Exactly one year ago today, I finalized a feature on new Tennessee Volunteers head football coach Butch Jones. I contacted dozens of sources–directly quoting several–in an effort to paint a picture of what Jones was accomplishing on the recruiting trail. Over 3,000 words later, the conclusion was simple:

Butch Jones gets it.

A year later, Jones is still erasing perceptions of Tennessee football built in the last decade (more aggressively in the past five years, specifically), perceptions that seem to contradict the reality that the University of Tennessee is historically one of the greatest college football programs in the country.

Skeptics are still plentiful in light of a 5-7 campaign in his first year at the helm, but what Butch Jones has managed to accomplish on the recruiting trail has led to reasonable optimism.

My profile of Jones took an expanded look at how the new head coach at Tennessee was attacking the Class of 2014, his first full class in Knoxville.

At the time of publication, Butch Jones had 15 commitments and the class was ranked second nationally. On the whole, Jones would add an astonishing 19 more pledges that gave Tennessee a consensus Top 10 recruiting class, one that many Tennessee fans expect to lay the foundation for his revitalization of this program.

Now, as he addresses the Class of 2015, Butch Jones is proving that his ability to attract talent despite an inferior product on the field wasn’t a one-off. The Vols currently have 12 commitments in this class and hover around 10th nationally in most team recruiting rankings.

Late last night, Butch Jones added a commitment from Quinten Dormady, a Texas quarterback who 247Sports rates the fifth-best pro-style quarterback and the 174th-best player in the country.

Dormady has exploded recently on the recruiting trail, receiving nine offers from the likes of TCU, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and–the big one–Alabama. All this came after missing the entirety of his junior season with a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.

However, Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian went to evaluate Dormady on May 23. Five days later he had an offer, and a week later Dormady’s rising stock was nationally validated when the Crimson Tide extended a commitable offer following a stellar performance at a camp on Alabama’s campus.

Yet, after making a return visit to Tennessee this weekend, Dormady decided to commit to Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers late last night via Twitter. It was an incredible get for Jones, not only because he beat out Almighty Alabama, but because he failed to sign a quarterback in 2014.

Whether Dormady blossoms into the next great Volunteer quarterback or not, securing a commitment from a kid in a small town north of San Antonio with an offer from THE national powerhouse in collegiate football signifies something for Jones. For a year and a half now, Butch has been out there planting these sort of flags.

The ability to sell prospective student-athletes based on a vision isn’t easy. Derek Dooley certainly couldn’t do it, and hundreds of coaches before him have seen solid recruiting classes dismantled by 5-7 seasons. Yet, Butch Jones was able to hold together an incredible haul in 2014, and he looks poised to do the same in 2015, despite the continuing growing pains that seem likely for Tennessee.

That’s because people trust Butch.

What people, you might ask.

The overwhelming majority.

Jones’ success as a recruiter is built completely on establishing personal relationships. Yes, he’s got a great university to sell with incredible facilities and an unquestionable history of greatness, but all the recruits and high school coaches I spoke with last year for my story were clear that their relationships with Jones were valued.

John Hart sent five of his players to Butch Jones at Cincinnati when he was the head coach of Indianapolis powerhouse Warren Central. He’s since moved on to a high school about an hour north of where I live here in Illinois, but when asked if he would send one of his athletes at Huntley to Butch Jones and Tennessee (600 miles away, mind you), he didn’t hesitate:

“I’ve known Coach Jones since he was at Central Michigan, and I think the key about him and the guys that he has around him, is that they’re men of character,” Hart said. “When he says he’s going to do something, he follows through with it.

“I always felt like my job as a head football coach was to make sure I protected my players when they go into the recruiting process, and Coach Jones did an outstanding job … there’s not anybody that I could recommend (to a prospect) more strongly than himself and the coaches he surrounds himself with.”

John Hart trusts Butch Jones and he’s done so for nearly a decade. That’s because he trusts Butch.

Quinten Dormady’s relationship with Tennessee is likely built on a similar trust. Dormady trusts Butch Jones and he trusts Mike Bajakian. He trusts that they’ll put him on a path to success on the football field and in life.

That trust, as idealistic as it seems, is absolutely everything in a business where everybody is told not to trust anybody.