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More Vols in Pros

• Haynesworth raring to go for Titans
• Wells has setback with lower back injury
• Hannon joins 49ers' practice squad

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Command central for Team Tennessee was starting to come alive Saturday.

The fledgling All-American Football League team was finalizing its protected list for the league draft.

Team president Larry Seivers was there, consulting side-by-side with another former University of Tennessee standout, coach Andy Kelly.

From a concept, to tryouts, the new professional spring league is on the verge of becoming reality.

"It's really starting to get into football mode now," Kelly said. "We've got a group of guys on our board we know are going to be with us and a big list of names we're looking at for the draft.

"It's all new for me and kind of exciting to slowly put the pieces together to get going in March."

Team Tennessee released its 21-man protected list to the league Saturday.

Included on the list are former UT standouts Tee Martin (quarterback), Jason Mitchell (linebacker), Jason Hall (defensive end), C.J. Fayton (receiver) and James Wilhoit (kicker).

The status of Martin, who led UT to a national championship in 1998, is still uncertain, but coaches weren't going to take a chance on leaving him unprotected for next Saturday's draft (TV: CSS, noon-3 p.m.; Internet: 3-6).

"As far as we know right now, Tee Martin's going to play," said Seivers, who was a split end for the Vols from 1974-76. "He'll be here for the draft and I think it'll get down to when Tee gets out there and starts practicing to see if his heart is 100 percent in it.

"I'd probably say it's about 50-50 right now, which is about what Tee is saying."

Kelly would like nothing better than to have Martin at quarterback, but he's not taking anything for granted.

"Obviously we'd love to have him," said Kelly, who was quarterback at UT from 1988-91 and recently retired after 14 seasons in the Arena Football League. "He's a great quarterback and a great leader with all the intangibles.

"It would make my job a lot easier having somebody like that, but regardless we're going to have to shore that up with first and second team guys we feel comfortable can go out and win games for us."

Under league rules, Tennessee can protect players from Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina. Included on Tennessee's list are two other quarterbacks, Woody Dantzler of Clemson and Andrico Hines of Middle Tennessee State.

Former Western Kentucky running back Rod Smart, known as "He Hate Me" during his days with the defunct XFL also is protected by Tennessee. He spent time in the NFL with Carolina, Philadelphia, Oakland and San Diego.

Other players on the protected list are: Kenneth Hampton (WR, Kentucky State), Dwone Hicks (RB, MTSU), Steve Josue (LB, Carson-Newman), William Henry (OL, Clemson), Maurice Simpkins (LB, Coastal Carolina), Justen Rivers (LB, Eastern Kentucky), Christopher Wright (WR, Lane College), Jeremy Darveau (OL, Louisville), Marcus West (DE, Memphis), Chris Tucker (DT, South Carolina), Benedict Ibisi (OL, Tennessee State), Raushan Rowser (OL, Tennessee State) and Lawrence Smith (OL, Tennessee State).

Tennessee will draft 39 more players to fill a 60-man camp roster and that will be trimmed to a 46-man roster before Tennessee opens the season April 12 at Neyland Stadium against Michigan.

Notebook: Season tickets will go on sale soon for the five games at UT: Michigan (April 12), Florida (May 3), Arkansas (May 17), Alabama (May 31) and Texas (June 14).

Seivers said the team should receive uniforms and helmets sometime next week.

"It's going to be orange and white with some grey trim on some of it," he said. "It's going to look a lot like Tennessee. We'll have a state of Tennessee logo with Tennessee written across it on the helmets and jerseys."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.