ATHENS, Ga. — It's the biggest event of the May evaluation period.

The Nike combine in Athens, Ga., will host nearly 400 of the top football prospects in the southeast and beyond.

Organizers of today's camp expect 16 states to be represented including Indiana, Maryland and Connecticut.

Numbers and geography aren't the only reasons this week's camp is so significant. The camp is also the first in the southeast that college coaches can attend this year because it is held on a Saturday.

Recruiters were not allowed to visit earlier camps in Miami and Tallahassee because the NCAA forbids contact during the spring on Sundays.

Most recruiters agree the Athens camp is only rivaled by the May 21 Stanford, Ca., camp in terms of the depth of talent on display.

The camp is even more beneficial for UT than other schools. As a program that recruits nationally, UT coaches can see several different prospects in one day.

UT will send running backs coach Trooper Taylor and wide receivers coach Pat Washington to cover the camp and keep tabs on the 30-plus UT prospects slated to attend.

The proximity won't help UT, or any other school, build relationships with prospective athletes. The NCAA strictly forbids personal contact between prospects and college coaches during the May evaluation period. Coaches can only evaluate players from afar.

UT isn't the only Tennessee interest involved in the camp. Twenty-five prospects from the state are scheduled to attend, 10 from the Knoxville area.

Fulton linebacker/running back Tyrone Cobb said he hopes to impress colleges — including Tennessee — with a fast 40-yard dash and shuttle time. More than 50 colleges will be represented at the camp.

"All the coaches in the top 25 will be there and that's where all the top players are," Cobb said. "I'm going to play (in the camp) like I play every game."

Talented Quartet: Four UT prospects from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., are scheduled to attend today's camp. Linebackers Marcus Ball, Perry Riley, Kelvin Sheppard, and defensive end Jermaine Cunningham have all been offered scholarships by UT.

Potential Vols: Here are some of the prospects that UT coaches will be keeping a close eye on today: offensive lineman Jeffrey Adams of Cadiz, Ky., wide receiver Tim Hawthorne of Homewood, Ala., Alcoa linebacker/tailback Dustin Lindsey, defensive tackle Adam Patterson of Columbia, S.C., offensive lineman David Ross of Homewood, Ala., offensive lineman Andre Smith of Birmingham, Ala., and Alcoa tight end/defensive end Brandon Warren.