University of Tennessee Athletics
Team Effort Builds Relationships For Vols
February 04, 2015 | Football
Fashion Of Signing Day
Fashion statements may not heave sealed the deal for any of the members of the 2015 class, but Butch Jones' willingness to step outside of the norm definitely didn't hurt.
The chronicles of Kahlil McKenzie's bucket hat this summer were famous. It even became the centerpiece of National Signing Day graphics at UT. But it was another fashion accessory that took center stage on Wednesday.
Jones donned a bow tie to fulfill a promise to Drew Richmond
"I made a promise to him that if he would commit and sign to the University of Tennessee--he likes to wear bow ties--that I would wear a bow tie when I announced him."
Jones did just that, walking in to the War Room to make the announcement in a gray bow tie with orange Power Ts, one added to his collection just for the occasion.
"That is the first time I have ever worn a bow tie, and you could probably tell, too," Jones said. "That is why they sell the ones that are already tied for you."
Wide receiver Preston Williams also made a fashion statement during his signing ceremony, donning an oversized hat designed to mimic a Tennessee helmet. It was a fashion that reflected his personality.
"Preston is very confident and flamboyant at times, but I think that's what makes him the player that he is," said Jones. "He has great, great confidence, has a great skillset. He believes in his ability. And usually the great ones are wired that way."
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The list of people that helped make the incoming class of 2015 a reality took Butch Jones nearly two minutes to list on Wednesday afternoon.
It was a full team effort, from the coaching staff to support staff on campus, coaches' families and even the fans, whose support proved to be a very attractive lure for future Volunteers.
The whole "team" worked for the months and years that led up to signing day to identify and bring in the student-athletes that best fit the profile that Tennessee wants to represent it on the field. The most important part of that was the part that required the most effort, building the relationships.
"Relationships and trust are really the foundation of a successful recruiting class," Jones said. "Everyone in our program, I thought, did a great job of really establishing those relationships and trust not just with the prospective student athlete but with the key stakeholders whether it is mom, dad, aunts, uncles and the mentors. Again, everything is bonded on relationships and that family environment we talk about."
Tennessee addressed its biggest needs with those relationships, getting players at nearly every position on the field, but really cleaning up inside the trenches.
An offensive line class that already boasted 4-star mid-term enrollees Chance Hall and Jack Jones was strengthened by another pair of 4-stars in Venzell Boulware and Zach Stewart. The strong got stronger when 5-star Drew Richmond announced he would sign with Tennessee as well.
"It completed the class," Jones said of the addition of Richmond to an already deep class. "Again, we get back to improving our overall athleticism on the offensive front and Drew obviously does that. When you watched Drew Richmond on video, he was never on the ground, he could always recover, and so I'm excited because he's going to add to the offensive line in a great way to finish the recruiting class off."
On the defensive line, 5-star Kahlil McKenzie joined mid-termer 5-stars Kyle Phillips and Shy Tuttle in a class that also includes highly-decorated prospects Andrew Butcher, Quay Picou and Darrell Taylor.
"If you look at the big bodies in this recruiting class, we wanted length," Jones said. "Length isn't always measured just in height but in wingspan, and so we wanted to make sure we had that addressed. Obviously Kyle Phillips addresses that, Darrell Taylor addresses that. And then you look at our size inside with Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie, those two big defensive tackles, and then you have the quickness from Quay [Picou] that he'll bring inside. He'll be a great complement to those two individuals I just spoke about. Andrew Butcher is an individual who plays with a motor and plays with a high energy about himself.
"The six defensive linemen we brought in, they all complement each other, but they also have a little bit of a different skill set as well."
Jones continued to make the state of Tennessee a priority in recruiting. 10 players announced on Wednesday hail from the Volunteer state, six of those ranked as 4-stars or better, including 5-star prospects Phillips and Richmond.
"It continues to be elevated each and every year," Jones said of the level of players in Tennessee. "We have great high school football in the state of Tennessee, and we have great high school coaches in the state of Tennessee. We're going to start first and foremost taking care of home. We were able to do that, and that's extremely gratifying. Then we venture into our other areas as well. Everything we do at Tennessee starts first and foremost at home."
Jones has talked from day one about building the program Brick by Brick, and two consecutive top-5 recruiting classed have provided a solid foundation. With the pieces added on Wednesday, Jones' excitement level for the future has only increased.
Things won't happen overnight, it will take time, but I thought today was a great, great step in the right direction.
