Commitments by position

[allvol123]

Can one of you recruiting guru's tell me the number of DL that have committed to us so far? Part of a great class depends on filling your needs. I am just interested.

 

[tclowers23]

So far...

Donald Langley, 4-star DT
Gerald Williams, 4-star DE (Rivals has him listed as a LB, but at 6'5" 260 lbs, he'll play DE for UT)
Rofus Williams, 3-star DE (soft-verbal)

 

[allvol123]

So far...

Donald Langley, 4-star DT
Gerald Williams, 4-star DE (Rivals has him listed as a LB, but at 6'5" 260 lbs, he'll play DE for UT)

Well that seems like crap, they may be great, but numbers are needed at that position for sure. How many more are realistically in view to get?

 

[tclowers23]

Defensive linemen on the radar:

Carlos Dunlap, 5-star DE
Rolando Melancon, 4-star DT
Luther Davis, 4-star DT
Ben Martin, 5-star DE
Alex Watkins, 4-star DE
Marvin Austin, 5-star DT
Kourtnei Brown, 3-star DE
William Brimfield, 3-star DT
Rae Skyes, 4-star DE

The ones in bold are the ones UT probably has the best shot at landing. Melancon is going to be a Vol, he just hasn't committed yet. Ben Martin will decide probably between Ohio State and Tennessee. Luther Davis and Carlos Dunlap should be offical visitors in January. Rae Sykes is in our own back yard. William Brimfield is visiting in January. Alex Watkins and Kourtnei Brown are soft verbals to Alabama, bust will most likely visit UT sooon.

 

[tclowers23]

Rae Skyes make actually be a little harder to land than I originally thought. He kind of wants to play at Florida State with Brandon Warren, his old high school teammate. Geez, I can't believe UT didn't land Warren last year. This could lead to a very talented Skyes going to FSU as well.

 

[allvol123]

Thanks.

 

[tclowers23]

UT's biggest needs going into this recruiting season were at WR and DB. They are doing very well so far in those categories, and it may be getting even better soon. They're also doing very well in the LB category as they usually do, even though this isn't a huge need. A couple more DL in this class seems to be their biggest concern right now (along with Donald and Berry).

 

[allvol123]

UT's biggest needs going into this recruiting season were at WR and DB.

I disagree with the WR somewhat. It may be a need, but I think it is easier to fill than DL. Our DL absolutely sucked this year and I don't see much help coming from the people already in place. I would like 4-6 DL in this signing class.

 

[tclowers23]

4-6 DL is very possible for this class. UT has quite a few DLs coming back, including J.T. Mapu, Domonte Bolden, Walter Fisher, Xavier Mitchell, Wes Brown, Robert Ayers, and Dan Williams.

WR was one of the main focuses of this class because they're losing Jayson Swain, Bret Smith (unless he's granted one more year), and most likely Robert Meachem. That's your top 3 WRs right there. Replacements are needed, and UT's staff did just that with Brent Vinson, Kenny O'Neal, Gerald Jones, Todd Campbell, Tyler Maples, and possibly Anthony Anderson and Art Evans.

That's why this class is rated 5th in the nation right now by Rivals. UT is filling their needs for the most part. I agree that it would be nice to add a couple more studs on the DL, but WR was a big need.

 

[Jaytrain5]

Defensive linemen on the radar:

Carlos Dunlap, 5-star DE
Rolando Melancon, 4-star DT
Luther Davis, 4-star DT
Ben Martin, 5-star DE
Alex Watkins, 4-star DE
Kourtnei Brown, 3-star DE
William Brimfield, 3-star DT
Rae Skyes, 4-star DE

The ones in bold are the ones UT probably has the best shot at landing. Melancon is going to be a Vol, he just hasn't committed yet. Ben Martin will decide probably between Ohio State and Tennessee. Luther Davis and Carlos Dunlap should be offical visitors in January. Rae Sykes is in our own back yard. William Brimfield is visiting in January. Alex Watkins and Kourtnei Brown are soft verbals to Alabama, bust will most likely visit UT sooon.

I'm not sure why he was omitted, but the nation's #1 overall defensive prospect, DT Marvin Austin, is also very much on our radar.

 

[tclowers23]

I'm not sure why he was omitted, but the nation's #1 overall defensive prospect, DT Marvin Austin, is also very much on our radar.

Yeah, my bad. He's on the radar, but he's a long shot. USC is his leader, and they will be very hard to beat out.

 

[Jaytrain5]

Yeah, my bad. He's on the radar, but he's a long shot. USC is his leader, and they will be very hard to beat out.

His comments over the weekend suggest otherwise. He said he still likes the Trojans, but he'd no longer call them his leader. He says it's wide open, and that he still has high interest in UT. He also dropped Maryland from his official visits list, and will probably visit UNC now.

 

[tclowers23]

His comments over the weekend suggest otherwise. He said he still likes the Trojans, but he'd no longer call them his leader. He says it's wide open, and that he still has high interest in UT. He also dropped Maryland from his official visits list, and will probably visit UNC now.

Sounds like Austin and Berry are going to be the cause of a lot of anxious Vols fans on National Signing Day.

 

[Jaytrain5]

It would be awesome if Austin committed, but it'd be a little suprising too.

Berry, on the other hand, is expected to pick UT...and it'd be a bit of a suprise if he chose another school. The one thing about his recruitment though, is that it seems too good to be true. He's visited us unofficially numerous times and hasn't spoken about any other school as highly as he's spoken about Rocky Top. He's also made UT his last official visit. All signs point to him becoming a vol, but I have an uneasy feeling about it. I'm crossing my fingers and praying he doesn't become a Dawg.

 

[tclowers23]

I'm right there with you, Jaytrain5. It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about him committing to UGA. He looks like he's all Vol... hopefully he won't shock Vol Nation on signing day.