Sammy Davis Humble Humble TX DB 6-0 175
Notre Dame (Dec 11), Mich (Jan 18); Tenn unoffical to game

Jamaar Taylor Mission TX WR 6-2 200
Miami (Dec 4), Notre Dame (Dec 11), Col (Jan 8), Tenn (Jan 15)

Matt Farrior Matoaca Ettrick VA LB 6-2 215
will visit Notre Dame, Ohio St, and Penn State. with N Car, Tenn and Virg possibles

    AND...Now for something completely different.  A BASKET-VOL recruiting update: (This information comes from the Chattanooga Free Press online).

ESTILL DECISION SOON: Marquis Estill, the burly 6-9, 265-pound power forward from Richmond, Ky., will soon announce the recruiting winner: Tennessee or Kentucky.

It appears Kentucky will be his pick.

Estill has called a press conference for Monday, but his decision remains mum, although Madison Central High School coach Allen Feldhaus Jr. knows his top player's preference.

When asked if Estill had decided on Kentucky, Feldhaus told the Lexington Herald-Leader, "I'm happy. Leave it at that.'

Feldhaus' dad and brother (Deron) both played for the Wildcats.

With one scholarship to fill, Tennessee continues recruiting 6-9 Carlton Aaron of Chesapeake, Va., and 6-11 Andy Slocum of West Monroe, La. Aaron attended UT Midnight Madness last weekend and Slocum is scheduled to visit this weekend.  Aaron, compared favorably in stature to Charles Hathaway, is still looking at Massachusetts, Syracuse and Virginia Tech. Slocum, a southpaw with a good shot, has already taken visits to Utah, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Notre Dame.
 
The following players have committed to play basketball for Tennessee starting in 1999:
Jenis Grindstaff  6-2 (transfer from Virginia Tech, will sit out 1998-99 season and have three years of eligibility remaining at UT)
Jon Higgins 6-2 Shaker Heights, Ohio
Ron Slay 6-6 Mouth of Wilson-Oak Hill Academy, Va
Harris Walker 6-1 Chattanooga-Brainerd, Tenn/Hargrave MA, Va.
Terrance Woods 6-2 Treadwell-Memphis, Tenn
 

Update, 16 October 1998
    The Vols are poised for a big recruiting visit next weekend as they host a number of big-time recruits for the Alabama game.  Seldom have the Vols welcomed more big names to Knoxville.  In fact, the visitors include three of the top five high school players in the nation.

Chris Simms, the nation’s top-rated quarterback prospect from Franklin Lakes-Ramapo High School, New Jersey, is the headliner.  Yes, he is the son of NFL great and Super Bowl MVP Phil Simms.  Chris stands 6-5 and weighs 215 pounds, and his left arm is a howitzer with laser-like accuracy.  He may very well be the top high school player in the country, regardless of position.  Simms had shown early interest in Tennessee, but late in the summer he told recruiting analysts that he and his parents had ruled out UT, mostly due to reluctance to step into the large shadow of Peyton Manning.  Recently, however, Simms has changed his mind, putting UT back on his short list and scheduling the official visit for next weekend.  Simms now says Tennessee is among his top four choices, along with Penn St (who may be the favorite), Texas, and Ohio State.  Pittsburgh is still in the picture, but fading fast.

In an interesting side note, Simms has also recently spoken with fellow high-school senior Nick Maddox, the nation’s top running back prospect from Kannapolis, NC.  It may be no coincidence that Maddox will also be on an official recruiting visit to Tennessee the same weekend as Simms.  The two superstars are intrigued by the possibility of attending the same school.  Said Maddox in a recent USA Today article, “I would like to go to school with him because he's going to develop into a good QB and he would compliment the things I do well, like catching passes out of the backfield."  There are two schools which have been mentioned as possible choices by both Simms and Maddox—Florida State and Tennessee.  Simms recently said, however, “Florida State doesn't have a good history of playing young quarterbacks. I just don't think it would be the right situation for me."

That leaves Tennessee as the only common school, should the dynamic duo decide to play their college football as teammates.  And that means this weekend could have major repercussions on the future of Tennessee football.  There has been a rumor circulating that Peyton Manning and his father Archie would be in Knoxville for the game this weekend, and a private meeting between the Mannings and the Simms has been set up.  Getting Simms would obviously be a huge pickup for the Vols, and if his commitment could put UT in better shape with Maddox…well, you get the picture.

As if having the best QB and RB prospects in the nation in Knoxville next weekend weren’t exciting enough, the Vols will also be hosting the nation’s finest Defensive Lineman, Albert Haynesworth (6-6  290) of Hartsville, South Carolina.  Haynesworth was invited to Knoxville for the Florida game on September 19, but he was unable to attend and rescheduled for the October 24 game against arch-rival Alabama.  Haynesworth’s top five list of schools has changed often over the last couple of months, but Tennessee has remained a constant and several recruiting analysts have called Tennessee the team to beat for Haynesworth’s services.  In recent weeks, a former Tennessee friend, now turned foe, Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner, has become a prominent player in the Haynesworth sweepstakes.  Haynesworth has become a personal target of Coach Garner, sending a chill up the spine of Vol fans who are familiar with Garner’s uncanny recruiting prowess.  Indeed, Garner appears to have quickly made up ground with Haynesworth, who now mentions Georgia among his leaders, when the Dawgs were also-rans in this sweepstakes just a few short weeks ago.  Hopefully Big Al will see Neyland Stadium rocking next Saturday, and have an unforgettable visit to Big Orange Country.  Imagine adding Haynesworth to a Tennessee defensive line that already includes freshmen John Henderson, Will Overstreet, Bernard Jackson and Rashad Moore.

Speaking of defensive linemen…another great prospect the Vols are hosting on an official visit October 24 is Brian West (6-3  250), from West Monroe High School, Louisiana.  West, a teammate of highly-touted LB Brady James (who is also being recruited by UT) made All-State as a junior, registering 50 tackles and 6 sacks.  West is also considering LSU, Florida, South Carolina, and Texas A & M.  As for Brady James, he now says Tennessee is his leader over Florida and LSU.  Another Louisiana DL/LB, Daniel Giles (6-2  230, 4.7), has decided that he will choose either Tennessee or Georgia.  Giles visited Baton Rouge as a guest of the Tigers for the Georgia game on October 3, but ruled out LSU after the visit.   Tennessee continues to lead for Baton Rouge, Louisiana LB Roderick Royal (6-2, 220, 4.6).  Royal was recently offered a scholarship by Florida St, but Rod says he really likes Tennessee head coach Philip Fulmer.  Fulmer likes Royal, as well, recently telling Rod that the LB from the bayou reminds the UT Headman of Vol superstar Al Wilson.

Fairburn-Creekside (GA) rush end Charles Roberson visited UT for the Florida game, and was on hand as a guest of Georgia for the showdown last weekend between the Vols and Dawgs in Athens.  The 6-4, 235-pound Roberson, who claims to have run a 4.5 forty on at least one occasion, is rumored to be a strong Tennessee lean at this time.  He has been dominant so far this season, with 36 tackles, 6 sacks, and two fumble recoveries, one of which he returned for a touchdown.   Landing Roberson would be a huge pickup for Tennessee, as the Vols seem likely to lose David Paine of Memphis Melrose, the top prospect in the Volunteer State, to Alabama.

Tennessee also likes rush end Leslie Williams (6-6, 230) of Stone Mountain, GA.  Williams, a childhood Vol fan, reportedly has his room decorated in orange and white and has always dreamed of playing for the Vols.  However, recent reports have Williams leaning to Georgia over the Vols.  Williams also has some academic ground to make up and may have trouble qualifying.  Another Georgia defensive lineman the Vols are recruiting is Jeff Womble (6-3, 300) of Decatur.  Womble is a very disruptive tackle who spends a lot of time in opponents’ backfields.  Big Jeff is currently leaning to Florida State over Tennessee and Georgia, with UNC and Michigan also in the picture.

Wide receiver Durrell Robinson of Spartanburg, SC has gotten off to a fast start in his senior season.  Through 6 games, the 6-0, 200-lb Robinson already has more TD catches (16) than he did all of last season (13).  He has caught 34 passes for 849 yards (averaging 25 yards per catch, and a TD almost every other catch).  In his junior season, when Robinson was named the offensive player of the year in his classification, he had 838 receiving yards.  Robinson visited Columbia for the USC-Georgia game, Knoxville for the Tennessee-Florida game, and Athens for the Georgia-Tennessee game.  Robinson will re-take the SAT later this month.  He just missed qualifying on his first SAT attempt, scoring 810--only 10 points short of a passing score.  This is shaping up to be a two-team race between Tennessee and Georgia, with many observers giving Tennessee the edge.  Georgia should be fine in WR recruiting this year, though, as the Dawgs seem to have the inside track on in-state superstars Damien Gary of Athens and Reggie Brown of Carrollton.  Both Brown and Gary are also considering Tennessee, but Georgia is clearly the team to beat in both cases.

Besides Durrell Robinson, Tennessee’s co-number one WR target is probably Kareem Kelly (6-2, 190, 4.3) of Long Beach Poly, CA.  Recruiting analyst Max Emfinger rates Kelly as the #1 WR prospect in the nation; he is an incredible game-breaking receiver with nice size and blistering speed.  Kelly continues to list Tennessee as a co-leader with USC.  Kareem is also considering California (Visits Nov 20) and Florida (Visits Jan 15).  The Vols remain in a battle with Virginia and Virginia Tech for the services of Split End Andrae Harrison (6-3  190, 4.4) of Newport News, Virginia.  Other WR prospects likely to make an official visit to Knoxville include Maurice Harris (6-3  205, 4.4) of Jacksonville, FL (Vols trail Miami and Florida); Michael Johnson (6-4  195, 4.55) of Tulsa, Oklahoma (also likes OK St, UGA, Tulsa); Jamaar Taylor (6-2  195, 4.3) of Mission, Texas (Visits Tenn Jan 22; also likes Miami, ND and Colorado); Ryan Sawyer (6-3  195, 4.55) of Marietta, GA (also considering GA, FL, AUB, UVa); and Trey White (6-1  205, 4.5, son of former NFL QB Sammy White) of Monroe, Louisiana (also has visits scheduled to OK St and Miami).

 Moving on to quarterback recruits…Tennessee’s staff remains determined to sign another highly-rated quarterback prospect.  While the coaches are very excited about A.J. Suggs, it has been the plan all along to sign two QBs this year.  The Vols would love to add Chris Simms to this class, but there are other possibilities.  QB/TE/Ath Andy Mignery (6-5  220, 4.8) of Hamilton, Ohio has narrowed his choices to Tennessee and Michigan, and a decision is expected soon.  Indications are that Tennessee is not recruiting Mignery specifically as a quarterback, thinking that he might make a good LB or TE.  But if Mignery does go with Tennessee, he will most likely get a chance to show what he can do as a signal-caller.  How good is Mignery as a QB prospect?  Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr reportedly told Mignery, while offering a scholarship, that they would be comfortable if Andy were their only QB recruit in this signing class.

 News on Charlotte Independence, NC quarterback C.J. Leak has been quiet since A.J. Suggs committed to Tennessee in late July, but Leak’s interest in UT has apparently not wavered.  He recently said the five schools he would visit are Tennessee, Georgia, Nebraska, Syracuse and North Carolina.  He attended Tennessee’s victory over Georgia last weekend in Athens as a guest of the Dawgs.  Leak recently said he would not take any official visits until after Thanksgiving.  Clarksville, Arkansas QB prospect Gary Brashears has reportedly once again crossed Tennessee off his list.  Brashears looks more like an Arkansas Razorback with each passing day.  Jared Lorenzen, QB from Ft Thomas Highlands, KY committed to Kentucky this week, along with his teammate, highly-touted TE Derek Smith.  Tennessee had been recruiting both, but their verbals to Kentucky came as no surprise.  Tennessee remains interested in QB Chris Lewis (6-4  200) of Long Beach Poly, California, who throws passes to the aforementioned Kareem Kelly.  The Vols would love to get a visit from Lewis, who is an athletic QB in the mold of Tee Martin.  Lewis currently lists Stanford, Notre Dame, California and Washington.

 Tennessee is loaded with young defensive back prospects, and this position is not a critical recruiting need for 1999.  However, one of the top cover corners in the state of Texas, Tory Mitchell (6-1  165, sub-4.3) of Big Spring says Tennessee is his favorite.  The Vols lead over Miami, TCU, and Baylor.  Mitchell could play either WR or CB in college, but he says he prefers defense.  CB Michael Waddell (5-11  175, 4.3) of Rockingham, NC has committed to North Carolina, but also says he will visit Florida and Florida State.  Tennessee seems to be out of the running for Waddell.  DB/RB Julius Jones (5-11  180, 4.4) of Big Stone Gap, Virginia remains a top target of Tennessee, but Jones, the younger brother of Virginia tailback Thomas Jones, says that the Cavaliers continue to lead for his services.  As for other DB recruits, Tennessee continues to evaluate instate talents Luke Powell (5-9  170, 4.4) of Smyrna and Cortez Rankin (6-3  210, 4.55) of Cleveland.
 

Finally An Update!  (20 Aug 98)
    I apologize for the length of time between updates.  I have accepted a new job, one that will limit my ability to update the site as often.  I know a lot of you check this site for news daily, some even several times a day.  I appreciate your support and enthusiasm and I feel as if I am letting you down, but I have no choice.  I will continue to do as much as I can with the site, and will make time for updates when there is major recruiting news.  Above all I will keep track of Tennessee's verbal commitments and provide a profile of each commitment on my Verbals Page.  Thanks for your patience and understanding!

    -Marcus Ellerbe, a DB from Rockingham-Richmond County, NC has verballed to North Carolina.  Ellerbe is the cousin of superstar Mike Waddell; the two are teammates at Richmond County High.  Waddell and Ellerbe have told some recruiting analysts that they would like to attend the same college; UNC fans are hoping that Waddell will also sign with the Heels.  Rumors have swirled recently about Waddell.  Dot Com's FSU site reported on Aug 11 that Waddell is now down to FSU, UNC, and Florida; but this report seems to have little merit.  Waddell recently told Max Emfinger that his top five were FSU, UNC, NC St, PSU, and Tenn.  Phil Kornblut recently published Waddell's top six as Clemson, USC, FSU, Tenn, Florida, and Penn State.  Waddell has spoken highly of the Vols throughout his recruitment and I would not bet against him taking an official visit to Knoxville.

    -Alabama fans are gleefully celebrating the verbal commitment of Clinton, Tennessee's Tyler Harris.  Harris, a 6-1, 205-lb DB/LB camped at Tennessee and was clocked in the low 4.5's in the 40-yard dash.  He is a fine-looking prospect, and the Tide is claiming victory over Tennessee and Ole Miss.  However, Harris was not one of UT's top in-state targets.  To my knowledge he had not been offered a scholarship by the Vol coaching staff.  He has transferred to a third different high school in his career and plans to play this season for Anderson County.  He hasn't put up impressive stats in high school so far.  I don't mean to question Alabama's Ronnie Cotrell, one of the nation's best judges of talent, but the fact is this young man was not being pursued seriously by Tennessee.
 
    -Bill Hodge of FansOnly reports that Marcus Reese, a LB out of Oak Grove, CA who lists the Vols, is likely to become either a Washington Husky or a UCLA Bruin.  Reese has expressed interest in Tennessee for months, but I am not sure if the interest was reciprocated by the Vol staff.   Hodge also mentioned that highly regarded OL Nick Johnson out of Cottonwood-Mingus, Arizona has the Vols on his short list, which includes Ohio St (leader), Notre Dame, Nebr, Az St, and Mich.   Finally, Hodge says that DB Antonio Moore of Del Valle, TX has verballed to Texas, choosing the Longhorns over Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Ariz St.  Again, this is a new name to me, and I was unaware that UT was recruiting Moore.

    -A couple of rumors swirling around Humble, Texas DB Sammy Davis.  First, I have heard that he has narrowed his choices to either Texas A&M or Tennessee.  I have also heard, however, that Davis may have already verballed to the Aggies.  AllianceSports feels that the Vol staff needs to get Davis on campus as soon as possible or we will lose him to A&M.

    -As I have discussed several times, the state of Louisiana is loaded with blue-chip LBs this year.  Baton Rouge's Roderick (Rod) Royal continues to be the most likely candidate to wear Tennessee orange and white.  Tennessee recruiting coordinator Randy Sanders is doing a great job in Royal's recruitment.

    -Charlotte QB prospect C.J. Leake may have cooled to the Vols somewhat in the wake of A.J. Suggs' commitment to UT.  It is rumored that Leake has now ruled UT out but that isn't confirmed.  In an odd twist, Brownwood, Texas QB prospect Colby Freeman has now added Tennessee to his list and says he will most likely take one of his five official visits to Knoxville.  Freeman was thought to be all but locked up by Nebraska only a few weeks ago.  Apparently, the imminent success of true sophomore QB Bobby Newcombe at Nebraska is making it difficult for the Huskers to land a highly regarded QB/Athlete in this recruiting class.  Barring injury, Newcombe could be the Husker QB for the next three years, meaning a long wait for Leake or Freeman to see much playing time at Nebraska.

    -All-Everything RB Nick Maddox of Kannapolis, NC says he will narrow his list to ten schools by September, and decide the five schools he will officially visit in December.  Max Emfinger recently listed Maddox's top four as UNC, ND, FSU, and Tenn.

    -Rumors abound concerning Santonio Beard of Nashville Pearl-Cohn.  There are indications that he may be close to announcing a decision.  Beard has not ruled Tennessee out; it is speculated that Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and perhaps Florida St are still in the picture.  I am afraid that Troy Fleming's early commitment to the Vols could work against UT in the Beard sweepstakes.
 
    -WR Derrick Woods of Memphis Melrose will probably come down to either Tennessee or Florida.

    -WR Ronald Bellamy of Marrero, LA lists a top four of Tenn, LSU (he camped there), Florida and Georgia.
 
    -Tennessee and USC lead UCLA and Notre Dame for the services of Kareem Kelly, top national WR from Long Beach, CA.
 
    -Split end Andrae Harrison of Newport News, Virginia lists Tenn, Notre Dame, Syracuse, UNC, and Virginia as his top five schools.
 
    -Reggie Brown, WR from Carrollton, GA lists a top five of Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio St, FSU, and Florida.
 
    -I've added OL Tim Green, 6-5  305, of Omaha, Nebraska, to the recruiting page.  Green has listed the Vols for months, but I was hesitant to put him on my list because of his geographical proximity to Lincoln.  Green has kept the Vols on his list for so long, though, that I am beginning to think his interest in UT is genuine.  In addition to Tennessee and Nebraska, Green is considering Michigan and FSU.

    -I thought it was interesting that Rodney Reed, Jason Daire, and Jason LeDoux are now listed among Max Emfinger's blue chip players.  Before committing to LSU, Emfinger had never mentioned them on any of his lists.

    -Chris Buda, OL from Tallahassee Lincoln, has not been offered by UF or FSU, his two favorite schools.  Tennessee, his third choice, has offered.  Both Florida and FSU are well-stocked with O-linemen and have limited scholarships to give.  This could work to Tennessee's advantage, and Buda's.  The Vols need immediate help in the interior line, and Buda could find himself in a position to contribute early if he signs with Tennessee.
 
    -David Paine's high school coach indicated recently that the Seminoles of FSU may be making a strong push for Paine.  Paine himself is being tight-lipped with the media, but rest assured that Tennessee, Bama, and Florida are involved as well as FSU.
 
    -Alonzo Jackson, DE from Americus, GA, may be headed to FSU along with his teammate Fabian Walker.  However, Jackson does include the Vols in his top four, along with Bama and Auburn.
 
    -Courtney Young, DL prospect from Bartow, FL, has serious academic shortcomings and is probably going to go the JUCO route.
 
    -Tennessee remains the team to beat for DT Terrea Smalls of Timberland, SC.  SCar and FSU are the other major competitors.
 
    -Big Jeff Womble, OT/DT of Dunwoody, GA lists Tennessee, Georgia and Michigan.
 
    -Kamau Jackson, top Georgia LB out of Atlanta Washington High, does not include Tennessee in his list of top schools.  He lists UGA, Ga Tech, FSU, Miss St, and Auburn.
 
    -Angelo Crowell, the #1 LB prospect in North Carolina, needs to improve his academic situation before he can expect an offer from Tennessee or UNC.
 
    -Linebacker Devon Davis out of Austin, Texas really likes the Vols along with UCLA, Baylor, and Michigan.
 
    -Tennessee may be fading in the race for DB Sterling Kazee out of Irving, Texas.  Kazee is considering FSU, Michigan, Texas A&M and Tennessee, in that order.
 
    -Super student and athlete Luke Powell of Smyrna, Tennessee has a top three of Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Stanford.  Florida St is also in the hunt.
 
    -Max Emfinger lists Ian Bass of Brentwood Academy as one of the South's top I-formation tailbacks.  Bass is also considering Georgia.
 
    -One of the nation's top linebacker recruits, Antwan Flemming of Plant City, FL, said recently that he would most likely make Tennessee one of his five official visits.  I had not seen the Vols on his list before; this is good news for UT fans.  I've added Flemming to the main recruiting page.
 
    -Virginia has to be considered the front-runner for RB/DB Julius Jones of Big Stone Gap, VA, but the Vols remain very much in the picture.  This could be a surprise in the making; the Tennessee staff is very high on Jones and they are working hard to get Julius to Knoxville.
 
    -Georgia sportswriter Steve Figueroa has recently released his "1998 Georgia High School Football" magazine.  In it, he lists Tennessee commitment A.J. Suggs as one of the "Magnificent Seven" Georgia high school football players.  Other prospects in the elite group of seven are Reggie Brown, Vince Faison, Chris Hewitt, Jeremy Muyres, Bruce Thornton and Georgia commitment Shedrick Wynn.  Suggs of McEachern High and Muyres of Parkview High face off in the season opener.  Parkview is the defending state champion.
 
    -Dot Com's FSU recruiting site reports that Eli Manning is down to four schools...FSU, Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss.  Eli says those four will be his official recruiting visit destinations.  All four have offered.

**18 Aug 98:  Happy Birthday to my daughter, Courtney, who turned 9 years old today.

Vols Offer Another QB  (13 Aug 98)
    Several sources, including VolInsider, are reporting that Tennessee has offered a scholarship to QB Andy Mignery, a 6-5, 222-lb prospect from Hamilton, Ohio.  Mignery camped at UT this summer and was reportedly offered a scholarship about a week ago while on an unofficial recruiting visit to Knoxville.  Though he is also considering Michigan, Michigan St, and Ohio St, Migenery seems to be a UT lean at this time and has indicated he might make a decision within a month.   Mignery's father is his high school coach.  Andy had never played QB until his junior season, when he stepped in for his team's injured starter and showed some real talent.  He has also played TE, LB and DE in high school and is an excellent all-around athlete.

Collier Verbals to Longhorns (13 Aug 98)
    Dallas-Carter cornerback Monti Collier has committed to Texas.  The 5-10, 175-lb Collier, who ran a hand-timed 4.3 forty this summer, picked the Longhorns over Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame.  Texas has twelve verbal commitments.

LSU Now Up to 13 Verbals (13 Aug 98)
    Bill Hodges of FansOnly reported in his column yesterday that LSU got commitments from two of the top linemen in the state of Mississippi, Purvis High School teammates Walter Young and Jason Cuevas.  The 6-5, 285-lb Young has appeared on numerous preseason blue-chip lists and may be the top prospect in the Magnolia State.  Cuevas is not as well known yet, but he is a fine-looking OL, who plays center at 6-1 280.  The Bengals also got a commitment from a JUCO player, Prentis Jenkins, a 5-11, 180-lb DB.  Jenkins wanted to sign with LSU when he graduated from high school in Vidalia, LA, but did not make the grades, and has been in JUCO in Mississippi.
 
Bits and Pieces (9 Aug 98)
    -PrepStar reports that #1 national RB Nick Maddox of Kannapolis Brown, NC will decide on his five official visits in December.  He has offers from virtually everybody, but he took in summer camps at Notre Dame and FSU and will almost certainly take two of his official visits to those schools.
 
    -One of the names that has begun to pop up on Tennessee lists recently is OL/DL Chavis Smith, of Forest City, NC East Rutherford High School.  The 6-4, 300-lb Smith has offers from Tennessee and UNC and is also interested in Clemson, ECU and SCar.

    -WR Durrell Robinson, an NRA Top 100 selection out of Spartanburg, SC says his current top five are Clemson, SCar, Tenn, UGA and UNC.
 
    -DE Charles Roberson of Fairburn Creekside, GA lists his current top five as Tenn, FSU, UGA, Ga Tech, and UNC.

    -DE Leslie Williams of Stone Mountain, GA currently lists Tenn, UGA, SCar, Ga Tech, Clem, Aub, FSU, Fla, and Bama.
 
    -RB Art Brown of Winston-Salem, SC lists UNC, SCar, Tenn, NC St, UVa, Clemson.
 
    -RB Terry Sheffield (6-1  180, 4.4) of Morganton, NC lists UNC, Tenn, NC St, Clemson.

Phil Kornblut Update (9 Aug 98)
    -Emailed to me by VolNic--Thanks, Nick!!  Of interest to Tennessee fans:
 
    -Offensive tackle James Bradford, 6-7  310, of Cleveland, Tennessee favors Clemson at this time but has not yet been offered.
 
    -Cornerback Mike Waddell of Rockingham, NC says his current top six are Clemson, USC, FSU, Tenn, Florida, and Penn State.
 
    -WR/DB Roderick Middleton (6-3, 180) of Timberland has his top three as Georgia Tech, Clemson and Tennessee.  I think this is the same high school as Tennessee DT target Terrea Smalls.
 
    -Theo Harris, 6-4  280, lineman from Meigs County, Tennessee says he is considering Clemson, Tennessee, Alabama, Michigan and Purdue.

(Phil Kornblut is the sports director of South Carolina News Network.)

Dockett Commits to UNC (9 Aug 98)
    Less than a week ago I mentioned Damone Dockett, a huge lineman out of North Davidson, NC.  Bill Hodges of FansOnly reports that Dockett, who is 6-7 and 255 lbs, has committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Bama, LSU Receive Verbals (9 Aug 98)
    Alabama has received a verbal commitment from one of its top targets.  DL/OL Jarrett Johnson (6-4  265, 4.8) of Chiefland, Florida will sign with Bama in February.  He had 25 sacks and 31 total tackles for loss as a junior.
    LSU has gotten their 10th verbal for 1999, in the person of Jonathan Autrey, a 6-5, 280-lb offensive lineman from Cecilia, LA.  The Tigers also have two verbals from players who don't graduate from high school until the year 2000.

Two Bulldogs Ineligible (9 Aug 98)
    The NCAA Clearinghouse has ruled two University of Georgia football signees ineligible to play this fall.  Athlete Terrence Edwards had one of the classes used to calculate his core GPA ruled unacceptable by the NCAA and is a non-qualifier.  In addition, defensive lineman Ken Veal has a similar problem which caused his core GPA to come up short of the required 2.5 minimum.  Georgia hopes to get both players enrolled in January and have them available for spring practice.

Moore To Enroll in January (9 Aug 98)
    Jimmy Hyams of WNOX Sports Talk said Friday that defensive lineman Rashad Moore of Huntsville, Alabama, 98 football signee for the Vols, will not be eligible to play this fall.  Moore, who did not receive his high school diploma because he failed the English portion of the exit exam, appealed to state authorities, requesting the opportunity to retake the exam before the scheduled October retest.  His appeal was denied, forcing him to wait until October to try the test again.  If Moore passes and receives his diploma, he plans to enroll at UT in January of 1999 and play for the Vols next season.  He has met all other academic requirements for eligibility, including the core GPA and ACT test score.

Brashears Eliminates Tennessee (9 Aug 98)
    Citing Tennessee's receipt of a verbal from highly touted QB A.J. Suggs, Gary Brashears of Clarksville, Arkansas told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he has removed Tennessee from the list of schools he is considering.  The Vols had offered the 6-5, 209-lb quarterback a scholarship when he camped at UT in June.  Brashears told the Gazette that he's "really not interested in going somewhere where they're going to sign two quarterbacks."  Good luck, Gary.  Here's a link to the online article with the latest information on Brashears.

DeMarco Monroe Update (9 Aug 98)
    I received a great email this week from a Vol fan who lives in the Evansville, Indiana area, where blue-chip offensive lineman DeMarco Monroe plays football.  "Mr. Censored," a great cyber friend from various Vol message boards, noticed an article covering Monroe in the Evansville Courier this week, and was kind enough to send me the contents of the entire article:

    -Front page (sports section) photo of Monroe w/ caption:  “Prep Football:
Central High School fooball player DeMarco Monroe is one of the most
recruited players in Evansville.  He and his teammates started practice
Monday.  Story on Page C2.

The Story:
“Lineman handling the recruiting blitz”
by Gordon Engelhardt

Caught in a recruiting whirlwind, DeMarco Monroe has kept his composure.

Monroe, a 6’5”, 315 pound offensive tackle from Central High School , has
narrowed his top choices to Notre Dame, Tennessee, Northwestern, Michigan
State, Kentucky, and North Carolina, w/ Indiana, Purdue, and Illinios still
in the running.

Central coach Mike Owen said Monroe’s communications skills have helped him
deal with the recruiting blitz.

“He’s handled it better than any player I’ve ever had,” Owen said.  “He has
tremendous communication skills.  That’s one thing all the coaches are
impressed with.  He’s been the most recruited player I’ve ever been
associated with.”

If you don’t play well in college, somebody may take your position,” Monroe
said.

“You get paid (via a scholarship) in college to do what you do,”  he said.
“while you’re in high school, you have to enjoy it while you can.”

“I think this is something I’ve always wanted to do (play Division I
college football).  I don’t think reality came until my freshman or
sophomore year in high school.”

He said he feels pressure to have an outstanding senior season.

“But I’m thinking more about helping the team this year,” Monroe said.
“I’m more worried about where we’re going to finish than I’m going to
finish.”

Monday was the first day of football practice.

“I spent all day (Sunday) tring to find stuff to make the time go by,” he
said.

Monroe’s size and speed have college scouts drooling.

“He has excellent footwork and real quick feet,” Owen said.  “He’s a
tremendous pass blocker and is hoping to improve in run blocking this year.
 I look for him to have a real good senior year for us.  And he has good
grades.”

Monroe runs the 40-yard dash in 5.1 seconds, which is outstanding for such
a big man, Owen said.
 

"He’s a big guy that’s a skilled athlete who can really move,” Owen said.
“His strengths are his quick feet and size and long arms to lock out on
pass blocking.  He’s worked with (line) coach (Kim) McWilliams and developed
a real good techinique and all the schools like that.”

Regarded as a tremendous pass blocker, Monroe has strived to improve his
run blocking and his strength.

“He’s improved quite a bit in the weight room,” Owen said of Monroe, who will also
play defensive tackle full-time this year.

“He played defense when we need him to last year,” Owen said.  “We expect
him to be on the field all the time.”

Central lost a host of quality players from its 8-4 team of last season
which lost to Harrison in the Class 4A Sectional 16 Championship Game.

“I will try my hardest to be a team leader,” Monroe said.  “A lot of guys
on our team have the potential to be Division I players.  We hope for an
even better year this year.”

*Thank you Mr. Censored for sharing that article with the rest of us recruitnicks!

Bits and Pieces (4 Aug 98)
    -The commitment of Jason LeDoux to LSU may indirectly help the Vols.  Louisiana is loaded with bluechip LB prospects this year, and LeDoux is not generally considered to be one of the Top Five LBs in the state.  Those five would probably be Treverance Faulk, Brady James, Daniel Giles, Reggie Torbor, and Ryan O'Neal.  With LSU having used almost half of their allotted scholarships already, LeDoux's commitment may help the Vols in the recruitment of Faulk, Torbor, and Roderick Royal, all of whom have the Vols as one of the schools they are considering.
 
    -DL Clint Mitchell of Clearwater Countryside, Florida recently told Border Wars that his top two schools are Florida and Tennessee.  Mitchell's brother Jeff was a Gator O-lineman.  Clint told Border Wars that he was concerned that he would be converted to an OL in college; he wants to play defense.  The Gators converted Jeff Mitchell from a DL to an OL.  Could it be that Clint thinks the Gators might try to shift him to offense, and could this help the Vols in his recruitment?  Florida, having the family connection, has been thought to lead for Mitchell all summer.

    -The Tar Pit reports that defensive lineman Damone Dockett of North Davidson High School, NC has Tennessee and UNC as his top two choices.  According to them, Tennessee has offered and Dockett is leaning to the Vols.  Dockett is 6-7, 255 pounds and runs a 4.9 forty.  His father is reportedly 7'2" and he has two uncles who are 6'10"; Damone may still be growing!
 
    -VolInsider reports that the UT coaching staff still feels good about the Vols' chances to sign national quarterback recruit Gary Brashears out of Clarksville, Arkansas, despite the commitment of A.J. Suggs to UT last week.  Tennessee offers remain on the table for Brashears, C.J. Leake, and Eli Manning.  The Vols continue to evaluate Brian Miller of Johnson City Science Hill.

    -South Carolina Update:  OL Kevin Breedlove of Clemson-Daniel says that Georgia and Clemson now lead.  Tennessee, Michigan, and Stanford round out the top five.  All-World DL Albert Haynesworth said in June that his top four were Fla, FSU, Mich, and Tenn.  In July, he listed a top three of Clemson, SCar, and Tenn with Fla, FSU, Mich, and Ohio St in the picture.  Sounds like the Vols are the only team staying consistently at the top.  Georgia and Rodney Garner are supposedly making a push for Haynesworth as well.

Who Will Be UT's Next Verbal? (4 Aug 98)
    There are indications that Coach Fulmer and the Vols would like to seal the deal with a few other prospects before the season starts in September and the coaches have to focus efforts elsewhere.  Some prospects that could be close to committing to the Vols:  LB Ian Bass and DL Scott Wells of Brentwood Academy, and OL Michael Scruggs of Trousdale County.  Scruggs has some work to do in the classroom.

Auburn, LSU, South Carolina Add Verbals (4 Aug 98)
    Auburn has added a verbal commitment from a big lineman.  Steve Goula, 6-6  290, 5.3, is out of Mobile, AL.  He is the sixth verbal for the Tigers.
    LSU got a verbal from Jason LeDoux, a 6-4  240 DL/LB from West Monroe, LA.  LSU now has nine verbals.  They also have verbal commitments from two players who haven't even started their junior seasons yet.  Who knows, maybe the Bengals will be finished with their 2000 recruiting before 1999 is over.
    South Carolina has four verbals so far:
    Brian Elam DB 6-1 180 North Augusta, SC
    Joe Gray TE 6-5 235 Irmo, SC
    Chris Peterson  DL 6-4 260  New Mexico Military JUCO
    Cleveland Pickney DL 6-1 290 Copiah Lincoln JC
 

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