X's Recruiting Updates

'X' Says:I know we all loathe Lane Kiffin but the Tennessee faithful need to give Kiffin and Coach O their due. In my opinion, Kiffin and Orgeron got in the head of Coach Richt and it effected their recruiting .... in my opinion. '

After UT wax'd Georgia back in October, UT began a relentless assault on most every prospect committed to Georgia. With Georgia's defensive coordinator and most of the defensive his staff under fire, I think Mark Richt was became consumed with trying to stay a step ahead of UT 's pursuit of their prized commitments namely Nikell Robey, TJ Stripling, Jalen Fields, Da-Rick Rogers, and Alec Ogletree.

In my opinion , UT forced Georgia into a couple of really questionable decisions. First, UT went as hard after Georgia commit defensive back Alec Ogletree and any of the Georgia commitments outside of Rogers of course. If Kiffin and Orgeron gletree were still at UT, Ogletree would at a minimum have visited UT and maybe signed here who knows. How did Richt counter UT's recruitment of Ogletree, he offered Alec Ogletree's brother, Zander, a scholarship . Zander Ogletree is a fairly good running back but he is not an SEC running back at 5'9 210 lbs. Seems clear to me Richt burned one scholarship to save another.

Also, after taking two very good quarterbacks in their 2009 signing class Georgia felt compelled to take a quarterback in this class. a Once Georgia received a commitment from in state quarterback Hutson Mason.... Kiffin and Oregeron really turned up the heat on Nash Nance and Da-Rick Rogers.. Knowing that Richt, given his quarterback depth chart, really could not afford to burn another scholarship on Nance to try and keep Rogers firmly committed to Georgia.

I don't think Rogers or Nance wind up at UT if Kiffin were still the Head Coach; however, Kiffin and Orgeron laid the groundwork for Chaney , Baggett and Dooley to make their pitch.

At one time Georgia was putting together a top five recruiting class nationally but the wheels started falling off about mid-October . I credit part of that to the former UT regime. I think for 3 months Mark Richt was so pre-occupied with trying to hold off UT's pursuit of his commitments (remember UT beat them for Juwuan James as well during that time) that he may have taken his eye off the target to some extent

One more thing, for all the ‘ X’ haters especially those who contend I gets his stuff off message boards.... First, gimme a break and second please refer to the ‘X’ post of October 21, 2009 under the subject of wide receivers......Hmm a post about UT and Da-Rick Rogers . I was given indication as far back as mid-October that regardless of what was said in the media before all was said and done UT would be a major player for Da-Rick Rogers.

How'd that work out?

Don't sweat Glen Stanley going to USC. He would have never had academics in order to get into an SEC school.

Happy Signing Day

‘x’

XPS: 'Checked with two different people I respect who are in the know in Nashville this morning.... both still seem to think Stone to Tennessee. Everybody around him including the UT staff seems to think that!


Saw where Robey is headed to USC... he too doesnt have the academics in order or would have a bit of a tough time getting them on order to get into an SEC school as I undertsand it.'

'x'
'X' Says:Here are a few quick hitters. 5 days to go until National Signing Day and things are as crazy as ever.

Right now early Thursday morning by my count UT has 21, 2010 public commitments, 8 of these kids are already enrolled in school.

The numbers can and will change … maybe even by the end of the day.

There are 28 prospects in play on the big board. This too is fluid almost daily. Wish I could show you some of the names!

Rivals has UT’s recruiting class ranked as a fringe top ten class which in my opinion is remarkable given the circumstances… Those being a Head Coach on the job 2 weeks, working short-handed with an incomplete staff, and a coach recruiting in a much bigger pond than at Louisiana Tech.

Of the 11 commitments that are unsigned at least 3 maybe 4 are planning to take visits to other schools this upcoming weekend. Should you be worried .. SURE…. You are always worried but this is just a part of recruiting. There will be kids visiting UT this weekend likely committed to other schools (More on this tomorrow.

For 2010, the maximum number of signees UT can admit to school in this class is 25 and that gets you to total of 27 signees.

Sitting at 21 commitments with the possibility of maybe losing a commitment before National Signing Day UT could conceivably commit and ultimately sign another 8 or 9 prospects.

I don’t think anyone knows what the new football coach’s philosophy is regarding sign and place prospects in terms of non-qualifiers but I suspect we’ll see shortly.

I don’t know if UT ends up signing 9 more prospects or not. If things fell right, (9 out of 30 is pretty high) it could happen. If things fell right, I could see a bit of a numbers crunch. Typically though, things don’t fall the way you expect them to.

Its hard to get a feel right now for official visitors this weekend. My count right now there are 4 maybe 5 prospects scheduled to be in town. I expect the number to grow but so much depends on how discussions/visits with prospects like Calvin Smith, Delvin Jones, and Chaz Green go. Don’t forget the battles UT is locked in for James Stone (with Alabama) and the kids from Calhoun. Of course, you need to plan for the unexpected too. Believe me, contingency plans are in place.

I would expect the names of other official visitors to start leaking out but not until later today or perhaps tomorrow. Either the kids are committed to other schools and the staff is trying to keep things low-key until the latest possible date, or there may be a diamond in the rough or two the staff is trying to sneak by the competition.

One final note of importance: Coach Dooley operates much differently Kiffin did.... different but effective.

As I said at the top, it's going to be a fun 5 days. Hold on.

'X'
'X' Says:FEW OBSERVATIONS ON RECRUITING AND THE NEW COACH.

First, let me quickly get my parting shots in at the former regime. I’m like most, I bought in. Fun to follow their recruiting exploits but I had no interest in peaking below the surface. What happened was a body blow to the UT Program to be sure but it’s looking ten days beyond it to be a blessing. My parting shot is (I could make many knowing some of the shenanigans that were going on) it will be nice to attend a press conference where the Head Football Coach will address attendees with respect and not as “guys”, and will also be able to speak in complete sentences. Respect for our Program that has been missing is refreshing.

This also bothered me for fourteen months. During those infrequent times when one of our local media members offered up a question that pinned our former coach down he “evaded” answering the question by starting this football techno jargon rant. My favorite techno talk was his incessant references in press conferences to the “three technique”. Enough about that.

Given some of the missteps of the last week in the media with the coaching search and also in recruiting, I’m hesitant to say or provide too much information... right now.

The information provided here of course is for entertainment purposes only. I do take it seriously and out of respect for Basillio I don’t just write things to draw people to this forum. No interest on my part in trying to break information here. This information is free. If you want to read great… if the information doesn’t float your boat well that is okay too.

Now, with that said , the following is a summary how I understand recruiting is shaping leading into this next to last recruiting weekend.

First, the good news. The headlines for fourteen months have been dominated by the recruiting exploits of Eddie Gran, Lane Kiffin, Ed Orgeron, and Frank Wilson. Lance Thompson had a reputation as good recruiter but with change comes opportunity. I think followers are beginning to see that Thompson along with Jim Chaney and Willie Mac Garza not only are good coaches but are very good recruiters in their own right. All should be commended for holding this class together and keeping UT involved with the kids still on their recruiting board.

More favorable news. Looks like UT has survived the worst of the run of the commitments looking for other homes. UT has 16 commitments and 8 of which are already in school.. Something that shouldn’t be overlooked. Looks like 3 maybe 4 prospects have been lost for certain; however, three or four other prospects previously committed to UT (Markeith Ambles, Calvin Smith, Ahmad Dixon, and Delvin Jones) have given indications that UT has at least a punchers chance to bring them back into the fold.

For those of you bent on team recruiting rankings ESPN and Rivals have UT’s class ranked somewhere in the teens in the nation. Scout on the other hand has the UT class ranked in the mid 20s. I would expect the class ranking to improve by the time National Signing Day rolls around.

Now the not so good news. The regime changed really did a number on the offensive and defensive line recruiting boards. I wouldn’t say either board is decimated, but UT clearly faces a challenge to meet its needs in these two critical areas. The worse news is as of this writing UT doesn’t have coaches in place at either line position. You have a recruiting weekend on the horizon where you expect both offensive and defensive line prospects on campus. One would expect news on both fronts soon unless one or both of the candidates to join the new staff are still playin on Sundays ……..

More not so good news. The window of opportunity is closing. One more recruiting weekend remains after this one. Both are huge

Here is a brief summary of where things stand, in my opinion, heading into this recruiting weekend.

Quarterback. It’s looking more and more like UT may take another quarterback in this class. Coach Chaney will now have much more say so in "personnel " issues compared to his role on the previous staff. I believe outside of Nick Stephens and Tyler Bray he doesn’t have much material to work with on campus. Personally, I never understood the Matt Simms or the Nick Lamaison things but enough on that.

UT expects Nash Nance from Calhoun, Georgia on campus this weekend for an official visit. Little inside information here. Coach Chaney knows what he is doing, does not pay attention to stars, and thinks Nash Nance has the tools that fit the UT's offensive scheme. Coach Chaney has always liked Nash Nance and spent a lot of time with him this spring on a number of occasions. The coach staff is evaluating at least two other quarterbacks and one of which could visit next weekend ... depending on how the visit goes with Nance.

Running Back . Not a position of need. However, things might get interesting here. UT is recruiting Atlanta area running backs
Rajaan Benett and Rajion Neal (Mississippi State commitment). Appears now Bennett is preferred over Neal but
both prospects are definitely SEC caliber players. Rumors abound that UT may receive an official visit this weekend from a highly rated running back who just showed up on the board once the former regime left for Southern Cal. I’m not prepared to throw the name out there because I can’t confirm this information is accurate. If UT decides to take a running back in this class, it appears anyone of the two or possibly three prospects would be an excellent addition. Remember Coaches Dooley, Joseph, and Garza are well connected in Texas.




Wide Receiver. This is one position where one would expect UT to close strong. With one excellent prospect in school (Matt Milton), another committed (Justin Hunter), and a legitimate chance to finish with one or two other highly sought prospects (Markeith Ambles and Da-Rick Rogers (a weekend official visitor)), wide receiver recruiting isn’t the issue. For some reason, I have never really felt like UT was the resting place for Ambles. Maybe not a big enough stage but we’ll see.

Offensive Line. Ten days ago offensive line recruiting was of little concern to me. The only question looming was who on the board does UT take and how do they manage the offensive line numbers given their other needs. Now though, I’m a little concerned. It’s going to be hard to close with the prospects at the top of the old board like Chaz Green, Damien Robinson, and others because of the change. Again, the issue is compounded because the offensive coach position is vacant. The good news here is James Stone is a confirmed official visitor for this weekend and its possible one or both the Olive Branch offensive lineman UT has been recruiting Shon Coleman and Damien Robinson may (with emphasis on may) visit this weekend.


I’m hesitant of investing in JUCOs in general for a number of reasons but it seems Coach Dooley and staff are scouring the JUCOs for offensive line prospects. My opinion is there are a couple of in-state offensive lineman the former staff didn’t pay much attention to that may be worth gauging their interest. Again, this is my opinion solely but Cameron Clemmons has potential to be a good college lineman. Also, Tim McAdoo’s (Murfreesboro) likely destination in college is offensive line. Not my call though just concerned about taking JUCOs.

Defensive line. First, Corey Miller and Jacquez Smith are enrolled in school. UT did lose Brandon Willis to North Carolina and that was a loss. Calvin Smith, though de-committed, would be a bigger loss. UT still has a shot there. Let’s hope that JUCO defensive tackle Jonathan Brown stays committed and can make the grades. He now becomes a key cog of this class. JC Copeland, another committed defensive line prospect, appears firm but may take one more visit. All is not lost with defensive line recruiting. UT is pursuing 3 or 4 other defensive line prospects in the southeast that could show up on official visit list this weekend or next.

Linebackers. Confused here as much as I am at any position. I thought our linebackers played fairly well last year considering the circumstances with youth, injury, new scheme and so on. The top five returning linebackers all have some level of injury each is recovering from and 3 of the top 5 are seniors as well. Defensive scheme will dictates which linebacker prospects on the board UT pursues.

Given our issues at linebacker I would expect UT to sign at least one possibly two more linebackers. Corey Nelson would be a nice pickup but UT needs bigger linebackers. Glad to see UT expects to receive an official visit from Clarence Jackson from Atlanta and Glen Stanley from Arizona. With Jackson (6’2” 220 lbs), Coach Thompson has had his eye on Jackson for months. The kid has been on campus once maybe twice previously and at one point came close to committing. However, the former regime held him at arm’s length as UT pursued other linebacker prospects. Jackson then committed to and remains committed to Ole Miss. Coach Thompson has never quit recruiting Clarence Jackson.

Stanley is a physically intriguing prospect. Big kid physically a lot like Bruce Irvin. Be interesting to see how things go with Stanley who should be on campus this weekend.

At one point, I understood Tyrone Cornelius (current Miami commitment) from the Atlanta was planning to visit. This is why I hesitate to throw out new names because the entire recruiting landscape is so fluid with the new staff, open positions, and all. Cornelius is another linebacker prospect Coach Thompson has not stopped recruiting.

There are at least two linebacker prospects from this state that could play at UT. Again, not my decision, but Jon Brown from Memphis (Illinois commitment) and Avery Williamson from Milan (Kentucky commitment) can play. If nothing else, my hope is I each have their coach resend their recruiting tape to the new staff.

Defensive Backs. Beginning to think the defensive back position is just as critical as either interior line position. Consider the personnel losses: Eric Berry, Dennis Rogan, Marsalous Johnson, Brent Vinson, Mike Edwards plus who knows what happens with Janzen Jackson. The way UT is recruiting wide receivers it’s looking more like early enrollee Ted Meline and possibly current wide receiver Marsalous Teague end up at defensive back instead of wide receiver next season. Nonetheless, UT needs to close strong here. Eddrick Lofton, the kid from Texas who was committed to Oklahoma, would be a nice pickup. Hopefully, UT can get back into the Ahmad Dixon sweepstakes who would likely play early here. Don’t forget about Marques Dixon either. Marquez Dixon may be the sleeper of the class.

Couple of names here. Before the coaching changes, UT had been closing in on setting up a visit for safety prospect Desmond Brown from Cherokee, Alabama. Remember Desmond Brown? He starred at one of UT’s summer camps and at one point was close to committing. Again, another prospect held at arm’s length by the former staff while pursuing other highly rated defensive backs. Brown had an outstanding senior season, maybe even picked up another star for you star grazers, and is now committed to Clemson. With the coaching change, I don’t know where things stand with Desmond Brown. Two key members of the current staff that were on the previous staff former really like this prospect. This kid can play and is one I feel UT missed on.

Another prospect is Urell Johnson a corner back from New Orleans. Johnson is committed to Texas Tech and may likely remain at Texas Tech. However, Johnson is a prospect that both UT and the defensive back coach from Louisiana Tech now on UT’s staff have relationships with. Again, a name I have heard and with our needs may be one that shows up for a visit.

Now for the soap box. How about Tyler Robinson? Robinson could likely contribute at any one of the three positions at UT. Most know from my postings over the last twelve months, I think Tyler Robinson can play and no I’m not a member of the Robinson family. Tyler Robinson, regardless of the number of starts beside his name, can play. Kentucky isn’t the only school interested in Robinson. Remember Virginia Tech? Robinson chose Kentucky over Virginia Tech. Tech seems to have a pretty good model of what makes a good lineman.
Now my thoughts on the new football coach.

If my numbers are right, our new coach worked for Nick Saban for 7 years…. Think about that. There are a number of very good coaches that after a year cannot wait to get out of town and away from Nick Saban…. Think about this …..How many of us could work 7 hours for Nick Saban? ;

Only Head Football Coach/Athletic Director of a FBS Program in the country;

Has a law degree. Can’t remember the academic achievements of our last coach;


Moms and Dads will like this. He graduates his players to the tune of 70 plus percent. Kids that play for him get their degrees;

Anyone notice him bristling at the repeated Miami Dolphins questions during the presser? Classic Saban in my opinion.

He understands the importance of special teams play. Worked for Saban as Special Teams Coordinator
I expect an upgrade in special teams play at UT. His teams have been good in this area;

We’ll start seeing a more regionalized recruiting approach. No more of this national scope nonsense. Coach Dooley has a network Georgia; Louisiana; South Florida; and Texas. Coach Dooley also worked as Recruiting Coordinator for Saban at LSU. The two additions to the UT staff (Joseph and Russell) have solid connections in Louisiana and Texas as well.

Things are changing quickly on the recruiting landscape and it is probable by the end of the week clarity will be reached on the remaining staff positions.

More to follow.


‘x’

---

---