Giles recruiting battle to end soon

Whatever his final destination, Jarvis Giles' recruiting journey is coming to an end.

Tennessee and South Carolina are the remaining possibilities for the highly touted tailback prospect from Gaither High School in Tampa, Fla. The 6-foot, 175-pounder recently eliminated Nebraska.

Giles will announce his college decision at noon Tuesday.

UT running backs coach Stan Drayton moved his trip to Tampa in order to get the last word with Giles. Drayton was scheduled to make the trip late last week. Instead, he did so Monday.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier visited with Giles last week. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini was scheduled to be in town Sunday.

Many thought Giles would already be a Vol. He long said that he would re-commit to UT if Drayton were retained on Lane Kiffin's new coaching staff.

Giles has been told Drayton will remain but still hasn't said publicly that Knoxville is his future home.

Giles has created quite a recruiting buzz. That's no surprise considering the backstory. It's not often that a prospect so highly regarded in Florida is so intent on playing college football outside of his home state.

It's also not that often that a prospect is as quotable and willing to speak his mind as freely as Giles.

And Giles also is squarely in the middle of an ongoing recruiting battle between two feuding coaching staffs with a turncoat in play. (Former South Carolina recruiting coordinator David Reaves resigned from the Gamecocks staff last week to join UT's.)

So Giles apparently will make his final decision Tuesday and enroll in college in January. Here's a timeline of the more significant moments in Giles' recruitment:

May 8, 2008 - Giles declares he'll definitely play college football outside of Florida. UT and others take note.

June 13 - Giles commits to UT after visiting Knoxville.

"I was trippin'," Giles said as he described Knoxville's nearby mountains and southern hospitality.

Sept. 21 - Giles maintains he's firmly committed to UT despite a disappointing, boo-marred 30-6 loss to Florida in Neyland Stadium during his official visit.

Oct. 20 - Giles was unfazed when UT landed another highly rated tailback: David Oku from Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, Okla.

"I'm not one of those jealous-type cats; that's just how I am," Giles said. "He's a fast cat just like I am. He's a shifty cat just like I am. The difference is, I'm a lot more explosive."

Nov. 3 - Giles was easily the most critical prospect of UT's decision to replace Phillip Fulmer, saying he would follow Drayton wherever he coached next season.

Nov. 10 - Giles publicly de-committed from UT, opening up his recruitment to South Carolina and others. Giles tabbed the Gamecocks as his leader.

Dec. 1 - A day after Fulmer's final game, Kiffin calls Giles at 7 a.m., when it's first allowed by NCAA rules.

The quick contact prompts Spurrier to publicly question if Kiffin had taken the mandatory NCAA recruiting test. Kiffin said at his introductory press conference the next day he had done so.

Dec. 7 - Giles eliminates Nebraska, making it a two-team race between UT and South Carolina.

Dec. 9 - Giles will announce his decision at a noon press conference.

Toney Toney Toney: UT is expecting an official visit from prospect Toney Williams, a running back from Milton High School in Alpharetta, Ga., this weekend.

The Vols hope that will seal the deal with Williams' commitment. The 6-1, 230-pounder plans to enroll in college in January.

"I wouldn't say 100 percent (committed)," Williams said of his dedication to UT. "I'd say 90-10. The other 10 percent is my official visit (to UT)."

Kentucky is the other school most actively recruiting Williams, who took an official visit to check out the Wildcats last weekend.

"They were just telling me they really like me," Williams said. "They weren't talking bad about Tennessee."

UT also is expecting an official visit from another committed prospect this weekend: linebacker Nigel Mitchell-Thornton from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga. Mitchell-Thornton committed to UT in August.

Worth A Shot: UT is hoping its various recruiting ties can help it land one of the top 100 prospects in the nation.

The Vols have reportedly secured a visit from 6-3, 215-pound receiver Alshon Jeffrey from Calhoun County High School in St. Matthews, S.C.

The first UT-Jeffrey connection, albeit indirect, came via Kiffin's history at Southern California. The second came when Reaves left South Carolina for UT.

"Coach Reaves came to see me last week, too," Jeffrey told GamecockCentral.com. "Lane Kiffin used to be at Southern Cal, and he's going to be running the same kind of offense up there at Tennessee.

"I don't really know much about Tennessee's program, so I'm just going up there to see what it's like."

Jeffrey will visit South Carolina on Jan. 17 and UT on Jan. 24. He took his official visit to Southern Cal earlier this month after committing to be a Trojan in June.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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