Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin isn't going to paint his bare chest orange or sing Rocky Top at halftime of a basketball game.
But Kiffin showed he's on board with the way the Vols' athletic department cross promotes by dishing out an assist with a quote after UT's 23-13 loss to Florida Saturday.
Asked if he still planned to sing Rocky Top all night long after the loss, Kiffin replied, "I'll wait until basketball season; Bruce (Pearl) is 7-1 against them.''
Pearl, who hit the road Monday for a crucial stretch of the basketball recruiting season, said Kiffin's comment is proof positive the new football boss has bought into the way things are done in the self-proclaimed "UT family."
"My reaction when I heard the quote was that Lane Kiffin is a team player,'' Pearl said. "It's football time in Tennessee, and he's talking about his basketball coach. He's completely bought into the fact that our sports programs are a team.''
Pearl was 3-1 against Florida's back-to-back national championship basketball teams from 2005-07, and the Vols have won the past four meetings including last season's 79-75 win in Gainesville that propelled UT to its third SEC East Division title in Pearl's four seasons.
Pearl has downplayed his 7-1 record against Florida's $3.5 million basketball coach, Billy Donovan, in post-game media conferences.
"The best part of our success against Florida is that a couple of those wins have come late in the season on the road with us having a chance to win the conference or the East,'' Pearl said. "We don't downplay it in recruiting.''
Pearl's not allowed to comment about the specifics of the Vols' recruiting, but if he could it's likely he wouldn't downplay the importance of UT's most recent commitment, point guard Trae Golden.
Golden, from Powder Springs, Ga., is ranked No. 55 in the Rivals.com top 150. His addition gives the Vols momentum as Pearl looks to fill out UT's pivotal Class of 2010.
The Vols could lose five seniors off their current team, and it's possible that sophomore Scotty Hopson could declare himself eligible for the 2010 NBA draft with a strong season.
Tennessee's only other verbal commitment at this time is Jordan McRae, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Liberty County, Ga., (No. 42 in Rivals 150). That leaves UT with three potential slots to fill in the upcoming signing class.
The Vols' interest in New York forwards Tobias Harris (No. 5 in the Top 150) and Jayvaughn Pinkston (No. 67) has been well-documented, as both have been on the UT campus. Combo-guard Chris Crawford, from Memphis Sheffield High School, (No. 66) made his recruiting visit to UT the same weekend as Golden.
The Vols are also recruiting forward Luke Cothron, the No. 33 player in the Rivals 150. Cothron, a 6-8, 210-pounder from Flora Macdonald Academy in Red Springs, N.C., also has scholarship offers from Connecticut, Kansas, Florida, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, among others.
Others players in the Rivals 150 that reportedly have "medium" or "high" interest in the Vols according to the recruiting service are: Jelan Kendrick (6-6, wing), Marietta, Ga., No. 8; C.J. Leslie (6-8, forward), Raleigh, N.C., No. 14; Josh Smith, (6-10, center), Covington, Wash., No. 19; Tarik Black (6-7, forward), Memphis, No. 47; Gary Franklin (6-2, guard), Santa Ana, Ca., No. 72; Daryl Traynham (5-8, guard), Lee, Maine, No. 110.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Softball: Tennessee 2, Georgia 1
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 22
panties4tebow writes:
Got to love both of these guys----THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Rockygrass writes:
BP is the man.
VOLKING writes:
Just waiting on Morristown Vol and his other screennames to tell us how terrible a coach Pearl is. Don't buy it folks....he's a loper. Now, we are a football school that actually has a good basketball program. Thanks, Coach Pearl.
kiffownsfla writes:
CLK JUST WANTS TO WIN AND WIN HE WILL 2011 IS OUR YEAR AND YES THE SWAMP WILL BE DRY! HE IS THEMAN THE FEEDING WILL BE FUN AT ROCKY TOP ! GO VOLZZZ!
Madkels writes:
The more success one program has will bring better recruits and success to the other. Success breeds success. Go Vols!
KnoxTennVol writes:
I liked Kiffin's comment about taking Pearl with him, because Pearl is 7-1 against the gators. We only lost that one because of Lofton's sprained ankle and he couldn't play in that game.
notoriousBIGorange writes:
Is Donovan out of rehab yet??? Bahahahahah, where is DC and the FLA gang now?
txvolsfan writes:
That says it all Biggest!!!
TXVOLSFAN
thvol writes:
Come on Pearl, get Cothron out of that Sh.thole Red springs calls a town and bring him somewhere he can use his talent. I never actually thought anyone talented could come out of such a crappy place but evidentally I was wrong. I hate that place. No, I despise that place and would burn it quicker than Sherman if given the chance.
DooleyNoted writes:
Awsome comments!
tennrich1 writes:
I must admit I do like the fun and engery these two coaches bring....now i am one for civility but i think they keep this fun...thats the way its suppose to be....
iowavol writes:
Sounds like this relationship is strong.
CRFVols writes:
I think it's awesome that our coaches support each other and act as a family. Them showing up at games for each other and even just knowing stats and such about our other teams shows commitment to our program. It says great things about our University.
us43137415#376444 writes:
If Lane Kiffin "has bought" into the UT philosophy, somebody needs to remind him that folks in Big Orange Country... WEAR ORANGE. I have yet to see him in an orange shirt. A white shirt with an orange "T" does not count. An orange shirt with a white "T" does. Every picture I have seen of him since he arrived, does not include the BIG orange. For the $2.3 million dollars, I'll be convinced he's bought into the UT philosophy when I see him in orange.
Highlands_Whisky writes:
Oh, Jesus. The white shirts with the orange "Power T" are a very clean and professional look.
Layla had an orange sundress on during her pre-game tailgating. That's more than enough orange for this Vol fan.
There really is no pleasing some people.
SLOBBER_knocker_U writes:
Kiffin had an orange shirt on during the lane kiffin show sunday.... but who cares besides you?
rusty_shackleford writes:
They called Fulmer "The Great Pumpkin." Maybe CLK doesn't want to be known as "The Big Carrot."
Seriously, I don't wear a lot of orange either. So what?
golfballs03 writes:
So is Josh Selby definitely off the list? He said he was still considering Tennessee but I haven't heard anything.
volfan2002 writes:
He has taken us off the list or we have him. Either way he is no longer a prospect.
BreatheUT writes:
I like to see the UT family cross market each other.
I will reserve my comments about the basketball recruiting class until we can get these guys signed. Losing the two guards this summer was definitely a setback but hopefully we can rebound from it with the commitment of Golden and hopefully Crawford. Golden used to be an Ohio State commit but it appears at some point they withdrew the offer so I am curious if they were not as sold on his as the rankings indicate.
It does appear that some of our recruiting may have been sabotaged by those cheats Calipari and Worldwide Wes. Right after Wes talked to Selby at a Nike event, Selby decommits. Now Wes may not be steering Selby toward UK but he has contacts with coaches at other Nike schools. Selby going anywhere but UT would be a win for Calipari because he was the real deal.
Getting and two of Harris, Pinkston, Cothran or Leslie would be a coup but it will be tough to do.
I think this season we will be good.
LongtimeVol writes:
I saw Bruce at the Memphis airport this morning boarding a flight to LaGuardia. Hope he can bag Harris.
UTfaninYankeeland writes:
You are an angry little man now aren't you. I've read your posts on other stories about UT B-ball and you need to take a chill pill. Why do you care if people want to be excited about UT? Get a life and try to find some happiness somewhere in your obviously pathetic little world.
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