ORLANDO, Fla. — Tennessee’s two biggest prospects in the Under Armor All-America High School football game are just that: big.
Real big, as a matter of fact.
Antoine McClain stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 315 pounds. Kenneth Page is 6-4 and 300 pounds. They are considered two of the top offensive line prospects in the South.
Remember Tennessee’s goal stated way back in February 2007: sign offensive linemen. Well, the Vols are halfway there. They’ve received commitments from two such prospects. Another pair would complete the class.
Imagine for a moment what landing a pair of elite offensive linemen would mean to UT’s 2008 class, which has more holes than a gopher farm.
Signing four offensive line prospects would give fans reason to be optimistic about the 2008 class, and be a perfect compliment to the talent-laden 2007 class that was based more on speed than size.
However, neither McClain nor Page are ready to commit to UT, or even say the Vols lead for their services. McClain, who is from Anniston (Ala.) High School, is considering UT, Clemson, Auburn and LSU. He’ll take all of his official visits this month.
Page, who is from A.C. Flora High School in Columbia, S.C., is considering UT, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Clemson and North Carolina. He’s already been on official visits to UT, Notre Dame and South Carolina. He’ll see Clemson and North Carolina later this month.
Page has shown the most interest in the Vols. Aside from his official visit, he’s taken two other trips to check out Knoxville.
“They’re in good shape,” Page said.
Page said he’s not worried about the turnover on UT’s offensive staff, which has four vacancies.
“The only coaches I have to be concerned with are the head coach and mainly the offensive line coach,” Page said.
UT offensive line coach Greg Adkins’ stability is just part of the draw. Page said the two have struck up quite a relationship, adding that Adkins has become his primary recruiter, trying to finish the job that defensive tackles coach Dan Brooks began.
In a winter of change, Page ironically sees stability as one of the Vols’ greatest offerings.
“Phillip Fulmer, he has a legacy there,” Page said. “I know he’s going to be there for a while. The way he runs and operates things is smooth.”
McClain became a center of recruiting attention when he expressed an early desire to leave Alabama to play. It’s not often that such prospects decide to leave the Yellowhammer state.
“They’re about full,” McClain told the News Sentinel of Alabama’s 2008 class. “By the time I take my visit with them, they’re probably about full because everybody’s wanting to go there. I’ll just go do my own thing.”
Although McClain won’t say so, it seems there was some pressure to commit early.
“I didn’t want to make a decision so soon,” he said.
UT was in perfect position to swoop in and sign McClain, especially when LSU coach Les Miles seemed destined to leave for Michigan. Now, Miles’ return will make things a lot harder for the Vols.
“A whole lot,” McClain said when asked how much Miles staying will affect his decision. “I didn’t really want to go to a program where the head coach is leaving or thinking about leaving. That’ll just throw the whole program off.”
McClain says his relationship with Fulmer is one of the strongest draws to Knoxville.
“He thinks I can come in and be an instant player that can play early and make a change on the football team,” McClain said.
Tallahassee Terrance: Terrance Parks isn’t surprised that former high school teammate Eric Berry has risen to freshman All-American status at UT.
“He’s one of a kind,” the 6-1, 200-pound safety from Creekside High School in Fairburn, Ga. said. “He works hard. He just does what the next person doesn’t do to get the edge over a person. He’s a great person and a great friend. He’s a good person to look up to.
“I ain’t surprised at all. He did it all in high school. I look at him on TV and that’s the same thing he did in high school.”
Parks once said he was split between UT and Florida. But when Florida State came calling, his recruitment was over.
“I’ve been wanting to go there since I was in middle school,” Parks said.
Parks considered following in Berry’s footsteps to UT. But the relationship wasn’t enough to convince him to head north.
“I felt like I had to branch off on my own,” Parks said.
Josh Ward contributed to this report.
Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knews.com
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Comments » 36
volfan_in_mississippi writes:
I hope we land some of these, but where are the defensive linemen?
volfan_in_mississippi writes:
tngeoff,
You're right. The glaring hole in the defense was the defensive line. If we can get some linemen that can put consistent pressure on the QB in pass plays and hold up the O-line on run plays to free up the LB's to make the play, then our young secondary will be looking even better next year.
CoverOrange writes:
Don't we usually convert DLs to OLs? Do we ever go the other way? Can't remember.
Kwitcherbellyachin writes:
“Phillip Fulmer, he has a legacy there,” Page said. “I know he’s going to be there for a while. The way he runs and operates things is smooth.”
Let that sink in when you harp about replacing the head coach. Like it or not, that means something to a lot of these kids, and to their parents.
cdldoc#211897 writes:
Get in here "ol Touchdowntn" and convince this kid our coaching staff is unstable so he will not come to UT. Do your damage as often as you can "ol touchdowntn". Hopefully these kids won't know you exist or see your postings and we can get some more good recruits.
philfan writes:
Kwitcherbellyachin,
That was perfect. Three of Fulmer's great assets are his organizational skills, his ability to recruit well into the future, and his genuine love of recruiting. Remember Bill Battle. He was probably not that bad a play caller, but he hated the recruiting aspect of the job. There is much more to being a head coach than helping the Offensive Coordinator call the plays on game day. He would be better off turning that over to someone else completely. He is way too conservative in that regard, in my opinion.
hglover40#234154 writes:
There are 3 DL men that didn't play at all this year; Langley(4*),Melancon(4*), and Martin(5*). Maybe we are counting on them to come on next year.
hglover40#234154 writes:
I predict a top 12 class for UT this year.
And 13 - 1 season next year. Only loss will be to USC in the NC game. USC 20 UT 16.
bloodrunsorange writes:
As we should remember, it’s not over until the scholarship papers are inked.
newtonrail writes:
Martin did play a little at the end of the year, when his injury healed enough. WD40 DL recruits who aren't fast enough get switched to OL, not the other way.
newtonrail writes:
Martin did play a little at the end of the year, when his injury healed enough. WD40 DL recruits who aren't fast enough get switched to OL, not the other way.
newtonrail writes:
Sorry about the double post, and not exactly sure how I did it.
mississippi_vol writes:
melancon wasnt eligible so he went to la tech. brimfield is a big guy and i haven't heard much about him. i never say martin on the field but it says he had 7 tackles so i guess he didn't redshirt. langley i believe redshirted. so maybe there's a little hope for the D line. if bolden can keep his mouth shut and his grades up i think he'll be a force next year along with dan williams.....
mississippi_vol writes:
rivals recruiting is overrated if u ask me but we still need more commits. we got 2 5 star guys that will be on campus (i hope) next year in demetrice morley and brandon warren that i'm excited about. the future looks bright though. lets get a offensive staff in place an go to work...
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
hglover40,
Dang! And they say I'm optimistic! Getting through the SEC without a loss is pretty dang tough. Through the SEC east without a loss and an Auburn throw in... prettier danger tougher!!
I'll call 12-2 with a possible BcS bowl.
OldNumber7 writes:
If this team can end up on the positive side of turnover margin, get tougher on DL like in the Georgia and Arkansas games, and generally be motivated like those two games (which is a coaching thing and the biggest glaring inconsistency this team has), there should be nothing to stop them.
Timbo writes:
did anyone notice all the running qb's getting thumped and staggering out of the game as their offensive line was spread from side line to side line? support coach fulmer as coach and future governor as he gears up to run over the opposition. there is no scheme out there that can stop you when you run over the opposing d, or when the opposing o can't keep you out of their backfield. CONGRATULATIONS TENNESSEE ON THE BIG BOWL WIN. THE DEFENSIVE PLAY WAS ESPECIALLY AWESOME.
NatiVol writes:
This is a reason it is good to not fire the head coach this year. we would be in a hole for 2 years. I hope we get the O staff in place asap.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
volfaninmiss-my sentiments exactly, where are the d-linemen? Have we forgotten so soon the dreary games of no d-line push? Congrats on the possible o-linemen, but man, don't forget where this defense ranked in the league!
68th or so in NCAA run defense. Whew.
waterskier3#226480 writes:
lets get the best kids we can get but he's going to lsu especially if they win the NC.... just like fla cleaned up last year after winning the sec and nc..... anyone see a trend???/ win sec and nc and the recruits come a calling.... its all about winning and exposure for most of the best talent..... some for the love of schools etc....
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
every yeqr, I'd like to see at least 4 o-linemen and 4 d-lineen signed. we lost so much through attrition of guys just not working up. 4 per year gives you a steady stream, and would in theory mean you'd always have 16 o-linemen and 15 d-linemen on the roster.
By the time you mix in injuries and red-shirts, the number would vay between, say 13 and 18.
ssukonic#254241 writes:
You know, the other thing to keep in mind is that true freshmen aren't our savior on the offensive and defensive lines. People we've already got will do the majority of playing. Usually, if you have to use a true freshman on the line, you're in big trouble. Occasionally, that's not the case, but for the most part, it's true. We do, however, need to sign some linemen this year.
objk1#231846 writes:
D-line, D-line, D-line!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oldorange writes:
Thanks for the report, guys. Recruiting information is always a great read.
asleep#212036 writes:
Newtonrail is right. D-line is about speed, O-line about size. My son (10th grader) is 6'3" and 260 and he was told the same thing. You're on the O-line unless you pick up some speed, in which case you can switch to defense. Surely they haven't let the cupboard get that bare on the D-line prospects - Fulmer et.al. are supposed to be better recruiters than that. I'm hoping they have some young guys that like Williams, will step up big next year. If Bolden and Williams improve, Ayers plays like he did in the Outback, and Wes Brown continues his steady play, our D will look much better next year. All of a sudden, with the ability to shut down the run and pressure the passer, our secondary might look a whole lot better. Go Vols!!!
Volmaniac91 writes:
Tennessee is really fallin behind in recruitin right now. We are number 44 with other teams like bama at 2 and georgia at 3 and lsu aint far behind. Tennessee needs to pick up the pace. Cause if we wont have no good freshmen like berry again. But these guys should boost us up. im just sayin tennessee better get on the ball
mdvol writes:
Man, too bad we've missed out on Terrelle Pryor. He's ripping thru the defense in the high school all star game. Sounds like Cut almost had him at UT. 6'6" with 4.4 speed. He just ran for 20 yards on play number one.
mdvol writes:
John Ward would have a field day calling Terrelle Pryor's moves. Pryor just went spinning, darting, DIVING into the end zone for six! Touchdown, BIG ORANGE. Not going to happen. No more John, no Terrelle.
cgbtn writes:
How long has it been since Dave didn't attend the US Army game & give us reports? His absence probably sums up where we currently stand in our recruiting efforts.
FWBVol writes:
A few reminders to everyone who is so upset about recruiting at this time. First, these ratings mean nothing. They are purely speculative and are based on someone's opinion. Maybe you can measure a guy's 40 time, but you can't measure his heart and sometimes the 2 or 3 star guys pan out better than the 4 or 5 star guys. And no, that's not saying I think we should only recruit 2 and 3 star guys.
The next thing to remember is these are high school kids and they change their minds all the time so until a kid's name is signed on the national letter of intent scholarship papers, where they claim to be going to school means nothing.
Another thing to remember is UT had a huge recruiting class in 2007 and only has 15 to 18 scholarships to offer this year. Phillip Fulmer is being selective in the kids he offers. There aren't going to be a lot of 4 and 5 star skill players in this class because a lot of those needs were addressed last year.
Yes, we need some o-lineman and d-lineman, but those positions are often harder to evaluate than other spots. A kid that is 6-6 290 can often dominate the line in high school because he's larger than other players, but when he gets to college he doesn't live up to the hype.
I still think Bolden, if he kids his grades together, can have a great senior year. He did have a nice junior year, but he's still far from the second coming of Reggie White or John Henderson everyone thought he'd be three years ago. That just shows how difficult it can be to evaluate linemen.
It would be nice to get a quarterback in this year's class, but there will be a redshirt junior; Crompton, redshirt sophomore; Stephens and a redshirt freshman; Coleman on the roster next fall. Include in that mix Gerald Jones as the X factor, and we should be OK at quarterback even if we don't sign a big name.
Finally, as others have said, Phillip Fulmer is a great closer in recruiting. I have confidence that the name we hear as the new O-coordinator in the next couple of days will infuse some great excitement into the recruiting process and secure one of the quarterbacks on the wish list this year.
FWBVol writes:
A few reminders to everyone who is so upset about recruiting at this time. First, these ratings mean nothing. They are purely speculative and are based on someone's opinion. Maybe you can measure a guy's 40 time, but you can't measure his heart and sometimes the 2 or 3 star guys pan out better than the 4 or 5 star guys. And no, that's not saying I think we should only recruit 2 and 3 star guys.
The next thing to remember is these are high school kids and they change their minds all the time so until a kid's name is signed on the national letter of intent scholarship papers, where they claim to be going to school means nothing.
Another thing to remember is UT had a huge recruiting class in 2007 and only has 15 to 18 scholarships to offer this year. Phillip Fulmer is being selective in the kids he offers. There aren't going to be a lot of 4 and 5 star skill players in this class because a lot of those needs were addressed last year.
Yes, we need some o-lineman and d-lineman, but those positions are often harder to evaluate than other spots. A kid that is 6-6 290 can often dominate the line in high school because he's larger than other players, but when he gets to college he doesn't live up to the hype.
I still think Bolden, if he gets his grades together, can have a great senior year. He did have a nice junior year, but he's still far from the second coming of Reggie White or John Henderson everyone thought he'd be three years ago. That just shows how difficult it can be to evaluate linemen.
It would be nice to get a quarterback in this year's class, but there will be a redshirt junior; Crompton, redshirt sophomore; Stephens and a redshirt freshman; Coleman on the roster next fall. Include in that mix Gerald Jones as the X factor, and we should be OK at quarterback even if we don't sign a big name.
Finally, as others have said, Phillip Fulmer is a great closer in recruiting. I have confidence that the name we hear as the new O-coordinator in the next couple of days will infuse some great excitement into the recruiting process and secure one of the quarterbacks on the wish list this year.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
tngeoff- good stuff. I would liken our recruiting to a man standing in a vast late model salvage yard. Everything he needs to go riding is there but, boy howdy, somebody must know how to put it together.
Wander around a junk yard too long and all you'll see are rust buckets. The good stuff is gone to be put together. You eventually come wheezing out in a '79 Crown Vic, paint that bad boy and get a few miles before failure raises its ugly head. I don't care how loud your turn up the radio, nothing is going by the window. You're stuck at the mediocre turn-off. Oh it still shines and you can sell it to some, but those who raise the hood, shake their head and walk off
You like the old gal, but she'll never make it over the high hard part of the mountain. Happy 2008.
chrisw2967 writes:
I dont think the 4 or 5* players mean too much , if your coach is good and can coach and get players up for games then the rest will take care of itself. Look at Pearl , how many Mcdonalds All-Americans does he have on his team ? 0 and look what he has done.
Just because you dont get the 4 & 5* players doesnt mean you cant take 1& 2* players and make them good enough to be all americans by the time they leave UT , just means the coach (Fulmer)has to get off his butt and earn his 2mil. a year.
volnmdtn writes:
Talent is talent when it comes to recruiting and thats all you can say about it. Right now we do not have that much talent compared to the other schools and unless we make a big push in the next couple of weeks, we are going to pay a hugh price for not having it in about 2 to 3 years down the road. Fulmer needs to go on an fill his staff and get them busy with what is left.
Txvol57 writes:
To answer the D-Line question...We have Matin, Brimfield and Langley that are freshman. Melancon went to LA Tech. But remember Rea Sykes from Alcoa, Cory Hall from Chattanooga and Rufus Williams from Florida went to prep school and will be enrolled in the fall and Gerald Williams is finally on track and will be enrolled for 08. He had a monster year at community college of San Fransico. He had seven sacks in one game and CCSF won the National Championship for JUCO. All of these guys with Wes Brown, Bolden and Williams we should be pretty good. Hopefully a lot better than this year
pdhuff#552644 writes:
tngeoff- you got to ck out Harmon Kinda Committs to Georgia at AJC.com. Talk about a player playin', he's a hoot.
Also, I liked Pryor's, "I don't know who's telling the truth". Boy howdy.
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