The Recruiting Fix: Something Special Brewing

Wow, what a week for recruiting, huh? There are all sorts of rumors and commitments flying around and it would not surprise many if several of the guys we had on campus this past weekend end up as Vols on National Signing Day. One highly-regarded player did not even wait for a visit — committing to the Vols sight unseen We’ll discuss the commitments before delving into the other news of the weekend.

Two teammates made the trip to Knoxville together this past weekend in tight end prospect Ken Adams and corner back Dequan Menzie. Both are Junior College players and on track to enroll in their school of choice in December which, by all indications, will be Tennessee.

Both Adams and Menzie wanted to commit this weekend to Vol coaches, but Menzie stopped just short of doing so due to a promise he made his mother to not rush into a decision.

The Vols finally got the traditional tight end they were coveting in this class when Adams committed on Sunday.

Adams had originally signed with Auburn out of high school, but failed to qualify academically. He has played defensive end all season after seeing work mostly as a tight end last year. His upside is better at tight end as he is a good blocker who has the size (6’5″) and the speed (4.75 40) to excel at the position, but if that doesn’t work out, he could potenitally see work at defensive end as a situational pass rusher.

Menzie is one of the most coveted CBs in the Southeast regardless of class. He is a guy that would factor into almost any secondary in the SEC his first year. Arriving in time for Spring activities will give him an even better chance to earn early playing time at either corner or as a 5th defensive back in the nickel package.

Thank UT receivers coach Frank Wilson and his Mississippi connections for even being in the hunt for these two talented prospects.

“Surprise, surprise, surprise!” was the theme this week after one disappointment was replaced with an unexpected commitment. Athlete commitment DeMarco Cobbs unexpectedly switched his commitment from the Vols to the Texas Longhorns in a move that surprised both coaching staffs on Thursday.

Tennessee did not have to wait long for a replacement, however. Stud JuCo WR Kenbrell Thompkins, called coach Lane Kiffin Saturday night to deliver the news that he wanted to be a Vol.

“I talked to Lane Kiffin tonight and told him I was ready to commit,” Thompkins reported to Rivals. “He had a lot of good things to say about what he’s seen from me on tape and what he thought I could do in their offense.”

This is a kid that was highly-recruited coming out of D1 feeder Miami Northwestern two years ago. He holds offers from Florida, Alabama, LSU, and Florida State among others, though he was slow-played by Florida which is puzzling given this guys obvious talent and the Gators’ need for immediate help at the position.

Kenbrell is a big, fast receiver with great length at 6’3″ and is the deep threat that the Vols have been lacking. He also has a teammate that is being looked at hard by Volunteer coaches as well and it is the guy that delivers him the ball, Matt Simms. It’s still not clear whether or not Simms will receive an offer from the Vols but I would think the longer it takes, the less likely it becomes. Could it be that Nick Stephens has improved under the tuteledge of Chaney, Kiffin and Reaves?

He will be sporting the #1 jersey recently vacated due to the departure of Brandon Warren starting in the Spring. Kenbrell is the 6th best Junior College prospect according to Rivals and the #2 WR. Another guy that should make a very good case for immediate playing time.

Terrence Mitchell‘s visit went well, but do not expect him to be a Vol. The news out of the Tennessee camp is that they have chosen to go in another direction. It’s not clear if the issue is grades, or if something in Mitchell’s personality did not sit well with coaches. It’s particularly of interest that this seems to have coincided with the news that Dequan Menzie will likely be a part of the 2010 recruiting class. They may not take another commitment at corner back unless it’s a guy they can’t say no to such as Christian Bryant, or Demetrius Wright (although Wright could be a safety potentially.) They most certainly wouldn’t take a Cody Riggs, Dale Trimble, or a John Fulton (who will probably end up at Bama if they want him) at this point. This speaks volumes about how the coaches view Menzie.

They are still going to pursue a safety in this class — no doubt and I think Ahmad Dixon, who will be visiting this weekend, is right up there behind Elam on the want list.

Speaking of Matt Elam. It aint over. The coaches are continuing to talk to him and he’s continuing to listen to them. Florida has all their eggs in one basket though as they have ceased their recruitment of other safeties apparently to appease Elam. If Elam leaves Florida standing at the altar, there’s a good chance it will be raining too.

I am starting to get the feeling that all the noise around Chris Dunkley is just noise. There may have been a little something there at some point, but I think it’s very unlikely there is any longer. Dunkley is a soft commitment to Florida according to Pahokee coach Blaze Thompson, having already informed the Gator coaches of his decision.

He was complimentary of his visit to Knoxville, but kind of in the same way you would be complimentary of your little brother’s “fat little girlfriend.”

The Nu’keese connection is real and stronger than most realize, however. Dunkley was born in Pahokee and grew up there playing with Nuke. It wasn’t until just before high school he moved to Royal Palm. Still, with the uncertainty around Nu’keese’s future with UT as of late, it may be more of a detriment than an advantage. Either way, I find it highly unlikely Dunkley ends up anywhere but Gainesville.

On a more positive note, Christian Jones’ visit went very well and the Vols have a very good shot there.

The best news is that he and UT commitments Jacques Smith, Corey Miller, and Brandon Willis have grown close and will remain in contact. Jacques tried to get Jones to go ahead and commit on his visit but he wasn’t quite ready to pull the trigger.

If it wasn’t for the legacy situation with Jones’ father and uncle playing at FSU, I would go ahead and say this is one the Vols are going to win, but that remains an issue IMO. Jones’ relationship with Monte Kiffin continues to grow however and something tells me that is going to play a huge role in his recruitment.

Jones has had nothing but great things to say about the coaching staff at UT.

“I like Tennessee a lot,” Jones told Scout. “The coaching staff is what really sticks out. I really like coach Monte Kiffin, coach Lance and coach ‘O’. Those guys know what it takes to get to the next level. They have put players in the NFL. It would be great to play for them.”

His father was with him on the visit and the Vols left a huge impression on him as well. I think Jones will wait until Signing Day to announce, but expect the Vols to be a huge factor here.

Jones would be a huge get. Perhaps the biggest of the year. He fills a need position and wants to play the exact position we need him at the most, outside linebacker. Some of you may not agree, but I think it will show in years to come, this guy would be a bigger get than Jeff Luc.(whom, by the way, I am confident, from the amount of e-mails and private messages I have received about it, gave a silent commitment) I see this guy as a terror off the edge at strongside linebacker (coincidentally vacant next year) and a future NFL draft pick as a pass rusher in a 3-4 in the mold of a Joey Porter.

Tennessee had surprise visitors this weekend as well, at least to most, when Dakota Mosley and Michael Dyer decided to show up for their official visits. Tennessee left a big impression upon each according to those that spoke with them, although neither have responded to media requests for statements. Dyer was all set to announce to Auburn on Friday without having visited UT, but now that seems at least somewhat in question. Dyer, while some comments have had him joking about his visit, had a great time and was loving everything about it according to someone present. This source said Dyer was “shocked” by the atmosphere at the Vol Walk and the game.

There’s some feeling of showmanship here on the part of Dyer in my opinion. It’s just odd. His coach has been quoted as saying Dyer will not make the announcement if he takes a visit to UT, then backs off on that and says he doesn’t know how it got out there, then says the plans are still to announce a commitment. One would almost ascertain (especially if one had orange-colored glasses on) that Dyer is choosing to go on with his commitment ceremony, but the school may have changed. Never-the-less it has now created drama around an event that was previously going to be simply going through the motions as the choice was already known. Needless to say, no one will be comfortable with a commitment from Michael Dyer until the fax machine spits out his signed letter of intent.

Something else worth watching is that Dakota Mosley may announce his decision during the festivities surrounding Little Rock Christian’s game Friday and some think it will be UT regardless of what Dyer does. If that happens, it will just be that much more difficult for Auburn to hold onto Dyer. Mosley and Dyer’s fathers have already been discussing returning to Knoxville to visit the campus at some point this season.

There were some no shows on the visitor board for this weekend as well. Demar Dorsey can not yet take official visits because he does not have a SAT or ACT score on file with the clearinghouse. Dorsey will try and visit at a later date.

Demetrius Wright couldn’t scrounge up the money for airfare to bring his mother to Knoxville, but is almost certain to take one at some point. USC seems to be the favorite for him although the depth chart there is daunting to say the least. He describes it as his “dream school” and that id often difficult to overcome.

If Wright visits and USC does not have room, expect Wright to be a Vol.

Christian Bryant did not visit and it’s hard to say if he will. The feeling for awhile has been that he is Ohio State’s to lose and there has been absolutely nothing to change that thought.

As far as visits go for this weekend the list is already an impressive one. Tennessee is finally getting Kelcy Quarles to revisit Knoxville and his will be an unofficial one. Quarles has been committed to the Gamecocks for nearly a year, though he has had the Vols on his mind ever since a visit to UT during the Orange and White game. There were whispers at the time that Kelcy wanted to switch his commitment to the Volunteers. He had the following to say at the time to Rivals’ Austin Price:

“It was awesome. It was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Spending time with the coaching staff, the Vol walk, just the entire atmosphere was 100% awesome. It was a once in a lifetime experience.”

What makes it tough is that Quarles’ father, who has a medical condition that leaves him confined to a wheelchair, played for the Gamecocks and Kelcy grew up following the team. (tragic for him, I’m sure)

“The fans are always there. Win or lose, the crowd is always there. You’re always going to get your money’s worth, it’s the SEC, you can’t get any better than that,” Quarles recently told Rivals. “I’ve loved South Carolina all my life. Like my dad tells me all the time, it’s my choice where I spend my four years at.”

I get the feeling here that, although his dad is telling him it’s his choice as to where he wants to play football, his influence is heavy in this decision. Kelcy doesn’t want to disappoint his father and to this point anything but USC likely would.

Another thing that will factor into this decision is the Vols current commits at defensive tackle although Risean Broussard and Pat Harris are serious question marks to make it into school. The coaches are likely pitching to Quarles that he is the last piece of the puzzle and the most important one.

The key this weekend is recruiting Daddy and the coaches are well aware of that. If they can get Dad to endorse UT there will likely be little hesitation on the part of Kelcy. I would not expect an immediate switch to the Vols though. Expect this one to last until Signing Day — at least on the surface.

For all the flack David Reaves has received so far this year from Vol fans, he is doing some impressive things on the recruiting trail. Corey Miller, Brandon Willis, Tyler Bray, and Marquis Pair already and the potential to add Quarles, Chaz Green, Christian Jones (although Monte is doing much of the work here) and some others — it looks to be one of the more impressive hauls of any coach in the country. The Vols’ efforts are spread out, however. Many coaches are set to bring in talent that will have them in the running for National Recruiter of the year. There may be 3 or 4 Vol coaches that could have a legitimate claim to the title when all is said and done and I almost guarantee you a Volunteer coach will win it.

There has been much speculation about Marquis Pair disappearing from the Vols’ commit list at some point given the higher regarded (by the recruiting services) players that UT has at arm’s length. However the coaches continue to show how much they like Pair as a prospect by first taking time to drop in on him during UT’s bye week and now bringing him in on an official visit. Remember, this is a guy that impressed the coaches so much at a lineman camp this summer that he won MVP awards and was invited back to campus where received an offer on the spot.

He that has the frame to put on as much weight as the coaches want him to carry and still keep much of the athleticism that garnered the coaches’ attention in the first place. Initial reports back in Spring had him at 6’6″ 255 lbs. He’s actually closer to 280 now and can still add weight.

Pair is probably not a guy that the coaches are going to count on to come in and help early, which is a need considering the dearth of talent the line will be experiencing next year after the loss of 5 players with starting experience to graduation. His upside, however, is tremendous and he will very likely turn into a very good player in the future. He is a handpicked, system lineman.

Tennessee has made no secret of it’s desire to add difference-making linebackers to this crop of recruits. Corey Nelson fits this description quite well.

Nelson has been committed to Texas A&M since July but the Vol coaches have been in contact since the spring and due to the promising product UT has put on the field, they are now set to receive a visit from him.

It seems every week there is another prospect like Nelson that the coaches have been on for some time to take a visit that is showing a renewed interest in the Vols. Winning does more for the program than Kiffin can accomplish with his words and is the biggest hurdle between being a good team and a championship one.

Corey visited A&M this past weekend and took in the Aggies’ 35-10 victory over over-matched Iowa State. Nelson may also take a visit to Oklahoma. The feeling is that he will not leave Texas, but Tennessee is making ground up in an area that has been largely ignored in recent years and one in which they would love to recruit well. Getting a prospect such as Nelson to visit is something people take note of.

Ahmad Dixon seems to be Tennessee’s best chance at a pure safety-type player in this class. At 6’1″, 194 he is a perfect candidate to replace Berry eventually at the strong safety spot.

Dixon was committed to Texas for about 3 months then changed his commitment to Baylor though he has been flirting with other schools ever since. He seems to me like he is one of those guys that will commit to the last school he’s seen and is blown away by every place he visits. If that last part is true then he is, at least, in for a real treat this weekend.

ESPN has Ahmad as the 3rd ranked safety in the nation and the 15th player overall. Strangely that isn’t enough for 5 star status for them, but after looking at film of Ahmad, he is as close to a sure thing as you will ever see. He is very athletic for his size and another 10 pounds won’t slow him down a beat. He is good with the ball in his hands, but everything about him screams strong safety to me. Is more of a hitter and a blitzing/run-stuffing safety than a coverage one, I think. Still has plenty of athleticism to cover the more athletic TEs in the league and only a handful of WRs in this league would be a mismatch for him.

He claims Alabama is recruiting him the hardest as of now and he has a visit set up to Tuscaloosa on the 21st. He will likely take several other visits as well before finally settling on a school. Vols have a puncher’s chance, but it will be interesting to see if the last school that gets a visit becomes the one he ultimately chooses.

There are other names that I will mention that are rumored to be visiting on an unofficial basis, but are not yet confirmed. They are speedy WR Trovon Reed, CB Tyler Stephenson, (another Baylor commit) and you’ll of course have the usual suspects in Jacques Smith, Corey Miller, and Brandon Willis. For Miller and Willis to make the 2 and a half hour drive for every home game just shows the dedication they will bring to this program. They have been instrumental in the recruiting of several prospects and will continue to be down the stretch. If Christian Jones ends up a Vol, you can give Miller and Willis almost as much credit as you can Monte Kiffin.

One quick other note of good fortune, DT Calvin Smith and DE Corey Lemonier are scheduled to visit in two weeks for the Vanderbilt game. Very decent chance they land up at the same school and it seems like it’s down to UT or Illinois. We’ll talk more about each next week.

Even more good news right now for UT is that the coaches have more guys wanting to commit then they have spots for. Many highly-regarded guys are on hold right now that have tried to commit over the last several weeks and you have seen some of them move on to commit to other schools. Darius Kilgo, who just committed to Maryland is a guy that the coaches did not accept a commitment from. A number of running backs have been turned away Gio Bernard as the coaches are either (a) not going to take a running back in this class unless he’s elite or (b) already have an elite running back they feel really good about landing.

Overall, you have to continue to be impressed by this staff and how relentless they are. It has commented on to excess, but this could be the best recruiting staff ever assembled in recent history. Regardless of the rumors you may hear, I think we keep this staff intact for at least one more season. Orgeron is a guy that isn’t going anywhere. There will be rumors, but Monte Kiffin’s continued presence on this team will keep this defensive staff together for longer than most would expect. His expertise and a mark of his defenses historically has also been identifying top notch coaching talent in addition to great players, so when the time comes for some of these guys to move on to bigger roles on other teams, there’s no doubt they will be replaced with someone very capable.

Eddie Gran said to Tommy Tuberville recently that he is likely the 6th best recruiter on this staff, which — while Gran is known for his humility — completely flabbergasted Tuberville. Perhaps Corey Miller said it best when he said: “something special is brewing in Knoxville.”