UT's class among best, filled to brim

"Thirty-two commits, something like that, it's just a great feeling to know you're one of the top three best-ever classes to come out of this school," the defensive tackle from Maryland said Wednesday. "All you can see is national championship written all over this class, really."

It's too early for those kinds of predictions, but the Vols definitely made waves with their latest group of recruits.

Parade All-Americans Eric Berry, Chris Donald and Ben Martin are the biggest names among the 27 players who signed with UT on Wednesday. Those players, and a bevy of skill position players, were enough to give UT a consensus top-5 class.

Included in that group are three Gatorade Players of the Year from their respective states: Martin in Ohio, Berry in Georgia and receiver Gerald Jones in Oklahoma.

Rivals.com ranked Tennessee's class No. 3 in the nation. ESPN and Scout.com rated them No. 5.

Florida was an almost unanimous choice for the nation's top class, while South Carolina, LSU and Auburn had a presence in most top 10s.

According to Scout.com, the SEC had five teams in the top 10, while Rivals had seven SEC schools in its top 10.

"I don't know if there's ever been six in the top 10," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. "Usually there's four or five in somebody's top 10. It's a very competitive league."

After the Vols' recruiting class ranked in the bottom half of the top 25 last year, they're back near the top with a haul reminiscent of their best years.

"It's hard to compare classes because every year you have different needs," Fulmer said. "If you fill your needs with good players, then you're going to feel really good about it."

The Vols feel good about this one.

After identifying needs at wide receiver, defensive line and in the secondary, the Vols signed six defensive linemen, including Rae Sykes of Alcoa.

Tennessee signed four defensive backs and three receivers. UT also got signatures from eight athletes, most of whom project to play either receiver or defensive back.

All told, Tennessee has 32 members in its signing class, including five midterm enrollees.

One of those is offensive lineman Darris Sawtelle, who was the second player to commit to Tennessee after Austin-East's Anthony Anderson became the first last February.

"To be one of the first guys to commit and be a part of a class like this is a very good thing for the future," Sawtelle said. "You make a decision that early, things can go either way. I'm just glad I made it that early."

In addition to praising director of high school relations Gerald Harrison and coordinator of football operations Scott Altizer, Fulmer credited the early commitments with helping UT build momentum early.

The Vols got a big boost in early December with the commitment of Memphis linebacker Chris Walker and Berry, the top-rated player in Georgia and a consensus top-5 recruit. It continued in January with Martin and linebacker Chris Donald, one of 11 in-state signees.

"This is the best year in the state of Tennessee that I have seen," Fulmer said. "They allowed us to build a foundation to recruit from and fill the needs around them. I really appreciate them committing early, for the most part. It was a very important part of what we had to do."

About the only question remaining with this class is how the numbers will work out.

The Vols have 27 scholarships to use for the 32 players who signed. Last year, UT signed 22 players, but eight were either dismissed from the team or failed to qualify.

Brent Vinson, one of last year's non-qualifiers, signed Wednesday after spending a year at Hargrave Military Academy. Lineman Cody Pope enrolled in January.

"Right now we're not even going to worry about that," Fulmer said. "I think academically it'll all work itself out."

The Vols got some other numbers to work out during the recruiting process as well. Of the 47 prospects UT hosted for official visits, 32 signed.

Several of those signees could see playing time next fall, especially those at receiver and in the secondary, although Fulmer stopped short of singling out specific players.

"I'm not trying to give you coachspeak, but truly they need to get to campus," Fulmer said. "The specific needs we have at several positions will dictate that several of them will get a chance to play quickly once they get here. I think it's only fair to let them get here and go to work and see exactly where they are."

On Wednesday, at least, Tennessee was near the top of the pile.