Fulmer: UT 'didn't blink'

Delayed flights. Traffic jams. Vending machine meals. Nights spent away from wives and children.

The usual challenges of the recruiting season didn't change for Tennessee.

And they weren't the only challenges the Vols faced.

For one, four of UT's nine assistant coaches agreed to other jobs just as bowl practice began in mid-December.

Tennessee also lost Gerald Harrison, its director of high school relations and a key member of its recruiting staff.

To top it all off, five players have been charged by police in the last four weeks, perhaps the most important stretch of the recruiting season for any program.

"It was a challenge, to say the least," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said Wednesday at a press conference announcing Tennessee's 19 football scholarship signees.

A year after hauling in the No. 3 class in the nation according to Rivals.com, the Vols had the nation's No. 36 class according to the recruiting Web site.

Wednesday, though, Fulmer acknowledged the challenges - and praised UT's new coaches for their efforts in helping finish this year's class.

"They didn't blink," Fulmer said. "I give them that. They went hard and long. We were all grabbing a pack of crackers and just going. Hardly stopped for dinner because we were in a lot of cases fighting for some great football players."

Those new coaches barely had time to blink before hitting the recruiting trail, and even less time in their new hometown.

Since being formally introduced in Knoxville on Jan. 12, wide receivers coach Latrell Scott estimates he spent only six nights in Knoxville - and all of those were on weekends when prospects were in town on official visits.

Running backs coach Stan Drayton, offensive coordinator Dave Clawson and tight ends coach Jason Michael likely had similar experiences.

For Scott, though, all that changed was the name on his shirt and the school he represented.

And, of course, the competition.

"The biggest difference in this thing is we're battling Notre Dame instead of James Madison," said Scott, who joined UT's staff after spending three seasons with Clawson at Division I-AA University of Richmond.

Fulmer said that recruiting at smaller schools can be a fertile training ground.

"Sometimes when you've coached at a Wichita State like I have, or a Vanderbilt when we were trying to get it going there, or Fordham or Richmond or Villanova, you understand the battles a lot more than if you've had a silver spoon in your mouth and not been at places like that," Fulmer said. "I don't think there's any question they'll be darn good recruiters and darn good staff members."

Replacing those coaches who left, though, took time away from recruiting.

So did an up-and-down regular season that ended in the SEC championship game, which cost the Vols a week that other conference teams were on the road recruiting.

"We lost a week of recruiting while we were practicing, which I'll trade any time we can do it," Fulmer said. "We were on the road really hard for two or three weeks after the championship game and then all of a sudden we start getting ready for the bowl game and the staff thing happened."

At that point, Fulmer said, the Vols had commitments from most of their targets on offense.

Since then, UT picked up quarterback Casey Kelly and 6-foot-5 wide receiver E.J. Abrams-Ward, perhaps the most highly rated prospect in this year's class.

Still, the Vols class is their lowest ranked in Rivals.com's archives, which date to 2002.

Fulmer acknowledged recent off-the-field issues, which range from disorderly conduct to DUI, gave rival recruiters plenty of fodder.

"That's part of it," Fulmer said. "It was very untimely."

Shortly after the fax machine stopped spitting out letters of intent Wednesday, Fulmer finalized recruiting territories for next year's effort. Coaches also discussed the class of 2009.

This week, Fulmer will begin interviewing candidates to replace Harrison.

Now it's time for a deep breath and a few days off before it all begins again.

"We're going to give the coaches a couple days off," Fulmer said. "We're going to take a few days and when we get back, we'll be starting the process all over again rejuvenated for the challenges we have in front of us."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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