Tennessee has decided quarterback Barry Brunetti can play for the Vols. Now it’s up to the rising senior from Memphis University High School.
Brunetti said Tuesday he was told recently by UT recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach Ed Orgeron to expect a written scholarship offer in the mail soon.
“I was shocked but excited at the same time,” Brunetti said about the offer. “I’ve always been a Vol fan so to hear I should be getting an offer from a school I’ve been loving all my life was very exciting.”
UT decided to offer Brunetti after evaluating him at Tennessee’s skill-position camp on June 2.
The question had been whether Brunetti, whose high school runs a spread offense, can run the Vols’ pro-style offense.
Brunetti’s height had been another concern. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds.
“It’s always motivated me to know I have some kind of fault with my height,” Brunetti said. “That just makes me work even harder when I’m practicing.
“I just go hard every play. If you go hard they can’t miss you.”
Brunetti said he’s considering UT along with three other schools that have already offered him: Mississippi State, West Virginia and Penn State.
Brunetti said he took an unofficial visit to Mississippi State last weekend and plans to visit West Virginia and Penn State in the next week.
He said he plans to make a return trip to UT in July and then choose a school before his senior season.
Brunetti said depth at the quarterback position will be a major factor in his decision.
UT has two quarterbacks on scholarship: senior Jonathan Crompton and junior Nick Stephens.
Mike Rozier, a former pitcher in the Boston Red Sox organization, is taking part in the first session of summer school and will be a walk-on.
“Their depth chart is really just not that deep right now,” Brunetti said about UT. “They have one of the best depth chart quarterback situations of any other school.”
UT has offered scholarships to two other quarterbacks who are currently uncommitted: Jesse Scroggins from Lakewood (Calif.) High and Richard Hendrix from Moeller High in Cincinnati.
Brunetti said he isn’t concerned with their interest in UT.
“That won’t play (a factor in his decision) at all,” he said. “You have to offer other quarterbacks.”
Irish Charm: Hendrix had rave reviews following a trip to Notre Dame on Monday.
The 6-3, 220-pound Hendrix told IrishIllustrated.com he nearly committed to Notre Dame during his visit.
“I really did,” Hendrix told the Web site. “I was blown away. I had to let my head settle down before I make a decision.”
Hendrix, who didn’t return calls or text messages left by the News Sentinel, told IrishIllustrated.com he wants to visit other schools before he makes his choice.
“Miami, Florida and (Ohio State) deserve hard consideration,” Hendrix said. “I’m not 100 percent on Notre Dame yet; obviously it sounds like I am.”
© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
Neyland Renovation nearly complete
NCAA selection process for th…
Derek Dooley talks to Bi…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 163
HollySpringsVOL writes:
Go get em' CLK!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Bring it!
kiffownsfla writes:
This kid will play hard for us! REELEM IN COACH 0!
JackDaniels writes:
Does anyone know whatever happened to General Watermelon ?
TommyJack writes:
Hey Josh...you may want to correct the first word in the 2nd sentence. Do it right know!
DennisVols writes:
Tennessee has decided quarterback Barry Brunetti can play for the Vols. "Know" it’s up to the rising senior from Memphis University High School.
Hey english majors The word you are searching for is "Now".
VOLFORLIFE writes:
“Miami, Florida and (Ohio State) deserve hard consideration,” Hendrix said.
Does that mean we're not in the mix at all? It seems as if he's not too impressed with our offer. What do y'all think?
GO VOLS!!!
JUGHEAD
volstasis writes:
Keep it up Bigmouth. 9/19 will be here soon enough. Those puzzy Gators are going down.
listentothemusic writes:
How this guy "fits" the system better than Tahj Boyd is a mystery to me. Does smell of desparation.
ThurmondEppy writes:
heh.
TommyJack writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
ArealVolsFan writes:
Gators is spelled with an S
GreerVol22 writes:
as long as a bounce pass is not in his game then bring him on!
TommyJack writes:
Do not despare.
vols4ever93 writes:
the only time you would capitalize english is if you use it like English 101 no capital letter needed in english
old_number1 writes:
Guys, please don't respond to the trolls. This may be the thread that shows everyone that responding is useless. It's your decision, it's your site!!
FARRAGUT0406 writes:
He is probably very impressed w/ UT, but any kid from Ohio has grown up a Buckeye or ND fan. OSU is pretty loaded w/ QB's but I guess you need to sign a good one every year. Great high school fb there
montanavolfan writes:
Could be they just want to start getting some signatures from Memphis.....
dvhill100 writes:
Great stuff. I always like to get a player that wants to play for TN because it is TN, not just an NFL training camp (though there is nothing wrong with that).
Y'all play nice. I am off the net for the next few days. Got a job and am moving from VA to Charleston, SC. At least I won't have to pump my own gas. :)
NoogaVol55 writes:
While I tend to agree, I also think that our coaches feel that he is a more natural Pro Style QB than Boyd. Maybe Boyd looked like a 2-3 year project. Nothing against Brunetti, but I would feel more comfortable with a taller QB. Who knows, maybe he will prove me wrong
panties4tebow writes:
LIL PEE WEE HERMAN-meyer is spelled with a lowercase m
GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
panties4tebow writes:
Remember florida is the 5th lowest state for high school graduation rate in the country.
panties4tebow writes:
It still is I just added LIL PEE WEE HERMAN to his name since he looks alot like Pee Wee. LOL
ShaversChoice writes:
Correct. Anytime you are referring to anything pertaining to the country of England, i.e. the English language, you capitalize the E. Only exception is related to sports. In the case of florida and alabama, a capital letter is never necessary because they are of minor concern to the world. The emblem of Tennessee is a Power T, because we are superior to anything latitudinally oriented to our south...refer to 'f'lorida or 'f'-'a' bama...just sayin
FARRAGUT0406 writes:
An ed-u-ma-ca-ted poster amongst us. Very impressive
indeed. Is this Brunetti kid actually 6'1"? Heard he stands on his toes to crack 6'. Anyone know?
panties4tebow writes:
Correction:
LIL-meyer looks and acts alot like Pee Wee Herman (childish) hence the name I have labeled him.
ROCKYTOP10ECVOL writes:
Say what you want, but this kid can play. Rivals has him as the #1 Dual Threat QB. HAVE FAITH IN THE KIFF!!!!!!!!!!1
jcherrie#219531 writes:
If height isall we have to worry about, it sounds like a good move. At 6' 1" he's taller than Chase Daniel, Drew Brees, and Fran Tarkenton.
Of course, all else being equal 6' 5" is better but things are seldom equal amoung QBs.
DennisVols writes:
And Gator taste just like Chicken
FARRAGUT0406 writes:
Fran Tarkenton, now that is a name from back in the day.
Yes w/ QB's its not so much where the tape measure stops
but what he has between the ears!!!
kiffownsfla writes:
Smoke i think after this next camp he will probally come to ut he is eligible this year if he wants to come play i got a good feeling about this kid. GO VOLS!
RJ_Vol writes:
Let us learn a lesson from Andy Kelly.
old_number1 writes:
Shaver, I like your style!
govols22231 writes:
I have seen Barry Brunetti play and he is a Tee Martin clone. Nice touch on the ball plus he can tuck it and get the first down. His field vision is incredible. Plus he isn't afraid of contact. He can break tackles and make people miss. We need this guy because he will make our team better. Just think of the quarterbacks we have had in the past that could run and throw. Holloway, Streater, Robinson, Shuler, Martin. Some of the greatest games in UT history were won with these guys under center. Brunetti is in this same mold. Collectively, our coaching staff has seen many QB's and I trust that they just wouldn't offer anybody. Barry is the real deal and would look great in the orange and white. With Holloway on staff I couldn't think of a greater mentor for Barry than him. I think its a win win situation for him if he decides to come to Tennessee.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Big fan thanks for your dedication to Volunteers, but visit any college locker room..the winners or losers, and they are loud laughing group of young folks...not taking the game nearly as seriously as we fans..they talk about things mostly not connected to the game. Its galling to us fans, right?
tweetdriver63#346474 writes:
I tend to agree, but only because Rivals listed Boyd as a top-5 pro-style QB. Besides that, I would just say the coaches got to evaluate Brunetti first-hand, and were impressed. This staff didn't personally evaluate Boyd, as far as I know. There was something about Boyd that Kiffin didn't like, obviously.
CT_VOL writes:
This man is a liar!
Frank
tweetdriver63#346474 writes:
Actually, you do capitalize English. Sorry to have to take the troll's side on this one. (It causes me physical pain to do so.) Words derived from proper nouns are always capitalized (English is derived from England). Other subjects, like math, aren't capitalized, except when used as a course title (ex. Math 101).
Another interesting capitalization rule: When referring to a troll, like gatorz##, any word used (ie. Dooshbag) should always be capitalized.
JLeon04 writes:
The only reason he let Tahj Boyd go is because he was Fulmer's recruit. I am sure Lane wants his "own" guy, but I it would be ignorant to believe that Lane didn't want to hear about how he has turned the program around with Fulmer's QB.
ArealVolsFan writes:
How is he a liar? I think thats a good point.
Anyway, it seems he also has an offer from Duke, so apparently he has the Cutcliffe stamp of approval, and after the BJ Coleman fiasco it seems that that and being a native Tennessean is all you need to be loved by a huge segment of the Tennessee fanbase. This kid has both so he should fit in fine.
In all seriousness though, he would be a nice catch, but I'd also like to get Scroggins as well.
kiffownsfla writes:
Wasn't he on the cracked and mad magazine covers big rotf! GO VOLS!
IPOrange writes:
Perhaps it could also have something to do with his knee problems.
Navalorange writes:
YOU ARE A TROLL
ArealVolsFan writes:
Going to have to disagree with your belief on that. Ainge had a lot of heart and skill, we'd be lucky to have a QB as skilled as him again.
old_number1 writes:
orangepill= bigorangeturd (that's what his daddy called him!) = idiot. Dude, you are too much!! Once again, you side with the trolls!! Oh, I see ,you are one of them! I will no longer respond to you (makes you mad, doesn't it).
springcreekvol writes:
All you have to do is ask the Brentwood, MBA, and BGA teams if Brunetti can play at UT. This year will be a little tougher with South Panola on the schedule but for those that have not seen the kid play you will want him at UT and not on a competing team. He is that good.
bud0323 writes:
Wow it seems like this year is the best year in terms of high school talent for the state of Tennessee. It seemed like in years past that there was only 1 player in the state of TN that really was great. What I mean is that this year we have the best dual threat QB in the country in Barry Brunetti, we have one of the top five(according to Rivals) DEs in the country in Jacques Smith and we have one of the best OL in the country in James Stone, also not to mention Justin Maclin one of the best LB. So this is basically the best year to recruit in the state TN compared to other years.
Navalorange writes:
I'd say anybody that grew up a VOL fan and has offers from Penn St., WVU, etc., should probably be offered if the coaches liked what they saw. I would hate to see him go to somewhere like Penn and become a star for THEM.
ArealVolsFan writes:
Fair Enough,I'd take any of those guys you mentioned over our current situation now as well thats for sure. Gotta love all those guys.
the10sevol writes:
sign 'em up, coach 'em up. get this kid on board, he knows he's not gonna start year 1, and if lamaison signs, maybe not year 2. but i think he has time to adjust to taking snaps under center. i agree having "the artful dodger" holloway as a mentor will be a great help.
apparently he showed some flash at camp that the coaches like, so i'm on board.
GBO
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.