Tennessee coach Butch Jones inherited a mess when he was hired on Dec. 7.

The Vols had just finished their third straight losing season and fourth in the last five years. At the same time, Tennessee’s 2013 class was hanging around the bottom half of the SEC while its top rivals in the league were preparing to bring in more championship-caliber players.

So it’s no surprise Jones and his staff made the 2014 class a priority before the 2013 class was even signed.

“Recruiting is a relationship business, and you’re trying to work as fast as you can to build those relationships,” Jones said on signing day on Feb. 6.

Jones has had to work even harder because of the damaged relationships between in-state high schools and the previous coaching staff at Tennessee, led by former head coach Derek Dooley.

The Vols failed to sign one of the top five players in the state in 2013. Top-rated prospect Jalen Ramsey (Florida State signee) from Brentwood visited Tennessee but never strongly considered the Vols. Chattanooga safety Vonn Bell signed with Ohio State because Dooley didn’t built a relationship with Bell, according to his father.

Other Tennessee high school coaches claim to have never met Dooley. But they’ve met Jones, and his effort appears to be paying off.

Tennessee received commitments from Webb School of Knoxville safety Todd Kelly Jr. on Sunday and followed that up on Thursday with a pledge from Beech (Hendersonville) High School running back Jalen Hurd, the state’s top-ranked player and the No. 15 overall prospect for the 2014 class, according to Rivals.

Both Hurd and Kelly took closer looks at Tennessee, which has five commitments for 2014, after the coaching change. In fact, the Vols were barely on Hurd’s radar less than four months ago.

“I didn’t have much of a relationship with Coach Dooley or his staff,” Hurd told the Chattanooga Times Free-Press in November.

Jones made sure that changed, letting Hurd know he was a priority shortly after taking over at Tennessee. Another boost for the Vols came on Christmas Day when athlete Vic Wharton from Independence High School in Nashville, Tenn., became Tennessee’s first commitment for the 2014 class.

Wharton has since focused on spreading the word about Tennessee to recruits throughout the state and nation. He’s done so with his twitter account, which is filled with messages promoting the program.

Do you wanna #RiseToTheTop or get Left at the Bottom!? The decision is obvious! #VOLS

— Victor LaRoy Wharton (@VWharton5) March 15, 2013

Hurd and Kelly have gotten into the mix as well. Kelly said Monday he would call several prospects to help recruit them to Tennessee. Hurd was one of them.

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Vanderbilt running back commit Johnathan Ford was impressed when he watched the Commodores beat Tennessee 41-18 on Saturday night.

“That’s the best game I’ve went to,” Ford told 247Sports. “It was intense from start to finish. That was a big rivalry right there. There were big plays, hard hitting from start to finish. It kept us in it. That was the best atmosphere I’ve ever seen of all the times I’ve seen Vanderbilt University. The fans were wild.”

Vanderbilt’s success under second-year coach James Franklin has been wild to many outside observers. The Commodores have a 7-4 record, 5-3 in the SEC this season. That’s more conference wins than Tennessee has since the start of the 2010 season.

Recruits have noticed. Vanderbilt’s 2013 class is ranked No. 23 in the nation by 247Sports. Ford told the website he believes more top prospects will join him in Nashville.

“I talked to (Arlington, Texas, safety) Trevor Walker,” Ford said. “He’s coming to Vandy. We’re getting him there. I talked to (Seffner, Fla., safety) Leon McQuay. We’re getting these guys with us. I talked to (Nashville, Tenn., cornerback) Jalen Ramsey. I’m fixing to do all I can and be the leader of the group.”

Junior athlete Todd Kelly Jr. was in Nashville Saturday to see Vanderbilt’s win against Tennessee. He noticed the same thing that impressed Ford.

“The coaching staff and players have a strong connection and it feels like they are a family,” Kelly told ESPN RecruitingNation.

1. Breaux Bridge High School is providing some nice talent for LSU.

2. Texas A&M’s 2013 class looks strong so far. Could it be underrated?

3. Missouri missed on an offensive lineman but still looks good at the position.

4. The summer is coming to an end with Alabama once again looking good in recruiting.

5. Running back Greg Bryant on his future school: ‘It will be an SEC school.’

6. Sporting News takes a look at how James Franklin has improved Vanderbilt’s recruiting.

7. 2014 athlete Todd Kelly Jr. had a busy summer and still has plenty of recruiting to go.

8. Check out this recruiting podcast from ESPN RecruitingNation.

1. Four SEC schools remain in contention for highly-touted safety Vonn Bell.

2. Auburn picked up a commitment from one of the nation’s top kickers.

3. Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin continues to impress recruits.

4. Clemson commit Robert Nkemdiche: “We are about to start a dynasty.”

5. Here are some notes on the NLA 7-on-7 championship event.

6. Athlete Jalen Reeves-Maybin will compete in The Opening in Oregon later this week.

7. Athlete Torrodney Prevot is used to working – on and off the field.

8. 2014 safety Todd Kelly Jr. is continuing to gain national attention.

This is why Vonn Bell is one of the nation’s most highly-touted athletes.