X's Recruiting Updates

'X' Says:
Before we talk offensive targets, I want to point out the most positive happening around the UT program in the last couple of weeks. That being, Aaron Ausmus is now the Head of the Strength and Conditioning Program. To be honest, Aaron Ausmus should have been Coach Kiffin's first phone call and first hire after he got the job in December. I do know he was interested in the position early on but that is water under the bridge now. He is here and is working with the team. I'm not an expert on Strength and Conditioning philosophies or programs but I am familiar with the HATCH Training Program which is the strength and conditioning program Aaron Ausmus is installing again at UT. If you reading this and are interested in learning more about the HATCH training philosophy go to www.gaylehatch.com and you will find a treasure trove of information about the HATCH methods.



John Stuckey, UT’s Strength and Conditioning Coach up until the late 1990s, was a disciple of Gayle Hatch. John Stuckey’s strength and condition program was the "true" HATCH Training program. Since John Stuckey left the program back around 2000, I understand a “modified” HATCH Training program has been taught. Its like Coke versus Coke Classic or Diet Coke… just not the same as the real thing.

Guys like Aaron Ausmus, Chris Carlisle, and Tommy Moffett, all renowned strength and conditioning coaches, learned the HATCH method from John Stuckey. Many who have been around the Program through a couple of coaching regimes say the beginning of UT's demise on the football field can be traced to John Stuckey leaving the Program and our strength and conditioning staff implementing a "modified" version of the HATCH Training program. It is great news that Aaron Ausmus is back and our strength and conditioning philosophy is now being re-tooled..

Another interesting note I was told recently was regarding offensive line recruiting. Seems back in the late 1990s/early 2000, there was a philosophical change made to our recruitment of offensive lineman. Seems we moved away from recruiting smaller (relative term here for offensive lineman) more athletic prospects to recruiting more bigger, heavier offensive line prospects. Coach Kiffin's staff has now moved the target back to recruiting the more agile and athletic offensive lineman instead of big kids who can’t play anywhere else but the offensive line.

This again is great news. The news emphasis toward recruiting athletic offensive lineman coupled with changes to our strength and conditioning program should bode well for better offensive line play in the future.

Now let’s look at offensive targets by position.


Quarterback. There is really no reason to discuss the quarterback position=2 0right now. Unless you have been confined to the Basillo household for the last few weeks where soccer is looped on radio and television 24 hours a day, you know that we seem to be waiting on Jessie Scroggins to make a decision on whether he’ll come to UT. All I will say is Chase Rettig makes a lot sense.


Special Teams/Kicking Specialists. While I agree signing a quarterback is a priority for the class and wide receiver or tight end commitments probably don’t start happening until we receive a public commitment from a quarterback, it is my opinion that signing a place kicking specialist who can come in and contribute in 2010 is just as if not more important than a quarterback to this class.

That is the reason why we should pay attention to Mike Palardy, a place kicking specialist from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He maybe the #1 Place Kicking specialist in the country for 2010. He is #1 on UT's board and there is no question about it. This is the caliber of prospect who, if he signs with UT, would compete for either the punting, kick-off, or place kicking jobs (or all three) next season. To be honest, he could compete for all three of those jobs if he was on campus now. Right now, it looks to be a UT /LSU battle. Again, secu ring a commitment/signing from a prospect the caliber of Mike Palardy is just as important as is one from a high -profile quarterback.

Running back. Two weeks ago I wasn’t sure whether running back was a huge priority in the 2010 signing class. Now I'm convinced that it is. Consider Montario Hardesty, your only SEC-tested running back, is graduating; Toney Williams the bright spot of spring practice on the offense is already out for the season with a knee injury; and you have three relatively unproved , but talented, commodities competing for playing time behind Hardesty. Good news here is Eddie Gran's track record and reputation as a running backs coach is unquestioned. Running backs prospects take note of just how many running backs Eddie Gran coached in college that are now playing on Sundays. Plus, Eddie Gran has also been able to play more than one running back at a time and keep them all happy. Can anyone please tell me why it took so long for us to hire Eddie Gran?

Not in any particular order, here are four or five to keep an eye on.

Giovanni Bernard, 5"9" 190 lbs from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale. One of a handful of prospects UT is recruiting from this high school. One of better running back prospects in southern Florida. Miami may be tough to beat but seems like last year we beat them for some kid named Brown...... re member?

Lache Seastrunk, 5’10” 185 lbs from Temple High School, Temple, Texas. Arguably the best running back prospect in the country for 2010 and he does have interest in UT. I think many in Texas believe he is leaving the state to play college football. Auburn seems to be the early leader. Could UT land the best running back in the country two years in a row?

Nicholas Parker, 6'2" 210 lbs from South Panola High School, Batesville, Mississippi. Nationally, Nicholas Parker is a top twenty running back prospect from an area Coach Wilson and Coach Orgeron have plenty of success recruiting. He likes UT. LSU and the Mississippi schools will be tough to beat.

Michael Dyer, 5"9" 205 lbs from Little Christian High School, Arkansas. If Lache Seastrunk commits to Auburn, UT is probably right back in the middle of this recruitment for Michael Dyer. This is another prospect interested in UT that is one of the top two or three running back prospects in the country.

Brandon Gainer, 6'0" 200 lbs from Miami Central High School, Miami Florida. Another top running back prospect from South Florida and UT is firmly in his top 5 schools He is a top 20 national running back recruit that has as much upside as any running back prospect on their board.

In addition to the above national prospects, there are two in state prospects to keep an eye on. UT likes both these prospect s.

Keon Williams, 5'10" 225 lbs from Red Bank High School, Chattanooga. Much like Darian Stone from Clinton, this is a prospect few have heard much about but everyone will know by Thanksgiving. He transferred from North Carolina to Red Bank so he is somewhat under the radar.. right now. He attended camp at UT in early June and coaches loved him. Our coaches want to see him in pads against game competition before extending a scholarship offer.

Orleans Darkwa. 5'11" 205 lbs from Ensworth High School in Nashville area. Attended UT’s skills camp in early June and made a very good accounting of himself. I saw him play last fall and I saw him again before the skills camp. He has spent a good bit of time working on his conditioning and its paying off. He is the classic one cut and go running back Coach Gran and Coach Chaney like. He does not have an offer. However, this is a prospect that could increase his stock with UT once the season begins and if some of the above running back prospects fall off the board.

Offensive Lineman. It would be an understatement to say signing offensive lineman is an area of need. With the defection of so many young offensive lineman during the winter coupled with the graduation of 5 offensive lineman after the 2009 season, they have to restock this position. Right now, UT has one offensive commitment that is Jose Jose , a midterm enrollee from Miami, Florida.

By the time this is posted, I would not be surprised if UT has another offensive line commitment. It bears watching what Zac Fulton, a 6'4-5-ish" 300 lb lineman from Flossmoor High School in Illinois does while he is on campus this week. He may have been the best lineman (offense or defense) that attended UT's one day lineman camp in early June. Held his own against all the elite defensive line prospects he competed against. He comes from good stock. His brother played offensive line at the University of Illinois and is now a member of the Tampa Bay Bucs.

From there, other top offensive line targets are:

James Stone, 6"4" 280 lbs from Maplewood HS in the Nashville area. Huge recruit for a couple of reasons. First, he is best offensive line prospect in the state of Tennessee and he may be the #1 offensive line prospect on their board. He knows he will get every opportunity to play early here. He is looking at all his options though which he should. Many think UT leads for him. Im not sure but they are right there for certain.

TJ Leifheit, 6'7" 300 lbs, Haggard High School, Wilmington, NC. Has been on campus numerous times this spring and the opportunity to play early is a draw. A big, athletic kid who fits the new offensive line profile and our scheme perfectly. The instate Carolina schools and LSU appear to be our main competition.

Chaz Green , 6'6" 290 lbs, Catholic HS in Tampa Florida. Even though both of this prospects’ parents graduated from UT, Knoxville it will be a real trick to get this prospect away from Florida. He has visited UT he seems to have interest in UT. One of a handful of prospects I believe would have a real chance to “significantly contribute” as true freshman if he decides to sign with UT. Right now, I would still say he ends up at Florida; however, if he continues to postpone a public commitment to Florida, I give Tennessee a punchers chance.

Dan Keonig, 6'6" 290 lbs, Cape Coral, Florida. Another big, athletic, fast prospect. Miami likes this prospect an awful lot. Has brother that played collegiate at Oklahoma State. I expect him to visit UT this fall.

Arie Kouandjio, 6'6" 290 lbs from DeMatha HS, Hyattsville, MD. A nationally rated offensive tackle prospect easily one of best twenty offensive tackle prospects in the country. Has offers from most every school on the east coast and our staff really like shim. Likely to visit UT this summer or fall. UT connection is that he is good friends with UT basketball commitment Josh Selby who enrolls in 2010 as well.

Wes Rea, 6'5" 290 lbs Harrison Central HS, Gulfport, MS. Very athletic offensive line prospect. Ranked as the 5th best offensive guard prospect in the country. Kid has future as an offensive lineman or a professional baseball player (90 plus mph fastball as a pitcher as a high school junior). Plan s on visiting UT this summer and again this fall.

Torrain Wilson, 6'4" 290 lbs from Northwestern HS in Miami Florida. Good news is I believe he is leaving Florida to play his college football. Bad news is I think he likely ends up at Michigan. UT is making a push though. This is one you would like to have because I understand he is likely a mid-termer.

Marquis Pair, 6'6" 265 lbs, Sumter HS, Sumter, SC. Doesn’t have a UT offer but really put himself into consideration for one with his performance at UT's lineman camp in early June. He fits the profile perfectly. Big, athletic prospect who has the frame to add bulk/muscle.

Like Pair, in-state lineman Cammeron Clemmons, Zak Tait (Knox Catholic), and Tim McAdoo (Murfreesboro Oakland), do not have offers but there status could change. I think UT wants to see how they fare with a couple of the above offensive line prospects they have rated a bit higher than the in-state kids. McAdoo is an accomplished defensive line prospect that projects to play an offensive guard in college. Clemmons is a diamond in the rough.

There are also 3 to 4 offensive line prospects committed to other schools UT simply is not giving up on. As I said, this staff doesn’t put much stock in prospects’ commitments to other schools as it really doesn’t matter to them. We’ll end up signing 6 or 7 prospects here that can help early.20

Tight Ends. Look for UT to be selective here. They have fairly good depth here but to be honest they really don’t have a difference maker at this position on campus... well Aaron Douglas is but his home is now at offensive tackle. Unless they can sign and difference maker, I could see them may not signing a tight end in this class.

The top two tight end prospects on their board are probably headed to other destinations. Brian Vogler, a 6'7" 250 prospect from Columbus, Georgia will likely choose between Florida or Alabama even though he has many connections to UT and to Knoxville. Harrison Jones is the best tight end prospect in the state of Tennessee but is likely headed to Alabama where is brother is an offensive lineman.

Here are two or three tight end prospect UT continues to evaluate. None of the prospects below have offers yet. With respect to most of the tight end prospects UT has offered scholarships to, I just don’t see any of those prospects leaving their home states to attend UT.

Jordan Black, 6'4" 250 lbs from Lowndes HS in Valdosta camped at UT in early June and the coaches really like him; however, I think his destination may ultimately be on the offensive or defensive line in college and not at tight end.

Tennessee could do a lot worse than Tyler Robinson 6'4" 245 lbs from Alcoa. He is athletic enough to play offense or defense in college and with his frame has the ability to add weight. Lots of interest in this prospect from ACC and other SEC schools.

One to watch with UT is Kendall Montgomery a 6'5" 235 lb tight end prospect from Monsignor Pace High School in Opa Locka, Florida. This is a prospect that offers the type of athleticism UT is looking for in tight end. Didn’t camp at UT but has elevated his standing with excellent performances at other skill camps in both Florida and Oklahoma.


Wide Receivers. It’s impossible to list only 4 or 5 of the wide receiver prospects UT is recruiting. Simply put, many of the better wide receivers prospects in the Southeast and the United States have interest legitimate interest in UT. I wouldn’t expect much in the way of commitments from any of these elite wide receiver prospects until UT quarterback recruiting sorts itself out. Let’s look at a few prospects UT is involved with.

Kyle Prater, 6'5" 210 lbs, Provisic High School, Hillside, IL. Rated as the 3rd best wide receiver prospect in the country. This kid is emerging as a top tar get on UT's wide receiver list. Plans to visit campus unofficially in July. Even if he doesn’t make it in this summer, I anticipate that he will be back on campus this fall. He possesses a combination of size and speed we don’t have on campus right now at the wide receiver position.

Matt Milton, 6"6" 195 lbs, Mascoutah, IL. An athletic freak. 4.5 forty with 33" vertical leap. Camped at UT. Staff has been on this prospect since early February . This is the one wide receiver prospect I could see committing to UT over the summer whether or not we receive a QB commitment.

Markieth Ambles, 6'2" 185 lbs from McDonough, GA. Another nationally rated wide receiver who in all probability will choose between UT, Alabama, and Florida. This is a prospect that has publicly stated he is watching to see what happens with UT's quarterback situation before he makes a decision on where to attend college. He is also a prospect who has been on campus numerous times this spring and camped at UT in June.

Trovon Reed, 6'0" 175 lbs from Thibodaux HS in Thibodaux, LA. Legitimate 4.4 forty wide receiver/slot type who is a top 15 prospect in the country. He'll be hard to pry away from LSU but Frank Wilson and Ed Orgeron are recruiting him so I give UT a shot here. They got him to camp which many didn’t expect to happen.

Joshua Reece, 6'1" 185 lbs from Miami Central HS, Miami. Teammate of UT running back target Brandon Gainer. One of the state of Florida's best wide receiver prospects.

James Louis. 5'11" 185 lbs from DelRay Beach, Florida. Probably one of most athletic wide receiver/athlete type prospects UT is recruiting. Watching his tape he just flat out runs away from people. We need more kids with speed like his on this team.

Quinton Dunbar, 6'3" 175 lbs from Booker T. Washington HS in Miami. Another one of the best wide receiver prospects from the state of Florida interested in UT. Regardless of whether he commits to another school over the summer, I expect this prospect to give UT a very long look. Plays for arguably one of top high school teams in the country. Has 4 or 5 other teammates that are high Division 1 prospects.

There are two wide receiver prospects from Pahokee High School UT is recruiting. Those are Chris Dunkley and De'Joshua Johnson. Both have either committed to other schools or are strongly considering doing so. Doesn’t matter really. I expect both to take official visits to UT this fall or winter. This staff will simply not back off kids they believe are difference ma kers which both of these kids have the potential to be.


Other

I saw where UT defensive tackle target Evan Hailes recently committed to Penn State. At one time, he was probably at the top of UT's defensive tackle board. NOTE TO VOL FANS .. Don’t sweat this one. NOTE TO PROSPECTS..... If you talk to Internet beat reporters, just be aware coaches read your comments. Heck, they read this stuff. If you are concerned about one of your top schools, who already has woefully thin defensive line corps, loading up this year and next on defensive tackle prospects, you may be best served talking to the coach recruiting you privately instead of expressing your concern through media... this give the appearance that one may be a bit afraid of competition.... I understand we may have backed off a little in our pursuit of this particular prospect. Can’t be afraid to compete and come to UT.

Just remember on July 1 of 2008 prospects like Marsaulos Teague, Bryce Brown, Janzen Jackson, NuKeese Richardson, Nyshier Oliver were committed to or headed to other schools to play their college football. The new staff didnt even get involved with these kids (reinvolved with Teague and Oliver) until December 2008 or January 2009. All these true freshman will contribute significantly for UT this fall.

Just my thoughts ………..

HAPPY 4TH/ God Bless America!

'X'
'X' Says:Look at the USC QB Depth Chart. Even if Mustain doesn’t make it and only 1 of the others is a senior to be Scroggins is looking up at 4 guys in front of him...

1. Aaron Corp QB So.
2. Matt Barkley QB Fr.
3. Garrett Green QB Sr.
4. John Manoogian QB Fr.
5. Chris McCaffery QB So.
6. Mitch Mustain QB Jr.

Barkley will probably win the job as a true freshman.... People keep sleeping on Chase Rettig. My gosh.. USC didn’t invite him to their camp to fill out their dance card. This kid has a lot of ability and potential...

I will have an update for you Monday on offensive the top five or ten kids by position on offense we are recruiting the hardest.

Check Back

'X'
'X' Says:Here are some of my general observations from the weekends pivotal camp @ UT:

Hats off to Eddie Gran for getting all the Florida talent not only interested in UT but getting a boatload of those kids on campus;

The Pahokee kids , it was obvious, were just in another league in terms of their athleticism compared to kids at camp... hands down; They must be unbelievable in their division in Florida. Incredible amount of talent on one high school team. And really well coached as to boot.

Defensive back Nikell Robey from Frostproof, Fla was probably the most impressive non-lineman at camp. Excellent athlete, excellent cover skills... really caught the attention of our staff... Again, this kid is another that got to camp because of Eddie Gran. See a pattern here?


UT puts itself flat out in the mix for a defensive end prospect from the Raleigh NC area named FreShaud Hunter. Thought to be a NC State lock but Coach O got the kid and his family over to camp and he flat out loved it here;


Anthony Johnson, 2011 UT commit from O Perry High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of most impressive defensive lineman at camp... He blew some of the coaches away with his play. Kid loves UT and loves Coach O;


A defensive lineman from the Atlanta area named Deric Scott ( Carver High School) 6-foot-3 255 lbs, was a relative unknown before camp but really open eyes with his camp performance. Don't know if he ha s offer yet but my source felt like he would get one. Remember his name. Former teammate of UT true freshman Darren Myles and more importantly is coached by Darren Myles' father who loves UT.


Jessie Scroggins flat out impressed the staff and did nothing but elevate his stock with our staff! I heard , though I don't or haven't been able to confirm, that he wasn’t as impressed with Florida as he was with UT... We'll see. This week is critical as he camps at USC .


Again all the Pahokee kids especially the 3 that are seniors this year (DeJoshua Johnson (WR); Richard Ash (DL); and, Merrill Noel (DB) left no doubts about their athleticism and football skills.

Hope you have a great day. Check back later for my big board on offensive recruits.

‘X’

---

---