Tennessee's football coaches will hit the road Monday as they begin their spring evaluations. The NCAA allows schools to pick four weeks among a six-week period to visit with coaches and evaluate players.

Contact with prospects is prohibited but recruiters still can lay a strong groundwork that can help them this fall.

Three schools that top UT's visit list:

* Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, Calif.

Oaks Christian could probably use its own airport to handle the amount of traffic it'll get. The six-year old school has eight -- that's right, eight -- players who have received at least one scholarship offer from a Division I school.

"I've never had eight Division I players in one class," coach Bill Redell said. "It's special. And there's one or two more that could be Division I by the end of the season."

It's not just quantity in Westlake Village. It's quality. The school, located in the suburbs of Los Angeles, has three players who are considered in the top 100 in the nation and quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who picked Notre Dame on Saturday, might be the country's top prospect.

Then, there's running back Marc Tyler (6-foot, 215 pounds) and safety/wide receiver Marshall Jones (6-0, 185). Reid estimates that the trio have more than 30 scholarship offers, including one each from UT.

Tyler's father, Wendell, played for UCLA before a long NFL career. The lineage doesn't stop there. Linebacker Casey Matthews (6-1, 220) is the son of former Southern Cal and longtime NFL linebacker Clay Matthews.

UT fans might worry that Clausen's ties to Knoxville -- both of his brothers played QB for UT -- might actually hurt the Vols. Clausen's father has said that his son would bring a group of his teammates to the school he chooses.

Redell doesn't see it that way.

"I don't think there will be any package deal," Redell said. "They may end up at the same school but I don't think they're planning on going together."

Michael Ebbitt is another player to watch. The 6-5, 245-pound lineman also has received an offer from UT.

Defensive end Duke Lemmons (6-5, 230), cornerback/wide receiver Anthony Gildon (6-1, 190) and safety/wide receiver Sean Wiser (6-2, 190) also are receiving college interest.

UT coaches Greg Adkins and Phillip Fulmer will be making their way west soon.

* Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga.

Eric Berry (6-1, 190) has played safety, quarterback, wide receiver, running back, cornerback, and returned kicks in high school. He wants more of the same in college.

"I don't want a coach that says you have to play this and that's it," Berry said.

Berry, who is considered one of the top 100 prospects in the nation, has a strong tie to Tennessee. His father, James, was a running back at UT 1978-81. He was a four-year letterman and a captain during his senior year.

"He watches them every week on TV," Eric Berry said of his dad. "He's still bleeding orange, that's for sure."

The younger Berry said his father's relationship with UT would not be a huge factor in his decision but said he will use it as a resource.

Berry said he recently has received scholarship offers from Southern Cal, Mississippi State, Alabama and LSU.

Berry said his top five includes Texas, Miami, Georgia, Ohio State, and, "Tennessee is still way up in my top five."

Having a top five in April means Berry already is ahead of the game after two months of constant text messaging and letters.

"I didn't expect it to start so early," he said. "It's kind of settling down now. It's not as hectic as it was in the beginning."

Berry said he almost assuredly will take an official visit to Knoxville this fall.

UT is recruiting Berry at a number of positions, including wide receiver and defensive back. Berry is just fine with that.

"Coaches could put me anywhere because I could pick it up so quickly," Berry said. "It's like second nature, I don't think any position would be a hard position."

* Miami (Fla.) Central.

Imagine the next Brent Schaeffer without the off-field issues. That may just be Travaris Cadet.

The 6-1, 200-pound quarterback is creating the same sort of buzz in South Florida that Schaeffer did in 2004. Cadet said UT and Virginia Tech are tied for his services.

The key for the Vols is proving to Cadet that they are willing to dedicate themselves to a mobile-quarterback system, much like Virginia Tech did with Michael and Marcus Vick.

That shouldn't be hard. UT seems dedicated to landing a mobile quarterback in the near future.

"I think I'll be able to play in it," Cadet said of a mobile-quarterback system at UT. "At Virginia Tech, they've already got that system in place."

Cadet said he's also considering Florida State, Florida and Pittsburgh.