Vols have rare recruiting advantage over Alabama

Tennessee 15, Alabama 5.

That’s not a fantasy football score. And it’s current, not from 20 years ago.

The Vols actually are beating the Tide. More specifically, they are beating them in recruiting commitments for 2018, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Never mind if these are only commitments, rather than signees. Or that it’s only June.

Tennessee hasn’t beaten Alabama in football since 2006. And as well as it has recruited at times, it hasn’t kept up with Alabama, which repeatedly has ranked No. 1 in recruiting under coach Nick Saban.

Nonetheless, UT fans shouldn’t minimize the topsy-turvy development in recruiting regardless of what the calendar says. It’s worth renting a billboard in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with a Big Orange background and the score: Tennessee 15, Alabama 5.

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After all, isn’t that what coach Butch Jones preaches? Celebrate accomplishments, big or small. Go to a bowl, get a ring. Win a bowl, declare it a championship.

In fact, Tennessee’s 2018 recruiting surge might be more significant than any of the three bowl victories on Jones’ watch. It’s just what the program needed after losing four of its last eight games in 2017.

More:Butch Jones needs to win, or no amount of explaining will satisfy UT fans

Forget that Alabama’s commitments are trickling in at a slower pace than usual. It still might be slugging it out with Ohio State for the top class when the final signing results are tabulated. However, UT doesn’t need an Alabama comparison to feel good about what’s going on in recruiting.

Its success has been achieved with a revamped coaching staff and not under the best of circumstances. Tennessee's October fade left it short of an SEC East championship it should have won. It also left Jones on the proverbial coaching hot seat.

That seemingly hasn’t fazed recruits, though. They have been committing to the Vols from near and far.

Seven of their 15 commitments are from in-state, but their four-star quarterback commitment is from Adrian Martinez of Fresno, Calif. Four of their commitments are from Georgia, and three are from Florida.

Recruiting nearby Georgia always has been crucial to Tennessee. An expanded presence in Florida is a bonus.

There’s also a nice balance to UT’s early list of commitments. It includes Knoxville Catholic offensive tackle Cade Mays, who is one of the highest-ranked players in the country; three four-star defensive tackles; and a four-star running back.

Tennessee’s recruiting binge is magnified by what’s going on elsewhere in the SEC. Usually, halfway through the year, there would be at least four conference teams in the top 10 nationally for commitments. Now, LSU is third; Tennessee, sixth; and Texas A&M 13th; and no other SEC program is higher than 25th, according to 247Sports.

You would expect other conference programs to make a recruiting charge at some point. And surely, Alabama will finish in the top 10.

But Tennessee fans should stay immersed in the present – where the score is UT 15, Alabama 5.

Reach John Adams at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com and on Twitter @johnadamskns.