Derek Dooley is proving to be a patient recruiter - in most cases.
However, Tennessee's first-year head football coach isn't afraid to leap in front of the pack when he sees an opportunity to land the right prospect, especially one that resides in state.
Dooley didn't waste any time offering a scholarship to Derek King, the versatile 5-foot-11, 184-pound athlete from Brentwood Academy. The Vols did so last week, becoming the first, and were quickly followed by Vanderbilt.
As King's recruitment swings into full speed, he's noticed things have gotten a bit more hectic.
"It's getting there," he said, "as more schools seem to draw interest. Schools are inviting me to junior day and stuff so it's starting to go."
King isn't afraid to visit any school that has shown interest. He's been to UT, Auburn, Georgia, Vanderbilt and Alabama.
"I think that has helped me out a lot with trying to figure out who these schools are," King said of his early trips.
Of the schools that haven't offered him a scholarship, the Crimson Tide has the strongest draw.
"I have been down there a couple of times," he said. "They seem like a real good school to go to."
King's future interest in Bama will depend on whether head coach Nick Saban decides to offer him a scholarship.
"They just told me to come to the camp and continue to do what I do and make plays and stuff and (continue excelling with) schoolwork," King said. "Hopefully if I do that, maybe they'll offer me in the future."
Even if Bama does offer, they'll have some ground to make up. With offers from UT and Vandy in hand, King has developed a fondness for those two schools.
"I think it means a lot for the schools that offered me before all the other schools because it shows me how bad they really want me," King said. "I'm going to take that into consideration - that they offered me first and I'm going to look into those schools real hard. It shows me a lot."
King said UT's history of sending players to the NFL is a strong draw. He also has other reasons to don the orange hue of his childhood team.
"I like the campus, the weight room, the academics," King said, referring to his February visit to UT. "And Coach Dooley seems like a really cool guy, coming in there and building the program, getting back to how they used to be in the old days. He seems like a good guy."
While Dooley's and Saban's evaluations may not mesh, there's no question that King has at least the straight-ahead speed to play in the SEC.
The sprinting standout posted a time of 10.71 seconds in the 100-meter dash during his junior year.
King said he is considering running track in college. Football, however, seems to be his destiny.
King tallied more than 1,000 all-purpose yards, nine touchdowns, 45 tackles and an interception as a defensive back, receiver and kick/punt returner last fall.
"First of all, I would have to say I'm fast and explosive," King said when asked to describe his playing style.
King said he'll likely play cornerback in college, but isn't opposed to playing slot receiver. Clearly, he loves the challenge of shutting down an opponent's best receiver.
"I like getting up in a receiver's face and playing man, being able to run with them," King said.
King said he'll likely announce his college decision sometime between August and January. That will be a monumental occasion, but the joy of a free college education has already set in - thanks to that initial offer from Dooley.
"It was an amazing feeling," King said, "especially it being an in-state school that offered me."
Florida Flyer: UT is reportedly among three schools that have offered a scholarship to wide receiver Devin Clarke from Sebring (Fla.) High School.
North Carolina and South Florida also have made offers, according to Clarke.
"I'm just open-minded right now," Clarke told InsideTheU.com. "I'm just keeping my eyes open, I have to look into it more."
Josh Ward contributed to this report.
© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Comments » 32
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
We shall see...
orangevoltrain writes:
go get 'em coach dooley
tenuscvol writes:
I can't wait for the first guy that says: "I'll take it!" when offered a chance to play and will want to play for UT from day 1 and not need to go through the recruitement process....?..probably be an in-state kid and may not happen for a while ...just wondering...GBO!
rockytopvol writes:
Thanks for a story that is informing and about something relevant to UT football.
DaddyVol writes:
Two (2) questions...
1. Is Josh kin to John Ward?
2. Isn't it refreshing to have someone actually
write an article about Tennessee? After all
this site IS named govolsxtra isn't it???
Southland writes:
Bama bound
tennezz writes:
Keep wishing!
bankofdad3 writes:
I had the same thought about Josh, but what about Austin or that dude that wants to buy your house on the sports animal. we got wards coming out of the yang yang. but we all know there is only one WARD.give him sixxxx
Volsfan94 writes:
DK was recruited by UT? Im a frosh at BA and the kid is a beast.
keepitreal4vols writes:
So does this mean CDD has not been living in a cave since his arrival to Rocky Top?
donj3742 writes:
We are Tennessee and we're moving on up and you can
be a part of it. Bring it on and good luck..Go Vols...
BolivarBob writes:
What I heard too.
txvolsfan writes:
Yea it's so easy to predict where a kid will go in March. Keep up the good work fellows, Maybe Emfinger will hire you. NOT
Ayres_Hall writes:
Come August, if this kid ONLY has offers from Vandy and us, how will jock sniffers treat him?
pomp_and_circumstance writes:
Wait until Hooker hears about this. He will have King heading for USC.
WLafIndianavol writes:
Crimson T#RD!
illinoisvolfan writes:
Personally, I'd help pay Hooker's moving expenses to California the instant he decided to head that way.
RockyTop1 writes:
Why can't we "donate" air miles to get him there? GBO!!
LCfastball writes:
I don't have any miles to offer up, but I will throw in 50 bucks toward the cause........
jehadra#452521 writes:
What about Jaron Toney from Alcoa High School, in Blount County? This kid is a player who excels on both sides, holds the state record for touchdowns in one year, and is an honor student. He has as much size as the King kid, and yet nobody has shown him any interest at all. Great kid, and could go to Kentucky, where the other great Alcoa athletes go.
halloffamebowler writes:
Maybe getting athletes like him at Kentucky is the resason it has been 26 years since Kentucky has beaten U.T.
AllVols writes:
King should be a priority. He will turn out well in college, and we are in need of top cornerbacks at the moment.
Clarke, on the other hand, I just looked at his stats. He does not seem to be highly rated or have anything impressive to offer.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
...."First of all, I would have to say I'm fast and explosive," King said when asked to describe his playing style.....
I hope the above comment doesn't mean he thinks he is the greatest on the field.
mmaz writes:
So if DD is the next best thing to crusted bread for recruiting home grown Vols, why is it we only have 5 out offers to some 40 TN boys listing UT as a desired school? And King doesn't appear to be the biggest, or fastest, DB candidate on the list either!
I TRULY hope DD can and will prove to be the recruiter we need to rebuild our talent pool, but I don't see evidence of it yet and, early as it is, we really are behind for 2011 recruiting and falling further away.
Mike (UTK '66) in NC
Jamestown17 writes:
I'm sure that Randy Sanders is already in his back pocket.
FearThisElephant writes:
UT needs expected stability and progressive consistency right now. Roller coaster rides give you short lived thrills. (see LK comedy act II). The stability is in place with Double D. Becoming a progressively competitive team in the SEC will take a couple of years recruiting young men who will; a. be a contributor for 4 yrs. b. be willing to play any position deemed necessary by the staff.
Derek King may resemble what the majority of the recruits look like as DD seeks his 2nd class. Versatile and athletic who can play O or D. For all of those who question his timing on offering kids at this point remember it will be about midway through the season before he even knows what his needs are. Everyone needs OL, DL, RB's, and a QB or 2. Its the fill in slots that will make ya or break ya.
Versatility is the key word. Is the kid a player and will the kid play wherever he is needed? Its a little "team" thing that that wins championships. The "I" thing will choke you sooner or later. As the keyboard turns....
Volnauburn writes:
Frankly I'm not worried about recruits in 2011 yet, we haven't even played the 2010 season! I'm confident when the time comes we'll land another group of talented kids. Go Vols!!!
VolAlum2003 writes:
Your comment questions not only Coach Dooley, but also his recruiting strategy. So, in the interests of brevity, I'll go ahead and list the 5 main types of insults posters will eventually hurl at you:
1) The Non-Coach Insult: Have you ever run a college program? Derek Dooley runs a college program, so he knows what he's doing and you're just an idiot.
2) The Kiffin Lover Insult: Why don't you shut up Kiffin lover!
3) The Optimist/Pessimist Insult: If you can't be optimistic and get behind the new coaching staff, then why don't you just find another team. It's people like you that drag our program down and make us look stupid on a national stage.
4) The Dooley = Class Insult: Dooley is bringing CLASS back to the program and he is going to take his time and evaluate these young men. You probably want him to just go around offering everyone a scholarship like Lame Kitten. You can't stand how this program is getting back to its roots so shut up.
5) The Dooley = Success Insult: Coach Dooley is going to do just fine even without the support of idiots like you. UT is stronger than ever and Coach Dooley is going to do great this fall.
As a Dooley skeptic, I've had each one of the above insults hurled at me on multiple occasions, so I figured I'd just go ahead and let you know what you're in for. As for why Dooley is doing anything...who knows? He's like a recruiting groundhog. He stays in his burrow until he pops out and offers a kid a scholarship. If he doesn't get a commitment...then it's six more weeks of winter.
VolAlum2003 writes:
"The stability is in place with Double D."
Exactly what leads you to believe this?
Please note that I am not being sarcastic. I am honestly curious as to how you can be so certain that our program is "stable" under CDD.
There are a lot of people out there with your exact opinion and I am legitimately interested in hearing why you feel this way.
FearThisElephant writes:
Good food for thought question. When top programs like UT experience coaching changes the AD's have to make a choice. If all's well on the home front you promote within and stay the course. If not you make a choice. A "point of interest" hire or a "final destination" hire. lk was a point of interest. UT was just a notch on his calling card until another opportunity came alone. These coaches stop the bleeding, create news headlines, but rarely survive more than 4 years.
I believe Double D took the job because he felt it was a final destination opportunity. Does that mean he will not listen to offers in the future? No. You should hope your coach constantly makes ESPN coaching changes gossip rounds. This would mean UT is either on top or approaching it at light speed. If your coach is never mentioned as a possibility for other openings then you just lost the Liberty Bowl.
It cracks me up when I see posters comment about UT "settling" for DD. UT got the coach that most likely would have been at LSWhoo or Bama in the long run. (well short run at LSWhoo). From his family he derives commitment and loyalty. All of his primary mentors exemplify the definition of success. UT press and fans haven't heard much lately have you? He's keeping it close to the chest and PERSONAL. His legacy starts at UT. Its personal. Its a destination job. Its where he wants to be. As the keyboard turns ....
VOODOOley writes:
1. NO, but I am
2. They usually do, if it weren't for the VOLS the News Sentinel would close (or have closed in the 60's)
VolAlum2003 writes:
Ummmm....why?
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