HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Junior college wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (Hutchinson, Kan./Hutchinson CC) said he knew for a while that Tennessee was going to be his school of choice. One last talk with his family on Monday night sealed the deal as Patterson committed to the Volunteers on Wednesday morning. Tennessee fans can rejoice, but they might want to send a special "thank you" note to Furman wide receiver Will King. It was King who convinced Patterson to come out for football when Patterson was a junior and the two were high school teammates in Rock Hill, S.C.

If it wasn't for King, who was the team's quarterback, there is no telling where Patterson's journey would have taken him. It certainly wouldn't have taken him to Knoxville, Tenn. "I played football growing up, but when I got to high school, my love of the game was gone," Patterson said. "I needed a break. My junior year I was ready to get back out there and now here I am; it's crazy." Patterson said King urged him to start playing again because King knew he had the potential to be something special. There is no questioning Patterson's commitment to the game anymore.
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	Daniel McCullers commitment to Tennessee - Defensive Tackle Milledgeville, GA - Georgia Military College. 6'-6, 380 lbs [Photo by AP]

Meet Daniel McCullers, the Vols' Flagship Recruit

  One of the most recent Tennessee commits just so happens to be its biggest-in more ways than one. Just hours after it became widely known that now-former Alabama linebackers coach Sal Sunseri had taken Tennessee's defensive coordinator job, the Vols landed a huge commitment from one of the biggest football players in America. Coming in at a staggering 6'6", 380 pounds, Daniel McCullers might just become the biggest person to ever don the orange and white.

Finding a jersey to fit the giant could prove difficult. However, if there is one mold that McCullers fits it has to be the typical 3-4 nose tackle position. Before head coach Derek Dooley hired Sunseri, that might have been a slight issue since Tennessee has traditionally ran a 4-3 style defense. When Sunseri signed, however, there were reports that the Vols planned to switch to a 3-4 look. Dooley refused to commit to one defensive style in a recent press conference. "We're going to have both. Some plays we'll have two. We might have one some plays. We're going to do it all. Are we going to run some 3-4? Yes. That's what you all want to hear. We're not going to be a 4-3 team. We're going to be a multiple team, which means there will be 3-4 principles. There will be 40 principles." (via utsports.com) It's obvious the head coach doesn't want to be pinned down to one look. Dooley later continued, "There will be some odd looks, third down, everything. It's everything. What we're going to look like next fall is going to be predicated on - as we put stuff in during the spring and in training camp - what can we do well given our personnel?" (via utsports.com)
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	Daniel McCullers is a 6-6, 380 lb defensive lineman out of Georgia Military College. He's number 60 in the drills. Video by ScoutTV

Tennessee Volunteers Add Defensive Line Centerpiece In Daniel McCullers

  It was already shaping up to be a solid defensive front seven recruiting class for the Tennessee Volunteers. On Friday, the Vols added a momentous -- and mountainous -- commitment into the fold. Six-foot-six, 380-pound defensive tackle Daniel McCullers gave his verbal pledge to UT just hours after the Vols secured Sal Sunseri to be their new defensive coordinator. McCullers had been thought to be leaning toward UT ever since Alabama flipped Alphonse Taylor from Florida State, ending the Crimson Tide's recruitment of McCullers, who was reported to be deciding between UA and UT. Mississippi State also offered him as well as Texas A&M and North Carolina State. He is originally from Raleigh, N.C. and has played the past two seasons at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.

Though he is often compared to former Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody -- his nickname is even "Mount McCullers" -- he is bigger and taller than the current Baltimore Ravens nose guard. He told several services that Tennessee presented the best fit for him. With the hiring of Sunseri and the commitment by McCullers, this goes a long way in UT transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 perhaps as early as this year. Tweets from Rivals, the Knoxville News Sentinel and GVX247 have indicated this morning that sources are saying Sunseri will bring a 3-4 base with him to Knoxville.
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	[Photos by AP]

Tino Thomas back on campus with six other new Vols

  The wait is over for Tino Thomas. The defensive back from Memphis Melrose High School is officially back on campus again at Tennessee, and this time there promises to be some practices in store for him. The freshman was initially all set to begin his career with the Vols last fall until a torn labrum suffered while lifting weights changed those plans, forcing him to grayshirt, delaying his arrival and ultimately making him a part of a different signing class. But Thomas is at UT now, and he was joined by six other members of that 2012 signing group on Wednesday as the early enrollees began their first semester with the program.

"I'm just so excited to get back," Thomas told the News Sentinel last month. "I'm just excited to get back with my teammates and everything." Thomas and the Vols already on the roster met a few of those new teammates as they reported for school and the start of preparations for the third season under coach Derek Dooley. UT also welcomed athlete Cody Blanc of Central, running back Alden Hill of Alliance, Ohio, quarterback Nathan Peterman of Fruit Cove, Fla., tight end Justin Meredith of Anderson, S.C., junior college transfer Darrington Sentimore of Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College and defensive lineman Trent Taylor of Lakeland, Fla., to the mix as classes resumed. Dooley is scheduled to address their arrival and the state of the roster this week, meeting with the media at some point today or Friday. Rest of the Class: Dooley will talk about the rest of the 2012 class during an event on National Signing Day at Neyland Stadium.
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A jersey for Christmas

Sometime this week John and Sandra Sims will receive a Tennessee football jersey, No. 67, worn the day their son was buried. It was from the Arkansas game, Nov. 13, 1999, a bad day for additional reasons. The good guy who sent the jersey was Chad Clifton, big body, big heart, Volunteer tackle at the time, more recently affiliated with the Green Bay Packers.

J.D. Sims died in an auto crash that November week in Tupelo, MS. He had lived next door to the Clifton family while attending UT-Martin. He was a life-loving classmate and close friend of Chad's friends, David Glass and Brad Franklin. As grad students at UT, they and Clifton became roommates. Sometime this week John and Sandra Sims will receive a Tennessee football jersey, No. 67, worn the day their son was buried. It was from the Arkansas game, Nov. 13, 1999, a bad day for additional reasons. The good guy who sent the jersey was Chad Clifton, big body, big heart, Volunteer tackle at the time, more recently affiliated with the Green Bay Packers.
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	Tennessee players walk off the field after losing 10-7 to Kentucky. Photo by AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS

Vanderbilt goes to a bowl, Vols stay home with loss to KY

  KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Even in Tennessee's worst seasons, the Volunteers found a way to end on a strong note, be it with a win in their final game of the regular season or a trip to some bowl game. The Vols finished the 2011 season by finding a new low. "Sometimes you don't always get what you want, but a lot of times you get what you deserve. We're not a good football team," coach Derek Dooley said.

With a 10-7 loss to a Kentucky team that fielded a wide receiver at quarterback, Tennessee (5-7, 1-7) wrapped up back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in a century, saw the end of a 26-game winning streak against the Wildcats and finished at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference East Division. The Vols, whose 49 bowl game appearances are tied with Texas as the second most in the nation, also won't be playing in the postseason for the third time in seven seasons. "I feel like we let a bunch of guys down - this team, and definitely the Vol nation," wide receiver Rajion Neal said. It's rock bottom for a team that's had a rough stretch of seasons on Rocky Top.
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  The 105th meeting with Vanderbilt found Tennessee with considerable unfinished late-season business to address Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. Among the agendas on the table: Would the Vols stay in the hunt for a bowl? Could they claim their first SEC win of the season? The answer was thumbs up. Tennessee won 27-21 in overtime on Eric Gordon’s interception and 90-yard return for a touchdown to end the game. Quarterback Tyler Bray played for the first time since he suffered a fractured thumb on Oct. 8 and re-energized the Tennessee offense with two touchdown passes to Da'Rick Rogers.

He also energized the Vanderbilt defense by throwing two interceptions that led to touchdowns, one of them a 100-yard return for a score by Archibald Barnes in the third quarter. But Gordon produced the biggest turnover of them all. Regulation ended 21-21. Tennessee won the toss and elected to start overtime on defense. Vanderbilt made one first down and on third-and-6 at the 11 Jordan Rodgers threw to his right for Wesley Tate. Gordon, a Nashville native, picked off the pass and raced all the way to the south end zone, touching off a wild celebration.
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Evaluating Time

We need to get down to basics in football. I mean give yourself a chance to make a first down when you're in the red zone with one yard to go, and not throw both downs away. I see Alabama went through three coaches in ten years of mediocre football. I don't know if I can wait that long. That would be 2019 to get the right coach here. Right now we don't have 4 million or more to spend in this economic. This season is over unless there's a miracle in the forecast. I like Derek Dooley, he brings some positive things to our program, and experience is the best teacher, and time will tell. The question is: are you willing to wait? Here's what I see for the next two years at Tennessee.

Next year we should complete in the SEC with our experience if we correct the running game and get some recruits in key positions. We should have a winning record of 8-5 or more in 2012. In 2013 with our senior class we should complete, and possible play in the SEC Championship, and have a good bid in a Bowl game. Here's the scenario; if Tennessee flops in the next two years, Tennessee will be looking for another coach, hands down. This time they'll be getting a coach with a winning record that has experience under his belt.
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