It may be football. But it's all about rebounding. The more Tennessee bounces back from last season, the better its recruiting should be.

It was hard to find a reason to be excited about UT's recruiting efforts just seven days ago. Plenty of prospects were considering the Vols. None seemed close to committing.

Many prospects wondered, publicly and privately, if the Vols could bounce back from a 5-6 season. After the Vols thumped California, many prospects seem to think that question has been answered.

Prospects aren't necessarily expecting a national championship. They are, however, expecting improvement. So far, After one game, they've seen it.

A 35-18 romp over the ninth-rated team in the country will win over fans and prospects alike. In the minds of many prospects, UT is rebounding in a big way.

In particular, three prospects seem more enamored with UT after last Saturday's display. Catholic athlete Harrison Smith will take his official visit to Notre Dame this weekend, but the Vols are still his measuring stick.

"I want to see what it's like on game day - compared to Tennessee," Smith said.

That should give UT fans plenty of reason to cheer for Penn State to beat the Fighting Irish. Smith once again confirmed that UT and Notre Dame lead for his services.

Albeit unofficial, Smith was in Neyland Stadium last Saturday when everything went right for the Vols.

"I was impressed," said Smith, who has tentatively planned to take his official visit to UT on Dec. 10.

Smith said he will take an official visit to Stanford on Nov. 4 for the Southern Cal game. He's also planning an official visit to Auburn. The Tigers seem to be making a significant push.

A dark horse to watch in the Smith race is Georgia. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder said the Bulldogs have come calling but it's "not serious", Smith said.

Chris Walker was another unofficial guest who was impressed by UT's season opener.

"They're in very good shape with me," the 6-4, 220-pound linebacker from Christian Brothers High School said after visiting Knoxville last weekend. "I was very impressed with my visit. It was great from top to bottom."

"The way they bounced back from last season was just incredible."

Walker said he was impressed with UT's defensive showing. The Vols dominated Cal, giving up only 18 points when the game was out of reach.

The Vols still have plenty of competition for Walker. He is also considering LSU, Alabama and Clemson.

The recruiting repercussions of UT's rebound against Cal isn't limited to Tennessee's borders. It reaches all the way to the Lone Star State.Lennon Creer, the highly touted running back from Tatum (Texas) High School, said UT has moved ahead of Miami in the race for his services. Even on television, Creer could tell UT's offensive line was far different than the group UT fielded last season.

"The offensive line is really good," the 6-1, 202-pounder told GoVolsXtra.com "They're going to have a solid line in the future."

Creer postponed an August announcement so he could further evaluate Miami and UT. He didn't specifically say so, but UT's potential rebound was a factor.

"They're good," Creer said after the UT-Cal game. "It was more lopsided than what I expected.

"It surprised me a lot."

Creer said he is still considering Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska and Oklahoma State, but the 'Canes and Vols have the lead. As for now, he'll take his official visits until he's ready to commit.

That should give UT fans another reason to root for the Vols against Air Force and Florida in the coming weeks. More rebounding can only help recruiting.

We'll know more about the Vols after the Florida game. Specifically, can they contend for an SEC title?

That would be quite a rebound, both on the field and in recruiting.

Calendar: Don't expect UT to host many official visitors during game weeks this season. UT is trying to schedule most official guests for Dec. 10, the weekend after the SEC Championship game.

The Vols will host most of their official visitors in December and January.

Dave Hooker covers University of Tennessee football recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knews.com.