The Vols’ depth and talent in the defensive backfield is perhaps the strongest of any position on the team, but do not think that means Tennessee isn’t looking to add a few more DBs to this year’s recruiting class. You are always looking for, not only depth, but quality depth at one of the more crucial positions.
It looks obvious that Tennessee wants to add at the very least one DB to their current list of commitments and likely two — ideally a safety and a corner back. The number of secondary prospects that the Vol coaches have lined up to visit this weekend is testament to that.
Tampa’s Terrence (T-Rex) Mitchell is a corner prospect that is as high as any on Tennessee’s board. Terrence received a visit from Coach Monte Kiffin during Tennessee’s bye week which went well and led to his decision to come visit the Vols on Halloween weekend.
This is an extremely athletic kid with offers from almost every team in the SEC. Plays safety for his high school team, but without a doubt has the athleticism to play corner. He could be a real threat in the return game with his speed and could see the field early in a special teams capacity.
Terrence has a lot of interest in running track in college in addition to playing football which would seem to benefit Florida State the most out of the schools on his list as FSU has had a strong track program recently. However Tennessee does have an ace in the hole with Monte Kiffin who coached the defense for T-Rex’s favorite NFL team.
Mitchell says that he knows Monte will be playing an NFL scheme and can prepare him for the next level.
Mitchell will take visits to North Carolina, South Florida, and Florida State before making a decision. He has already seen USF twice unofficially and Georgia once for an official, where two former teammates in TE Orson Charles and QB Aaron Murray now play.
Some have said Florida State leads for the talented prospect, others point to home-town USF which is only 15 minutes from his home, but the Vols hope that after this weekend, he’s thinking Rocky Top all the way.
Demar Dorsey’s commitment to Florida has been shaky since he first gave it. He recently said that he is about 80% committed to Florida which leaves every other school fighting over the 20% scraps. He is a guy that the Vol coaches have not backed down on and their efforts are paying off in the form of an official visit this weekend.
Dorsey was also present for the Florida-UT game in the swamp where UT gave a valiant effort, but ultimately wound up on the losing end. He and WR Chris Dunkley, who we’ll talk more about, spoke a lot that trip and Dunkley will be present for this one as well.
Florida is recruiting Dorsey as an athlete, but he has the perfect frame to be an impact safety at the next level which is the position he claims most teams are recruiting him to play. At a recent combine, Dorsey ran a blazing fast 4.25 40 yard dash.
Another former South Florida star, Nu’keese Richardson, is assisting in recruiting Dorsey to Tennessee. It looks like Nuke has a long list of recruits that he’s working. He and Eddie Gran are likely in constant contact.
Dorsey will play in ESPN’s Under-Armour All-America Game on January 2nd, 2010.
Glenville High in Cleveland seems to have elite talent every year and this one is no exception. Athlete Latwan Anderson is a highly sought-after prospect as is his teammate, Christian Bryant.
Bryant might just be one of the best defensive prospects Glenville has put out in a long time. He has prototypical size and leaping ability to play corner back at the next level. His coverage skills are still raw at this point, and his speed is less-than-ideal but he closes fast and finishes tackles well.
The talented prospect will be in Knoxville on Saturday to add yet another defensive back to the list of intended visitors.
Glenville is well-known for sending prospects down the pipeline to Ohio State, (Troy Smith, Tedd Ginn Sr.)but UT put a foot in the door last year to some degree by signing Mike Edwards. Edwards and Bryant are good friends and as you would imagine, Edwards is in Bryant’s ear singing the praises of UT. Reportedly they speak on an almost weekly basis and he likes what his former teammate is telling him.
“I know I can trust Mike,” Bryant told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “Him being a Glenville player I’m real close to, I’m going to take what he says into consideration.”
This one should be over before Signing Day as Bryant wants to end it in late December/early January after he takes his visits. Michigan received a visit last week and you can expect one to go to Ohio State, and possibly North Carolina and Virginia.
Tennessee offered him very early in the process and appears to be in pretty good shape. Christian’s grades are in good order and he should have no problem qualifying wherever he chooses to go.
Interestingly, his main recruiter in the process has been Mitch Browning.
It appears that it will come down to a battle between OSU and UT in the end, and expect Ohio State to be tough to beat.
An amusing note: Bryant’s younger brother’s name is Coby Bryant. We’ll have to wait awhile to see if he follows his brother into football or his namesake due to the fact that he is only 10.
Nick Saban doesn’t extend many offers to Junior College prospects, but CB Dequan Menzie impressed him enough to make that leap.
Speaking of leaping, this guy can get up there. He has long arms and a tremendous vertical to go along with 4.3 speed. It’s hard not to be impressed by his physical abilities.
Menzie is visiting UT this weekend with teammate and Vol target TE Ken Adams, whom we discussed briefly last week.
He has said in the past that he favors Alabama and Southern Miss over the other schools on his offer list.
It is not clear whether or not a UT offer is on the table but the Vol coaches have been recruiting him for sure. Clemson, UGA, and Auburn have already pulled the trigger on an offer.
A decision will come just as soon as he makes up his mind as he is an early enrollee and wants to end the process soon.
Menzie has never had to redshirt or sit out a season so he will have three years to play two.
Other scheduled visitors for this weekend are OLB Christian Jones, WR Chris Dunkley, MLB C.J. Mosley, and current UT commits Ted Meline, Corey Miller, and Brandon Willis who will all 3, no doubt, assist with recruiting these big-time prospects. By taking their official visits this weekend, all 3 will be present the entirety of the weekend to take in the game and assist in the recruiting efforts. Jacques Smith will be here to lend a hand as well on yet another unofficial visit.
He’s trimmed the list to 9. It’s likely even Christian Jones really doesn’t know where he is going to end up yet. All his official visits will be out of state including, obviously, the one this weekend to see the Vols and last week’s trek to South Bend to witness the Golden Domer’s victory over Boston College. He had his father along for the visit.
“My dad really loved it,” Jones relayed to Rivals.com. “He loves the strong academics there and … (the) large alumni group that they have.”
One factor that has the Vols near the top of Jones’ list is the coaching staff and the experience that they bring to the table.
David Reaves is captaining the recruitment of Jones and they typically speak at least once a week. He also speaks fairly regularly with Monte Kiffin and reportedly is enamored with the Tennessee defensive coordinator.
Jones was very impressed when Monte Kiffin decided to pay a visit to his high school during Tennessee’s bye week recently.
“It’s really exciting to think that Monte Kiffin is coming to my school to watch me in person,” Jones told Rivals.com. “I have always been more of a college guy than an NFL guy, but I definitely know who coach Kiffin is and what he has accomplished in football.”
The senior Kiffin covered a lot of ground that week and still managed to find time to put together an impressive game plan against Alabama. And the guy is a tick away from 70. Just amazing. There has to be some undiscovered power source somewhere that CMK has discovered that gives him boundless energy.
Christian has a visit set up to see USC on Nov. 28. He says he will also see Oklahoma and then either Rutgers or Michigan will receive his final visit. He wants to take his time and announce on National Signing Day.
Ultimately this one is going to be a tough pull from Florida State though Tennessee appears to have the best shot. Jones’ father, Willie Jones Sr., and brother, Willie Jones Jr., both played in Tallahassee. Often times the legacy factor overrides things like pending coaching changes and poor records. Will this be one of those cases? Stay tuned.
Closely tuned.
I’m serious — watch this one.
Dunkley, Dunkley, Dunkley. The connection between he and Tennessee just won’t stop surfacing in rumor mills and in secretive e-mails among Vol fans. Some say to watch out very closely for Chris Dunkley and that he may in fact favor the Vols over the Gators. That’s hard for me to believe and I will have to see it happen before I buy into it. More say it’s between the Gators and nobody else. It’s been rumored for quite awhile now that he was a heavy, heavy lean to Florida.
Bama was supposed to get a visit from Dunkley this past weekend when they faced off with Tennessee but he never showed. He has a new visit to Tuscaloosa set up for November 6th.
This kid is a playmaker. Pure and simple. Get the ball in his hands and let him do his thing. He’s basically a faster, slightly bigger version of Nu’keese Richardson (who he is pals with.) He is small right now, but has a frame to add about 20 more good pounds. Probably more similar to Ole Miss RB/WR Dexter McCluster than to Percy Harvin. The guy can stop and go on a dime and has an otherworldly ability to change direction. He is another guy that is likely to get early looks at returning punts or kickoffs.
In other words, Dunkley is what you would call “fast twitch.”
It was noted in the recruiting forum that Dunkley had updated his facebook status to read: “I KNO IM GONNA GET SOME HEAT WHEN I POST THIS BUT YES I WILL BE SINGING ROCKY TOP THIS WEEKEND.”
Not sure what the reason for the yelling was. Hopefully it means he is excited. Regardless, it is a clear indication that he is planning on taking his official visit to Tennessee this weekend. Getting him on campus would be huge. UT would take a commitment from Dunkley and be done with the WR position.
We will probably have to wait awhile to find out though being that Dunkley has said he may announce at the Under-Armour All-America game and if not then, it will likely be Signing Day.
C.J. Mosley’s visit will be an unofficial one. He seems to be feeling out the Vols somewhat due to the Vols turning up the recruiting for him recently after simply keeping in contact for a time.
Mosley has very good speed for a MLB and seems to fit the profile of a Tampa 2 middle linebacker to a “T.” He is slightly undersized at the position, but that is very typical of a linebacker in Monte’s scheme. The defense is predicated on speed, speed, and more speed. This guy could be very good if he could add about 10-15 more pounds and retain his quickness.
His top 3 is Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee and his choice will be one of those schools. My opinion is that he will stay in-state.
The talented linebacker will participate in the Army All-American Game and plans to announce his decision then.
That finishes the visitor list for the most part. I’ll discuss some more possibilities in closing.
Continuing the theme of this piece, let’s discuss other defensive back prospects Tennessee is looking at closely.
One of the more high profile players in the nation at the position is a kid from California named Demetrius Wright. Wright made his official visit to Knoxville the weekend of the UCLA game and by all accounts the Vols blew him away.
“I can’t really describe it but I just had the best time there and felt so at home.” he told ESPN’s Greg Biggins.
Wright enjoyed his visit so much he has plans to bring his mother back to see the school and the area. If that happens it will be self-financed and is a good indicator of how serious Wright’s interest in UT truly is.
Wright is a guy that Southern Cal has been recruiting to play corner back, but many say he could also play safety. The Vols are said to also be recruiting him as a corner.
He has expressed concern in the past that at USC he would be “just another guy” but at the same time says he doesn’t mind competition. He has been vocal about one of his chief concerns being playing time so it would appear USC is at a disadvantage there. It appears to be a two-horse race between UT and USC at this point and it will be worth watching to see if the pull of staying home and playing for the hometown Trojans is more powerful than the opportunity he would have at UT to play early. Some say USC will get one or the other of Dietrich Riley or Wright. I think they could very well land both since they are projecting them at different positions.
“Growing up SC was my dream school,” Wright said to VolNation’s Matt Prehm. “I grew up wanting
to play for the Trojans as a child. I won’t say that makes them the favorite or anything because I am totally open right now. I am looking what is best for me. I can’t have a favorite until I visit each school.”
Wright plans to announce his choice at the US Army All-American Bowl. ESPN ranks him as the 7th best corner back prospect in the nation and 62nd on their 150 list.
Tennessee has made the top 3 of Illinois safety prospect Corey Cooper along with Illinois, where he is currently committed, and Notre Dame. He was all set to take his official visit this weekend to Illinois when coaches informed him they would rather he visit in December. Clearly they want to get the final visit so that their impression is the one Cooper is thinking of in February.
Cooper has serious concerns about the future of the Illini coaching staff — not only Defensive Coordinator Dan Disch but the long-term future of head coach Ron Zook.
“I’m more comfortable going there knowing that Coach Zook will be back for next year. I just don’t know how long he’ll be there though. That’s my main concern.” he said to Rivals.com.
He still has yet to set up a date with Tennessee for an official visit, but plans to visit Nebraska on November 7th and Arizona on November 27th.
Cody Riggs appears to be running out of options. Even UT has guys ahead of him that they would take first. UF is in much the same stage. The younger brother of former Vol running back Gerald Riggs was also reportedly told by Georgia that he was “on hold” when he tried to commit. He has proclaimed Florida his leader so often it looks as if he is almost begging for a scholarship.
The biggest knock on Riggs is his diminutive stature. He is listed at 5’9″ but he doesn’t have the ability to elevate which allows some small corners to excel at the position. He is also a buck-fifty soaking wet. Riggs is a long way from starting for an SEC-caliber team — covering big, strong receivers such as Julio Jones, Alshon Jeffery and A.J. Green.
If we miss on the 4 or so guys ahead of us there is a chance we take Riggs if he wants to come. I believe that would have to happen first though and I wouldn’t expect a commitment anytime soon. It may be a situation similar to the one LB Robert Nelson found himself in on Signing Day last year. Or Cody could just tire of waiting and commit somewhere else. Don’t be surprised to see him end up somewhere like Notre Dame or South Carolina. My money is on Notre Dame.
Frostproof CB/return specialist Nickell Robey had been waffling on his commitment to Georgia prior to a recent visit from two UGA coaches last Friday. His main issue was the uncertain future of Defensive Coordinator Willie Martinez and the possibility that he would be replaced with someone unfamiliar to Robey. That concern was alleviated when Coach Martinez and running backs coach Bryan McClendon (who is responsible for that area of Florida) informed him that Martinez’s job was safe. Robey reaffirmed his commitment to the Bulldogs.
Looking at how Georgia’s defense has under-performed given the considerable talent on the depth chart, Nickell would likely be better off if that were not the case.
DC Monte Kiffin paid Robey a visit during UT’s bye week and put Rocky Top on his mind.
Tennessee was one of two prospective visits Robey intended to take — South Florida being the second. It’s not clear whether or not he still intends on taking those visits.
Robey is on the small side for CB prospects at 5’8″ but his ball skills are unquestionable. He has blazing speed and excellent return skills. Given the Vols’ propensity to allow big plays in the return game vs. Georgia, this is a guy they’d probably like to keep away from them.
Nickell’s cousin, tailback Carlton Thomas, currently plays for the Bulldogs.
South Carolina corner back Victor Hampton appeared to be all set to visit Knoxville this weekend, but recent reports say that the Vols have canceled his official visit and look to be going in another direction. The thought is they feel good about prospects higher on their board and no doubt are concerned with Hampton’s off-field issues which led to his departure from Independence High School and subsequent enrollment in Darlington. Grades are also rumored to be an issue here.
While the details of the issues are not publicly known, they were enough for the Florida Gator coaches to cease their recruitment of Hampton and stop accepting his phone calls in an apparent yank of his scholarship offer. Look for Hampton to end up at South Carolina if their offer stands and he gets his grades in order.
SC DB John Fulton is a guy that Tennessee has offered and is on their radar, but there really doesn’t seem to be much going on there. Not much mutual interest apparently.
Fulton described his visit to Alabama to see the Tide play the Gamecocks as “perfect.” He has a ton of big time offers, but it appears he is zoning in on South Carolina as his school of choice.
Something to watch is, will there be any surprise visits this weekend? Jeff Luc is rumored to possibly be bringing his parents to see Knoxville, but that doesn’t appear likely due to the timing. WR Torrian Richardson is rumored to be coming up with Byrnes teammates Brandon Willis and Corey Miller. T.J. Stripling may make a surprise visit. Will Mack Brown finally come through on the visit he has mentioned taking several times? Do any big-time 2011 prospects show up? Plenty to watch for.
This is a very important weekend for recruiting, which every visit date here on out basically is. It is important for the Vols to take care of business at home against South Carolina and show that stomping a mud hole in Georgia (with a hobnail boot?) and playing Alabama down to the wire was not a fluke. They need to show that this team is making real, quantifiable progress and that will go a long way toward convincing any still remaining skeptical recruits that this coaching staff is for real and they aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
Thanks to WadeVol for contributing to this report.