Next Nike camp stop: Tallahassee

Tallahassee is the next stop on the Nike camp tour as high school football prospects display their wares. Tennessee will be recruiting several of the players that will be attending the camp.

Since the camp is more centrally located than last month's camp in Miami, 10 states will be represented. Most of the prospects are from Florida. Several players from Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana will also be there.

Three top prospects attending have shown a strong interest in UT and, at this point, the interest is mutual. Marcus Sims is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker/running back from Tallahassee. James Collins is a 6-foot, 230-pound linebacker from Mobile, Ala.

Once camp times are posted, UT's interest in other prospects will likely grow considering the depth of talent typical of the area surrounding Tallahassee.

Traveling Man: Chris Mosby isn't waiting for the football season to begin visiting colleges. The Christian Brothers High School star has already started evaluating the candidates.

"I've visited six schools: Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State and LSU," the 6-2, 220-pound Memphis linebacker said. "Really, to tell you the truth, all of them were overwhelming. It seems like everybody's got new facilities these days.

"It's almost breathtaking when you come see all this stuff. Tennessee is a little bit nicer than most schools. Auburn was up there with Tennessee and, to my surprise, Arkansas has a lot of new facilities. But Tennessee, they're just so good. It's hard to not keep that in the back of your head."

Mosby said there is no leader for his services. UT's strongest ties are in-state loyalties and David Ligon. Ligon, a junior offensive lineman at UT, played at Christian Brothers when Mosby was in the eighth grade.

"The last time I talked to him was at Tennessee's Junior Day about a month ago," Mosby said of Ligon. "We went and watched Tennessee's practice and I talked to him for a little bit. We just talked about Tennessee and how he likes it up there.

"He says it's going to be hard up there. They're one of the top programs in the nation. Don't expect anything to be easy. You've got to work your tail off up there. He said it's one of the most awesome experiences you can go through."

Mosby's mid-March trip to Knoxville was more than a visit with a hometown friend; it was an eye-opener.

"Well, I realized how big those guys are," he said. "Those are some big dudes."

Double Take: UT signee LaMarcus Coker may not be the only Antioch tailback on UT's roster in 2006. Coker's teammate Preston Brown, who also plays cornerback, is seriously considering the Vols after UT offered him a scholarship earlier this month. However, don't count on him to be a Vol just yet.

"I really like Miami," said Brown, who is 5-11, 185. "That's the school I want to go to. Then again, UT is my home, born and raised. It'd be a hard decision. I still want to see all the places and see what they're like."

Brown jumped onto the recruiting radar last year when he filled in for Coker who suffered an early season hamstring injury.

Brown said he is also interested in North Carolina, Auburn and Kentucky. All have shown strong interest. Kentucky was one of the first to offer him a scholarship.

Brown said competing with Coker, or any other tailback at UT, would not affect his decision.

"It doesn't matter," Brown said. "When I get on campus and on the field, I'm going to play hard and practice hard. If he beats me out, he'll have to play hard. He'll have to outwork me. I'm going to work my butt off."

Brown, a track star who has run the 100-meter dash in 10.59 seconds, said he is willing to play either offense or defense.

On the Road: UT's coaches will be on the road most of the month as allowed by the NCAA. California is a key state in this year's recruiting drive.

UT has serious interest in at least 10 prospects from California, including Jamere Holland and Sione Fua. Holland is a 6-1, 175-pound wide receiver/cornerback from Woodland Hills. Fua is a 6-3, 290-pound lineman from Encino.

The area is in good hands with recruiting coordinator Greg Adkins. UT has three players on its roster from California. Two are seniors. Keeping the pipeline open to the talent-rich state is a huge priority considering UT's success of finding key contributors from Californians such as former players Casey Clausen and Kevin Burnett.

Next Stop: The Nike stop at Athens, Ga., on May 14 is likely to be one of the biggest stops on the tour.

The camp is the first of the year that coaches can attend because the NCAA does not allow coaches to visit players on Sunday, the day that the last two Florida camps have been held. Several college coaches, including UT, will be in attendance.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He can be reached at hookerd@knews.com.