Jaime Ffrench, a wide receiver from Mandarin High School, is a top pass catcher in the next cycle. His prior commitment to the Alabama Crimson Tide was renounced with the retirement of famed head coach Nick Saban. In this one, a number of significant programs—including the Tennessee Volunteers—have joined the picture.
George MacIntyre, a quarterback from Brentwood Academy, committed to the Vols on Monday, increasing Tennessee’s prospects. There was a past relationship between Ffrench and MacIntyre, and MacIntyre is already courting him. In the 2025 class, Ffrench is ranked as the No. 12 prospect by the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is one of the next great receivers to emerge out of Jacksonville, Florida, and ranks as the third-best wide receiver in the class.
Ffrench revealed that he presently has a “sharp” top three of Florida State, Miami, and Ohio State when he spoke with Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. In addition, he listed his interest in Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Notre Dame. According to Volquest’s Austin Price, Ffrench and Tennessee are trying to arrange an unofficial visit for this spring. This would be a significant chance for this coaching staff.
Recently, Tennessee extended an offer to another outstanding Ohio prospect. Ohio’s Anderson High School is home to prospective cornerback Ashton Alston. He is a 2027 athlete that stands 5-10 and weighs 165 pounds. He recently recapped his Tennessee offer with Volunteer Country. “I’m quite grateful about the Tennessee offer. “This is my first offer from an SEC, and it just inspires me to work harder,” the gifted candidate says. He adds, “It felt great to get the offer; I was really excited,” after making that first statement. I had a great talk with Coach Nez and Coach Abeln, and I’m excited to visit them in the spring.”
According to Matt Zenitz, Cory Robinson, a defensive analyst for Tennessee, is anticipated to rejoin the NFL coaching staff as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ next cornerbacks coach. Robinson has only been in Knoxville for a year when he is most likely leaving the Volunteers programme. Before getting back on the coaching waggon, he helped the Vols turn around their defence and oversaw an improvement that moved Tennessee from 91st in the country to 32nd in total defence in only one season.
Although it is against the rules for analysts to train players one-on-one or have off-campus recruiting trips, Robinson supported Tennessee’s defensive coaching staff, focusing mostly on the defensive backs. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, seven defensive backs, including starters Doneiko Slaughter and Tamarion McDonald, entered the transfer portal, ranking the Vols’ passing defence No. 64 in the FBS with 221.5 yards allowed per game.
After three years in the NFL, Robinson spent his lone year as a college football coach at Tennessee. Prior to moving up to a college position in 2015, the former student-athlete at Central Connecticut State started his coaching career at the high school level. During his first FBS tenure, he attended Toledo, Temple, Rutgers, and Maryland.
The 2017 season at Temple, where he assisted the Owls in leading the American Athletic Conference in pass defence by surrendering only 206.8 yards per game via the air, was Robinson’s best season among those stops. At the four previously named universities, he oversaw defensive backs and then took on the role of passing game coordinator at Rutgers and Maryland.
Robinson’s first NFL position was as an assistant defensive backs coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2020. His 2021 squad placed third in touchdown passes allowed, sixth in total defence, and fourth in scoring defence in the league.
In contrast, Tennessee may be ready for another successful season on the defensive end of the ball despite its exodus of transfers. Numerous immediate impact transfers committed to the Vols, including defensive lineman Jaxson Moi from Stanford and former Oregon State cornerback Jermod McCoy.
But Nico Iamaleava, the Vols’ second-year quarterback, and his capacity to elevate the offence to new heights will be crucial to the team’s success in 2024. In his first year at the top of the depth chart, the former five-star recruit looks to be one of the SEC’s best starting signal-callers. He had an impressive performance against the renowned Iowa defence in the Citrous Bowl, completing 12-of-19 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown in addition to running for three more touchdowns.
