The University of Tennessee has a consensus top-20 football team based on preseason rankings. But more research has convinced me its talent is underrated.

No matter how many preseason football publications you read, you have to look further to appreciate this team’s depth of talent. You have to look in the kitchen.

The 2007 team is at least three-deep at cook. And it has star power, too.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the senior quarterback.

“ ‘Big E’ cooks the best pork chops and chicken I’ve ever eaten in my life,” said Erik Ainge, referring to senior offensive tackle Eric Young.

Young, a native of Union, S.C., is UT’s go-to guy on the grill. But the team won’t go hungry without him — not as long as it has defensive tackle Walter Fisher and offensive lineman Ramon Foster.

Anyone who has attended a team cookout at Tyson Park will vouch for that.

The cookouts begin with a collection. After players contribute a couple of bucks apiece to the food fund, Foster takes it from there.

“Last time, we collected about $180,” Foster said.

That goes a long way, as anyone who has seen Foster’s shopping cart will attest.

“I do most of the shopping,” Foster said. “People will ask me what we will do with all that food.”

It doesn’t go to waste. At the most recent cookout, Foster estimates about half the football team was there. Other UT student-athletes also show up for the cookouts.

“Everybody plays cards and dominoes and has a good time,” Foster said. “It’s good clean fun. It’s a real good thing for team chemistry.”

It’s also good for your appetite. But while the socializing and eating are a fun time, the cooking is serious business for Young, Fisher and Foster — all of whom followed their mothers’ cooking lead.

“I learned from momma when I was about 5,” said Fisher, a junior from Nashville. “I cooked a five-course meal when I was 13 and cooked Thanksgiving dinner at 14.”

As you can tell, Fisher doesn’t downplay his culinary skills.

“We all have different talents,” Fisher said. “Eric Young is good on the grill. Ramon Foster cooks in the kitchen and on the grill. I’m all three. I’m going grill, baking and cooking. I’m the whole 9 yards.”

Young might be dominant on a grill but he’s also comfortable indoors.

“I guess I was 11 or 12 when I learned to cook from my mom,” Young said. “I was a momma’s boy.”

The former momma’s boy has since benefited socially from his cooking skills. Or, as he puts it, “I’ve cooked many a meal for my ladies.”

Despite his experience and accolades as a chef, Young admittedly has a hole in his cooking game. He eats while he cooks.

“That’s the main problem I’ve got,” Young said. “I’ll be cooking, then by the time I sit down to eat a meal, I’ll be full already.”

A healthy appetite was motivation for Foster to begin cooking at an early age.

“My mom worked late,” said Foster, a junior from Henning. “I wasn’t going to wait on her to cook dinner.”

So he learned to cook from his mother and uncles when he was about 8. Now, his lasagna draws raves from his teammates.

But any chef is only as good as his next cookout.

“We’ll do something before we kick off the season,” Foster said. “Maybe after two-a-days.”

As Foster looks ahead to the next big meal, the sizzling August heat and preseason practice grind haven’t sapped any of his cooking confidence.

“We have satisfied customers every time,” he said.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.