Welcome to our weekly column, “The State of the Vols.” Here we’ll summarize and analyze the previous week’s action while looking forward to the coming week for Vol football, basketball, and Lady Vol basketball. Check back next Monday for volume 3.

Football: Tennessee lost a recruit last week when 3-star TE/DE Chauntez Jackson switched his commitment to Houston. While it’s never good to lose a recruit this close to signing day, there were some academic concerns with Jackson. The 3-star prospect was projected to play tight end at Tennessee and with two tight ends already committed (A.J. Branisel and Woody Quinn), Vol fans shouldn’t be concerned about losing him.

The Vols hosted 13 official visitors over the weekend (read our preview with info on each here) in what were vitally important days for Butch Jones as he builds his first recruiting class at Tennessee. The visiting prospects were: Carl Lawson (5-star defensive end), Peyton Barber (3-star running back), Shelton Gibson (4-star receiver), Josh Smith (3-star receiver), Brett Kendrick (3-star offensive tackle), Jaylen Miller (4-star defensive end), Malik Foreman (3-star defensive back), Austin Sanders (4-star offensive tackle), Ryan Jenkins (4-star receiver), Davin Bellamy (4-star defensive end), A.J. Branisel (3-star tight end), Dylan Wiesman (3-star offensive tackle), and Cameron Sutton (3-star defensive back).

Tennessee was scheduled to receive a visit from 4-star athlete Jason Smith, but he chose to not make the trip to Knoxville. Smith, who is committed to Auburn, may reschedule and visit before signing day, but it’s unlikely Smith signs with the Vols, even if he takes an official visit to UT.

The busy recruiting weekend couldn’t have gone better according to most sources, and Jones and his staff improved their standing with several of the nation’s top prospects. John Jancek, Tennessee’s defensive coordinator, identified the defensive line as the area where the Vols need the most help from this recruiting class. Fortunately, several top defensive line prospects left their weekend visits with the Vols at, or near, the top of their lists.

Carl Lawson, a 5-star defensive end rated as the No. 2 player in the nation, called his trip to Knoxville “a great visit” and cited everything at UT as “top-notch.” Davin Bellamy, a 4-star defensive end and Florida State commit, clearly enjoyed his visit to Tennessee and the Vols appear to be at the top of his list. However, don’t expect Bellamy or Lawson to commit anytime soon as each prospect is likely to wait until February 6th to make their final decisions.

The Vols are in position to land a commitment from 4-star defensive end Jaylen Miller, who was the lone uncommitted prospect on campus over the weekend. Miller is scheduled to visit Maryland and Wake Forest in the coming weeks, but has Tennessee at the top of his list after his trip to Knoxville left a positive impression. He could commit to the Vols as early as this week and we would be surprised if he lands anywhere else.

Tennessee’s 2013 recruiting class is currently ranked 30th by 247 Sports, 33rd by ESPN, and 30th by Rivals. As the Vols close on some of these recruits, they’ll climb the rankings. The Vols currently have 18 commits and can sign as many as 27 players this year. We expect Tennessee to finish with a class ranked in the top 20 nationally, and the Vols have a good shot at sneaking into the top 15.  As soon as anyone commits, we’ll breakdown what role they may play for Jones’ first Tennessee team. Look for part 1 of our two part recruiting recap Monday afternoon, with part 2 being released Tuesday morning.

The Vols will host a handful of recruits this weekend, including 5-star safety Vonn Bell. Derrick Green, a 5-star running back from Virginia, won’t be in Knoxville this weekend but will receive a Wednesday visit from Tennessee’s coaches. Michigan leads for Green’s services but the Vols are running a close second. He is supposed to announce his intentions Saturday.

Basketball: The Vols ended a four game losing streak with a comfortable win over Mississippi State and Tennessee went 1-1 as predicted in last week’s column. Offensively, the Vols showed improvement even in a loss at Kentucky, and shot 46.5% this week, including 38% from 3. After committing 29 turnovers to just 18 assists in losses to Alabama and Kentucky, the Vols dished out a season-high 19 assists in the win over Mississippi State. Golden had 10 points and 9 assists, while Stokes grabbed his fourth double-double of the year with 18 points and 11 rebounds. When these key cogs are playing well, the Vols are tough to beat, “Jarnell and Trae Golden played well, which is good to see. When those two guys play well, we’ve got a chance. When those guys are playing at the level they’re capable of playing, I think everything kind of falls around them,” Cuonzo said after the game. For Tennessee to climb back into the NCAA Tournament picture, it’s clear Stokes and Golden have to play well. Vol fans should be encouraged after their performances Saturday.

The Vols face perhaps their toughest remaining test of the year Thursday (7 p.m. ESPN2) when they travel to Ole Miss (15-2). For Tennessee to pick up the road win, they’ll have to slow Marshall Henderson, the SEC’s leading scorer. Henderson dropped 32 points on the Vols in Ole Miss’ win in Knoxville earlier this month. Look for a full game preview Wednesday.

Tennessee returns home to take on Alabama Saturday (2 p.m. ESPN2). Cuonzo and the Vols should go 1-1 this week, and an upset win at Ole Miss would certainly help Tennessee move back in the hunt for an NCAA bid.

Lady Vols: It wasn’t easy, but the Lady Vols went 2-0 last week and moved to 15-3 on the year. Holly Warlick’s squad had to fight back from a 12-point second half deficit at Auburn to pick up the win. Meighan Simmons scored 29 points for the Lady Vols in the win over the Tigers and averaged 22.5 points per game last week. After the hard fought road win, the Lady Vols returned home to handle Alabama 96-69 Sunday. Bashaara Graves and Isabelle Harrison combined for 33 points in Sunday’s win after managing just 11 combined points in Thursday’s victory at Auburn.

Throughout the week, the SEC hosted “We Back Pat” games across the conference. All funds raised during the week benefitted The Pat Summitt Foundation. “I am honored and humbled that the Southeastern Conference schools continue to support the work of the Pat Summitt Foundation’s fight against Alzheimer’s. The `We Back Pat’ Week not only brings public attention to our cause, but it also helps raise funds that will be awarded by our foundation in the form of grants to organizations who battle this disease every day,” said legendary Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt.

Tennessee faces Vanderbilt (13-5, 3-2 SEC) in Nashville Thursday (9 p.m. SportsSouth) in the only action for Holly Warlick’s team this week. The Lady Vols should take care of business against Vanderbilt and move to 16-3.