Hooker: Jeffrey was best catch in '09 that Vols missed

There's no perfect recruiting class. Yet it will be hard for Tennessee fans not to imagine one this weekend.

Receiver Alshon Jeffery will make his debut in Neyland Stadium about two months after UT coach Lane Kiffin had envisioned it. Kiffin claims that Jeffery told him he was headed to UT; that he had decided to de-commit from Southern California and play for the Vols.

The deal was supposedly done. Despite being an in-state star, South Carolina was thought to be in third place, behind UT and the Trojans in the weeks leading up to National Signing Day.

Credit Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier with getting the last word and pulling out all the stops. Spurrier secured an official visit from Jeffery just days before he signed his letter of intent and reportedly promised him former receiver Sterling Sharpe's retired jersey number.

Never mind that Sharpe declined to allow South Carolina to "unretire" his No. 2 jersey and Jeffery now wears No. 1. The deal was already done.

Hypothetically, that deal did some serious damage to UT's offense for a couple of reasons.

First, Jeffery is the type of big receiver that has had vast success in Kiffin's offense.

With Kiffin's willingness to play freshmen, it's easy to imagine that Jeffery would have the same production - or greater - that he's had at South Carolina. The freshman enters today's game with 24 catches for 443 yards and five touchdowns.

Second, Jeffery - even as a freshman - is the perfect receiver to help out a struggling quarterback. Imagine Jeffery's 6-foot-3 and 217-pound frame and how much leeway it would have given Jonathan Crompton as he struggled earlier this season. That size makes Jeffery tough to cover on a slant and almost impossible to cover on a fade.

The Vols were in the running for another big receiver: Marlon Brown from Memphis. He would seemingly have filled the same void that Jeffery would have. Yet Brown, who signed with Georgia, has only two catches for 15 yards this season.

There are others on South Carolina's roster who could have further bolstered UT's 2009 signing class, but not much:

n Former UT tailback commitment Jarvis Giles has 256 yards on 45 carries but has had some recent off-field issues and was suspended for a game. Moreover, it's doubtful he would have played over Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown.

n Defensive backs Stephon Gilmore, DeVonte Holloman and D.J. Swearinger have all contributed for South Carolina this season, combining for 54 tackles. Gilmore has been the standout of the group. He has a sack, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Yet it's unclear how much those three would have played at UT. The Vols already had a deep secondary before the 2009 signing class was complete.

Which leaves us with Jeffery. So when you see him sprinting downfield today, allow yourself to imagine what might have been.

Allow yourself to imagine that perfect signing class - if only the Vols had inked Georgia tight end Orson Charles as well.

Alabama Bound: Kiffin celebrated a win over Georgia and the impact it would have in recruiting. Don't expect a similar reaction if the Vols beat Alabama next year.

Kiffin said there are great players in Alabama but the Vols are more focused on Georgia, in particular Atlanta, because it's closer, has produced a high rate of NFL players and has a strong history of sending prospects to UT.

There's also the socioeconomic differences between urban and rural prospects.

"I think that Georgia, you have some more city kids," Kiffin said. "In general in recruiting as you study it over time, city kids are more apt to leave and are not homegrown."

Kiffin said it's tougher to sway an Alabama prospect who has been wearing a Crimson Tide shirt since he was 2 years old. City folk are easier to convince.

"They seem to have traveled more sometimes," Kiffin said, "and are more accepting in leaving and going out."

Dave Hooker can be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com.