Welcome to our weekly column, “The State of the Vols.” Here we 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 6.

Congratulations to Sabanoccio, who won our drawing for two free Kentucky-Tennessee basketball tickets. Registered users of our site will be entered to win prizes throughout the year, so follow this link and register for free to put your name in the hat.

Football: Butch Jones’ first class is (mostly) complete. Signing Day went largely as expected, with the well-documented exception of Vonn Bell’s choice of the Buckeyes. We gave the class a “B” as a whole, with defensive backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers receiving an “A”. The 2013 class has 21 current signees, plus three preferred walk-ons. Of note, three-star kicker Andrew Gantz visited Ohio State over the weekend, but remains committed to the Vols as a preferred walk-on.

The Tennessee staff is still likely to add an additional signee or two in the coming weeks, and a previous post addresses several rumored additions. Look for another article midweek examining several other possible late signees. As the class stands, it ranks 10th in the SEC with an average national ranking of 25th. If the Vols add members to this class, they’ll likely surpass Mississippi State for ninth among SEC recruiting classes.

Jones’ focus moving forward will be largely aimed at securing commitments from members of the 2014 class. The Vols will host a junior day this weekend, and over a dozen prospects are expected to be in attendance. Junior day headliners include 5-star running back Jalen Hurd, 4-star defensive back Todd Kelly Jr., and 4-star receiver Josh Malone. Hurd, Kelly, and Malone are each ranked in 247 Sports’ top 100, and the success of the 2014 class depends largely on Jones’ ability to convince an unusually talented group of in-state prospects to wear orange. Throughout the week, we’ll be building a list of 2014 Vol targets, and will have a weekend visitor preview once a junior day list finalizes.

It’s hard to believe but spring practice starts in less than a month (March 9th), and we’ll begin looking at several position battles in the coming weeks.

Basketball: In a home loss to Georgia Wednesday, almost nothing went well for the Vols. Tennessee lacked intensity for much of the game, didn’t defend well, and continued to struggle offensively. The Vols turned things around on the road at South Carolina and came away with their first road win of the year. Trae Golden returned from a hamstring injury to play very well (16 points and only 2 turnovers), and he is the key to the Vols moving forward. It’s easy to forget he was Tennessee’s leading scorer halfway through the year. When he was playing well, the Vols looked like a sure bet to earn an NCAA bid, as Golden began to struggle, so did the Vols. Ten games into the season, Golden had scored in double-figures in all but two contests; in his ten games of action since, he’s managed double-figures just three times.

Jarnell Stokes was named SEC Player of the Week and has undoubtably been playing the best basketball of his career. He averaged 18 points and 10.5 rebounds last week, and has pulled down five consecutive double-doubles. When Stokes and Golden play well, the Vols are tough to beat. If Cuonzo can get efforts from Golden consistent with his performance against South Carolina, the Vols have a chance to string together several consecutive wins.

Tennessee faces another road contest Wednesday at Vanderbilt (8 p.m. SEC Network), then returns home to battle rival Kentucky (Saturday at 1 p.m. CBS). Though Vanderbilt is down this year, Memorial Gymnasium is a difficult place to play. Keep an eye on Golden early, if he starts well, the Vols should pick up the win. Tennessee gave the Wildcats a scare in Rupp earlier this year, and that was before Stokes began playing consistently. Look for the Vols to upset No. 25 Kentucky Saturday at home.

Lady Vols: The Lady Vols went 2-0 last week, with a last second win at LSU (64-62) and a home route of Ole Miss. Meighan Simmons led Tennessee in scoring for the week with 42 points, and she continues to thrive in Warlick’s fast paced offense. Picked to finish fourth in the SEC by most, the No. 12 Lady Vols are atop the standings at 10-1 in league play (19-5 overall); Texas A&M is right behind them at 9-1, while Kentucky is third at 9-2.

Tennessee plays just once this week, a home game against Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2). Look for the Lady Vols to pick up the victory and move to 11-1 in SEC play.