Posted by rabidvol1998 on January 17, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Good job coach Clawson.

Posted by King53 on January 17, 2008 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Clawson paying dividends already...now let's see if we actually land the kid.

Posted by utvolz on January 17, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Anyone have and stats/numbers on this prospective UT QB?

Frank in Miami

Posted by KnoxVol_in_TX on January 17, 2008 at 4:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I enjoy the competitive spirit this kid seems to have. Already, he is looking to win the QB spot. Give Crompton a reason to work hard.

I love it!!!

Posted by Ironcity on January 17, 2008 at 4:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sounds like a better baseball prospect then a football prospect. Maybe a Todd Helton

Posted by losvolsganan on January 17, 2008 at 4:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

3*

From Scout.com:

Biography:
This two sport star (baseball) threw for 1,104 yards as a sophomore on the varsity team. In his junior season he completed 128 passes of 223 attempted for a .574%. The 128 passes resulted in 1,809 yards with a 97 yard long. Kelly had 9 interceptions and 15 touchdowns.
He rushed the ball 54 times for 95 yards with a 15 yard long and scored 5 touchdowns.

Kelly is also a baseball star and professional scouts are already looking at him in his junior year of high school.

Posted by hdhurst on January 17, 2008 at 4:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Casey seems like a good kid, but I feel the same way about him as I did about Mallet coming here. We have some fine QB tallent at UT right now. Crompton is certainly a winner, and Coleman and Stephans have their upside. Unless we are pursuing someone like Pryor (who we have no chance of landing now), then I think we need to focus on DB's and linebackers. What do you guys think?

Posted by 99gator on January 17, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i have never heard of this kid.

Posted by txvolsfan on January 17, 2008 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Scouts is saying that UT may pass on this kid because they feel they have Ainge's successor on the hill already!!!
I hear they are extremely high on B.J. Coleman.
Great work ethic!!!
TXVOLSFAN
GO VOLS

Posted by TurboFan on January 17, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

If he comes here bet he would reshirt as he needs to gain 20-30 lbs. Like HDhurst, more interested in recruiting of other positions than QB.

Posted by volunteer_cowboy on January 17, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

hello

Posted by vol4jesus on January 17, 2008 at 5:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

RColV is up to his old game of..........Captainnnnnnn Negative(supply own echo like in tv).....can you let it ride once ? No. It pains ye too much to set aside your mean spirited comments it appears. Pointless as usual to ask , but I did anyway. GO VOLS!!!

Posted by sjt18 on January 17, 2008 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You know VolCR... I actually agree with that criticism. That's long been a knock on Chavis and was supposedly the source of his problems with Trooper... I bet these new guys who all seem to be more like Trooper than Chavis are driving him nuts.

Posted by utwick on January 17, 2008 at 5:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's good to finally hear some somewhat positive news on the recruiting end of things. It sounds like people will see what kind of offense Clawson has utilized (more than one) and not shy away from UT. OTH, it sounds like this kid's future may be with baseball. If he comes to UT he will probably have to wait in the wings for a chance at quarterback. In the meantime, a lot of BB players leave early for the "Big Show". He would probably benefit the BB team more than football.

Posted by utwick on January 17, 2008 at 5:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VolCR, are you really a "ye". That's very biblical!

Posted by volunteer_cowboy on January 17, 2008 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

i agree with touchdown we dont need a QB unless its pryor!!! we need OLinemen and DLineman, we are going to have to replace some olineman after this year

Posted by sjt18 on January 17, 2008 at 5:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Not to discourage this kid since he could develop into a great player... but if UT takes him then he's probably a project like Stephens was/is. I think Stephens has a dark horse chance of getting the job this spring but he wasn't highly recruited. UT usually gets a lower profile QB in between signing top recruits like JC and BJ.

TDTN is right... UT needs some chips to fall their way since they've pretty much whiffed so far on DL's... and they've been in on quite a few good ones.

Posted by IPOrange on January 17, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Defensive line is where we're hurtin'. "Where's the Beef?"

Posted by sjt18 on January 17, 2008 at 6:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

... maybe some gatoreaters... some really big and fast ones.

I'm ready for the article about Thompson that says he's all orange.

Posted by sjt18 on January 17, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Unfortunately IPOrange, as long as Chavis is DC... you'll probably see DE's become small DT's and LB's become small DE's. He believes in speed over beef at every position.

Posted by pdhuff on January 17, 2008 at 6:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

3* Rivals # 17 - Scout 3* at 21st. Apparently big on baseball, may be tough against ASU. Good to hear that Clawson is wearing the Ma Bell out.

You can never have too many good players. Doesn't need much more at 196 lbs. Hmmmmm.....

Posted by pms151 on January 17, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't know why we would be recruiting someone his size to play QB. He just does not seem to fit into this system.

Posted by IPOrange on January 17, 2008 at 6:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You're may be right, sjt, but personally I'd rather see a Glen Dorsey type of player up there. Our undersized D-line was often man-handled this season. Haynesworth and Henderson weren't squirts; when did our philosophy of "size doesn't matter" change? Wasn't Chavis DC back then?

Posted by glockjockey on January 17, 2008 at 6:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

DL,DL,DL,Hey coaches guess what we need.

Posted by sjt18 on January 17, 2008 at 6:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I honestly don't know but it did somewhere. I like the really big DT's. It seems that any time one of UT's DT's gets as big as Dorsey, Chavis puts them on a diet. I remember Mapu talking about playing at 275 instead of 295 before the season... and thinking "Oh no!". Sure enough the guy got pushed around.

Bolden has the right frame if he could just get it all together. I like Langley too. Hopefully they didn't make him lose too much weight- 6'2", 295 coming in... built alot like Dorsey.

Posted by DennisVols on January 17, 2008 at 6:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Since this is an article about recruiting I thought some might want to look at another story I just read.
It is an interesting look at the effects of the actions taken by the UT players this past weekend involving a recruit.
Scary when you read it.
http://www.crossville-chronicle.com/l...

"Keep wearing the orange and singing "Rocky Top" every chance you get. Remember it is not always easy to be a Big Orange fan but it is always worth it in the end. Go Vols and Lady Vols !!!!!!"

Posted by IPOrange on January 17, 2008 at 6:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dan Williams and William Brimfield eat a lot of hamburgers (6'3" 310 and 6'6" 300, respectively). Williams saw some playing time this year, but I don't know much about Brimfield. Is he a player?

Posted by volunteer_cowboy on January 17, 2008 at 7:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

brimfield has the munchies

Posted by pdhuff on January 17, 2008 at 7:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

DennisVol 6:47- good link -All should check that out. A rock droppped in the water sends out ripples. My daughter from Coral Gables called and said "what's up with your recruiting"? 700 miles away.

Posted by knoxsingle on January 17, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Does anyone know why we're not in the running for this kid?

Update from ESPN.com today.

---

More bad news for offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders

Under Armour All-American Zebrie Sanders, who was recently turned down by Florida and Georgia, was told Wednesday morning by Florida State offensive line coach Rick Trickett that the Seminoles don't have room for him either, ESPN's Bruce Feldman reports.

Sanders' high school coach, Lance Schneider, said, "The problem was he waited too long. I guess he just loved all the attention."
UCLA, Arkansas, and West Virginia may be the only remaining options for the uncommitted senior.

Posted by inquiry on January 17, 2008 at 7:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Always said, you recruit one really good one at the top, and the rest will follow.. go Coach Pearl, Go Coach Clawson..

Posted by ctownvol on January 17, 2008 at 7:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

On a different note. UT is up 15 on vandy late in the first half.

Posted by IPOrange on January 17, 2008 at 7:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

volunteer_cowboy, I was trying to behave myself and not mention that little road trip with Cheech and Chong.... :-)

Posted by ctownvol on January 17, 2008 at 7:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I say bring this Kelly kid on into Knoxville. So what if he doesn't beat out Crompton or Coleman or whoever. What's the worst that could happen? Maybe he ends up playing baseball and winning on the diamond instead of the gridiron. Would that be so bad? I imagine we would all be ok with him being a good UT baseball player. But I do agree that we need some beef on the DL.

Posted by ATLVOL1 on January 17, 2008 at 8:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kid could be a player in a multiple off set, runs a 4.6 40

Posted by kdt0725 on January 17, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

im still skeptical of 3-star QBs who don't get scholarship offers from north carolina.

Posted by GerryOP on January 17, 2008 at 9:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Thanks for the link Dennis. You're right, kinda scary.

Posted by nicavol on January 17, 2008 at 10:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with ctownvol. We have plenty of scholarships available and I doubt we would find enough DTs to accept them. So sign the kid, if he can't QB he becomes a TE or something while hopefully leading our baseball team to a championship. Would you have turned Helton away? Helton was smaller than Kelly as a QB.

Posted by awhill00 on January 17, 2008 at 11:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We don't need a 3* QB. Too small, anyway. Sounds like he needs to be talking to the baseball coach, not Clawson.

Posted by BigOrangeVol on January 17, 2008 at 11:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bama has lost Middleton and Applewhite and is still #2 in the nation. I say we hit their list hard before they hire Joey Jones to replace Major! Joey will recruit the socks off of most coaches. If he gets hired by Bama we may never get another shot at a kid in that state. Maybe Phillip should call Joey in Birmingham and offer him the TE job; he married a UT cheerleader so he does have good taste! :-)

Philip his number is (205) 226-7802.

Posted by utmdm on January 17, 2008 at 11:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Guys, I guess i missed it. I have seen references to Ainge's shoulder problem. Was there an article on that? How serious was it and for how long?

Posted by volmattna on January 17, 2008 at 11:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

we need 4 and 5* recruits to compete with florida and georgia not a 3* that unc is not offering

Posted by FWBVol on January 18, 2008 at 2:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I think people put too much stock in how many stars are put next to a kid's name. There is no set formula to determine the difference between a 3 star kid and a 5 star kid.

Look at the different variables that can be measured such as 40 time, and size. You might see one 6-3, 180-pound receiver that runs a 4.5 listed as a 4 star and another kid with the same physical stats listed as a 3 star. It's all subjective.

The Earl Bennett kid at Vandy that set all the recieving records was hardly recruited coming out of high school, but look at what he did.

A lot of times the 3 star kids have a chip on their shoulder and want to prove something.

If Cutcliffe liked this kid, and now Clawson likes the kid, maybe there's something more to him than a lot of people understand.

I see a lot of high school football in Northwest Florida, and the best high school quarterback I saw this year is only about 6-1, 185-190, but is a strong verbal to Clemson. The kid did things I couldn't believe, and he too is "only" a 3 star.

I see recruit character first, speed second and size third. If we do that everything else will take care of itself.

BTW utmdm, the news about Ainge's shoulder came out around the Outback Bowl...I believe just before. There were a couple of stories that touched on it.

Posted by hiresanders on January 18, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

IF Butch Davis and UNC doesn't want him, why do we? Doesn't look like the top schools are lining up for his services.

Posted by GreerVol22 on January 18, 2008 at 7:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FWB, oh yeah, the stars do make a difference...collectively. The folks assigning theses stars are not amateurs at evaluating talent, which is what these stars indicate. The missing link is what the coaching staffs do with this talent within their program to maximize the potential of these kids.

My point is this..it does take take God given 4-5* star talent to compete at a top twenty level, but it take a 4-5* star coaching staff to stay in the top 5 or 10 in the country.

Time will tell if we can take our old 3 star staff and 4 star players and turn them into a 4 star staff with 3 star players and get better results...

Posted by dgb63 on January 18, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with GreerVol. Good coaching can turn a 3-star into a 4 But bad coaching or no coaching can turn a 4 or 5 star into a 3. All the stars show is projected talent. The guys with the 4 and 5 stars have the God given ability but it is still raw for he most part. With great coaching a 3 star can go to the NFL. With bad coaching a 3,4 or 5 star can end up asking if you want fries with that meal....

Posted by Volunteerfan on January 18, 2008 at 8:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

as exposed as our defense was last year and the fact that we have not had a true pass rusher in quite a long time i think we need to go after some defensive linemen and especially a good defensive end not to mention there is alot of good backs in the league next year

Posted by KennesawVol on January 18, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Read my lips, Fulmer - DT's and DE's are critical in recruiting this year!!

Posted by MemfrisVOL on January 18, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Was Helton Scholarshipped through the baseball team or football? Wonder how theyd treat this kid's situation.

Posted by tngeoff on January 18, 2008 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Old school Tennessee folks with inquiring minds have a question:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4w88Mz_Q154

Posted by tngeoff on January 18, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

DennisVols.

Hmmmmm That link is very telling. By the way...there will be more to come from it...mark my words. Then the chuclupagus' can chuckle their heads off once more about the "joke". I keep hearing their mystical chant as if from the fantasy, The Wizard of Orange", "There's no drug like weed. There's no drug like weed. There's no drug like weed." Then a little click of their glass slippers, a toke or two off their mari-jane cigars, and off they go to Volunteer dream land where everything is beautiful all the time...and they're coming to take them away ha ha hee hee to a place where life is beautiful all the time...and they're coming to take them away...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TXZMZ-XvvzI

Posted by auttat on January 18, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Helton was on a football scholarship. As for this kid, I would say the situation would be similar. Baseball's scholarships are handled differently than football's. Baseball has a limited number of scholarships, but they can be divided between players.

Posted by DadwasaVol on January 18, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Size matters. Get some defensive linemen, please.

Posted by sjt18 on January 18, 2008 at 10:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dan Williams was a 3* offensive lineman coming out of hs. Of all the returning DT's playing for UT, UGA, and UF... he was probably playing the best at the end of the season.

The stars DO mean something but not everything. If they give a kid a high rating, they're usually right about his talent. As long as he doesn't have off the field issues, he'll probably do well. But I think they do tend to err on the side of caution to preserve their credibility. If they underrate a player then they can say he developed. If they overrate a player then it is harder for them to explain... plus they make coaches look bad and lose access.

If a kid plays in a competitive league and gets 4* or 5* then he can probably play. They have a much more difficult time with kids that play in lower level hs leagues or in states not known for great hs football. They also struggle with kids that aren't really set in a position like Savion Frazier and possibly Fowlkes this year.

Posted by tngeoff on January 18, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Song to replace Rocky Top?

Knoxville, TN: Local Tennessee football enthusiasts meet to discuss the replacement of their beloved theme song, "Rocky Top." As Tennessee football has evolved into a culture far differenet than anytime in its history, change seems inevitable. World renowned and beloved home grown Tennesseean singing superstar practices one of the top choices live at the meeting:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2cqCVLiuo_4

Posted by BigOrangeJeff on January 18, 2008 at 10:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Regarding multi-sport scholarship athletes, it depends upon what sports they play. If football is one of their sports, the scholly counts against the football number. If not, basketball is next on the list. I'm not sure how the rest of the list goes.

This used to be known as the Bear Bryant rule. Once the NCAA implemented scholarship limits in football, he would load up the track team with football players. After all, what did he care if the track team was competitive or not?

Posted by pdhuff on January 18, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

tngeoff - Are you staying the course? Missed you at the last "little sweaters" meeting. You usually lead Kum Ba Ya. May the wind always be at your back. Check the charts whle glazing.

Posted by cmoore7 on January 18, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Guys, Jacob Hester was a 2-star recruit his senior year of high school. When he committed to LSU, his commitment actually dropped LSU from having the #1 class to having the #2 class, just from one player's commitment. Who became #1 you ask? You guessed it, "the" OSU. Many outsiders say that Glenn Dorsey was the heartbeat of the LSU team this year, but those on the team and within the program will promise you it was Hester. Just something to think about. We owe OSU an embarressment on Saturday. Go Vols!

Posted by sjt18 on January 18, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)

IF... this class is ranked low because their score is lowered by taking Scruggs and Raines... I won't complain... I'll smile. Wes Rucker at the Chattanoogan followed up his story on Raines.

The kid as laid off football for two years to get his grades good enough to play for UT. He's gained weight and strength. In HS, he ran a 10.6 100m and tells his coach he hasn't lost any speed or quickness.

Scruggs has only played football for a couple of years but may have the best raw ability of any DE coming out this year.

Posted by utmdm on January 18, 2008 at 11:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

FWB, That explains it. I was at the hospital with my mom during that time.

Posted by VolnDothan on January 18, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow! A 3 star QB has us in his top 2! Maybe we can lock down some of those 0-1 star receivers to go with him! Hooray!!!!!

Posted by rckymtngator on January 18, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Kelly is a quality kid, Gators did not pursue because they are loaded at the QB position.

Posted by sjt18 on January 18, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VolnDothan, Matt Ryan was a 3* QB that wasn't recruited by many 1A schools.

This isn't a "need" position for UT but he isn't a bad tweener project between BJ and their next top recruit at QB.

Posted by auttat on January 18, 2008 at 1:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Does anybody other than tngeoff and pdhuff find their posts the least bit amusing?

Posted by GerryOP on January 18, 2008 at 2:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

auttat, yup! Better than the puffery, posturing, and attempts to establish their own self-importance some of these folks try to shovel at us. As I told one guy a couple of weeks ago, life is important. This stuff is simply ... stuff.

If you don't like their posts, don't read 'em.

Posted by sjt18 on January 18, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"If you don't like their posts, don't read 'em."

Hmmmm.... That sounds like good advice.

Posted by ctownvol on January 18, 2008 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)

auttat, I find them quite amusing most of the time. I've even been known to join in the banter with them. Thanks for asking.

Posted by auttat on January 18, 2008 at 5:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Must be an age thing!

Posted by ctownvol on January 18, 2008 at 5:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe it is. Maybe it's a sense of humor thing. Maybe yours is different from ours. Not right or wrong. Just different. Have a great day auttat!

Posted by tngeoff on January 18, 2008 at 9:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ctownvol,

Thanks and always feel free to join in...you are funny!

GerryOP.

Thanks and agreed! By the way, my youngets Daughter gets a new last name tomorrow afternoon...Pilgrim!

pdhuff.

It seems that some may not know or ealize the significance of your being Honored as the Poet Laureat of GoVolsXtra. Keep up the great work and I may have strayed but will find the course again soon. Let me check my chart. As for the "little sweaters" meeting...tough decision that night. Although, in hopes of making amends:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BhY1fxQXa3A

As to a question you had on a different thread...voila! A donut joke:

A man walks into a hamburger shop and orders a regular meal. Later, the waitress brings his meal to him. He takes a bite out of it, and notices there's a small hair in the hamburger. He begins yelling frantically at the waitress, "Waitress, there's a hair in my hamburger! I demand to see what is going on!"

So, the waitress takes him back where the cook is and to his demise, he sees the cook take the meat patty and flatten it under his arm pit. He says, "That's disgusting!"

Then the waitress says, "You think that's disgusting you should see him make donuts."

pdhuff. Also, always remember this little tid bit: Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.

auttat.

Quote from Peter De Vries;

"The satirist shoots to kill while the humorist brings his prey back alive and eventually releases him again for another chance."

auttat: Humor is good...even if it doesn't strike everyone as humor, as long as it strikes a chord with some it will make the day lighter.

Posted by GerryOP on January 18, 2008 at 10:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

tngeoff -
My best wishes to your daughter -- and welcome to the "family" Pilgrim! Tell her that if she wants to have a bit of curious fun, pay a visit to Plymouth, MA. When I go there and use a credit card the reaction is oftentimes rather interesting!

Be well. Nulle bastardo carborundum!

Posted by tngeoff on January 19, 2008 at 9:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

GerryOP.

Thank you my friend. She is the one who has already served one tour in Iraq. She is marrying my wife and my best friends here in Knoxville's Son. When I took my wife to Plymouth last year we of course had to get the some Pilgrim things. I'll bet you're right though, if the credit crd had said Pilgrim it would have been funny.

The sadest thing about Plymouth? The culture. Otherwise its a very beautiful and historic setting with delicious Lobster!

Make it a great day. A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi.

Posted by volmattna on January 20, 2008 at 1:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

well i would rather have a 4 or 5* kid than a 3* kid anyday and any coach in the country would too that is gona win anything so fwb vol while you recruit character i would go recruit the best players in the country