ATLANTA - There won't be much Volunteer orange in the Georgia Dome when Alabama and Florida play for the SEC title today.
Perhaps a few Tennessee season ticket holders will be in attendance sporting their Volunteer apparel - if they didn't make a fortune selling their tickets on eBay.
Still, there will be some Tennessee ties on the field.
There are a handful of players from the Volunteer state participating in the SEC championship game, and a handful of players who considered playing for the Vols before signing with Alabama or Florida.
Here's a viewer's guide of the players with UT and Tennessee ties:
Alabama
n Don'ta Hightower: The former Marshall County High School standout from Lewisburg won't play because of a torn knee ligament, but he has the ability to be a star SEC player.
The Vols tried to recruit Hightower but never really entered the picture, as it seemed he was headed to Alabama all along.
n Baron Huber: UT's former coaching staff under Phillip Fulmer never offered the former Powell star a scholarship, doubting he could play in the SEC. Alabama, under then coach Mike Shula, was the only school that believed otherwise.
Since signing, Huber has played a number of positions, most recently fullback.
Huber doesn't blow up Alabama's stat sheet, but he's a consistent tough presence. He's also provided captain-like leadership for Alabama during its coaching transition.
Ironically, his one catch this season came against UT.
n Barrett Jones: The Vols tried hard to land Jones, who played at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis. Jones, however, had too many strong ties to Alabama. He has since nailed down a starting position on the offensive line in his redshirt freshman season.
n Julio Jones: Most believe Jones considered UT, but it's hard to tell since he played his recruiting cards too close to the vest. The receiver has grown into one of Alabama's best players, combining size and speed in a freakish athlete.
n Marquise Maze: Another receiver who UT had a good shot at, but Maze spurned the Vols and signed with Alabama, a battle that wasn't decided until National Signing Day in 2008.
Florida
n Jermaine Cunningham: UT's coaches thought they had convinced the defensive end and two other Stone Mountain, Ga., prospects (LSU linebackers Perry Riley and Kelvin Sheppard) to head north to Knoxville. The Vols missed out on all three on National Signing Day 2006.
Cunningham has grown into exactly what recruiters envisioned, a pass rushing specialist.
n Jeff Demps: UT was in line to secure Demps before it hired running backs coach Stan Drayton from Florida. There seemed to be an issue between the two, as Demps committed to Florida shortly after Drayton was hired.
Demps is now one of a handful of speedsters who Florida so deftly uses in a multitude of ways.
n Carlos Dunlap: It's not as if the Vols fell asleep at the wheel when they recruited Dunlap; UT got a late official visit. Dunlap has been one of Florida's best players, but won't play today because of a DUI arrest early this week.
n Tim Tebow: Just kidding. The Vols never had a shot at Superman.
Dave Hooker may be reached at 865-342-6327
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 8
runninbroke writes:
Probably not too much orange though. I did make a small fortune on ebay with my tickets!!! CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE!! GO VOLS IN 2010!
tovolny writes:
Hooker stretched this one oooouuuuutttt. Wow! He has been working on getting out of the box. He will be top dog one day. He has learned well under Adams. He is a true Big Orange fan and you can feel his passion when he interviews players. He first began by writing items about stuff that fell through the cracks...and by golly he actually made the stuff fun to read. He is a second generation Web Site warrior and is beginning to get respect across Big Orange Country. You know "BOC"...hey let's start using this acronym. What about "Rocky BOC" or maybe "GO BOC" let's try "BOC is Back"...no, that's not good. But look folks, Hooker has done an excellent job...he seems like one of us. I bet he or Adams could take "BOC" and make it stick. Go BOC young man...ooohhh...I am getting a BOC ache. And, good job Hooker.
AllforTenn writes:
So? The past is the past. The future is what matters.
Fossilfiction writes:
I liked the article. Shows how much talent colleges let slip through the cracks. I didn't say Fulmer and didn't want to. Everybody see what his recruiting was like now. He can recruit. He did not leave us with an entire team of less than good players. The problem was he failed to provide solid depth at every position. That is a must in the SEC. The starters look good but 2 string down. Not so pretty to see.
Every school has players that they wanted but didn't get or overlooked. That's the just the way it is. We have to recruit good second and solid third stringers also.
The Tebow joke was actually funny to me for some reason.
RocketVol writes:
I wish somehow both Alabama and Florida could both lose today...but.... Congratulations to both organizations anyway.
99gator writes:
jeff demps never wanted to leave the state of florida.
truth be told, he wanted to be a seminole, but florida state never gave him the time of day.
i know tennessee was the "other" school in the picture, but demps was never leaving home.
99gator writes:
and neither was julio jones
vick3333 writes:
Jones was almost a "no show" this year....he also drops balls, runs the wrong (and lazy) routes with "freakish athletiscism".
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