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Adams: UT's 2004 class: It produced its share

By John Adams (Contact)
Originally published 10:46 p.m., February 3, 2008
Updated 10:46 p.m., February 3, 2008

College football programs will wrap up their 2008 signing classes this week, which means it's an appropriate time to evaluate Tennessee's 2004 class.

This class hasn't had as much attrition as most classes. It also has produced its share of stars.

Five members of the class have made All-SEC, and 15 of the 24-man class have been full-time starters. Two more should become first-time starters in 2008.

Rarely has a recruiting class produced so many contributions from so many different players.

Erik Ainge: The 2003 Gatorade high school player of the year in Oregon, Ainge won the starting quarterback job midway through his freshman season. He shared the position with Rick Clausen as a sophomore, then held the job throughout his junior and senior seasons.

He ended his career as the school's third all-time leader in total offense, behind Peyton Manning and Casey Clausen.

Ell Ash: UT beat out Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami to sign the New Jersey all-stater. Ash was dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules during the 2005 season. He then transferred to the University of Houston.

The transfer worked out well for Ash, who has become an All-Conference USA defensive lineman. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Robert Ayers: An all-stater from South Carolina, he has had a prominent role as a backup defensive end. Although he didn't start in 2007, he led the defense in tackles for loss.

He should start next season as a fifth-year senior.

Demonte Bolden: The former Parade All-American from Chattanooga started living up to his potential in 2007. After starting 12 games, he will return next season as one of the anchors of the defensive front.

Chris Brown: Although he wasn't a big-time recruit out of Destrehan, La., he proved to be one of the more productive tight ends in UT history. Brown started 39 games and finished his career with 92 catches for 736 yards and eight touchdowns.

In the season opener against Cal, Brown became the first UT tight end in 41 years to have two touchdown catches in a game.

Sinclair Cannon: Another all-state player from South Carolina, Cannon was redshirted in 2004. The junior defensive back played only sparingly after that.

Although he has a year of eligibility remaining, Cannon won't return for his senior season. He graduated in December.

Britton Colquitt: The star punter from Bearden High School made first-team All-SEC in 2006 and second-team in 2007. He will be an All-American candidate when he returns for his senior season in 2008.

Arian Foster: He wasn't an All-American or all-stater at Mission Bay High School in San Diego but had impressive stats. He has continued to be productive as a college player.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound running back is on pace to become UT's all-time leading rusher. He considered going pro after the 2007 season when he was projected to be a second round NFL draft pick but chose to return for his senior year.

Ramon Foster: He was the fifth-best in-state prospect from Tennessee after starring at Ripley High School. He started all 14 games at offensive tackle in 2007 and will return next season as a fifth-year senior.

Jonathan Hefney: Although he had an off year in 2007, he still made first-team All-SEC at safety, thanks mainly to his preseason billing. Hefney, who made 62 career starts, might have a better chance in the NFL at cornerback, which he played as a freshman.

David Holbert: The all-stater from Brentwood Academy was switched from fullback to tight end at UT. He made only one career start before missing the 2007 season with a knee injury, which required surgery. Holbert has one year of eligibility remaining.

Inky Johnson: The defensive back from Atlanta was just beginning to blossom at cornerback in 2006 when he suffered a career-ending arm injury against Air Force. Johnson graduated from UT in December.

Ryan Karl: He was the Tennessee Gatorade high school player of the year in 2003 at Battle Ground Academy. He made 27 career starts for the Vols at linebacker. Despite missing most of preseason practice with a back injury in 2007, Karl started 13 consecutive games his senior season.

Jesse Mahelona: A native of Honolulu, Mahelona transferred to UT from junior college. He made All-SEC at defensive tackle in 2004 and was taken in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, who released him in September of 2007. He was picked up and released by the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons this season.

Cameron Mayo: He made second-team all-state as an offensive lineman in Dalton, Ga. A knee injury cut short his college career.

Jerod Mayo: The former Virginia high school player of the year became an All-SEC linebacker in 2007 with a dominant second half of the season. He would have been a leading candidate for All-American honors had he chosen to return for his senior season. Instead, he's off to the NFL.

Xavier Mitchell: Recruited to UT from Long Beach, Miss., Mitchell started his junior and senior seasons. He was an average player for the most part, but fans will never forget his game-saving tackle against Air Force in 2006. The tackle came on Air Force's two-point conversion attempt with 1:36 to play that would have given the Falcons a 32-31 lead.

Anthony Parker: An all-stater from Jonesboro, Ga., he made All-SEC this season as a junior after starting in 2006 as a sophomore offensive guard. The 305-pound Parker is athletic for his size and has fought through knee injuries to become a force in UT's offensive line. He debated going pro before deciding to return to UT for his senior season.

Antonio Reynolds: The former second-team all-stater from Ohio was a two-year starter at defensive end. And like Mitchell, he had a memorable tackle. Reynolds had the game-winning tackle on Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson on a two-point conversion attempt.

Brent Schaeffer: A Florida high school star, Schaeffer started the first game of his freshman season at quarterback for UT, then shared playing time with Ainge the rest of the season before suffering a broken collarbone. He transferred to the College of Sequoias in the spring of 2005 and made junior college All-American. He started in 2006 at Ole Miss but lost his starting job in 2007.

Albert Toeaina: The former junior college All-American started two seasons at offensive tackle for UT. He was signed and released by the Oakland Raiders in 2007 after being on the roster of the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe.

James Turner: A linebacker from Augusta, Ark., he lettered two years as a backup before being dismissed from the team in March of 2007 for a violation of team rules.

Ja'Kouri Williams: An all-stater from Plaquemine, La., Williams was switched from running back to defensive back and then to wide receiver at UT. He played mainly on special teams.

Like Cannon, he graduated in December and won't return for his final season of eligibility.

Ellix Wilson: An all-state player from Memphis, he contributed as a backup linebacker this season. He should become a full-time starter alongside Rico McCoy in 2008.

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

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

       30 Comments

Posted by rabidvol1998 on February 3, 2008 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As classes go, this one has done quite well as inidividual players. An SEC champ victory would have put icing on the cake.

Congrats 2004.

Posted by andy112382 on February 3, 2008 at 11:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Inky Johnson had a career ending injury against Air Force, not Cal........

Posted by UTBEATEMALL on February 4, 2008 at 12:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Funny, we don't develop talent, but we have one of the top ten amount of NFL players and had 4 in the Super Bowl.

Posted by nicksjuzunk on February 4, 2008 at 12:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

eVOLution,

I have heard the same thing about TN not teaching the fundamentals well.

Posted by FWBVol on February 4, 2008 at 12:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't see how any NFL scout could say UT is the worst at developing talent when the league keeps on drafting UT players every year. Manning, Whitten, Haynesworth are all going to the Pro Bowl next week. Chad Clifton has been an anchor at left tackle for the Packers and Scott Wells is the starting center at Green Bay. Al Wilson was a Pro Bowler several years before the neck injury. And let's not forget about Cedric Wilson, John Henderson, Darwin Walker who all started this year for their respective teams. Gibril Wilson, Donte Stallworth and Kelly Washington played int he Super Bowl tonight.

Those are just the guys off the top of my head. There have been a few former Vols that haven't lived up to their hype, but the number of UT players that have had notable NFL careers in the last 10-15 years is too long to list.

Posted by mprip on February 4, 2008 at 1:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What the NFL scout is talking about is development "while they are here". Some, but not all of the high school blue chippers that have come here in the past sit on the bench or are ignored for 4 years,(Jason Witten ex.), then for some reason, pro scouts draft them and they become players in the NFL. There is not much improvement from the time they are here to the time they leave. We see a lot of Tenn players in the NFL who we never heard of while here. We tend to coach them 'down' instead of 'up'. The problem has not been a lack of talent but a lack of being able to instill motivation and intensity to our players. We seem to do 'less with more', than 'more with less' as some of our opponents are able to do whose talent cannot compare to us. Potential recruits see this & it may be a reason that we now see blue chippers are going elsewhere.

Posted by anthony on February 4, 2008 at 2:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

while you guys are so self absorbed, you might ask yourselves what inspires this writer to write what he does?? Money? Love and Money?? Why would anyone subject these people to failure and ridicule?? Do you think he could last one day in practice with any of these people.?? And yet he wants us to think he knows what he is talking about?? He is not an authority. Give credit to whom credit is due. And have a good day!

Posted by volunteer_cowboy on February 4, 2008 at 5:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FWBVOL: start naming off the running backs like james stewart, shawn bryson, charlie garner, jamal lewis, and travis henry

Posted by mparker on February 4, 2008 at 7:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

not developing talent??

complete bullshLt. that's why so many vols get signed as free agents. CPF bends over backwards getting thses guys ready for pro ball.

jeez, bash on facts, not on rumor.

Posted by mtnvol on February 4, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Did Pennington tell that rumor about developing talent?

Posted by TurboFan on February 4, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Jason Witten was ignored for 4 years? I don't think so.

Posted by dash727 on February 4, 2008 at 8:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mprip get off of the sauce. If you are a professional evaluator of talent, NFL executive or scout then please let us all see your glowing resume. If you are just another cowardly pathetic poser that hides on a chat board while playing Madden 2007 then go back to your hazy world of worthless opinions about Tennessee coaches and football players.

Posted by hglover40 on February 4, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The "less with more" and the "don't develop talent” are catch phrases that just keep bouncing around this giant echo chamber.
We don't do less with more; we DO average a top ten class(and I did the numbers since 2001), but in the SEC if you average a top 10 class you still play 2 or 3 teams every year with more talent on the field than yourself. We have averaged the 4th best recruiting class in the SEC since 2001 and actually have the 3rd best conference record.
HOW IS THAT - "doing less with more"
I admit - We do seem to "do less" in bowl games.
But our conference record matches what you would expect with the talent we have compared to other SEC schools.

The other BS about developing talent, I don't know much about it. I say most people are just repeating what they hear, and have not researched it one bit. Before posting that Sh## I would find out which schools are putting the most 3 star players in the NFL. Maybe do some digging, find some facts instead of being an echo idiot!!!!!

Posted by D_in_Iraq on February 4, 2008 at 9:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Can someone please list the link to the pro report that UT doesn't develop talent? I'd love to see it if it exists. If not, it's a non-story and total crock of... UT has 34 players on NFL Rosters, currently 3rd…. All players playing today were from Fulmer’s tenure.

As for that 2004 class, the irony is Ainge (24st best QB), Brown, Mayo, A. Foster, R. Foster, and a few others were all 3 stars or less, and I believe Ryan Karl and Inky were rated as 2 Star players by the recruiting gurus. I could be mistaken, but believe not…

I personally remember some individuals posting on Gridscape saying the class was only deemed mediocre due to the signings of Mahalona, Toneia, and Shaffer... It would have been much lower if not for those 3… Mahalona was decent, but the rest were history really quick.

Posted by D_in_Iraq on February 4, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Oops, sorry, I gave Ainge too much credit in 2004, he was rated the #26 QB... Also, forgot Parker was a 3 star also, while A. Foster, R. Foster, Hefney, Holbert, Wilson, etc... weren't even listed at the top 30 in their position.

Some of the the Stars of the class were as mentioned previously as Mahelona, Toneia, Ja'kouri Williams, Shaffer, etc... And although Reynolds, Bolden, Ayers, and Mitchell have done fairly well, I don't believe their play has been above that of Ainge, A. Foster, R. Foster, Chris Brown, Jarod Mayo etc...

So much for folks that have been bashing the 2 and 3 Star Players over the years...

Grant you, it is good to sign 4 and 5 Star players, I/no one disagrees, however to say that the sky is falling year after year when we sign 3 Star players is a "chicken little approach if you ask me.

Posted by sjt18 on February 4, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

What specific positions? That generalization is pretty worthless. If they had specified offense, defense, DT's, RB's, etc.... then there's a point to be debated.

Coordinators but even more, position coaches develop players... not HC's. Yes the HC is responsible but seldom is he down in the trenches teaching a DL how to use his hands or teaching a WR how to break out of a cut.

Posted by BigOrangeJeff on February 4, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't get it. First, the poster blames Meachem's lack of PT this season on poor player development, then he continues to mention he was injured most of the season. Which is it?

BOJ

Posted by wskeen on February 4, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I sure don't understand using Jason Witten as an example of non-developed talent or bench riders. Witten went pro after his junior year. That just doesn't happen to bench riders or players that haven't developed. Out of college, Wittten was one of the top tight ends in the country, if not THE TOP. Not sure where you were during Witten's college years at UT, but if you can't produce facts that back up your point any better than that, I would suggest you just don't post anything at all.

Posted by bullfrog07 on February 4, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This class turned out pretty good. I can't say great b/c they didn't win an SEC Title. They were 34-17 on the field. That's about a 66% winning percentage - not good enough at UT. We need to be winning in the 75-80 percent range.

Individually some of these guys lived up to the hype some even exceeding their expectations.

Posted by TommyJack on February 4, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Anthony: your 2:08 post...I don't get your position man. I thought it was an informative article. Don't be so negative man.

Posted by hglover40 on February 4, 2008 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

MOST people don't post fact here, they just echo BS they have heard in the past. And the BS keeps getting bounced around getting louder until people forget it was BS to start with and start to believe it as fact.
This place is - A GIANT ECHO CHAMBER, FULL OF IDIOTS.

Posted by straightshooter on February 4, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I can't see how an NFL scout can say UT is one of the worst schools for developing players with skills for NFL play. I pulled off a creditible website recently that UT was ranked 7th in putting players in the NFL with 317. That was a notability better ranking than any other SEC team and ranked ahead of such notable programs as Texas, Florida State, Penn State and Miami. So a person cannot say the ranking is only because Fulmer has recruited great athletes with lots of raw talent. Other programs have had the same talent level coming in and not sent the number of players to the NFL.

Posted by 1974Vol on February 4, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sure glad the Hogs ignored Whitten running a post right down the middle of the field into the South End Zone to win the 6 OT game in '02. That was about the only time he got ignored.

Posted by TommyJack on February 4, 2008 at 1:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

D_in_iraq: Ok, so where are the 3* D.T.'s?

Posted by johnlg00 on February 4, 2008 at 2:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

IIRC, Jason Whitten was recruited out of high school as a defensive end, though he may have played tight end in HS also. He was moved to tight end his second year at UT. He had two seasons as a tight end before going to the NFL after his junior year. I think that is right, but I may have just dreamed the whole thing(;-P)!

Posted by volster on February 4, 2008 at 8:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

According to Rivals.com, Chris Brown, Inky Johnson, Ryan Karl and Ellix Wilson were all 2* recruits in that class. I wish we could recruit a whole class of 2* players if we can develop them like those.

Posted by D_in_Iraq on February 5, 2008 at 6:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

TommyJack,

Fortunately, we have signed DT's through the 4-5 years that worked out from the 2 star level (like Hall), to the 3 Star level like Tony McDanial, Greg Jones, LeRon Harris, Vladimir Richard (yes he was signed as a DT), both our signees last year (Brimfield/Langley; who I'm told were progressing nicely the last I heard), to 4 Star Guys like Bolden, to 5 Star guys like Mahelona, Mapu, etc...

And I contend that the 3 Star guys have made just as big of impact as those 4-5 Stars listed above (we'll have to wait and see on Brimfield and Langley since they are only 18 and 19 years old respectively).

Posted by D_in_Iraq on February 5, 2008 at 6:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

John,

You are correct, Witten was a DE coming out of HS, however, the "bad player development guy (as labeled by some on this site), Fulmer" somehow made a smart decision and moved him to TE where he was a Star and now an All Pro.

I still remember him outrunning Cato June in the Michigan game. What a day that was!

Posted by mprip on February 6, 2008 at 12:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Then I guess you also remember him dropping the pass that could have beat Fla? He was not used here like he should of been, which was one of the reasons he left early...he caught almost as many passes in one game his 1st year at Dallas than he did all his last season here. Why was Charlie Garner part-tme here & all pro when he left ?

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