How do national recruiting analysts view Tennessee's 2017 recruiting class?

Coach Butch Jones recently said goodbye to several pillars of his first two recruiting classes at the University of Tennessee.

Looking to sustain the momentum they made, the Vols are entering the stretch run to complete their 2017 class before National Signing Day on Wednesday.

Tennessee’s class entered Monday ranked No. 13 in 274Sports’ composite rankings, which compiles rankings and ratings by the major media recruiting services.

The Vols are ranked sixth among SEC programs behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Texas A&M and No. 10 Auburn. The rankings will fluctuate over the next few days as players commit, switch commitments and eventually sign.

In their class, the Vols have one five-star commit - offensive tackle Trey Smith, who has already enrolled at UT - four four-star commits and 23 three-star commits.

By comparison, Alabama has five five-star commitments, 15 four stars and four three stars. Georgia has two five-stars, 18 four stars and three three stars. LSU has one five star, 12 four stars and eight three stars.

Under Jones, Tennessee’s classes have finished ranked No. 7 in 2014, No. 4 in 2015 and No. 14 last season.

“This year’s class is a little down. They got beat in-state for some big-time kids. They got Trey Smith, but they lost out on some others. I think Tennessee is going to have a solid class and finish in the 18-20 range before it’s all said and done,” said Mike Farrell, the national recruiting director for Rivals.com. “Right now, we have them at No. 9. But they will slide because other schools are closing strong and they missed out on a lot of in-state kids and didn’t get the quarterback they need. They lost Hunter Johnson, a five-star who flipped to Clemson, so I think it’s not as good as Butch’s first couple of years.”

The Vols are ranked No. 11 in Scout.com’s team rankings with four top 100 players.

“I think there is a little bit of drop off compared to three or four years ago. They just haven’t had the success on the field and now they are dealing with Kirby Smart at Georgia and dealing with some good head coaches back in the SEC that are a little bit more difficult to recruit against,” said Brandon Huffman, Scout’s national director of recruiting. “I think they are going to end up with a solid class. But it’s not going to be as hot and heavy as it was a couple of years ago.”

The class could have been worse, says Barton Simmons, after losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt stymied Tennessee’s SEC East title and Sugar Bowl hopes.

“I have been really impressed by the way they closed and that is telling considering the way they ended the season. A lot of people were sort of wringing their hands with regards to the state of the program,” said Simmons, the director of scouting for 247Sports. “The way they have responded on the recruiting trail I think says a lot about the optimism there and what they have been able to show recruits and the message they’ve been able to deliver. I think it’s resonating.”

Poll: Where will the Vols finish in the 2017 recruiting rankings?

Farrell believes Jones will need to alter his recruiting pitch and results on the field to entice more high-level recruits to Tennessee in the future.

“It’s easier to sell a vision than it is to sell results. When you are taking a job and replacing Derek Dooley, you have a vision that we are not going to be that Tennessee anymore. We are not going to be horrible. You get kids to buy in because Tennessee has so much to offer. It has great fans, facilities and tradition and plays in the SEC. There are so many things to sell, so when your first three classes are home runs it’s not a surprise,” Farrell said.

“But after being predicted to win the SEC East this year and being a dark horse to win it the year before and falling short each time, now kids are like ‘OK. I’m not buying into your vision as much. You have to prove it to me.’ Until they break through and win the SEC East, it’s going to be a struggle in recruiting a little bit more than it was the first couple of years.”

Simmons is interested to see how the next few days play out for the Vols before things becomes official on paper.

“Tennessee’s classes are always evolving and I think for better or worse they are getting commits late in the process and are sometimes moving on from commits late in the process,” Simmons said. “That is what Alabama does, what Ohio State does and Michigan. You have to be constantly re-evaluating your class and reassessing your strength in each class if you want to be recruiting with the best in the country.”