In Friday’s mailbag, one of the questions was what state would Tennessee’s current staff be able to capitalize on that maybe the previous staff didn’t as the poster cited Memphis as an example.

The previous coaching staff put little effort in recruiting Memphis where as Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have worked the bluff city hard.

In answering the question, I noted North Carolina with the arrival of Jay Graham. But, I missed the obvious place and that’s Alabama.

Pruitt and his staff’s ties to Alabama are not only making in roads, but are landing them talent.

None bigger than today’s commitment from Roanoke, Alabama’s Dylan Brooks.

The four star outside linebacker/defensive end is 6-5, 215 pounds and is the 53rd ranked player nationally. A ranking that’s likely to go up.

Tennessee beat out Alabama, Auburn and LSU for Brooks’ services. Derrick Ansley and Jeremy Pruitt will get lots of the credit in this one but it was new Vol assistant Shelton Felton who played a major role in landing Brooks. And while all three will obviously have to battle the Tide and both sets of Tigers to the finish line, the bottom line is they went into Alabama and won.

Brooks is the 5th player to commit from Alabama in the class of 2021. In 2020, they signed three led by athlete Dee Beckwith, along with R.J. Perry and offensive lineman James Robinson, who chose Tennessee over Auburn.

Pruitt and the Vols have went head to head and beaten Auburn the last few years for Wanya Morris, Ramel Keyton and the aforementioned Robinson. But Brooks is different. This recruiting win is not just over Auburn but Alabama as well inside their own state for a player both wanted.

It’s not first time success for the University of Tennessee has been successful inside the home of Tigers and the Tide. In fact through the years, the Yellowhammer State has brought plenty of success. In the last 25 years, the Vols have signed 16 players from Alabama, with four earning All-American or All-SEC honors -- Aaron Sears, Jason Allen, Fred Weary, Tee Martin. Guys like Rashad Moore and Jayson Swain are among others who had success at Tennessee and even at the next level.

And that list doesn’t include guys like Joey Kent and Condredge Holloway who wore the orange and white over 25 years ago.

The reality is that Vols from the state of Alabama is by no means some new phenomenon. The truth is that Tennessee has a rich history of success from their border state to the south.

With their ties to the state Jeremy Pruitt and his staff have been working to tap back into that history since their arrival and the class of 2021 is going a long way in accomplishing that. Especially today as the Vols landed an elite prospect from Alabama beating out both in-state SEC programs in landing defensive stand out Dylan Brooks.