Forumsby JC Shurburtt.
Here are five first-year head coaches from the Southeast that deserve a lot of credit for the recruiting classes they pulled in.
Derek Dooley, Tennessee
Facing the toughest of circumstances (being named head coach three weeks before national signing day), Dooley still managed to guide the Vols to a strong finish, swiping Under Armour All-American receivers Da’Rick Rogers (Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun) and Justin Hunter (Virginia Beach, Va./Lakes) from SEC rivals Georgia and LSU, respectively. Tennessee finished with the nation’s No. 9 class, which is about as good as it could have been under the circumstances.
Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
Once Fisher was named as the Seminoles’ head coach, the Seminoles’ recruiting efforts were immediately rejuvenated. Florida State finished with the nation’s No. 6 ranked class and signed the No. 1 cornerback, Lamarcus Joyner (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Saint Thomas Aquinas), and the No. 1 inside linebacker, Jeff Luc (Port Saint Lucie, Fla./Treasure Coast). The Noles also have four ESPNU 150 Watch List prospects committed for 2011.
Larry Porter, Memphis
He was a one-man band, but did an excellent job of getting out and selling his program. Longtime observers of Memphis said that is what was most impressive about Porter, a former Tigers running back and nationally-recognized recruiter at LSU, was the fact that he shows no fear on the recruiting trail (he went after ESPNU 150 running back Lache Seastrunk and others). Local linebacker Fred Harvey (Memphis, Tenn./White Station) was headed to Texas Tech before the coaching change there and at Memphis. It’s no secret that the key to building this program is going to be landing a chunk of the local talent, and getting a highly-regarded prospect like Harvey to stay at home in your first class is great work.
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i truley believe with all my heart that derek dooley is going to do alot better then kiffin why because he’s a heck of a lot smarter. so all of u vol fans just need to sit back and relax and give him time and room for improvements… give him aleast 3 years and tennesse probaly will get get high ranked and get a good dencent bowl or even play for the national cmampionship…go vols get out there and kick some ass nd vol fans get good loud so loud that fans for other team will be cheering for there team but won’t be able to hear them hahahaha. so forget all the other teams so go volssssssssss and lets play ball hell yeah..
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