Some of you probably winced when you first heard Derek Dooley's recruiting plan.
Admittedly, the first-year Tennessee football coach isn't looking for a class chock full of five-star prospects. Dooley wants a mix: some elite prospects, some hard workers and a lot in between.
That, however, doesn't mean Dooley intends to assemble a class of scrubs. UT's recent scholarship offers prove that point.
At least nine prospects who have received scholarship offers from UT over the past month would universally be considered elite players.
Then, there's many more who are close to that level.
And, as Dooley promised, there's some who have gone largely unnoticed by recruiting analysts and possibly undervalued by other coaches.
Dooley has said he recruits with his eyes, not his ears.
He's also backing up his mouth. Unlike his predecessor, Dooley said he'd place an emphasis on in-state prospects.
Sure enough, the Vols have recently extended scholarship offers to four in-state prospects: 6-foot-6, 265-pound tight end Cameron Clear from Memphis Central, 6-2, 205-pound linebacker Jaiari Dunaway from Siegel and 6-4, 270-pound center Mack Crowder and 6-6, 225-pound tight end Brendan Downs both from Tennessee High.
None are considered elite prospects, but would most likely be the kind of "Bleed Orange" player Dooley said he must cultivate.
Bayou Bound: I'm a little surprised the Vols haven't tried to do more in Louisiana. UT has a history of success there, especially for those prospects whom LSU doesn't deem worthy.
Louisiana has more NFL players per capita than any other state. Moreover, LSU coach Les Miles seems to be getting less popular each day.
The Vols recently extended a scholarship offer to 6-1, 280-pound defensive tackle DeMarcus Hodge from Neville/Monroe, La., so maybe UT is starting to prioritize Louisiana.
Break Down: The Vols have offered scholarships to prospects from at least 21 different states.
Florida (28) leads all states with offers. Georgia is second with 22. The state of Tennessee is third with eight, followed by North Carolina (7), Alabama (7), Texas (6), Louisiana (5) and California (5).
Here are the other states with prospects the Vols have offered: Mississippi (3), Ohio (3), Virginia (3), South Carolina (3), Illinois (2), Michigan (2), Maryland (1), Oregon (1), Washington (1), Oklahoma (1), Arizona (1) and Indiana (1).
Texas Ties: UT assistant coach Eric Russell, who recruits Texas, downplayed any effect that SEC conference expansion may have on the Vols' ability to recruit there.
Texas A&M is reportedly pursuing a bid to the SEC although the Pac-10 is a more likely destination.
"It's really not going to affect me or what we do here," said Russell, who coaches tight ends and special teams at UT. ". . . People know who Tennessee is. They're familiar with the University of Tennessee and the tradition. Now, we've got to get it back to where we're doing what Alabama and Florida are doing because it's a new generation."
Russell said Texas' pending inclusion into the Pac-10 may actually help SEC schools recruit prospects.
"Maybe (for that) kid it's more important to play in the SEC," he said.
Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He may be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com..
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
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Comments » 62
FWBVol writes:
Before all the nay sayers start up again, I want to say Derek Dooley knows he has to recruit well and win to keep his job. He's not some wide-eyed kid that has never been around the Southeastern Conference. He grew up with an inside view of the life of a head coach in the SEC.
He knows that he is expected to win and he is laying a foundation that is intended to pay dividends down the road.
Some of the tight ends he has offered are close in size to becoming interior linemen, which could easily happen.
I'm willing to give Derek Dooley time to do things his way. I believe he'll be successful, but it won't happen over night.
Please, everyone reserve your judgement on the way Dooley is doing things until he's had a few years to turn things around.
Weatherman writes:
Keep it up coach....Go Vols!
writer#358485 writes:
Amen FWBVol. I think Dooley will do fine. I also believe he'll surprise some people the first year, especially on defense. But down the road I expect him to return the Vols to the top of the conference and remain there for a long time. Unlike the last time, this hire should bring some long-term stability to Vol Land.
jasonjayut writes:
I, for one, do not agree with all these doom-and-gloomers, but I also realize that this is no longer the 70's or 80's and daddy Vince isn't gonna pull these top level players to us. I agree that we should back Dooley, but in today's ultra-fast paced world he had better produce ASAP(2 or 3 years). Fair or not, that is just how today's landscape of College Football is.
volpreacherman writes:
Excellent post! 5 stars doesn't always equate success. I will take a 3 star kid with character and work ethic and that is teachable over a 5 star prima donna that doesn't want to listen any day. Grant it not all 5 star kids are that way, but give me a kid that wants to listen and learn and you can make him a better player.
Georgia_Dave writes:
I hope all of you posters are right. GBO and GA Dave still says 7-5 record in 2010.
GerryOP writes:
Ya'all might want to hop on the Dooley wagon now ... still plenty of prime seats.
84 -- Fear The Dooley Dude...
Ironcity writes:
Me to but we keep getting 1 and 2 stars.
jimvolfan writes:
Dooley has come in and, unlike his predecessor, done what is necessary to build a winning program. Cautiously optimistic. MUCH improved over last years outlook.
BleedsOrangeinMO writes:
Keep in mind Dooley is also trying to get some depth at a lot of positions. I agree, give me a coachable 3 star. Look at the thread about Phoebe Wright; she was a walk on at UT and now she is a National Championship!!! Recruiting services can't and don't measure character, desire and heart. Give me a player who wants too, instead of someone who excepts something great to happen.
GBO!!!! Wish I was in K town.
shut_up_and_play writes:
One of the few articles of substance Hooker has written.
Mobbdeep4life writes:
I think this next class will not look as "glamorous" because of the obvious need for O-line and D-line recruits.
Dooley has definitely offered plenty of schollies and there are elite recruits who have UT on their list. For many it will be a wait and see approach. I believe the product on the field this year will be good enough to convince some of those players to sign.
DaddyVol writes:
I for one believe Coach Dooley has an eye for POTENTIAL.
He will take that potential to develop talent.
Talent will win games.
Games won will attract more 4 and 5 stars.
4 and 5 stars will win championships.
Let us not forget that he has assembled a rather potent staff loaded with many years of football experience and knowledge.
I wouldn't call Chaney a nobody.
Wilcox WILL STOP the SEC elite this year and TENNESSEE WILL have one of the Top 5 defenses in the nation!
Lets get behind them all the way, and let any prospects who visit this site see that we are true VOLUNTEER supporters thru and thru.
Coachintraining writes:
I think CDD is doing a great job of recruiting kids who bleed orange, instead of boasting about how great his staff is..... like another coach i know
Huttdawg100 writes:
Yup. There are some 4 and 5 star guys with Tennessee on their boards, but they are gonna wait and see the type of product we put on the field in the fall. It's still early in the recruiting season. Dooley had a good showing late bringing in Stone, Rogers, and Hunter in a short time frame. I could see us closing the football season strong and turning some heads late in the season. That could help spring us to a strong close in recruiting.
tree_em_smokey writes:
Most prospects are waiting to see how Dooley runs the team, coaches and how well they would fit in our system, not to mention how good we do. Relax, they will come. Lil Lame didn't do much except talk and they came. Down past three or four years or not we are still TN. We'll catch a few. GBO!!!
DaddyVol writes:
O.K. Mr. Genius.
I keep hearing the problem...but...not the solution.
So why don't you give us your list of recruits we should be going after.
Then, please show us HOW Dooley should land them at Tennessee...remembering of course...that he inherited an empty cupboard, and only signed a top 15 class in a little over three (3) weeks.
So again...please give us your recruiting secrets.
Once you share them with us, I will meet with Coach Dooley and pass this vital information on to him.
We may contact you with a job offer.
Down_The_Field writes:
.....but the seat next to the cooler's gone....
Down_The_Field writes:
....dang, i don't care who he brings in as long as these kids HATE peebody, kenlucky, bama jelly, gay-turd aid, and fat white dogs....
ROCKY TOP!
Orangeblood13 writes:
yawn
DaddyVol writes:
Thanks Naval. I hope they have to eat that crow raw.
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
I'll stay on my soapbox a bit:
I USED to think it was great to have Tennessee kids....now, as an adult, I realize that the players who COME to UT and stay 4 or 5 years BECOME Tennessee kids.
What you really want is a kid wants to play for you and has character, talent, and brains. He could come from Alaska, he could be a she, whatever, as long as the character, talent, and brains criteria are met.
You look back to our great out-of-staters: Condridge, Tee, Peyton, the Travises (prior to problems), Stallworth, Craig Puki, on and on.
Ok, Puki wasn't great, but he was a helluva Vol.
We gotta recruit nationally: let's let ALL kids know they are welcome to be Vols, no matter what state of residence.
xpsyclonex2002 writes:
some people are going to complain about the quality of our recruits. Teams like Utah, Boise State, etc are winning without cream of the crop recruits. I once heard a wise man say, "quantity has a quality all it's own."
tsaecesnitsebhtruof writes:
Bingo!
GreerVol22 writes:
then take your doctor money and move to Birmingham...some Fulmerites just can't let it go...
volsfannsc writes:
Gee.....why doesnt CDD just pull out the magic wand and presto chango we have 5 star recruits! Let's see, two years of Fulmer lackluster coaching and ignoring the positions needed for recruiting. Add some west coast kid to fill his shoes that was more mouth than capable coach. Stir in some mattress burning during a midnight exit with a pinch of 'Who is Derek Dooley?' and you have yourself a program that is filled with 3 stars and juco's. Let's face it- the elite kids want immediate results paying little to no attention to tradition. Kiffin was correct about one thing, show the kids you are the fast-track to the NFL and the recruits come a knockin'.
Like it or not, the college football world has changed. Coaches are facing the 'what have you done for me lately' mentality from fans, and of course the recruits are looking for those immediate results as well. I see the Vols rebuilding that powerhouse of old. During that slow process, we are faced with a majority of 3 star recruits and kids that play with heart as the only ones that will be enticed to come to Tennessee. Every one seems to be complaining that Dooley isn't recruiting well. I feel under the current set of circumstances he has done extremely well. It took our program years to get into this state- and it will take years to turn it around. Cut Dooley some slack, he's doing it the best way it can be done at present day. I am a Vol fan through and through, but this is the time the orange colored glasses must come off and look at the reality of the situation. We will get there, we will be the rising powerhouse but this program or it's coaches have no magic wand. It's going to take time and careful planning- which is what I see Dooley offering now.
UTByrd writes:
First of all, ESPN, KNS, and Vol fans keep saying we've had 3 coaching CHANGES if 3 yrs. We've only had 2 changes-Fulmer to Kiffin, Kiffin to Dooley. We've had 3 coaches but only 2 changes. 2 HC changes sounds better than 3, for what it's worth.
There is no doubt in my mind that DD is building an extra strong foundation. The next step in building a house is "getting it in the dry". The last step is trimming out, you know, all the pretty things to finish a house...carpet, paint, paneling, furniture, etc.
By my reckoning, the elite talent will start arriving during the trim out phase.
Just like one of the 3 little piggies and the big, bad wolf, I would like my house to built out of brick. It will stand up to the huffing and puffing of the big, bad SEC.
Go VOLS!!!!!
Southland writes:
I think Dooley will be good but the best we will do is 6-6 0r 5-7 this year. Kiffin didnt leave a lot to work with and Fulmer left less. Be patient. Three years before we turn around and become competitive
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Yep. But after that last trip on 'the Train' I can see why people are reluctant.
Go Vols
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
How do I know we'll be ok??
Saint Nick himself recommended Dooley, and according to the Bammers, he can do no-wrong and is the best evaluater alive today!
Therefore fear not!
crimsonviper writes:
Check this out Big,,Fed-Ex is pimpim' Memphis football...Who will take the money?
http://www.cbssports.com/general/stor...
Ringside writes:
What a difference a year makes. Fresh air.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Dooley is our corch.
We (some of us) are UT fans.
I'll believe in HCDD until shown otherwise.
And on we go.
VOLume27 writes:
The SEC is the best football conference in America, and everyone (including the ACC) will admit it privately. But, over the long haul, the ACC plays better football than they are given credit for.
DufusMcGee writes:
If a coach can accomplish it, the ideal situation to be in is to have two OT's that can play Center, two OG's that can play Center, and a Center that can play OG or OT. It seems that our coaches know this based on recent recruiting efforts. How do you get in this position? Recruit top rated Centers. Nice job Coach Dooley!
OhioVol3 writes:
You can't be serious. Take a look at the top 20 teams in recruiting and then look at the top 20 teams at the end of the season. It's no coincidence you'll see a similarity.
Don't even give me the Nebraska or Va. Tech argument. For all you Statistics people, those are called outliers. They aren't the norm- they aren't statistically significant. There's a reason Alabama, Florida, USC, and Texas have been so good on the field recently. Check the recruiting rankings.
And the whole 'bleed orange/heart' concept? That's all well and good, but it doesn't help you cover Peerless Price...or beat Deon Grant down the middle. Hell, I've got heart...
When the Vols were great (1995-2001), they just out-athleted people. Talent trumps everything.
Make the program sexy again and the stars will come.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
That post was a LONG way from the most foolish on here in awhile! The only part one might quibble with was the bit about UT having one of the top five defenses in the nation. I think the defense will be serviceable if our lack of depth in the line doesn't rise up to bite us, but national rankings are hard to predict for any defense. The rest was pretty reasonable, IMHO. As long as you have been on here, it is hard for me to believe that you haven't found dozens and scores of posts on here WAY more foolish than that one!
HallowedHill writes:
Dooley's recruiting turned LSU around. I trust his instincts.
GO VOLS!
utfan1259 writes:
2*&3*Eric Westmoreland & Eddie Moore pretty good UT careers in my area with shots to play in the NFL 5* Kenny Smith after transfering a couple of times working constrution after dropping out.The other two wanted it.
utfan1259 writes:
2*&3* Eric Westmorland & Eddie Moore pretty good UT players from my area with shots at the NFL.5* can't miss Kenny Smith after transfering acouple of times dropped out and working construction.The other two wanted to be there.
hueypilot writes:
5 star talent. You mean like Bryce Brown? Who couldn't unseat Hardesty as a starter? At a postion that traditionally doesn't require 3 or 4 years of seasoning if you are supposedly the next great running back.
Recruiting is not an exact science. I like this guy's analytical approach, and am happy he doesn't rely on what Rivals or Scout.com says.
Let's let him put a team on the field, see how they compete, look at their discipline, their courage, the offensive and defensive schemes, how they play on kick coverage, give him a year and then try to evaluate what he did and how he did it. As it stands most everyone now is judging him on what they THINK he might do. Not exactly an adult way to approach this.
richvol writes:
Exactly...some are panicking and national signing day is in Febuary. The recruits haven't even played their senior year and some are worried to death that we are missing out somehow.
Dooley will close strong and get more than his share of elite talent...just like getting Rodgers and Hunter and Stone at the end in this year's class.
HtownVol writes:
Do you all know that according to ESPN rankings UT has (1) 4* recruit, and (2) 3* recruits.
Posey is one of the top OL recruits. I bet that all services will have Posey as at least a 4* by end of the year.
And you never know, maybe some of these 3* recruits will be 4* in a few months. And if they move up that means CDD has a pretty good eye for talent.
Give it time. I understand the recruits want to see the product on the field.
UT will have a top 10 class come Feb. That is a promise.
HtownVol writes:
So you know that UT will not have a top 10 class?
I want to know how you think this staff signed a top 10 class in 1 month, but give them a whole year and they have no chance, right?
Who the $%#@ is Dupree? I must be missing something here.
Anyway, UT will end with a top 10 class. I see no possible way a former recruiter of the year who signed a #9 class in 3 weeks would not bring in another top class.
DaddyVol writes:
The only thing foolish is your desire to steal the show.
You're on here every day blowing your stupid shid which no one cares to hear.
So...right here and now, give us your key to successful recruiting!
!. Who would you have hired?
2. Please list your top recruits for 2011.
3. Tell us how you would go about luring them to
Tennessee.
I am a 57 year old man with a lifetime of UT experiences, and you aren't capable of holding my ball sack.
So next time you call someone a fool, or accuse them of drinking, be ready to back up your words sonny!
I anxiously await your solution to the problem. No more complaints...just solutions. Go...
DaddyVol writes:
You still didn't answer my question chicken shid.
Quit hiding behind a computer, and give us your solution.
Put up or shut up.
hueypilot writes:
Wow Rich. You win the contest for the most words. What I'm saying is that while no question it is a numbers game, sometimes the guys assigning the numbers don't get it right. How about NuKeese? What about Lee Otis Burton?
They don't always work out.
Right now, during this period, Dooley is trying to fill some needs mostly in the O line, and trying to do it with juco's and getting extra blockers ie TE's and H Back types on the field. Isn't that the prudent thing to do until he can recruit his own guys through a few recruiting seasons?
Let's give him a couple of years. My point was who was the kid that Dooley offered three months ago (a lineman) that nobody else was on and now everybody in the South is all over?
Everybody knew about Eric Berry and Bryce Brown. But who will be the next Art Reynolds or Tony Thompson or Larry Seivers?
If it's just a contest of the most five stars, then CA, FL and TX have the edge on everybody. So we have to work harder, dig deeper.coach better, make less mistakes, you know. All the stuff we did when we won championships.
Let it play out. It'll be entertaining to watch, but we've got to at least let the guy field a team before we judge him don't you think?
Ironcity writes:
Fulmer would still have a job if we were in the WAC. Please stop with the Boise Utah comparisons. None of those teams are winning in SEC stadiums and none of them will.
I hope Dooley does great but he really needs to find that recruit that others can rally around. As for his staff, its got a lot to prove. These guys are not household names. I'm OK with that but I a not going to pronounce them the cream of the crop. Other then Chaney, the rest all have a lot to prove.
crimsonviper writes:
Just throw him a bone...He'll be happy.
tree_em_smokey writes:
Exactly Rich. A good mix of players and elite players is what we need. Every school gets a few good and a few great players. Dooley is smart. Think about the recruitment of Da Rick. Dooley offered Nash Nance without trying to make a package deal and that led to Da Rick commiting. Dooley knew he had a better chance of getting Da Rick while not crushing Nash Nance in the process and keeping up a good image. He is smart and like many have said, he is laying a firm foundation for the program. Im itching for some VOLS football to kick off. GBO!
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