Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
Feb 17, 20235 min
In March of 2019, The Stride Report published an article called, "It's a Long Way to the Top". It was our site's first true feature piece which dived into the intricacies and nuances of what allowed the Notre Dame men to become a modern-day powerhouse.
Behind that meteoric rise was a midwest native in Sean Carlson, an assistant coach who had bet on himself and was ultimately given the reigns of the men's distance program in 2016.
With a massive uptick in high-quality recruits, as well as an injection of top-caliber transfers, the men from South Bend, Indiana evolved from regional afterthoughts to legitimate national title contenders. It was one of the most unprecedented turnarounds of the modern era.
It's been nearly seven years since Carlson truly came onto the NCAA scene. But nowadays, he's with a different program, has a different coaching title, is in a different conference and is in a different part of the country -- but his objective remains the same.
In 2023, the newest Tennessee Director of Cross Country is being tasked with revitalizing and revamping a once-modest roster into a national power, just like he did seven years ago.
Over the last few months, Coach Sean Carlson and his staff have continued to build a new era of distance running dominance in Knoxville, Tennessee. However, unlike last year, he's finding success in the prep-level recruiting space. The transfer portal, while still a key tool, hasn't been as prevalent, at least not lately.
Last month, the Vols received major news. Irish distance running prep star, Dean Casey, had committed to join the Tennessee men. Not familiar with this 19-year old international talent? Let's get you caught up to speed.
Casey boasts a resume that may be among the best for his age group around the world. Personal bests of 3:56 (1500), 8:00 (3k) and 13:58 (5k) instantly make this future Volunteer runner one of the best overall recruits for the Class of 2023.
However, what really stands out on Casey's World Athletics profile is his monster 28:57 (10k) mark from last May. That time allowed him to set a new Irish U20 national record.
On paper, Casey's resume perfectly mirrors the accolades and accomplishments that we've seen from current NCAA superstar, Dylan Jacobs. And with the 2022 10k national champion nearing the end of his eligibility, now couldn't have been a better time to introduce someone of Casey's caliber to this Tennessee program.
Sure, Casey won't instantly replace the scoring value or raw firepower that we've seen from Jacobs over the last few years. In fact, no one would blame Casey if he never reached marks of 7:46 (3k) and 13:11 (5k), times that Jacobs has run this winter.
However, the Irish youngster is a pivotal piece who could allow the Vols to remain nationally competitive on the grass. Not just for later this fall, but for years to come.
But Casey alone, even if he does become an immediate All-American, won't replace the value that Jacobs held in just his first season of collegiate cross country. That, of course, is something that Coach Sean Carlson seemingly understood.
Last week, the Tennessee men may have scored a recruit who, alongside Casey, could make up for the eventual departure of Jacobs...and then some.
I am, of course, talking about Jacob Nenow.
The Oregon native is rumored to have narrowed his final college choices down to Tennessee and the Oregon Ducks. But in the end, Nenow chose Rocky Top, a perfectly fitting spot for someone who was described by The Stride Report as having "shades of" Dylan Jacobs.
Nenow is an absolute juggernaut of a distance talent whose recent 2022 cross country season was not indicative of his full cross country potential. He has run 8:16 (3k) and 14:35 (5k XC) as well as 3:54 over 1500 meters. He is, for the most part, very consistent and is one of the more college-ready distance runners in the Class of 2023.
He is currently ranked as our TSR #27 distance recruit.
There is still a chance that neither Nenow nor Casey will toe the line later this fall. With Yaseen Abdalla returning, certain names continuing to get better and strong transfers soon joining the team, the need for Nenow and Casey's scoring on the grass may not be needed, immediately.
But the commitments of these two distance standouts offers more to Tennessee than just a bright future and potential scoring as soon as this fall. Nenow and Casey effectively complete the Volunteers' distance-based group of recruits which was already deep, but seemingly in need of additional firepower.
And now, the Vols may have their team of the future.
Here is their current group of Class of 2023 prep-level recruits...
- Dean Casey (8:00 for 3000 meters, 13:58 for 5000 meters & 28:57 for 10,00 meters)
- Jacob Nenow (8:16 for 3000 meters & 14:35 for 5000 meters)
- Aidan Ryan (1:52 for 800 meters & 4:10 for 1600 meters)
- Nathan Atchue (8:59 for two miles & 14:49 for 5000 meters)
- Hudson Betts (4:09 for 1600 meters & 14:55 for 5000 meters)
- Dawson Welch (1:53 for 800 meters & 4:08 in the mile)
- Simon Schabort (4:12 in the mile & 9:07 for 3200 meters)
- Adam Snoke (1:52 for 800 meters & 4:02 for 1500 meters)
- Tommy Rice (9:05 for 3200 meters & 14:57 for 5000 meters)
- Brendan Gomez (15:04 for 5000 meters)
- Sam Kolowith (9:11 for 3200 meters & 15:25 for 5000 meters)
- Brody Chapman (9:13 for 3200 meters & 15:02 for 5000 meters)
- Trevor Coggin (9:05 for 3200 meters & 15:13 for 5000 meters)
If it wasn't already obvious, Tennessee's long-term foundation was already looking promising before Nenow and Casey even committed to join the Volunteers.
Aidan Ryan's resume (not to be confused with the Williams/Washington miler) mimics that of long-time Notre Dame veteran, Jacob Dumbford. Hudson Betts holds versatility somewhat similar to that of Yared Nuguse. And Nathan Atchue? He looks like one of the best pure cross country runners in this recruiting class, mirroring the skillset of former Notre Dame runner, Danny Kilrea.
But for as good and as deep as this class was, the upper-end firepower and nationally recognizable recruits who Tennessee boasted simply weren't as prevalent compared to other top distance-based classes around the country.
That, however, changed overnight.
In the span of a month, the Vols gained two men who could be immediate impact scorers. They also have a separate tier of promising youngsters who look like they can be legitimate contributors in the not-so-distance future. They also have a large collection of talented pieces that, with enough development, could produce some diamonds in the rough.
And remember, those are just the recruits.
Carlson has already added grad transfers such as Obsaa Feda and Brandon Olden to next year's team. There's also a very good chance that the Notre Dame-turned-Tennessee coach isn't done talking with current NCAA veterans.
After all, D2 megastar Dillon Powell is rumored to be looking at Knoxville as a graduate transfer destination for later this fall...
But most transfers usually don't offer the one thing that makes recruiting classes such as Tennessee's so valuable. I am, of course, talking about longevity.
And that couldn't have been more obvious when looking at the prior recruiting work that Carlson had done with Notre Dame. Sure, certain transfer names such as Samuel Voelz, Bashir Mosavel-Lo, Tim Zepf, Elijah Silva, Anthony Russo and the Dailey twins plugged key gaps in the Fighting Irish's roster.
However, when you reflect back at the core of Notre Dame's success, almost all of it was done with athletes who Carlson hand-picked. And after seeing the damage that the Volunteers were able to do in year one of this new era, things may not be so "rocky" at the top, after all.