Surprise. Surprise. Surprise.

Tennessee received three bits of unexpected news Wednesday on National Signing Day. All were positive.

The day started with South Florida stars Gerald Williams and Vladimir Richard signing with the Vols just before 9 a.m.. North Carolina tailback Montario Hardesty continued the trend just over an hour later.

Williams and Richard had been committed to Florida before the Gators fired Ron Zook. Williams is a 6-foot-4, 225-pound linebacker/defensive lineman from Boyd Anderson High School in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla. Richard is a 6-4, 255-pound defensive lineman from Piper High in Sunrise Fla.

Williams is widely thought of as one of the top-20 linebackers in the nation. Some schools considered Williams at defensive end. UT recruited him as a linebacker. Richard is rated as a top-25 defensive tackle or defensive end — depending on the recruiting service.

"It's the best fit for me," Richard said of UT. "I knew about a week ago. I wanted to wait until Signing Day. I wanted to keep everything inside and then let it all out. I can rest now and get back to being normal."

Williams said the two were all but committed to Tennessee after their official visit to Knoxville on Nov. 5. The two, wary of being viewed as indecisive after de-committing to Florida, waited to be sure of their decision.

"The deciding factor was the feeling I got in my gut on my visit," Williams said. "That's where I was most happy. I loved the atmosphere, the coaches, and players.

"I'm happy with the decision. I'm ready to go up there and be a part of the Tennessee defense."

Hardesty, who has long been enamored with UT, officially de-committed from North Carolina by signing with the Vols. Hardesty is widely thought of as one of the top-10 tailbacks in the nation and one of the top-100 prospects.

Richard and Williams had long maintained they planned to choose the same school. Some doubt crept into the scenario when Georgia pursued Richard and Florida State pursued Williams. Neither school ended up offering scholarships.

"We knew we had to pick the best spot for us," Richard said. "We went through our likes and dislikes. When we looked at our list, Tennessee was on the top of mine and Tennessee was on the top of his list."

UT running back coach Trooper Taylor was instrumental in convincing all three _to sign with UT. As UT's primary recruiter in South Florida, Taylor was most responsible for landing Richard and Williams.

"He's a great guy," Williams said. "He played a big role in me committing to Tennessee."

Taylor was also called on when it had appeared UT had lost Hardesty. Taylor traveled to North Carolina to visit with Hardesty after he committed to the Tar Heels last month.

"A commitment just puts a target on one schools chest," Taylor said. "Everybody knows which school to beat. I'm not going to give up on a kid if he's special and he can help us win. That's like quitting in the middle of the race."

Surprise Steal: UT had one other prospect sign Wednesday that raised some eyebrows.

Ulysses Alexander was a virtual unknown among recruiting circles.

The Vols offered Alexander a scholarship on Taylor's behest. The 6-4, 200 pound Miami receiver has been bothered by injuries during his career at Northwestern.

"I'm just a humble player," said Alexander. "I didn't have the most exposure that everyone had. I've just been talking to coach Trooper and the head coach up there, and we kept it between us. A lot of people didn't know. We just wanted to surprise and shock everybody."