Derek Dooley's staff is clearly gaining traction on the 2011 class. While Tennessee scholarship offers haven't exactly been flying across the region, it's clear the Vols have targeted several prospects, evident by a flurry of recent offers.
Prospect: Devin Clarke
Position: Wide Receiver
Size: 5-foot-10, 165 pounds
School/Hometown: Sebring (Fla.) High School
Bio: North Carolina and South Florida have extended scholarship offers. More are coming. Credit Dooley and staff for being on the front end of Clarke's recruitment despite the coaching transition. Still, there will be a battle for Clarke once other suitors come calling.
Prospect: Aaron Green
Position: Tailback
Size: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds
School/Hometown: James Madison/San Antonio, Texas
Bio: Green is one of the top tailbacks in the nation and one of the best prospects in Texas, where Dooley recruited while at LSU. A statement in Texas would be huge. UT is one of more than 20 schools that have offered Green. Likely a long shot for UT, Green has said Nebraska, California, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Baylor have made good early impressions.
Prospect: Damian Swann
Position: Athlete
Size: 6-0, 175 pounds
School/Hometown: Grady/Atlanta, Ga.
Bio: Swann, who could play receiver or defensive back in college, recently said he's grown especially fond of Alabama. That's good and bad. First, the bad. Swann is high on one of UT's talent-rich rivals. Now, the good. Swann seems plenty willing to leave Georgia and Dooley has strong ties within the state.
Prospect: Justin Worley
Position: Quarterback
Size: 6-foot-4, 195 pounds
School/Hometown: Northwestern/Rock Hill, S.C.
Bio: With so much uncertainty at quarterback, the Vols can sell this pocket passer on opportunity. Much could depend on the ascension of UT freshman Tyler Bray. If Bray plays well this season, Worley would surely get concerned. Florida, LSU, Kentucky and North Carolina are some of the other schools that have offered Worley along with UT.
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Comments » 60
Pullingguard writes:
All well and good, but this article does not relieve the slow start with no committments to date.. And, all those listed are leaning to others, and what the staff needs to do is identify Defensive personell which is desperatel needed in the line and LB positions...
mempuss writes:
we are screwed
AllVols writes:
Again, slow start is complete and utter rubbish. UT is making a quite a large impact in the recruiting world. If you look at our list of prospects, the list of top prospects that our interested in UT, and the list of prospects that we've offered, we are right there among the best.
And if you're concerned about LB, look for Marlon Walls to play a role next year. Nick Reveiz returns, along with LaMarcus Thompson, Herman Lathers, Jerod Askew, all highly rated. C.J. Johnson, an MSU commit as of now who is a top LB prospect has UT high on his list and is in the process of scheduling a visit.
I would pay more attention to the CB and DT positions.
10volunteers98 writes:
The sky is falling!The sky is falling!GO,VOLS!!!
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
Early commitments are not rubbish. They serve several very important functions in the recruiting process:
1) they serve as an early indicator for the coaching staff regarding success in the recruiting process;
2) since top recruits pay attention to where their peers commit, early recruits (especially high profile ones) serve as a base for generating excitement and interest in the program;
3) committed recruits are not restricted by the NCAA and this allows them to call other recruits on behalf of the university;
4) an early commitment is a step towards taking a desirable recruit off the market. This is important for two reasons: (A) it causes other programs to expend greater time and energy (time/energy not spent on other recruits) in an attempt to sway the committed recruit's decision and (B) on the whole, it is less common for a recruit to sway from his initial commitment, despite the common assumption that early commits jump from one verbal school to another like bees on wildflowers.
As for the number of prospects that are "interested" in us..well that hasn't changed much since the Fulmer era, even when the talent pool began to drop off. Recruits will ALWAYS be interested in the UT program due to the size of our stadium, our fan base, and superb facilities. However, we know that "interest" rarely translates into commitment. Now...if Dooley were to come out of his batcave and try to generate some excitement, that might be a better strategy.
volpreacher writes:
Yes, Yes, Yes. Let's get a bunch of 17-18 yr olds to commit right now so they can leave us at the altar in February. Come on guys, be patient. It's going to happen.
nocleats writes:
DEFENSIVE TACKLES ??? Tenns roster is already short by at least 4 D Tackles and if the incoming juco does not qualify 5. Tn needs DTackles, not Dends who can put on 35 lbs. in 2 years. Am I the only one who sees this GLARING whole on Tenns roster?
LadyVolsEighTimes writes:
If I were the Head Coach at major University XYZ and had a major recruit that wanted to committ to my school, and a rival school also wanted this recruit/or needed a player at the same position, I might have that recruit give a verbal committ to the rival school. (and I beliee this is done fairly often).
Not only does this give the rival school a false sense of filing a need, but the rival also will not pull in another recruit at that position for fear of not getting any playing time.
nocleats writes:
Happened to Fulmer more than a few times.
nocleats writes:
Just looked at Bamas roster and counted 14 d lineman. And they run a 3-4 which means their scheme calls for fewer D Line than Tenns 4 man front. On Natl signing day, a very cordial,polite, and supportive Phil Fulmer interviewed Coach Dooley for CBSsportsline. His very 1st question was "Coach,who are you gonna get to play Defensive Tackle"?.
TLepage writes:
everyone that is worried needs to relax and wait until signing day.... i said this in another article, this time last year we only had one commit (Jacques Smith).... Also, Auburn finished with a top 5 class last year and their commits didn't start rolling in until the fall.... I'm not guaranteeing a top 5 class, but i think its only fair to wait until signing day and see.... Go Vols!!!!
jimr07 writes:
Have you contacted coach Dooley to offer your expertise in recruiting?
jimr07 writes:
Thanks for educating all of us dummies about recruiting and how important it is to get commits 11 months before signing day.
iowavol writes:
I think our current coach believes integrity is a virtue worth protecting.
jdcdjc writes:
This happens every spring. I agree with (volpreacher) above. The bottom line is what counts. We need to give them some attention and let them know we are our there and interested, but keep in mind this is 17-18 yr old high school juniors we are talking about.
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
yes your are, the rest of us see a hole
tgiles1944#654264 writes:
Build the program and they will come!
Pullingguard writes:
You are completely out touch.. Those LB's you
mention are not there forever, the recruits this year will be the force come 2012/2013 when its hoped the Vols will have positioned themselves to be competiting for SEC championships.. And, to have your name (Vols) listed with a dozen other schools as "leaning to" really equates to little. Committments and interacting with other players to become Vols is what is needed by Doole.
Pullingguard writes:
Nah, not yet, want to give him chance before dictating any course of action for improvement.
FearTheVols1252 writes:
Dooley has been on staff for just 2 months, we’ve gone through 2 coaching changes in just as many years, and have had multiple sub-par seasons the last few years. Yeah… the recruits should just be lining up!! You people need to be realistic. With all the recent imbalance in our program, it will take Dooley some time to cultivate relationships with these recruits before they commit. Don’t get your panties in a wad and be patient!
nocleats writes:
Agree, absolutely, but it still doesnt change the fact that we have graduated 2 classes. 08-09 and have not replaced them, as far as DTs are concerned. Im sure our coaches know it, but I think Tenn PR dept ought to be shouting it from the top of Clingmans Dome. I think every HS DTackle should know of the situation at Tenn and should be being bombarded by the recruiting staff and AD. Hey this might be happening I dont know, but I would like to see TN being super aggressive for DTs.
SwamisBigOrangeCrystalBall writes:
VOLS to discontinue football. Neyland will be used for rugby.
VOLamongbamafans writes:
We will get it together eventually. There are alot of things to put together before this fall. I think that we will see more and more improvement in recruiting as the year rolls along. GO BIG ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!
send writes:
send writes:
in response to VOLstuckINky:
Slive hard at work ....
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/pos...
Remeber when this happened to us ......
i think it shouldnt change but when did this happen to us 6 sec team in arow which they all have bye wks befoere the play them? they slive will make this happen hes all about bama and fla so we need rid of him and relocate the sec office somewhere elese!!
.
tnsportsman writes:
Good points VOLALUM2003,
Recruiting is 365/24/7 in the world we live in now with 24 hour sports and news. I think Coach Dooley will step it up after Spring Practice, sure hope so!
GO VOLS!
TommyJack writes:
Lots of chicken littles on here. Give the staff time to work it out for cryin out loud. Tiddy babies abound on here.
jack_2222#231746 writes:
5-star … 35
4-star … 70
3-star … 85
2-star … 86
1-star … 21
Unrated… 32
Distribution of invitees to this year's NFL combine.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Preach on, brother.
DT is the position which determines what kind of season one can have. No glory but a must position.
jimr07 writes:
And, i am sure you know more about it. Dooley is lucky to have someone like you to advise.
philly0664 writes:
Those numbers dont mean anything. Now, if you told me that the 86 2stars represents 15% of all 2stars for that year and the 35 5stars represents 25% of all 5stars for that year then i would see the point.
rockytopvol writes:
Most of the time the early commits are guys not rated that high or that have strong ties to the school.It's hard to have the second with so many coaching changes.There are needs no doubt and DOOLEY knows exactly what they are, give it time they have alot of catching up to do but by Feb.they'll be in good shape.
givehim6 writes:
Yes, linemen especial on the defensive side. I thought CDD knew this was job #1.
orangecountyvols writes:
Wise thing is to not get bent out of shape right now. We have what..........about 8 or 10 official coaches and the other "expert coaches" on this board are getting panicky here in March, 2010.
IMO, what bothers a lot of the Hooker-type "coaches" is the fact they are used to knowing everything that goes on, and at this point they know nothing and it bothers them.
The media feels its their inherent right to know more than anyone else, before anyone else, and at this time they know nothing and it bothers them to no end.
We'll be okay, stop worrying about it here in March and let those who are in the know do their job.
orangeman1 writes:
I have a friend thats an Florida st fan. He has been keeping me updated with all the commits Fsu has already. I kept telling him "who cares. Its only March". But when you begin to see all of your competition landing commits, there is reason for concern. You are right that the coaches will do the job and they dont care what us fans write on the message board, but telling us not to worry is not reasonable. This is UT and it is expected that they are held to the highest standard in football, and right now they are coming from behind. Not to say they wont catch up, but thats not the case now.
VOLtraveler writes:
Why did we hire Dooley in the first place. We have a coach right here on this site.
volpreacher writes:
I don't know why Hamilton didn't hire some of you guys for recruiting coordinator. (sacrcasm intended). After all, you guys know how to coach, recruit, motivate, get UT back to the top. Why did we hire Dooley (sarcasm again)? We have you guys. You guys actually remind me of some of those guys on ESPN.
jesusvol4 writes:
We are going to be great all over the field, so there may be no kids interested in us. We will have no area of concern......ok, maybe we will. However, I do not count a team out until manifested on the field of play. We can only anticipate and articulate imaginitively, what we think is going to happen. GO BIG ORANGE! WORK TO WIN!
Smokey_Told_Me writes:
We are all still on a "sugar high" from last National Signing Day. Even the most die hard Vol fans were taken by the thrilling surprise that our new coach had taken an almost "doomed for failure" recruting situation and turned it, with class, into one of our finest moments. The media raved about it. In addition, it seems that keeping the cards close to the vest is the way that this new staff is going to conduct business for a while.
...Smokey knows where the bones are buried.
FearTheVols1252 writes:
Yeah, I guess Dooley forgot that recruiting was listed in his job description. Pffft… whatever! :-/
He was able to pull of a great class at the last minute. What makes you think he’s sitting in his recliner watching reruns of Seinfeld instead of out there recruiting?!?! Perhaps he’s keeping things under the radar to avoid the constant snap assumptions and rumors that so quickly spread through the media.
Personally – I’ll hold off on making any judgment calls regarding his recruiting efforts until Feb 2011. In the mean time, why don’t you all start arguing with the doorknob… it would probably be a better use of time.
orangeman1 writes:
Where in my post does it say I didnt think Dooley knew he was supposed to recruit or sitting in a recliner? I just said I am concerned that all the other schools that UT competes against are already getting commits. Is it not a valid concern to question why UT is one of the only major programs to not have any early commits? You are right that the FINAL judgment call wont be until February 11, but for now there is reason to be concerned because our competition is getting commits and we arent. You sound like one of the former Kiffin supporters that would slam anyone for criticizing the Kiffin hire and his antics, but were wrong in the end. And for the record again. I am not criticizing Dooley at this moment, just voicing concern as a football fan.
Southland writes:
you fellas are funny Hit the panic button quick. Nah, as someone said UT has been a non factor for three to four years which is a lifetime for a high school kid. We have to build the program back up. We have a coach that will run a good program and will build one. Think he might learn something from his ol dad who ran a pretty good program for a long time. For those of you who think we are going to compete every year for the NC I have some really good things to sell you or maybe you have spent your money on something to smoke that makes you think funny. Dont get on Dooley. Thank the good Lord above that we dont have what we did have.
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
You should probably put together a list as to why pursuing early commitments is so ridiculous. I don't think that Alabama (3 commits), Georgia (4 commits), LSU (9 commits), Florida (2 commits), Kentucky (3 commits), Arkansas (3 commits), or Miss. State (4 commits) understand that taking early commits is such a ridiculous, unreliable recruiting strategy.
And Texas, how ridiculous is THAT program?!? Those idiots have picked up 18 commits for the 2011 class. And if the Univ. of Texas is famous for anything, it's for recruiting krap players. Imagine how embarrassed they are going to be when they find out that they have wasted so much time in trying to get early commits.
I know that your brain is working off of the instant gratification that signing day provides, but try and take a longer view, perhaps one that uses "strategy."
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
At least we aren't so quick to drink the kool-aid. I bet you're still expecting the US to find WMDs in Iraq...I mean, those guys were the PROFESSIONALS.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
No you aren't. Glad you know more than the coaches, Hamilton should have hired you. Do not fear, 2011 signing day is 10 1/2 months away. Things will change 47 times between now and then.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Man it must suck to have to wait till football to get your Bamma fix. Meanwhile we have the mens and womens bb teams. It's great to be a Tennessee Vol.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
You have nothing-Bammer right now so you show back up in here....sad.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Meanwhile, go to your little job up there in Farragut and listen to all the talk the next 2 weeks about the Vols bb. It'll be awesome.
TitanandVolfan4life writes:
VolAlum...
It's nice that you listed so many SEC schools in your little childish rant but try to THINK a little.
THINK...ALL of those schools have HC's and staffs that heve been in place for YEARS.
UT staff has barely been here for 2 MONTHS.
THINK...CDD and most of his staff MUST shop and buy a house, go back to their old homes and pack up to MOVE to Tn. and get their old houses listed to be sold and 1,000 other things that MUST get done.
The staffs on all those other schools do NOT have all those things to do.
You've obviously never been really Successful, gotten promotions or much better paying jobs and had to move across the country or you would know all those many things that our coaching staff MUST get done and STILL be doing all the many things they've already done and getting ready for spring practice.
Stop wearing ladies panties and maybe they won't get in a wad all the time.
If you don't like and can't support CDD, his staff and our football program in a positive manner so early in this staff change then go slurp on Nick Satan and lust for AlaBubba !
Our Tennessee Vols are finally on the right track and moving forward in spite of you negative minded losers that can't even tell the difference between WHOLE and HOLE.
GO BIG ORANGE !!!
volpreacher writes:
sounds to me like you are already scared. UT will beat Bama this year.
mmaz writes:
Have I missed a review of the native TN players we have OFFERED, or was the attempt a while back to list the perceived best in the state all we get from GVX?
Mike (UTK '66) in NC
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