Vanderbilt football has lost in recruiting to Tennessee but won on the field.

Even to the untrained eye, the Commodores appeared to have more talent than the Vols in Vanderbilt’s 38-13 win Saturday. They were faster, more physical and more skilled. And that seems to have been the case at varying degrees in Vanderbilt’s three straight victories over UT.

But how does that happen with such a disparity in recruiting?

Vanderbilt’s past five recruiting classes, which include fifth-year seniors, have averaged a national ranking of 51st in the 247Sports Composite ratings. In those same five classes, UT has averaged a ranking of 13th.

Here are four reasons why Vanderbilt had better players in its win over the Vols:

Vanderbilt recruits fit better, develop more

In terms of recruit rankings, Vanderbilt’s roster mostly is made up of three-star prospects, while UT is loaded with four-star prospects. Head to head, the teams looked the opposite.

In Saturday’s starting lineup, Vanderbilt had four four-star players, 16 three-star players, one two-star player and one unrated player (FCS transfer cornerback Alim Muhammad). There aren’t many underachieving players for the Commodores, meaning they were recruited to fit a system and developed reasonably well to their potential.

UT's starting lineup had one five-star player (defensive lineman Kyle Phillips), 17 four-star players and four three-star players. Most of the Vols’ four-star players either haven’t played like it or haven't reached their potential early in their careers. Blame much of that on the evaluation and lack of development under former coach Butch Jones. Current coach Jeremy Pruitt's staff will determine whether that trend changes.

Kyle Shurmur is better than Jarrett Guarantano

Vanderbilt’s advantage seems even greater because it’s better at the most important position. Senior Kyle Shurmur torched the Vols for a third consecutive game and could pass Jay Cutler as the Commodores’ all-time career passer in the upcoming bowl game. He will be drafted in April.

UT sophomore Jarrett Guarantano had a solid season, but he’s got a lot of work ahead to reach Shurmur’s level. Coming out of high school, Guarantano was a slightly higher-rated recruit than Shurmur. And even though Shurmur seems much older, he arrived at Vanderbilt only one season before Guarantano got to UT.

Vanderbilt has more NFL prospects, and they touch the ball

Defensive lineman Shy Tuttle might be the only UT player drafted in April. Several Vanderbilt players could go in the upcoming NFL draft, depending on how many choose to leave school early. The best are at skill positions, making their talent even more visible.

Shurmur, junior tight end Jared Pinkney, junior running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn and junior cornerback Joejuan Williams are potential 2019 NFL draft prospects. Pinkney, Vaughn and Williams have not announced whether they will leave or return next season.

Wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, who announced on Instagram that he will return for his senior season, will be a 2020 NFL draft prospect. Other Commodores such as offensive linemen Bruno Reagan and Justin Skule, safety LaDarius Wiley, defensive lineman Dare Odeyingbo and linebacker Josh Smith also could be in the NFL next season, either as draft picks or undrafted free agents.

Among those 10 Vanderbilt NFL prospects, four were four-star prospects and six were three-star prospects. It points to Vanderbilt's ability to develop players into NFL-caliber prospects.

Vanderbilt plays better against UT

Vanderbilt has outscored UT 125-71 in three straight wins. But apart from those games, the programs have been more comparable.

Aside from their UT games, the Commodores have posted a 14-20 record and 4-17 SEC mark over the past three seasons. Aside from their Vanderbilt games, the Vols have gone 18-16 overall and 6-15 in the SEC over the past three seasons.

Vanderbilt plays its best against its rival, both as a team and as individual players. Those head-to-head matchups further highlight the Commodores’ edge in talent.

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.

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RECAP:Vanderbilt 38, UT Vols 13: Five things we learned as Commodores rout rival, earn bowl bid