

There’s plenty of things to squeeze into this one-segment episode, but that’s what was done.

How in the world did Tennessee get this hot during the COVID-19 quarantine period? What kind of prospect is Lewis? Where does Lewis project positionally at Tennessee? How much is peer recruiting helping the Vols at the moment? Where could things be going now in this class? Will some prospects feel the need to try getting a spot now, while they can? Those are the main topics of discussion in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode will be released by Monday, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.