Tennessee’s coaching staff asked Dre Kirkpatrick to give them a look.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound cornerback from Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Ala., plans to do so after his unofficial visit to UT last weekend.
The Vols are on a long list.
Kirkpatrick said he’s still considering every school that has offered him a scholarship. He estimated the total is between 40 and 50 offers.
Kirkpatrick said he hasn’t trimmed his list of schools because he hasn’t had time. He said he expects the list to narrow itself down.
“I’m trying to get to the schools that are looking at me,” Kirkpatrick said.
UT is one of those schools.
Kirkpatrick said he talked to UT coach Phillip Fulmer and defensive coordinator John Chavis before the Vols’ 30-6 loss to Florida.
“They just told me I could come in right now and play and make an impact on defense,” Kirkpatrick said.
That wasn’t the first time Kirkpatrick was told he could play early at UT.
UT safety Eric Berry told Kirkpatrick the same thing when Kirkpatrick visited in June.
“He was just telling me, ‘We really need you. The coaches are already telling me you could play. Why not come? It’s not too far from home,’ ” Kirkpatrick recalled of his conversation with Berry.
The boos from UT’s fans last Saturday shouldn’t keep Kirkpatrick from choosing UT.
He said he wasn’t fazed by the boos and wouldn’t be as a college player.
“If I’m going on the field I’m going all out,” he said. “I don’t really hear the crowd.”
Kirkpatrick said he’s received more interest recently from Florida, the team he grew up following.
Kirkpatrick said he’s seen Florida’s defense play with confidence, a quality that matches his style of play.
“Everything I do I have confidence,” he said. “I have swagger on the field. I feel like they have swagger on the field.”
Kirkpatrick plans to visit plenty of schools this fall.
He said he will likely take official visits to Southern Cal and Texas. He said he will take unofficial trips to schools closer to his home.
“I’m going to get to all the schools that are close to me,” Kirkpatrick said.
He’s already visited Alabama and Clemson. He plans to visit Auburn, Florida and LSU, and he will travel to Georgia on Saturday to watch the Bulldogs play Alabama.
Many recruiting experts expect Alabama to be Kirkpatrick’s destination. It’s an in-state school, and his former teammate at Gadsden, Jerrell Harris, is a freshman linebacker for the Tide.
Kirkpatrick said he won’t choose Alabama just because Harris plays for the Tide.
“That’s my best friend,” Kirkpatrick said. “I tell him all the time, ‘You’re going in where you can play.’
“It might not fit for me. I just have to go where I fit in.”
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Comments » 41
orangeinbama writes:
If Satan wants him, he will get him. Buzz around town is he is not Mullet U's first choice.......But he will probably end up at Gators.....
tomcollins28#554986 writes:
Maybe FLORIDA will pick him up???? I hear they don't "BOO" down there!!!
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
ROTFLMGDAO!!!! HEY FOOLMORE!!!!! I thought you could recruit?? LOL!!!!!!!!
Hoss44 writes:
Remember Urban Meyer's first game against us at the Swamp they were booed off the field at halftime. I don't condone booing college kids, but come on it happens everywhere. I wonder about the mental toughness in a kid like Nunes, who is all for UT and is recruiting other kids, then the fans boo and decommits. He starting to sound like Chris Simms
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Nunes would have been the best Clausen yet though.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
who wants to come to a school who's football program is #5 on the ESPN bottom 10?
ctownvol writes:
That was a good one Workin'
cb4vols#206343 writes:
This post is getting pretty old. Enough already.
volssam writes:
Ummmmm....actually, Peyton never beat Florida in four tries. It was not until after he left that we beat them in 1998.......
volssam writes:
Or Peyton might have only been the starter three times vs. them....but still .....winless
dontcallitacomeback writes:
Kirkpatrick is Bama bound. Book it.
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
DON'T YOU THINK WE COULD USE A RUNNING QUARTERBACK?
rockytop4ever writes:
Please stop posting this. I have seen it on every article for the past week. We get it. He sucks against the SEC.
miamiVOL writes:
kid is a Bama lock.
Madkels writes:
I'm not sure what your point is...but the coach was and still is Fulmer. 5-12 versus UF. Do you get my point?
burntorangeVOLffle writes:
Why don't you ask all those kids that commited to Bama after they lost to La Monroe?
Two of the top 3 recruiting classes last year were teams that had losing records (Miami and ND) and Bama was one game over .500
Just something to remember.
jwright13#576991 writes:
they don't have a reason to boo
txvolsfan writes:
sounds to me that if Florida offers he will be chomping his way through college, Who really cares anymore our Coaches suck, our fans suck and our season sucks!!!
TNfaninMS writes:
Anyone want to see what a devistating loss Josh NUNES would be if he did not sign. The kid can throw, and not just that, he can throw to his own team!
http://www.takkle.com/people/7406067/...
pammyvol1000 writes:
All I can say is WOW.. Clawson better get on a plane today and go talk to that kid..
Kids want to play in an electric atmosphere. Fans are screaming and all is positive. Kids can sense when there's something wrong.
Who wants to come out of High School and be in a down and out program for 4 years.
Something is amiss in the locker room. How many times have we seen the players getting all fired up..
Except for Berry and Foster against UAB?
rockytop47 writes:
Actually nothing Workin says is good. Usually just stupid, unintelligent and basically ignorant. He is what is bad about the fan base in Tennessee and is why we are laughed at nationally. The demise of the program is due to complete morons just like Workin. Support your team you punk! Call coaches out, but leave the players alone. Go home kick your dog cause you aren't man enough for anyting else.
oldskewlorange writes:
why dont we just end it all right now there is nothing to live for
oldskewlorange writes:
all i can say is WOW nice arm, but can he run?
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
LMAO at rockytop...a "complete moron" is the reason for the demise of our program. LOL!!!!!!!
TNfaninMS writes:
He runs a 4.8 forty so I doubt he would be able to just open it up on the run. I havent seen any video of his mobility though. So who is to say he cant.
oldskewlorange writes:
ty was wondering...... he didnt run in vid
oldskewlorange writes:
so if we dont get nunes . who is still on the board?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
As long as he's not a DT.
gillblog writes:
So, about that now old joke (Fulmer resigning to go to FEMA). I'd like to know if anybody who heard that joke and didn't hear the punchline or didn't know it was a joke for a while would tell us their immediate feelings when you heard Fulmer was resigning?Exactly what did you think about first? What were your very first emotions?
Were you glad but sort of sad ( I know I was)?
Were you a little scared that this would make things even worse or that maybe deep down inside you believed Fulmer actually WAS doing a good job and maybe it was a mistake for him to leave?
Or,did you jump for joy and shout "FINALLY HE's GONE!"?
Anybody care to open up?
soddydaisy777 writes:
KNS you need to shut this blog down.
orangevolz writes:
agree 100%. "Working" is as dumb as they come. He tries to be funny, but he fails miserably. He never posts anything of substance....just insults. I am sure he is a loser in everything he does. I kinda feel sorry for him. He must be very lonely and have no friends, so this board is his only family.
pabashia#208095 writes:
Sure. Shut down the forum 'cause you don't like the message. You can't cover your ears and humm on this one. The Phil Fulmer era is coming to a close, and there's not much that you can do.
the_1_don#407478 writes:
Take out all of them and it would be 0-0! How stupid! If you weren't breathing you would be dead! Get the picture?
the_1_don#407478 writes:
I agree! With some of these posters, I would like to ask them where they work and contact their boss and find out about there productivity and success rate! I would be willing to bet that a good number of posters to this board, are in jeopardy of being fired or repremanded on their own jobs! It would be interesting!
the_1_don#407478 writes:
For those of you that believe Fulmer is gone, I hope you aren't getting your hopes up too much! It is possible, but with the financial impact to the university we are talking about I seriously doubt it will happen! Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't we picked 4th in the east? I don't think anyone seriously thought we might win a national championship or an SEC crown!
keyboard60 writes:
I apologize in advance for this long post. As a Vol fan watching from afar (Arkansas, pray for me please) I see a lot of similarities with Tennessee this year and Arkansas’s football program last year. I think there is a window of time for all leaders, politicians and coaches and then after that period of time every tired platitude, every overused cliché becomes a festering wound in the hearts of passionate fans. Last year Houston Nutt had planes flying overhead during home games displaying their unhappiness with the state of AR football. Despite 3 future NFL stars and a last minute heroic OT victory over LSU to end the regular season he saw the writing on the wall. The state was divided, the recruits were heading elsewhere, the program was not going to get better, and the fans were done. Empty seats, booing, lack of passion, personal charges regarding the head coach’s integrity, (I’m waiting on that one to happen in Knoxville soon) all combined to make a once good football program a laughing stock. On a national stage it was even worse. Numerous articles in ESPN, SI, television and radio talking heads proclaiming the demise of the football stage and Nutt’s reign in Arkansas. Major recruiting losses because the other coaches sensing blood told these 18 year old kids that security and victories couldn’t be found in the state of AR. Of course for the locals they were content to bash each other in forums and chat rooms for the most part ignoring the true cold hard facts. Nutt had lost the one thing you cannot lose as a leader, respect. Now after a turbulent off-season the razorbacks despite their losing record in the SEC have hope. They believe in their new coach, his potential and there is a new level of passion about Arkansas football again. (Not shared by me of course)What methods of displaying your unhappiness with your team’s efforts would you suggest? Letters to the editor? Check. National television embarrassment? Check. How about a loss of respect from the powerhouse SEC teams? Check. Empty seats? Check. I know it’s just football but we are all avid, passionate fans or else none of this would matter at all. It's not like there aren't much bigger storylines in all of our lives. And that brings us to the last stage of this little drama. That after extended seasons of mediocrity and poor leadership the booing, the hundreds of messages back and forth in forums and all of the debates in the workplace will all fall silent. We just won’t care. I believe that is where we are headed without major changes in our program. It all rises and falls with leadership whether it’s our country, church, business or favorite football team. Go Vols!
the_1_don#407478 writes:
Amen! At last--a voice of reason! Surely there are many out there! Too bad they are not as likely to voice their opinions as all the psycho types!
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
Too bad I called this all summer long. MORON.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
You have to work? ROTFLMGDAO!!!!!!!!!
the_1_don#407478 writes:
Yes! Very successful I might add and self employed which allows me to avoid the type of scrutiny posted on this board! Of course, not nearly as important as a head coach at major university; however, I am in good standing with the boss--ha ha ha!!!! I just think one shouldn't throw stones unless they are qualified to do so and as equally perfect at their own job!
the_1_don#407478 writes:
Its easy to call something and stand by it when it happens, but I think we should all watch your future calls and call you on them when you are wrong; thus, I believe it possible to neutralize you because we will find that you are wrong far more than right! Prove me wrong!
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