GoVols247’s full staff Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Ryan Callahan (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to discuss Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class after the program’s strong start to the Early Signing Period.

There was at least a mild amount of consternation throughout much of Tennessee’s fan base during the 2020 recruiting cycle, because the Vols’ class looked solid but not outstanding on the surface for much of that time.

For the second consecutive year, though, Jeremy Pruitt and his staff got hot late in the process and added plenty of big pieces.

Tennessee added five prospects — including three four-star prospects — on Wednesday, and the Vols’ class is now ranked 15th nationally. And it could get even better in the coming weeks, because some big-time prospects — including five-star tight end/athlete Darnell Washington from Las Vegas — are still heavily considering Tennessee.

How did Tennessee regenerate momentum on the trail? What kind of players did the Vols just sign? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this bunch? How much of a factor is Tennessee for Washington, elite in-state defensive lineman Jay Hardy and other unsigned prospects? Those are the main questions addressed in the first segment of this episode.

A busy week of football, recruiting and basketball pushed the Thursday morning podcast to Friday morning, so the second segment of this episode is a staple usually reserved for Thursdays — answers to questions submitted by GoVols247 subscribers on The CheckerBoard. The questions ran the gamut, as usual, and as always there was a hand-to-hand combat question in the mix.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — an episode focusing on the 21st-ranked Tennessee basketball team and its current struggles — will be released later Friday morning.