With National Signing Day on Wednesday, here are the remaining prospects still considering Tennessee and the questions still being asked:
Prospect Pos. Size School (Hometown)
E.J. Abrams-Ward Ath. 6-5, 210 Thomasville (N.C.) High School
A two-horse race between UT and North Carolina. How will playing basketball factor into the decision? And can North Carolina coach Butch Davis win another recruiting battle against the Vols?
Undra Billingsley DE 6-4, 260 Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Ala.
A reach? Yes, but UT could use a signing day surprise. Can the Vols convince Billingsley to de-commit from Alabama? Probably not.
Quinton Coples DE 6-7, 235 Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Once called UT his leader. Has North Carolina convinced him to move closer to his high school home in Kinston, N.C.?
Enrique Davis RB 5-11, 220 Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.)
Davis originally signed with Auburn. He’s now considering the Tigers, along with UT, Oregon, Maryland, and Ole Miss. Can Davis ultimately turn his back on Auburn when the time comes?
Jerrell Harris LB 6-3, 215 Gadsden City High (Gadsden, Ala.)
Representatives say Harris loved his UT visit, but he’s not doing any interviews so it’s tough to know what Harris is thinking. Can he really walk away from Alabama?
Jeremy Lewis DT 6-4, 280 Palm Beach Lakes High (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
Lewis represents the biggest coup left on the board for UT. Lewis has taken official visits to UT, Clemson, LSU and North Carolina. But can he back off his Miami commitment?
Antoine McClain OL 6-6, 315 Anniston (Ala.) High
It seems UT has at least the inside track, if not much more. Will McClain and family stick by their guns – and UT?
Dallas Thomas OL 6-6, 260 Scotlandville High (Baton Rouge, La.)
High school teammate of UT commitment Herman Lathers. Have the Vols done enough to close the deal with Thomas?
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Comments » 82
HotlantaVol writes:
TNGeoff, I'll beat you to it. Dang.
utmdm writes:
The McClain comment above is encouraging. Have not heard there was a lean to us there.
What happened with Auburn backing off of Fortson?
utnut#215669 writes:
according to scout.com 90% of all recruits will be 3 star. stars are overrated anyway. if you can't afford to go to camps or register with a recruiting service you don't get much attention from rivals or scout. that dont'mean are there are not GREAT players available
stroker writes:
sphs_vol posted as below
Posted by sphs_vol on January 27, 2008 at 1:42 p.m.
"I HAVE IT ON THE QT, BIG SURPRISES ARE COMING !!!
VOL FANS WILL BE VERY PLEASED ON SIGNING DAY!!
TENNESSEE WILL LAND A TOP 15 CLASS---BASED ON THE INFO I HAVE---AND I'M IN THE KNOW.
RELAX BOYS-----"
Come on sphs_vol are you sticking to your guns?
Give us some lowdown!
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
We've still got some talent in play. I believe our recruiting will be below standard this year, but don't be surprised if we get a few positive surprises on signing day!
superk#226173 writes:
I heard there is a potential late comer to the Vols from Atlanta.
murrayvol writes:
Get over it stroker. sphs_vol has enrolled in the witness protection program. If we landed every damn player on the above list, a Top 15 would still be a reach.
hueypilot writes:
Kinda hoped the new coaches from Florida and Richmond would have helped with a recruit they had a strong personal contact. Realize we probably don't go after the same guys as Richmond, but was hoping for something from the Sunshine State. Looks like that ain't happening.
GoTennessee writes:
There will be some pleasant suprises on signing day for the Big Orange! You can never get every player that you want, but we will be fine. Go Vols!
HotlantaVol writes:
superk - Do you know who?
GoTennessee - Do you know any specifics or are you just being optimistic?
HotlantaVol writes:
I read on Rivals about a OL from Nevada who committed to Cal only to find out that Cal didn't make him a scholarship offer. In fact, they say they've never even spoken with the boy. There is an investigation to determine if someone called and impersonated Tedford as a joke. Pretty vicious joke if you ask me.
D_in_Iraq writes:
utnut, yep, saw that. Rivals had a similar piece from last year or the year before, and indicated it is still a phooey shoot despite 1 Star or 5 Stars sometimes, for things like grades, family issues, personality, sports pychology, social life/behavior issues etc... come into play.
Re; this class... I will agree with the naysayers if we sign none or only 1 from this group. If we sign at least 2, it would make a down year a little better. 3-4 would be great, but not sure what these kids are thinking. If we signed 5 or > of these, this class would jump drastically, and also mean we got a surprise or two along the way.
And before one of you naysayers indicated that isn't going to happen, well, I remember the comments about Fulmer not closing the deal last year, then Jones, Paige, Vinson (remember, everyone was saying he was leaning to WVU after initially committing to the Vols) and a few others came in on signing day, and these folks weren't heard from again that day...
superk#226173 writes:
There is one in particular that may not sign on signing day. He could wait a few days after.
6'4" OLB.
Kris4UT writes:
sphs_vol is full of it......if he really was "in the know" he would have told us who this top 10 QB we are supposed to be getting was....but he didn't, just like he cant tell us who any of these "surprise" recruits we will pick up on singing day are....Oh, but I'm sure he'll take credit for predicting any surprise we do pick up.....but hey, at least his non derogatory, pro-vol posts are more enjoyable to read than the bullsh*t spewing from the anti-fulmerite's with nothing better to do than degrade the school, coaches and players....seriously, those douchebags who b*tch about the way things are going right now should become Gator fans because hell, you're not wanted here.
HotlantaVol writes:
Superk - You mean Chase Thomas from Marietta? Yeah, I heard he was wavering a bit from his Stanford commitment. Don't know if it's true or not. We'll see.
volfan1511 writes:
Hotlanta i read that article too, except i found that hilarious. If that was a joke who ever did it planned everything out and in the end it was probably a better joke than they ever expected. This is probably a big kid that has 2 left feet and im not sure if his other final candidates even offered either. I have heard McClain is a Clemson lean because of the lower entrance standards of their school as he may not qualify for us academically.
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
Mark it down, Tennessee will sign some good recruits tommorrow! It won't be a top 25 class, but we will get some good talent tommorrow
HotlantaVol writes:
Thanks, tngeoff. I hope we get the guys we need to Dang-Tackle the gators and tide.
Vols1998 writes:
UT will be fine, every great team experiences dips in recuiting, it goes in stages.
Our dog still hunts! Go Vols!
superk#226173 writes:
No the kid I am talking about isn't Thomas. Although I would not rule Wells out even if he has committed to OSU. But he isn't the one I'm talking about either.
HotlantaVol writes:
VolVan1511 - They carried the joke too far. This kid, if he had a future in football, could easily have ruined his chances with any other schools that may have been serious about him. What if he can't afford to go to college on his own and football was his only chance to make something of himself?
HotlantaVol writes:
Sorry VolFan1511, I got V happy.
ctownvol writes:
tngeoff- That's it! I'm tired of you misspelling words. Take a hike and don't come back til you are gramatically perfect... like the rest of us! Just kidding bro'! You da man! A dapper dan man that is!
HotlantaVol writes:
Hmmm . . . superk being super-secretive . . . now I'm really interested.
GerryOP writes:
Interesting article on Scout.com:
http://tennessee.scout.com/2/726381.html
smokey90 writes:
This article is somewhat encouraging. Enjoy today because it is the last day of hope and tommorrow will usher in either joy or dissatifaction (or some of both).
The part about McClain is very good.
ATLVOL1 writes:
ONLY ONES INTERESTED AT ALL IN TENNESSEE OUT OF ATL ARE KEITH WELLS AND STEPHEN FOWLKES.
smokey90 writes:
sjt what do you mean on you 12:36 post?
superk#226173 writes:
AtlVol, there are plenty of kids in the Atl area that are interested in the Vols. ALso, UGA pretty much has filled it's class for 2009. UT should be able to make a pretty good haul here next year.UGA can only sign about 15 for next year. I'm sure the great Richt will surely over look someone in his desire to get a head start on the other SEC schools.
bullfrog07 writes:
Boy relax "Stay The Course" we need to have the most confidence in our fearless leader.
Phil and his top 50 recruiting class will be coming to a town near you.
TommyJack writes:
No Clemson fan, but I would be astounded if they have lower academic standards than us.
smokey90 writes:
Could bama be signing too many? What happens if they do?
Retiredvol writes:
You want to know how disappointing this all is??? CPF normally has a top ten class but this year looks like we will end up at #40. With all the talent CPF has had and we can't compete for the NC how in the world are we going to be a top twenty team with the class. I don't look forward to the next few years. At best, we will be a 5-7 or 4-8 team. Not good for a coach that the athletic department pays $2 million +. Oh whoa is me!!!
HotlantaVol writes:
If Bama signs too many, we get a shot at their sloppy seconds. Yummy!!
HotlantaVol writes:
Retiredvol, are you putting together a model car right now or drawing with magic markers? I want to know what you are sniffing. It's not that bad. We had an outstanding class last year. If the Claw et al can lead us to a good year next season, we will be okay. With hopefully just soem depth issues in a few years. Nothing some Juco prospects can't fix.
MrBamSeydu writes:
this list is pathetic. everyone is saying "well our recruiting class last year was good enough to take a hit this year" but tell that to Florida, LSU, UGA, USC, etc.
i just don't see our program winning another title with Fulmer as HC. he just doesn't excite anyone!!! yeah, he wins the games he's supposed to win (most of the time) and yeah he'll sneak an upset in once every year or two, but Florida has OWNED us and UGA and Bama look like they're going to for the next few years. to compete in the SEC you can't have recruiting classes like this ANY YEAR!!! for all those (including the coaches) who say stars and ratings don't matter... tell USC that. all they ever get are 4 and 5 star recruits and they've dominated. i guarantee there are more 4/5 star HS players in the NFL than 1-3 star HS players.
THIS SUCKS!!
smokey90 writes:
National Championship? UT has only won two, and Fulmer deserves full credit on one of those. Tennessee is still better now than they were before Fulmer.
Expectation is what spoils the child.
TommyJack writes:
Smokey: You think Ole Phil should be able to ride that NC into retirement?
HotlantaVol writes:
As long as he is reasonable about how much longer he wants to coach (five years or less), Phil should be able to retire from UT. I don't want him to pull a JoPa and still be shuffling the sidelines when he's 112, riding onto the field on a golf cart or whatever, but he should get the chance to retire when his current contract expires. In fact, if Clawson is as good as I hope, they should waste no time naming him the HC-in-waiting like Joker or Jimbo.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Tngeoff -Noon- liked carzy better. Believe carzy was ogg's brother. Dupree's cuzin. All is well.
Ol TDTN -11:28- Stay the course. Keep the faith while staring at a glazed box. Hug Dupree.
TommyJack -1:38- An almost ten year old season has a lot of mileage, till you realize that the king has no clothes. Some have more faith than our preacher and he set the standard around here. Guess it depends on what's acceptable. It's true we don't have to have top 10s or be competitive.
smokey90 writes:
Retirement is an undefined amount of time. Do you think Penn State has been too loyal or FSU? Sometimes tenure benefits in the long run.
UT did play for the SEC Champ three out of the last seven. I know we lost, but things could be worse.
TommyJack list the UT coaches that has done a better job.
Retiredvol writes:
HOTlantaVol
Harris is off the radar screen now. U still think CPF will pull a rabbit out of his $&%? Not sniffing a thing maybe u might be?
smokey90 writes:
Is ten years too long? Try the 57 years prior to 1998.
CJVolNMemphis writes:
Don't forget that we have Warren (FSU transfer), Faison, and Morley's return that won't count in the recruiting rankings. These guys are 3 former 4-5 star players coming out of HS.
vol1994 writes:
lets face it guys- This year is going to be a huge disappointment in recruiting, period.
Fulmer will not say that but of course he is frustrated that most of the talent is swaying against UT.
HOpefully the guys we recruit will be able to play in the next few years and contribute but we all know we need Studs to compete for titles, and we still lack d linemen.
HotlantaVol writes:
Not expecting any rabbits, but I'm also not ready to jump on the sinking ship bandwagon either. He's still one of the winningest coaches in America. I was embarrassed for Nebraska when Solich was fired after win #8 of a 9 win season. UT got 10 wins this season. Even though they were some ugly wins, how can you throw the man under the bus for that?
When bad years happen, he makes some changes and gets it turned around, like hiring Cutcliffe back. Whether you like Cut or not, he won some games and brought back some much-needed discipline. All I'm saying is give Fulmer the chance to get it turned around. If his adjustments aren't working, don't renew his contract and name Clawson his replacement to be effective as soon as the contract is fulfilled.
superk#226173 writes:
reckon a 6-4 ,205# OLB with 4.6 speed would help fill the bill?
TommyJack writes:
Smokey: It's about the future, not the past. CPF is out of energy. The kids sense it. It's not gonna get better with him at the helm.. It's time for forward thinking. The program has lost a lot of respect nationally. Wake up.
thesavageorange writes:
I'm a little dissapoited about the recruiting so far,but a freshman class is not usually the same class 4-5 yrs down the road.Some will be redshirt seniors,some will be injured and get an extra yr, juco's will come in etc...Demonte Bolden,Arian Foster,and Anthony Parker(for example)came in w/ E Ainge ,J Hefney and so on, but will be Sr's w/ some from the 2005 class and a 6th yr Sr A Gaines.If you go by recruiting rankings ,then USC will play FSU for the national title next yr, and only 2 teams from the SEC will be in the top 10.Ohh , and UT,Neb,Mich,Miami,Texas A&M,and Cal would all be in the mix for a NC.(based on the 2005 recruiting rankings)I recognize the problems in recruiting this yr, but I'm not ready to put the ole shotgon in my ear.I've got to admit though, I've never seen so many kids turn down the orange.Especially D-linemen.
CJVolNMemphis writes:
sjt18.....that's what I'm talking about!!!!
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