Rating the players that we did get.

#1
vols kick balls

vols kick balls

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#1
Now that we are done I think we should look at the players we did get. Nobody is happy about the class as a whole and the no one is happy that we didn't get a couple high profile DTs, but we did get several players that will contribute and some that will be damn good here at Tennessee.

First, the Linebackers. I love the linebackers we have signed. It would have been great to get J. Harris but it really just would have been icing on the cake at this position.
  • Herman Lathers- A typical Chavis LB. Smaller than most teams LBs but can absolutely fly to the football. He runs in the low to mid 4.5s and he can bring the boom. Should be a damn good OLB for us in the future (once he puts on some weight) and should help right away on STs. He needs to work on his coverage skills. Good grades so that should not be a problem. One of my 2 favorite "sleepers" we signed.
  • Marlon Walls- 6'2", 225 and runs a 4.55. What else do you want from a LB? Good run stopper and can get after the QB. Will play Inside Linebacker most likely here for us and can help right away on STs.
  • Gerald Williams- Could be looking at the starting middle linebacker for this years Tennessee Vols right here. Big, strong, fast, and has a great frame. He is a tackling machine in the middle. If he does not play in the middle he will be an impact player at DE.
  • E.J. Abrams-Ward*- One of the good surprises on signing day. Will get a look at WR first and could be a really good Possesion/Jump Ball type receiver but I ultimately think he will end up at one of the OLB spots. Extremely athletic and could play multiple positions in college but I think he would best fit at OLB. The number 1 player in North Carolina will also play basketball and can jump with the best of them. He will be another one of our fast LBs that can get after the QB and stop the run. Will need some work in coverage but it should not be a problem as he develops.
Now to the defensive ends. We got a couple defensive ends that will be really good at getting after the QB.
  • Steven Fowlkes- Tall and a good frame. Might get a shot at WR but will probably end up here. He will need to put on some weight but he should excel at getting after the QB. Always have to worry about him losing some speed after bulking up though. He is a tremendous athlete so the bulking up might not make much of an impact on his speed though. He was a 3* All-American by scout.com.
  • Austin Johnson- Big, strong, tough kid that is not afraid to hit you in the mouth. He could end up at a couple places but this is the most likely spot for him to end up. Does not have great speed but he does have a great motor and he is "a football player". Should be decent against the pass and pretty good against the run at the DE spot which is nice since we already have a lot of young guys that excel in coming off the edge. Another smart kid so we shouldn't have to worry about his grades.
  • Willie Bohannon- My other favorite "sleeper" of the class. Has the athletic ability to be a Linebacker but will play at DE. Gets after the QB with the best of them and could cover the flats if he needs to. He is a head hunter. Rivals picked him as one of their 5 "Super Sleepers" and said that he has the potential to play right away for us which is no small feat for a defensive end here at the University of Tennessee. He was also a Scout 3* AA Honerable Mention.
Now the DBs.
  • StePhaun Raines- Good athlete and is very fast and has good quickness. Not to excited about him. Maybe he can make an impact on STs though.
  • Prentiss Waggner- Good prospect at corner. Not elite speed but good enough. Has a nose for the football and has good hands. He's got good size for a corner too.
In the backfield we have two guys that will be solid for the Vols in the future.
  • Ben Bartholomew- He is a lot like his brother. He is tough as nails and will run threw a wall for his teammates. He and Cooper will be two good FBs for us and they will help our running game a ton. Ben could also play LB or DE if needed.
  • Tauren Poole- A really good RB that seems to do everything well. He breaks a ton of tackles and can also make people miss. He is a very tough runner but might lack the top end speed to out run DBs in college. He and Creer will make a damn good 1-2 punch in a couple years. He was a 3* AA by scout.com also.
We have one WR signee and he could end up being a very good football player for us.
  • Rod Wilks- Strong receiver that is not afraid to go across the middle and he is a threat to go deep. He can break tackles and can make you miss. Lacks elite speed for a WR but could still be a playmaker for the Vols in a couple years.
UT signed one player that was a TE in HS but it is unsure if that is where he will play in college.
  • Aaron Douglas- A big, strong target with soft hands and he is a good blocker but he is not that fast. He has a great frame and he may need it to add some weight if he is needed to switch positions. He could move to offensive tackle or guard, maybe even DT if need be.
Coach Dave Clawson managed to sign QB Casey Kelly in the short time that he has been here. He is the only QB that we signed and he could be a good QB but it is unsure if he will ever play a game for the Big Orange as he is expected to get drafted in the first 2 rounds of the upcoming major league draft. If he did decide to stay here he could help out the baseball team as well as the football team.

I am not going to coment on the OL prospects or our DT signee because it is really hard to evaluate an OL from their highlight tape and I really haven't heard or seen enough about Hughes to make a good evaluation of him.

No we didn't feel our need at DT but we did get some pretty good players. It is never as bad as it seems.
 
#3
#3
So, in summary, all of our conference opponents loaded their teams with stud players across the board. Meanwhile, we successfully signed a number of project players that could potentially end up being decent players in the future, but most of which currently don't even seem to fit the physical requirements (size or speed) to play their position in the SEC, and they are total unknowns at other positions. Finally, we didn't address our single biggest need position at all.

It looks like Fulmer's recruiting skills are now starting to resemble his game-day coaching skills.
 
#4
#4
tks vkb...

question....and it's come up the past two years, why not now, given our d line issues....and depth at LB...why not go to a 3-4 and take advantage of it?
 
#6
#6
jakez4ut said:
tks vkb...

question....and it's come up the past two years, why not now, given our d line issues....and depth at LB...why not go to a 3-4 and take advantage of it?
Click to expand...
The main reason would probably be the lack of a DT that could be a dominant nose that you would need for a 3-4. Dan Williams could be that guy but no one else could really fit that mold right now.
 
#7
#7
Decent analysis I think. I saw clips of Poole and he sure didn't look slow. Someone mentioned a leg injury had held him back for awhile.

Also read something interesting about Kelly today. He lost some time in either his Jr or Sr year when he had a staff infection in his arm. IOW's, he may be badly underrated also.

Vol423... Because most great players are built and not recruited, you routinely see 3* and 2* players getting drafted into the NFL while many 4-5* players never see the field. There's nothing wrong with a project player if you have time and last year bought UT time.

These kids shouldn't be prima donnas. there are several very smart kids in this class too.
 
#8
#8
vols kick balls said:
The main reason would probably be the lack of a DT that could be a dominant nose that you would need for a 3-4. Dan Williams could be that guy but no one else could really fit that mold right now.
Click to expand...

Another big problem is our linebackers' size. Chavis likes the undersized fast linebackers which works well for our system, but the traditional 3-4 linebacker is bigger than most of the LB's we have. We would need to convert some of our DE's to LB's or something to be able to pull it off.

P.S. Good player breakdown.
 
#9
#9
sjt18 said:
Decent analysis I think. I saw clips of Poole and he sure didn't look slow. Someone mentioned a leg injury had held him back for awhile.

Also read something interesting about Kelly today. He lost some time in either his Jr or Sr year when he had a staff infection in his arm. IOW's, he may be badly underrated also.

Vol423... Because most great players are built and not recruited, you routinely see 3* and 2* players getting drafted into the NFL while many 4-5* players never see the field. There's nothing wrong with a project player if you have time and last year bought UT time.

These kids shouldn't be prima donnas. there are several very smart kids in this class too.
Click to expand...
I didn't mean that Poole was slow. He is not slow. I was talking about on long runs that he might not have the top end speed to out run DBs in pursuit.
 
#11
#11
Great analysis. I really, really hope they keep Gerald Williams at MLB, simply because there is a glaring vacancy at that position. I like Elix Wilson, I just don't think he has the size for it, much like Mayo. Had we had a true MLB on last year's roster, Mayo would have played OLB. I think with the depth now at DE (Ayers, Martin, Brown, Mathis, Walker and possibly Donald), I think it'd be a very wise move to keep Williams at MLB.
 
#12
#12
VKB, excellent breakdown. For a few brief moments after reading your scouting report, I thought we had a banner year. Then I (unfortunately) came back to reality! But send your resume to the big boys...or just forward your words, and maybe we'll break the top 35! and thanks for taking your time to fill us in.
 
#14
#14
what ever happened to chris donald? we were all talk about the guy last year and now he's vanished.
 
#15
#15
He had trouble learning the pass coverages. He was redshirted and quite possibly will be moving to DE if he can't learn that.
 
#16
#16
sjt18 said:
Vol423... Because most great players are built and not recruited, you routinely see 3* and 2* players getting drafted into the NFL while many 4-5* players never see the field.
Click to expand...

That's absolute crap, and even you know that. MOST college players never make the NFL. Yes. Some 2 and 3-star players do make the NFL and go on to become great players; however, there are far more 4 and 5-star high school recruits that make the NFL than 2 and 3-star guys. Furthermore, UT's coaching staff has been incapable of developing talent. Hopefully our coaching changes this year will change that trend.
 
#18
#18
Vol423 said:
That's absolute crap, and even you know that. MOST college players never make the NFL. Yes. Some 2 and 3-star players do make the NFL and go on to become great players; however, there are far more 4 and 5-star high school recruits that make the NFL than 2 and 3-star guys. Furthermore, UT's coaching staff has been incapable of developing talent. Hopefully our coaching changes this year will change that trend.
Click to expand...
A higher percentage of 4 and 5* guys make the NFL than 2-3* guys but there are most certainly more 2-3*s in the NFL than 4-5*s.
 
#19
#19
Vol423 said:
Furthermore, UT's coaching staff has been incapable of developing talent.
Click to expand...

Saying that over and over again doesn't make it true. There are a number of guys in the NFL that can attribute part of their paychecks to the coaching staff in Knoxville.
 
#22
#22
My two cents...

QB
Casey Kelly- His high school coach and many who have seen him play say he is underrated at 3-stars. They said that because he was adament about playing two sports from the beginning of his recruitment and that turned off the big time schools. He has the arm and athleticism to be very good. The question though is, will he make it past the draft.

RB
Tauren Poole-The idea that he is underrated is no secret. His film shows a kid with tons of potential. He could be Arian Foster with more power and more speed.

Ben Bartholomew- He is an animal in the weight room. He has athleticism and is aggressive with good instincts. Dont know if he can catch out of the backfield. That would add to his value a lot. If we go back to the I-formation he could turn into a huge asset.

WR
Rod Wilkes-He is not a speed burner, but I think we already have a number of young speedsters at WR. That is why we brought in a class of big strong WRs this class. I am in the minority on this opinion, but I think his best future is at safety.

EJ Abrams-Ward- On the other hand, I think he does end up at WR. And I think he could develop into a great WR. He could be a great compliment to our young speedsters. He has all the athleticism and speed that he needs. We will need to find out if he has the hands and if he can nail down the technical aspects of the position.

Steven Fowlkes- I will admit that I have no idea where he will end up. He is a great athlete though and there will be the potential for him to find a spot somewhere on the field (WR/TE/DE).

TE
Bardon Warren- All-American caliber player. Bottom line. Must get in to school. Outlook is good though.

OL
Aaron Douglas- I put him in this category because even if he stays at TE he would be playing the position as the blocking TE. I hope he grows into an OT because that would be very helpful for the OL in this class. It would help ease the miss on McClain. Plus I just think its the postition he has the most potential at. He would never play a recieving TE in the NFL.

Preston Bailey- He has the measurables. Good size, good frame, good feet and athleticism. If he has the right work ethic in the weight room and is a hard nosed player then he could be really good.

Dallas Thomas- Great athleticism at his size. If he can keep that athleticism when he adds 30 pounds then he has potential.

Carson Anderson- Has good size but lacks the athleticism of top shelf OL. He will need to work extra hard in the weight room to gain an edge in strength to offset that. He will also have to out work the other lineman. But if he does that then I do not see why he cannot become a productive lineman.

DT
Montario Hughes-Great motor and good speed for an interior lineman. He must put on weight and keep that athleticism. He must also play like somebody who was overlooked and disrespected coming out of high school. If he does that then he has the physical ability to be a good DT.

DE/LB
Willie Bohannon- Sleeper jewel of the class. He will be an impact player. Great size/speed combo.

Gerald Williams- Instant impact player at either MLB or DE. I dont care where he is playing as long as he picks up the scheme and gets on the field.

Marlon Walls- Another great athlete who has the potential to have a huge impact somewhere on the field. He has good size and a sturdy frame. His speed and quickness are great. I hope he finds a home at LB but as always at UT he could grow into a DE and I think he has the frame to do it.

Austin Johnson- Above-average athlete who has the intincts and intangibles and plays with a high level of intensity. Has a great nose for the ball. Finding a position will be his primary goal early in his career. The faster he finds a position the faster he can move up the depth chart.

LB
Herman Lathers-I see some people very excited about him. I am not sold on him at this point. He has good athleticism and good instincts. But he doesnt seem to stand out at this point. Hope he proves me wrong.

CB
Prentiss Waggner- I think this is another underrated jewel in this class. Great combo of size, speed, and instincts. One of the best athletes in the class.

Stephaun Raines-Not sure what kind of impact we can expect from him. He can run. But I have never seem examples of heard about anything else that makes him stand out. We have seen plenty of players at UT that could just run and never developed into much of a player.

S
Demetrice Morley-Great athlete who has vast potential now that he has his head screwed on straight. Lets just hope this is a lesson he has learned the hard way and that he doesnt back track.
 
#23
#23
vols kick balls said:
Now that we are done I think we should look at the players we did get. Nobody is happy about the class as a whole and the no one is happy that we didn't get a couple high profile DTs, but we did get several players that will contribute and some that will be damn good here at Tennessee.

First, the Linebackers. I love the linebackers we have signed. It would have been great to get J. Harris but it really just would have been icing on the cake at this position.
  • Herman Lathers- A typical Chavis LB. Smaller than most teams LBs but can absolutely fly to the football. He runs in the low to mid 4.5s and he can bring the boom. Should be a damn good OLB for us in the future (once he puts on some weight) and should help right away on STs. He needs to work on his coverage skills. Good grades so that should not be a problem. One of my 2 favorite "sleepers" we signed.
  • Marlon Walls- 6'2", 225 and runs a 4.55. What else do you want from a LB? Good run stopper and can get after the QB. Will play Inside Linebacker most likely here for us and can help right away on STs.
  • Gerald Williams- Could be looking at the starting middle linebacker for this years Tennessee Vols right here. Big, strong, fast, and has a great frame. He is a tackling machine in the middle. If he does not play in the middle he will be an impact player at DE.
  • E.J. Abrams-Ward*- One of the good surprises on signing day. Will get a look at WR first and could be a really good Possesion/Jump Ball type receiver but I ultimately think he will end up at one of the OLB spots. Extremely athletic and could play multiple positions in college but I think he would best fit at OLB. The number 1 player in North Carolina will also play basketball and can jump with the best of them. He will be another one of our fast LBs that can get after the QB and stop the run. Will need some work in coverage but it should not be a problem as he develops.
Now to the defensive ends. We got a couple defensive ends that will be really good at getting after the QB.
  • Steven Fowlkes- Tall and a good frame. Might get a shot at WR but will probably end up here. He will need to put on some weight but he should excel at getting after the QB. Always have to worry about him losing some speed after bulking up though. He is a tremendous athlete so the bulking up might not make much of an impact on his speed though. He was a 3* All-American by scout.com.
  • Austin Johnson- Big, strong, tough kid that is not afraid to hit you in the mouth. He could end up at a couple places but this is the most likely spot for him to end up. Does not have great speed but he does have a great motor and he is "a football player". Should be decent against the pass and pretty good against the run at the DE spot which is nice since we already have a lot of young guys that excel in coming off the edge. Another smart kid so we shouldn't have to worry about his grades.
  • Willie Bohannon- My other favorite "sleeper" of the class. Has the athletic ability to be a Linebacker but will play at DE. Gets after the QB with the best of them and could cover the flats if he needs to. He is a head hunter. Rivals picked him as one of their 5 "Super Sleepers" and said that he has the potential to play right away for us which is no small feat for a defensive end here at the University of Tennessee. He was also a Scout 3* AA Honerable Mention.
Now the DBs.
  • StePhaun Raines- Good athlete and is very fast and has good quickness. Not to excited about him. Maybe he can make an impact on STs though.
  • Prentiss Waggner- Good prospect at corner. Not elite speed but good enough. Has a nose for the football and has good hands. He's got good size for a corner too.
In the backfield we have two guys that will be solid for the Vols in the future.
  • Ben Bartholomew- He is a lot like his brother. He is tough as nails and will run threw a wall for his teammates. He and Cooper will be two good FBs for us and they will help our running game a ton. Ben could also play LB or DE if needed.
  • Tauren Poole- A really good RB that seems to do everything well. He breaks a ton of tackles and can also make people miss. He is a very tough runner but might lack the top end speed to out run DBs in college. He and Creer will make a damn good 1-2 punch in a couple years. He was a 3* AA by scout.com also.
We have one WR signee and he could end up being a very good football player for us.
  • Rod Wilks- Strong receiver that is not afraid to go across the middle and he is a threat to go deep. He can break tackles and can make you miss. Lacks elite speed for a WR but could still be a playmaker for the Vols in a couple years.
UT signed one player that was a TE in HS but it is unsure if that is where he will play in college.
  • Aaron Douglas- A big, strong target with soft hands and he is a good blocker but he is not that fast. He has a great frame and he may need it to add some weight if he is needed to switch positions. He could move to offensive tackle or guard, maybe even DT if need be.
Coach Dave Clawson managed to sign QB Casey Kelly in the short time that he has been here. He is the only QB that we signed and he could be a good QB but it is unsure if he will ever play a game for the Big Orange as he is expected to get drafted in the first 2 rounds of the upcoming major league draft. If he did decide to stay here he could help out the baseball team as well as the football team.

I am not going to coment on the OL prospects or our DT signee because it is really hard to evaluate an OL from their highlight tape and I really haven't heard or seen enough about Hughes to make a good evaluation of him.

No we didn't feel our need at DT but we did get some pretty good players. It is never as bad as it seems.
Click to expand...
All of these guys look like they have been shaving for a while. No milk toast is this group.:beerf:
 
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