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Vols Football: Ranking Butch Jones’ First Four Recruiting Classes

By Zach Ragan

Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones looks on during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones looks on during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 8, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Tyler Byrd (10) in action during the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. The Aggies defeat the Volunteers 45-38 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

4. 2016 Class

Score: 7.7

Top players: Tyler Byrd, Nigel Warrior

Biggest surprise: Baylen Buchanan

Biggest disappointments: None

Like we said before, it’s a bit early to judge the 2016 class, given that they’ve only been around for a season.

But that also means that haven’t had to deal with attrition like the other classes.

I definitely think it’s too early to judge anyone as a disappointment in this class (except maybe Jeremy Lewis, who left the program).

But we definitely had some players that we feel will have solid Vol careers.

Tyler Byrd looks to be the real deal at wide receiver. He didn’t get a ton of playing time this season, with Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings eating up most of the playing time, but when he was on the field, he looked legit.

With Malone moving on the NFL, Byrd should get plenty of time to shine in 2017.

Whoever wins the quarterback battle needs to get very familiar with Byrd (hopefully we see plenty of #byrdstheword hashtags).

It would be nice to see wide receiver Jeff George step up next season as well. He made two starts in 2016, but he only made one catch all season.

George should also get some more opportunities next season.

Another player that would be nice to see more from next season is defensive back Baylan Buchanan. The three-star Georgia native was forced to see extended action as a freshman due to Cam Sutton’s injury.

He obviously has improvements to make, but he gained some invaluable experience last season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a big impact in 2017.

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