Posted by tngeoff on February 7, 2008 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Typo in story title. Two "l"'s in Cadillac. Good stuff otherwise.

Posted by pdhuff on February 7, 2008 at 9:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good stuff even if tngeoff noted misspelling.

He can't play DT, can he?

Posted by ksteelescvol on February 7, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not wearing orange colored glasses on this class, we needed a couple more on the D line. With that being said, i can't wait to see Abrams-Ward on the right, Wilks on the left, D Moore going deep, Lucas Taylor in the slot, Douglas at tight end, and Gerald Jones under center, with Poole in the back field running behind a very solid O line. Wich one of those guys isn't a threat to take it to the house every time??? Its not all gloom and doom...

Posted by ksteelescvol on February 7, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My bad, its beer thirty in Columbia, Which one of those guys isn't a threat.

Posted by IPOrange on February 7, 2008 at 10:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Beer thirty? LOL, ksteelescvol.

Posted by james on February 7, 2008 at 10:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think the class turned out pretty good given the fact Gaines gets another year and a couple of "lost" Vols are coming back, hopefully fully eligable to play. Next year is going to be a very important year for re-stocking at each position.

Posted by awhill00 on February 7, 2008 at 10:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Observations:
The Vols are loaded with talent for next season. The entire offensive line returns. All running backs return. Demetrice Morley and Eric Berry in the same secondary? Ouch!! Crompton at QB. Lincoln and Colquitt kicking. Plenty of linebackers and talent at DE. The wide receivers are going to produce at a whole new level. I think Clawson will implement some spread into our offense. And Poole is the real deal. Next year's recruiting class will rock. We will also see some surprises from this one. GO VOLS!!

Posted by TurboFan on February 7, 2008 at 10:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Appears every position is stocked except the lines. Offense could be on fire the next couple of years.

Posted by rccheek on February 7, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Hire Quarles for "director of high school relations"

Posted by agentorange on February 7, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

kns doesn't have spell check, so forgive all the gd typos. as far as recruiting goes, we did fine given the fact that cut ran out on us again and pooper trailer went to ok state. i still think trailer played his cards wrong on that whole deal. you never can give your employer an ultimatum or you get fired.

Posted by IPOrange on February 7, 2008 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This year's recruiting class may not have quantity, but the quality looks pretty darn good. I can't wait to see Poole in the backfield with Abrams-Ward and Fowlkes as big bookends on O. Add these guys to the mix with Taylor and Jones on the field, and that will be a lot of weapons on the field at once. Sounds great to me.

Posted by ksteelescvol on February 7, 2008 at 10:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There is a pretty good article on Rockytop.com about this class and the vols that we didn't get credit for. For all the kool-aid drinkers...

Posted by nicksjuzunk on February 7, 2008 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

awhill00,

What you said, GO VOLS!!

Rccheek, Hmmmm.

Posted by utmdm on February 8, 2008 at 12:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This box of chocolate may be a lot better than it seemed. The experts are already saying they missed on Poole and Hughes plus we get an extra body with Gaines. Upside looks good.

Still for Valentines Day I wanted a couple of DT's. I really feel we will be ok this year. My concern is dropping a year without getting recruits in - given that it generally takes a year or two to get the big guys ready for the SEC. That could be a shortage issue for 09. I have a hard time counting to such a great extent on previous recruits that have not made it to Knoxville out of CC or Prep yet. We will keep the faith .... and (as the commercial says) the light on for them to show.

Posted by leedsvol2007 on February 8, 2008 at 12:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If memory serves there was not a single player from the state of Tennessee in the top 50 prospects in the US.

Georgia and Alabama had a a bunch and this fact contributed to there high rated classes. To make matters worse one of the best players in Tennesse had family ties to Alabama and ended up with them.

When you go up and down our list it looks as if there is some very good talent.

Wilks is not mentioned much but I have a family member that knows him and has seen him play that thinks he is going to be a great receiver.

We filled most of our needs. We've had better rankings of course but when you look at what these guys are bringing to the table I think we held our own.

GoVols!

Posted by anthony on February 8, 2008 at 12:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a great article. I liked it.

Posted by BigOrangeVol on February 8, 2008 at 2:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I wouldn't even line up at WR in practice if I saw Berry and De-Mo eyeballing me! The phrase "crap my pants" comes to mind for some reason. Let's see what the Cock, Cat, Gaytor and the Bammer WR's do this year! Those four averaged 355.5 yards passing against us last season.

Posted by utchris2003 on February 8, 2008 at 2:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Check this article out from the Memphis paper. He may be our top recruit for next year. Basketball is a big factor for this kid as well and most of the schools are saying he can do both. I hear that while a lot of school's have been in, it was Fulmer that got in there first and has been in there more! Should have a good shot at this one.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/...

Posted by marc_ash on February 8, 2008 at 6:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The recruting box on the side of this article shows you just how STUPID rankings are. FL ranked 3 and 12, SC rannked 22 and 34, Ole Miss 24 and 36. Look, these numbers are just that....NUMBERS! The consistency of these numbers is non-existent and is just the opinion of folks that want to sell magazines.

The Vols should be just fine this season. Reminds me of the talk that surfaced after Peyton left. Many folks felt the time had passed when Peyton left, but a NC came a callin the following year. This year will be special folks. A returning OL and imporvements on the defensive side of the ball. Healthy veteran RB's and some help at the WR spot will make for an exciting year.

I'm very excited I qualify for away tickets this season!

Posted by ctownvol on February 8, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

No need to try and be Carnell Williams Mr. Poole. Be yourself and play hard for the University of Tennessee. That is what is expected of you. UT will be fine. Would it have been nice to get a few more d-tackles? Sure, but this class is just fine. Lots of excitement to come. Hey marc_ash, let me know if you need somebody to sit with ya at the uga game!

Posted by pdhuff on February 8, 2008 at 7:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

utmdm 12:16 am, still the night owl, huh. Totally agree on the Dts. It amazes me people rightfully hail the offensive players while ignoring the defense. They say, well, we have returning lettermen.

That's what bother me. What miracle pill is going to develope them when 12 games and a season's practice couldn't do it in 2007? Remember, we played the best we had! I digress.

On a somber note, I would urge all to look at Tennessean.com - articles on Macon County - six miles from home. Untold damage and death reigned here. Makes sports seem trivial. 14 fatalities. Prayers go out to these families.

Posted by johnlg00 on February 8, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

My expectations for next year would be a lot higher except for three things: 1) Florida after an open date for them; 2) Georgia at Athens after an open date for them; 3) Lack of proven depth on the DL. With respect to the last, this might be a good year to get creative on defense, given the great quality and depth among the LB's and DB's. Whether it's a 3-3-5 or a 3-4-4, using three down linemen would give us a chance to rotate more guys through those positions; if we don't have quality, maybe we can compensate with fresh quantity. Nose tackle is a different position than tackle in a four-man line, though, and I don't know how well Bolden and Williams, for example, will fit that assignment. In any case, I don't see how we can expect to have a dominant conventional D-line, so we had better find some way to compensate through scheme.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"How many 3 star players take off as a true Freshmen?"

Rogan, Creer, and Frazier were all 3* players out of last year's class that contributed. I believe that R Fellows was a 3* before becoming a Fr All-SEC at CB. I agree that it isn't as often. Those players are usually projects that are built into good football players... but the recruiting svcs do whiff once in awhile.

If the rankings really matter then you can't ignore that UT signed a very small class-18. I am personally pleased they didn't just load up with guys they didn't need.

It is a huge disappointment that they didn't get another DT or two. Another OL would have been nice. But the players they did get by and large have good upside.

Posted by mgdchvol on February 8, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

pdhuff.....agreed. We sometimes forget what really matters. We become so engulfed with our beloved VOL's Football team our priorities in life take a back seat. I have been following TN Football since the mid 60's and I have to admit my emotions sometimes co-exist with the success, or lack of, our boy's fortunes.
With "advancing age" one realizes we, and our team, must accept the "cards we are dealt" and play the hand out best we can. Our leadership is ancored by professional people who care as much, or more, as we do about the VOLS.
As John Ward would say we must take adversity and "COLOR IT ORANGE"!
Welcome the new guys and help them learn what it means to be a VOLUNTEER!

Posted by D_in_Iraq on February 8, 2008 at 9:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

OLETDTN,

I just gotta ask... Do you ever say anything positive; Better yet, can you go one article without putting a negative spin on it...?

I mean this article primarily covered a fine young man, and from what I have witnessed from ESPN, Scout, and Rivals self admitted info, he probably should have been rated higher, and I have to assume you posted to contradict the others that were excited about this young man.

With that stated, not sure what you've meant with continued decline (well, if you compare it to the 1998 season; well, you got me). We won 5 games in 05 finishing 4th in the east, 8 games last year, and 3rd in the east (lost to the National Champ from SEC by 1), and 10 this year winning the east (Lost to the National Champ from SEC late in the 4th quarter; when we outplayed them the entire game)... Also, we had a top 3 recruiting class across the board last year, and of the 16 4 or 5 star guys we signed, I contend that only 3 (Berry, Vinson, & Jones) made any contributions of significance. While, 3-4 of our 3 star guys played significant roles for True Freshman (D. Moore, D. Rogan, Frazier et al), considering 3 star guys "shouldn't have any impact as Freshman" according to some...

And since you asked, other notable former 2 and 3 star guys that that have signed over the last 5 years and stood out in my mind for the Vols were Jerod Mayo, Austin Rodgers, Anthony Parker, Arian Foster, Ramone Foster, Antonio Reynolds, Vlad Richard, Dan Wilson, Ryan Karl (2**), Cottom Bros, Lincoln (2**), Chris Brown (2 **), Briscoe, Inky Johnson (2**), Stocker, the Colquitts, etal.

While certain 4 and 5 star guys didn't pan out over the last 5 years, ie. Slick Shelly, Raymond Henderson, Todd Cox, Danial Brooks, Al Toeneia, Rolando Meloncon, Brandon Jeffies, Mondre Dickerson, Heath Benedict, Aaron Kirkland, Leon Pinky and..

Before I get blasted. I do recognize there are things needing improvement within the program, but to say we are in a steep decline is false (unless you are comparing to the 1998 campaign). And folks on an internet board demeaning kids that want to be at UT isn't the answer (not yourself, but others on this board). I also contend that if Fulmer doesn't make changes, he gets ripped (Remember Ramsey/Sanders). Fulmer makes coaching changes and gets ripped (Remember Ramsey/Sanders). Hell, there are even posters on here with the nickname “Hiresanders”…? Fulmer has a top 3 recruiting class and gets ripped. Fulmer has a #36 recruiting class and gets ripped. He can't win on this site due to the blinded hate by some on this board.

I guess it all boils down to the glass half full or glass half empty approach. Although I am not one of the “kool aid drinkers” (or whatever you guys call it) I’ll choose the former, for that is how I live life. Have a great weekend.

Posted by johnlg00 on February 8, 2008 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for your service and your perspective, D_in_Iraq. We Vol fans--and Americans--have had it so good for so long, we sometimes fail to count our blessings. As I said above, we should be realistically optimistic about next year, although I accidentally left Auburn off my list of possible bumps in the road. Ten regular season wins would be a marvelous achievement for this team next year.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Not buying john.

I'm a hopeful and optimistic person by choice. I try to be fair to CPF and critical when necessary. But I also have a voice of conscience that helps me stay more realistic than many. One thing that voice says is that there must be standards and they must be met.

If I were king (aka Hamilton), CPF would know right now that the very worst I would accept would be a season equal in final result to last year (sans the blow out losses) and I fully expected either a championship or BCS bowl appearance within the next two years... Really I think that should be the expectation THIS year.

And no... I absolutely don't care how good the talent at UF, UGA, Bama, LSU, Auburn, UCLA, or anywhere else is. I don't care about who those coaches are or coaching changes at UT. The standard is to win at the highest levels, compete on the national stage, and win championships.

If 9 wins was an acceptable off year... and that would be true of the first half of CPF's tenure then 10 wins needs to be the off year now.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 10:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

BTW, having read about Poole and followed his recruitment... I've become a fan already.

If there is any truth to the idea that he's faster than the recruiting svcs gave him credit for then he may have been a steal.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 10:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

pdhuff, Aaron Douglas can probably play DT....

I am pretty sure I read that Austin Johnson's coach thinks he might be able to carry that kind of weight. He only needs to add 40 to 50 lbs. That's not all that big of a stretch if he's determined to do it.

Posted by VOLS85 on February 8, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

D_in_Iraq,

You nailed it brother. The point that most people don't understand is that generally people who post on message boards are the ones who are not happy with the program. They are predictable and every team, no matter how talented and winning a program they are, will have disgruntled fans.

No one can ever be pleased enough. They should consider themselves lucky that they get to watch the football game on saturday or the big matchup against Florida or Kentucky in basketball. Some people right now would give a lot just to be able to watch their favorite team. We thank you for your service and you're a true hero.

On another note, Poole looks to be awesome, Abrams-Ward and Wilks likely to be beasts. Excited to see how this class develops!

GO VOLS!

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I know Fowlkes was told he'd get a shot at WR... but he'll probably be a DE before all is said and done if he isn't faster than the 4.6 he's credited with.

Posted by OrangeNation on February 8, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

The more I read about Poole the more excited I am about signing him. If he is anywhere close to the back that Cadillac Williams was then great things should be ahead for him and the Vols.

Saying that thought my concern is, when is this young man going to see the field? Foster appears to be the starter with Hardesty & Creer seeing some limited action. My complaint is this. Lets put the best talent on the field no matter what. It kills me to see Foster get run down from behind in the open field when Hardesty or Creer would have had six points.

If Hardesty or Creer are the better back then they should be playing not waiting for Foster to graduate. If Poole turns out to be better then Hardesty, Creer & Foster then he should be playing.

I watched every game last year & it appeared to me that Hardesty & Creer are every bit as talented as Foster but they never get in the game for any length of time. It's a carry & a carry there & at the end of the game they have 4-5 carries & that's it. If these guys are studs then give them the ball.

My biggest hope for the new coaching staff is that they look at each position and put the best talent on the field. I'm still trying to figure out how Eric Berry was a nickel back until the Florida game and not a starter. Jamal Lewis is another guy with tons of talent who was hidden on the bench at the start of his career.

It scares me to think that Poole may actually be the next Cadillac Williams but that we wn't find out until his junior or season.

Please Mr. Clawson & and our other new hires put the best talent on the field regardless of age or school year.

Posted by Tenn_Dawg on February 8, 2008 at 11:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Poole looks like a fantastic player. Speaking of *s and player rankings here is a Top 20 list of average star rankings over the last four years that is interesting. I have read numerous post on here debating the validity of player ranking and what not. Although, I'm in agreement with most on here that *s are not a tell all end all there are some revealing things in this list. A couple of observations of mine after the reveiwing the list are:
1.) All the teams in the Top 5 have played for the BCS Championship and/or won it in the last five years.
2.) There are "7" SEC teams listed in the Top 20. No other conference has that many with the Big 10, Big 12 and ACC each having 3 teams. The SEC is know as the toughest conference in the land...coincidence....I think not.

Anyway here it is:

Recruiting – Four Year Trailing Numbers
The “Star” Averages

Using Rivals.com’s rankings we have now updated our 4 year trailing totals of the accumulated recruiting talent of 111 Division I teams (those teams with 4 total years of data), as well as our 4 year average “star” talent of the players recruited.

As before, the rich have gotten richer.

To keep this relatively short, in this post I will address the “star” ratings which show the average number of stars of all recruited players over the past 4 years. We will follow up with the total accumulated talent ratings in a later post.

The average “star” ratings for the top 20 teams for the past four years per Rivals.com is –

1 Southern Cal 4.01
2 Florida 3.75
3 LSU 3.70
4 Ohio State 3.67
5 Texas 3.64
6 Georgia 3.59
7 Oklahoma 3.59
8 Michigan 3.54
9 Notre Dame 3.54
10 Florida State 3.51
11 Miami-FL 3.43
12 Alabama 3.41
13 Tennessee 3.35
14 Auburn 3.29
15 Clemson 3.28
16 UCLA 3.26
17 Nebraska 3.22
18 Penn State 3.21
19 California 3.18
20 South Carolina 3.16

Posted by LazhilUT on February 8, 2008 at 11:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

“Character and the perception of it sometimes is different than what it really is,” Fulmer said. “That’s why I sit in the seat that I sit in and make the decisions that I make off of what I know about the young people. If they’re not good people, they’re not going to be in this program.”

Now that is a funny joke right there...

Posted by drone on February 8, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Food For Thought: Our top 3 class from last year already has a year's jump & experience on the programs highly "ranked" this year. Let me get my Big Orange jump suit, cheap Orange colored sun glasses and glass of Orange Kool-Aid. Aah!!!!!!

Posted by Couchdummy on February 8, 2008 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wish they had a light bulb rating also to indicate intelligence! A 5* with a 1 bulb rating might not be as good of a risk as a 3* with a 3 bulb rating. My point is that we appear to get too many players that, though talented, appear to need a roadmap to part their hair!

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Orangenation, Agree in many respects. If Foster is a step faster then UT might have won the SEC CG. OTOH, his biggest liability is burst... which looks like Poole's biggest asset. Some say he has better than reported top end speed but was hampered by an injury when he went to camp/combine. He looks fast on the clips I've seen.

Creer will be a very good back. Hardesty though can't stay healthy. Don't write Vereen off... There's a reason Butch Davis made a strong push for him last year.

I'm not too worried about Poole getting his shot. If he does have good speed to go with the vision, power, and cutting ability that most acknowledge he has... he'll get plenty of shots.

Posted by tngeoff on February 8, 2008 at 11:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Fear the gators!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=F8T6iE75g5s

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 11:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Has anyone else considered that UT might have gotten Enrique Davis if Arian Foster hadn't returned for his senior year?

Posted by TommyJack on February 8, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Whatever happened to that BIG SURPRISE?

Posted by rabidvol1998 on February 8, 2008 at 11:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

sjt - possilble on Enrieque. I didn't see any way he would come given who we have and Poole already being in school . There's no way we could have made a legit case for immediate playing time and he's already spent a year at Hargrave, I'm sure he's anxious to play.

Except for the obvious fact we need DT's. I'm really starting to like this class. Fits all other needs and appears to have talented guys who really want to wear the orange.

I didn't realize we only had 16 or so to give, so initially I was disappointed we didn't get 20-22.

Posted by rabidvol1998 on February 8, 2008 at 11:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Tenn Dog - Good analysis. I think if we compared the stars of athletes available per state each school is in, TN's actual recruits will greatly exceed the stars available in state. Example, the state of FL had 33 of ESPN top150, TN had 1 (Wilks).

Posted by pdhuff on February 8, 2008 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sjt18 10:25 a.m. Well said, brother, someone has to be responsible. HS Truman said "The buck stops......

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 12:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Lazhil, Leaders with class are willing to take the heat themselves rather than exposing their followers to any more abuse than possible. They don't talk about how issues are handled since it is primarily the business of UT represented by CPF and the player... NOT YOU.

Of course, I'm not sure how much you know about either leading large groups of people much less doing it with class, dignity, and respect.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 12:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

TJ, I recognized less than a week after sphs started getting people all fired up that he was blowing smoke. If you hadn't already recognized it then it should have become obvious when he started talking about flipping a top 10 QB plus 3 ACC commits and 2 SEC commits.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

FTR, I was wrong about sphs' motives. I thought he was trying to prove that positive posting didn't effect recruiting so by extension negative postings wouldn't either.

Posted by sjt18 on February 8, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

For those who really get hung up on rankings, had UT signed 24 players they more than likely would have made the top 25. Had they signed 22 or so with one more 4* or with Poole/Johnson/Wilks/Bailey rated a 4*, they would have made it. If two out of Raines, Anderson, and Hughes had not been rated 2*... and at least two of them are probably better than that... and UT had signed 22-24 they would have been top 25.

Rankings wise- this was a bad quality class. It was just too small to climb the list.

OTOH, CPF, according to Climer's article on the tennessean.com, admitted in his news conference that there were holes in the class... acknowledging that all of us are right about the lack of DT's and maybe OL's.

Knowing where they are, the staff will have to double time to ensure that they get Sykes and Hall back and back ready to play. They are going to have to really pursue any available JUCO DT. They have to put a ton of emphasis on the most highly rated DT's that might come in ready to play a back up roll.

UGA proved you can overcome a liability with FR by playing 3 true FR in their two deep OL. UF had Fr in its two deep OL and DL this year.

It isn't easy but it has been done.

Posted by GreerVol22 on February 8, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't like Creer but that may just be the freshmen itis, so I hope Poole is the real deal and ready as Hardesty will go down by game three as usual and remain gimpy all season.

Posted by bigorangedude on February 8, 2008 at 1:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We may have gotten a Cadillac, but our recruiting class was a Yugo!

Posted by VOLinDAWGland on February 8, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Per SJT's point on DL need...I would think the obvious opportunity for early PT will be a draw for DL and OL candidates next year especially after our border rivals seemed to all have stocked up pretty full this year. Next year could be a nice cycle change for TN. Just need to show some exciting O and a great record especially on the televised games. A great class last year followed by some nice additions this year followed by a great class next year will keep us in the hunt.

Posted by pdhuff on February 8, 2008 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

TJ 11:47 a.m. Big Surprise is coming with the Easter Bunny. Basket full of fritters. Beat LSU.

Posted by orangebloodgmc on February 8, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Didn't realize that Poole would be here this spring; that's an extra bonus, especially with a couple of the other rbs banged up this spring.

Posted by CrimsonTide on February 8, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You guys are a joke. Yeh, you didn't want all those good recruits anyway. You had rather get the wimps you got and leave the good recruits to the real football powers, like Bama. Get used to losing, Tennessee. The dynasty is back, and we own Tennessee. Can't wait to see you in Knoxville this year with your 2* recruits.

Posted by BOASoldier on February 8, 2008 at 3:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Real football powers like Bama? I didn't know 6-6 regular season and losing to La. Monroe was considered being a power, but hey if it makes you feel better. And though bama did beat us convincingly this year (even a blind squirrel finds a nut everyonce in a while) I believe our lack of offensive coaching was more to blame than bama's perceived prowess. Congrats on recruiting though.. Julio Jones is a stud, but when putting down 2 and 3 star recruits go back and look at the all SEC teams... the vast majority of the All SEC players are two and three star recruits. Bama is coming to Neyland this year where we'll get to prove that although money can buy you plenty of good recruits and an average coach .... it still can't keep you safe in Neyland. Now go back to your trailer... your sis is beckoning from the bedroom.

Posted by orangebloodgmc on February 8, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No, this fall you'll see 5* recruits that were redshirted last year. Enjoy that, mullet boy.

Posted by bigbluevol on February 8, 2008 at 3:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Crimson, The Bear is still dead, you've beaten us only occassionally in the Fulmer era, you'll have more two stars actually playing in the game than we will, and you're coach is a real shining beacon of humanity. Hope selling your soul for 6-6 was worth it. Go put on your houndstooth hat and think about how great the '70s were.

Posted by Plasticman on February 8, 2008 at 6:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Keep living in the glory days of yesteryear Crimson Tide fan. You will NEVER be back to where Bryant had you in the 70's. Yeah, you may win an SEC or Nat'l. Championship every now and then, but nothing is guaranteed and it's highly doubtful Saban will even be your coach in 5 years.

Posted by volingeorgia on February 8, 2008 at 6:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i live in the county over from where taurens went to high school and his hs is a big rival of ours ive watched him 4 4 years hes a 5 star recruit this kids amazing our linebacking core 2 are goin to oklahoma and our d was top 5 in the state tauren ate us up for 223 in that game hes the real deal with uts o line can u say the next jamal lewis but a better head on his shoulders and better work ethic. but i couldnt talk any of our high school kids to think ut but im recruiting for the vols lol. ut should have a funnel of players comin from stephens co. (taurens pooles hs) becuz travis nolands the head coach there know same coach that coached johnathan crompton.

Posted by pdhuff on February 8, 2008 at 7:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

volingeorgia 6:36 - pls don't start name droppin' about ol' Poole being the next Jamal Lewis. I'll be in the kitchen stirring a 5 gallon pail of the orange kool-aide.

Windexing the orange glasses, ironing the little T flat on the sweater and mumbling "stay the course" all night in my sleep.

Drivin' thru town in May with flags flying......

Posted by GreerVol22 on February 8, 2008 at 7:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

crimsontides middle name is Monroe.

Posted by volingeorgia on February 8, 2008 at 8 p.m. (Suggest removal)

well im glad hes in orange tennesee fans dont be hurt over enrique davis, we got a back the boyz a football player we wont be disappointed. Go Jefferson Co patriots

Posted by tngeoff on February 8, 2008 at 8:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Here Bamer dolts:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AD1Gxrl4tLs

Proud to be a tider?

Rammer Jammer DUI Mammer

Putting a whole new meaning to "Roll Tide!"

Posted by tngeoff on February 8, 2008 at 8:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Coach Satan training the Bammer sheep:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NMShvQa4SI0

Posted by tngeoff on February 8, 2008 at 8:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bammer fan with a dream:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=f4OjeuF8kqE

Posted by tngeoff on February 8, 2008 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thunder out.

Posted by invisiblekid on February 8, 2008 at 9:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

sjt18, with regards to Austin Johnson, I would hate to see them try to bulk him up to play DT if that is what you are saying. If he works on his quickness and footwork, he could add 20 lbs and possibly be a good DE which is what I believe Coach Worley was suggesting. Personally, I think he has the instincts and solid tackling to stay at MLB if he improves his speed just a tick.

Posted by mparker on February 10, 2008 at 11:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe move Creer to LB if Poole is really this good??? Maybe it was bad luck, but I haven't seen a big/good play from Creer that I can remember...mostly fumbles and bad reads.