In front of a large cluster of family and friends, J.L. Mann (S.C.) High safety Pat Martin made official what everybody has thought for months now: That he would play his college football in Knoxville.
The prime focus of Tennessee’s 2010 recruiting class is offensive and defensive linemen, and the Vols received arguably the biggest commitment of Derek Dooley’s brief tenure today as Knoxville Catholic OL Kyler Kerbyson verbally committed to the Vols.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound offensive lineman likely projects as a college guard and was one of the first few offensive linemen Dooley and the Vols offered. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney were also instrumental in Kerbyson’s recruitment. Along with OT/DT Antonio “Tiny” Richardson, OT/TE Cameron Clear and DB Derek King, Kerbyson was targeted by this coaching staff as an absolute must-get. UT also wanted DB Jabriel Washington, but the new staff was late to the party on his recruitment and Washington is a current Alabama commit.
Was reading Volquest.com this morning and it was mentioned that former three-star quarterback Doak Raulston is now listed on the Tennessee roster, according to utsports.com. I don’t really have anymore information on him other than he was at Louisiana Tech last year and should be a redshirt freshman this year.
Parker is the newest Vol
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley and a few players addressed the media today as football gets ready to kick off, and all I can say is: It’s about dadgum time! I am so ready for football to start.
Now, I didn’t just all of a sudden get overly optimistic about this season, but I will say that every time I hear our new head coach speak, I feel more and more confident that we’re in good hands for the future — even if the present is probably going to suck epically. I realize what this year is going to be, and if you don’t, you’re just fooling yourselves. But the quicker we get this season over and build in the right direction, the quicker we can move forward. Even though this season won’t be fun on the scoreboard [most likely] it should be fun nonetheless.
It isn’t the big name that Tennessee recruiting star gazers are craving, but the Vols picked up yet another commitment on Sunday night — making it four for last week.
Gainesville (Fla.) defensive tackle Trevarris Saulsberry committed to Tennessee and special teams/tight ends coach Erik Russell last night. Saulsberry camped at the most recent UT lineman camp and gained an offer for his efforts. Though he hasn’t yet spoken with Vols coach Derek Dooley, it appears we’ll be able to add the future DT to the commitment list at some point today. Saulsberry stands at 6-feet-4 and weighs just under 270 pounds, and showed some quickness off the ball at the Vols’ camp. He does play pretty high, and that will need to be something he works on before being able to help on an SEC level. Many believe he will be an offensive lineman on the next level, and that’s fine, too if true. We need those, too. Many other schools were evaluating Saulsberry, including South Carolina, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisville. None of those schools had pulled the trigger on an offer yet, though.
Tennessee bolstered its 2011 recruiting class Friday, and the Vols didn’t have to go far outside of the city to do it. Tennessee High stars Mack Crowder – a 6-foot-4, 270-pound center — and Brendan Downs — a 6-6, 240-pound tight end — will be playing their college football less than two hours away from their Bristol home.
In what was one of the worst-kept secrets of this recruiting season, the pair made their selection official at a quiet high school conference Friday. Downs grew up a UT fan but wasn’t sure the Vols would express interest with all the coaching turnover, so he committed to David Cutcliffe and the Duke Blue Devils early in the process. Though he had numerous low-level offers, Downs has a lot of potential if he gets bigger and ultimately chose UT over Duke, Vanderbilt and Maryland.
As for “Mack Truck” Crowder, his recruitment has heated up as much as any prospect nationally in the past few weeks. The three-star center recently received an offer from Florida following Ryan Kelly’s commitment to Alabama, and he wound up choosing UT over the Gators, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Kansas, Maryland, South Carolina and others. In the past week, VT coaches tried to get Crowder to take another visit to Blacksburg in order to try to lure him up there. Given their limited scholarships this year, that tells me all I need to know about Crowder’s prospects.
Defensive back is a huge need in this year’s Tennessee recruiting class, and the Vols addressed that today with the addition of Brunswick (Ga.) cornerback Justin Coleman.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound three-star corner is the second defensive back to commit to UT, joining Atlanta safety Brian Randolph, and he’s also the second commitment in the past two days for the Vols. That makes nine commits overall for the Vols, who expect to get #10 on Friday.
Vols fans were duped by BB
It was March 16, 2009, a day I hammered the “Refresh” button like a carpenter on crack, waiting, anticipating the impending decision of Bryce Brown. The No. 1 player in the nation according to Rivals.com was going to pick where he would supposedly spend the next four years of his life. A Tennessee hat was on that table, and we needed another top running back in the stable.
I’ll never forget Brown — the talented but tainted running back from Wichita, Kansas — putting on that orange cap, donning the Power T. It was recruiting glory in all its raw euphoria. It was calling my buddies and WOOOOO!ing like some fools do when they sing Rocky Top. It was puffing out our chest and putting in the rear view the frustrating past few years. It was smack-talking with everybody who dared say anything about Lane Kiffin that the man was doing work. It was a sign, that day at least, that the Big Orange was back.
It won’t become official until a Friday joint press conference with Bristol (Tennessee High) teammate Mack Crowder, but tight end Brendan Downs will switch his commitment from Duke to Tennessee.
The Vols were late in offering the 6-foot-6, 230-pound three-star player, but he grew up cheering for UT and, in the end, his allegiance was just too much to pass. Expect more good news tomorrow when Georgia defensive back Justin Coleman holds his announcement at 3 p.m. and some more on Friday with Crowder and Downs’ official announcement.
ESPN’s Bruce Feldman reported on Twitter than USC defensive end Malik Jackson will transfer to Tennessee.
He’ll immediately become a fan favorite because of his defecting from Lane Kiffin/Ed Orgeron. Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound upcoming junior, had 3.5 sacks in 13 games as a backup last season.
He was a four-star out of Birmingham High School in California, ranked as the 35th best player in the state and the nation’s 10th best weakside defensive end. He was used primarily in pass rush situations last year, and he brings depth to a spot where the Vols aren’t exactly hurting with Chris Walker and Ben Martin among others.
However, Jackson, who was listed at 240 pounds in his sophomore season, could provide some much-needed depth at defensive tackle.
Per Brent Hubbs on VolQuest, Jackson will be in Knoxville tomorrow (Tuesday). He visited UT around three weeks ago and UT’s new staff impressed him.
Thanks to the NCAA violations levied on USC earlier this summer, Jackson will be able to play right away.
Welcome to Knoxville, Malik Jackson!
Recent Comments