Not only was Lane Kiffin able to sign top ten recruiting class in 2009, he also announced to the world that all positions (except Eric Berry‘s) would be an open competition. Kiffin said the spring period would be used to evaluate existing players, but during the fall period, the focus would turn to incoming freshman. The new guys would have first opportunity to showcase their talent in an attempt to earn playing time.
For those reasons, much attention has been placed on this freshman class since fall practice opened. Sure, everyone wants to know how Jonathan Crompton is progressing under yet another offensive coordinator, or whether Quinton Hancock can deliver outside of practice. But it’s the play of the freshman that really peaks the interest of most who follow the Tennessee program.
So far, the results have been positive and it appears Kiffin’s plan is paying dividends. By most accounts, nearly half of the freshman are seriously competing for playing time. It’s too early to tell for certain, but this class has the potential to live up to its lofty ranking.
Consider how many of these newcomers almost… weren’t.
1. Bryce Brown: The No.1 ranked running back in the country and the top-rated overall player committed to Miami. Bryce, at least publicly, had not expressed any interest in Tennessee when Kiffin accepted the job. Yet in March, somehow, he signed with the Vols.
2. Nu’Keese Richardson: A highly touted South Forida prospect that was committed to Florida and appeared eager to follow in the footsteps of Percy Harvin as a ‘do-everything’ type of player in Urban Myer’s spread offense. Eddie Gran convinced Richardson to visit Knoxville, then Lane Kiffin worked his magic — overcoming even illegal phone calls by Urban Meyer while Richardson was on Tennessee’s campus.
3. Janzen Jackson: The second-ranked cornerback in the country committed to his home state LSU Tigers in February of 2008. Ultimately, the ties of Ed Orgeron to Louisiana and a chance to play for NFL coaching legend Monte Kiffin proved more attractive.
4. David Oku: Even though he never committed to another school, Oku still makes the list. He committed to Tennessee, and later de-committed before eventually signing with the Vols in March.
5. Nyshier Oliver: Committed to Tennessee, then de-committed and committed to Notre Dame. As time passed, and with the help of Tennessee’s new coaching staff, he realized he made a rash decision and re-committed to Tennessee. Got it?
6. Marsalis Teague: Committed to Florida while having little interest in Tennessee throughout the recruiting process. But that was before Ed Orgeron wrote Teague’s name on the board and assured Kiffin that Marsalis would wear Tennessee orange — not the nasty Florida shade.
Did I miss anyone?
3 responses to “Six Tennessee freshman that almost weren't”
Great article, Freak. Here are a couple that got left out or we retained their commitment. I can’t remember a year where so many true freshmen were looking to make an impact at UT and keeping their commitments solid through the coaching change was almost as impressive as landing them.
Eric Gordon would not have been here without Kiffin and looks to contribute. One of the top prospects in TN and had no interest in UT or Fulmer previously.
Darren Myles would have probably ended up at BAMA without a dream in UT’s favor but I doubt he has that dream if Fulmer is still the coach. He even said that Monte making him a priority played a big part in his decision.
Mike Edwards was only retained by Kiffin but Edwards has played well in pre-season camp.
Greg King would probably have ended up at UT anyway because of ties to Marlon Walls but it could have gone the other way and we could have lost both of them. Both will be in the rotation.
Askew stayed solid in his commitment through the coaching change and will contribute soon.
Jerquari Schofield stayed solid and is showing promise. He will provide needed depth and might crack the rotation at some point in the year.
Thanks for the comment Raleigh. I was trying to limit my list to guys that were committed elsewhere, but you bring up some great points. Eric Gordon especially, being Kiffin’s first commit, was very important.
Amazing what a difference a few months made. Looking forward to seeing what each one of these guys brings on the field.