The grades are in.

Tennessee's football recruiting class of 2006 is complete (or at least finished).

UT coach Phillip Fulmer called it a solid class. In many areas, it was. In others, not so much. Here are the position breakdowns:

Quarterbacks: A

David Cutcliffe and Matt Luke deserve a lot of credit for securing Nick Stephens from Flower Mound (Texas) High School. After all, the Vols already have two highly regarded quarterbacks.

You can't say enough about how well UT has recruited quarterbacks lately. The Vols have secured four high-ranked prospect in the last three recruiting classes. One, Jonathan Crompton in 2005, was considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation. Erik Ainge and Brent Schaeffer, signed in 2004, both have had success against SEC competition.

Defensive Line: A

UT signed five defensive linemen, the most at any position. The group starts with Nashville native Walter Fisher from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College. Fisher should be an immediate impact player at defensive end. He was one of the top junior college players in the nation. He already is enrolled and will participate in spring practice.

The Vols, led by ace recruiter Steve Caldwell, also beat out Oklahoma for Chase Nelson from Union High in Tulsa, Okla. Caldwell also landed Victor Thomas from Olive Branch (Miss.) High.

Jarrod Shaw from Northside High in Lafayette, La., and Blake Garrettson from Morristown East High are two prospects who will require some work but have good upsides.

J.T. Mapu also returns from his Mormon mission this summer.

Offensive Line: A

UT started and finished with a flurry in order to bolster its offensive line. Jacques McClendon from Chattanooga Baylor was UT's first, and eventually highest-rated signee.

The Vols found themselves desperate for more help up front in early January before they secured Ramone Johnson from Morgan Park High in Chicago and Cody Pope from Cathedral Catholic in San Diego. UT had to fight off a late charge from Southern Cal to keep Pope.

Give new offensive line coach Greg Adkins much of the credit. He provided a sense of stability to the position when it needed it most. He also was one of UT's tireless recruiters, especially for Johnson.

Cordova's Darius Myers also is a name to watch. I thought he was the sleeper of the 2005 class before academic shortcomings forced him to Hargrave Military Academy.

Kicker: A

Fulmer said he wanted more depth at kicker. Well, he got it as UT signed two kickers. Still, could one of the scholarships been better used at another position?

In the end, this year might have been the best time to load up on kickers considering UT still had some scholarships left to give on National Signing Day. UT signed Chad Cunningham from Dawson High in Dawsonville, Ga., and Daniel Lincoln from Forest High in Ocala, Fla.

Wide Receivers: B

Clearly, UT got some work done here but not as much as its coaches would have liked.

If Stephaun Raines from Dalton (Ga.) High ends up moving to cornerback, then UT essentially signed two wide receivers: Quintin Hancock from St. Augustine (Fla.) High and Brent Vinson from Phoebus High in Hampton, Va.

The coaching change at the position undermined UT chances in several battles. Letting Tim Hawthorne from Homewood, Ala., slip through their fingers was the low point.

Tight Ends: B-

I think UT signed two good players in Powell's Lee Smith and Luke Stocker from Madison Southern High in Berea, Ky. It's hard, though, to overlook the two tight end prospects that UT missed out on: Alcoa's Brandon Warren and Michael Goggans from Benjamin Russell High in Alexander City, Ala.

The man hours spent on Warren and Goggans can't be replaced and they resulted in nothing.

Linebackers: C+

Fulmer said Dorian Davis from Iowa City, Iowa, could be the sleeper of the entire class. He needs to be because this group could use one. UT also signed LaMarcus Thompson from Redan High in Stone Mountain, Ga. Neither were considered elite prospects.

The Vols lost out on two other linebacker prospects. Jarrell Miller from Highland Springs, Va., a U.S. Army All-American, picked North Carolina over the Vols. Kelvin Sheppard from Stephenson High in Stone Mountain, Ga., either misled UT's coaches or had a true last-second change of heart.

UT also re-signed Gerald Williams from Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., but he likely will end up playing defensive end.

Running Backs: C-

This grade is not reflective of Alcoa tailback Dustin Lindsey, who I think is one of the most overlooked players in UT's class. Lindsey, however, could end up moving to linebacker soon.

UT definitely had a challenge on its hands when it tried to convince tailbacks to come to Knoxville. The Vols have signed four tailbacks the past two years.

Defensive Backs: D

UT wanted to find some physical safeties on the recruiting trail. They may have found one. Justin Garrett from Pasadena (Calif.) College could be an immediate impact player in UT's defensive backfield, much like former Vols Julian Battle and Gibril Wilson, who also were junior college prospects turned first-year contributors.

This grade could jump significantly if the Vols decide to move Stephaun Raines to cornerback, his likely college position. Raines could be a tough, quick corner like Jonathan Hefney.

Overall: B

This class isn't as bad as some fans have bemoaned. However, it certainly isn't up to Fulmer's standards.

It really shouldn't be a surprise that this class is not considered on of the elite groups in the nation. In some ways, Fulmer and staff should be complimented for securing the class they did, considering how the 2005 season unfolded and ended with a 5-6 record and no bowl appearance.

Still, UT will need some surprise players to step up if this class hopes to prove that it is championship caliber.

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