Tennessee coach Derek Dooley hangs on to top class

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Derek Dooley appeared to have a daunting task when he was hired at Tennessee 19 days before national signing day.

Turns out, selling the Volunteers' program to recruits wasn't that difficult for him.

"I'm still trying to find out if there's anything wrong with this place," Dooley joked on Wednesday. "What's not to sell?"

Seventeen prospects signed with Tennessee on Wednesday to join eight others who enrolled in January to form Dooley's 2010 recruiting class. The class included Rivals.com and Scout.com five-star wide receiver, Da'Rick Rogers, and offensive lineman James Stone, one of the top prospects from the state of Tennessee.

"The university has so much to sell, so it wasn't as hard as people think to go out there and convince some of these young men to come to Tennessee," Dooley said. "It was just a matter of getting out there in front of them."

The class was ranked as high as sixth in the nation by Rivals at the beginning of the year, but dropped to the low teens after former coach Lane Kiffin bolted for Southern California on Jan. 12.

On Wednesday night, the class was rated ninth in the nation by Rivals and 15th by Scout.

"They've really grabbed some big names and stole some big names, led by Da'rick Rogers," Rivals southeast recruiting analyst Barton Simmons said. "I think all in all, particularly considering where they sat when they were hired, you really can't say enough about this class."

Kiffin's departure left the program "in a little bit of a fragile state," said Dooley, who immediately went to work assuring the midterm signees of their future with Tennessee. Their decision to remain with the Vols sent a message of stability to other recruits, he said.

Rogers, a standout from Calhoun, Ga., was committed to Georgia before Dooley came calling. Dooley signed his teammate, quarterback Nash Nance, in what was perceived as a package deal.

Nashville's Stone had his eye on both Alabama and Tennessee but knew he didn't want to play for Kiffin.

"Tennessee didn't seem like a place where I would feel comfortable (under Kiffin), but now I feel like I will be comfortable with the leadership and I'll be able to really grow as a person," Stone told The Tennessean newspaper.

Dooley couldn't hang on to at least two other celebrated recruits, five-star wide receiver Markeith Ambles, who followed Kiffin to USC, or defensive end J.C. Copeland, who signed with LSU.

Simmons said Rogers' commitment would keep the Vols from missing Ambles, though Tennessee still has a glaring need at defensive line.

Rogers is one of four wide receivers who will join the team, bolstering a position that had lost some of its luster in recent years at a school known as "Wide Receiver U" in the 1980s.

And after a season with limited options at quarterback, the Vols now have a variety of choices with Nance joining midterm enrollees Tyler Bray and Matt Simms.

"I think every year you're always looking for game-changing, playmaking, offensive weapons for when it gets down there in the fourth quarter and it gets tight," Dooley said.

A few of Tennessee's neediest positions, like offensive and defensive line and special teams, got some help too.

Dooley said he was aware of Tennessee's needs but felt with two weeks available for him to recruit he had to focus on getting the best talent available.

He also cautioned fans not to get too wrapped up in the excitement of signing day because every coach will misjudge some talent in each signing class.

"There's no way that I can sit here and project how good these guys are going to be two to three years from now. Today is when the work begins," he said. "This class will be evaluated three or four years from now."

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