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Tennessee football commitments
(National Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2010)
Signs 25 on and after Feb. 3rd

Player	Position	Height	Weight	40YD	Hometown	Rating
1. Matt Simms	QB	6-3	215	-	Torrance, CA
2. Mychal Rivera	TE	6-4	230	-	Santa Clarita, CA
3. Raiques Crump	LB	6-1	210	4.6	Adamsville, AL
4. Tyler Bray	QB	6-6	187	5.45	Kingburg, CA
5. Dontavis Sapp	DB	6-3	205	-	Valdosta, GA
6. Da'Rick Rogers	WR	6-3	206	4.4	Calhoun, GA
7. Marcques Dixon	ATH	5-10	182	4.41	Decatur, GA
8. Channing Fugate	ATH	6-2	225	-	Jackson, KY
9. Zach Fulton	OL	6-4	306	-	Homewood, IL
10. Jawuan James	OL	6-6	293	5.3	Suwanee, GA
11. James Stone	OL	6-5	297	4.42	Nashville, TN
12. Ted Meline	WR	6-2	171	4.4	Miami, FL
13. Corey Miller	DE	6-4	227	4.6	Duncan, SC
14. Matt Milton	WR	6-6	192	4.57	Mascoutah, IL
15. Marques Pair	OL	6-6	255	5.0	Sumter, SC
16. Michael Palardy	K	6-0	170	-	Ft. Lauderdale, FL
17. John Propst	LB	6-2	215	4.68	Hoover, AL
18. Jacques Smith	DE	6-3	225	-	Ooltewah, TN
19. John Brown	DT	6-2	300	-	Lakeland, FL
20. Dave Clark	DB	6=2	190	4.4	Independence, KS
21. Justin Hunter	WR	6-4	172	4.4	Virginia Beach, VA
22. Martaze Jackson	DE	6-2	202	4.78	Demopolis, AL
23. Eddrick Loften	DB	5-10	195	4.5	Irving, TX
24. Nash Nance	QB	6-3	200	4.7	Calhoun, GA
25. Rajion Neal	RB	5-10	214	4.44	Tyrone, GA

School	Total	Commits	Commits	Commits
1. USC	20	5	14	1
2. Florida	28	4	18	5
3. Texas	25	2	19	4
4. Auburn	32	3	13	13
5. Alabama	26	1	15	9
6. LSU	29	1	15	13
7. Oklahoma	29	0	16	13
8. UCLA	23	1	12	10
9. Tennessee	25	1	12	9
10. Florida State	24	2	8	14
11. California	19	2	7	10
12. Penn State	20	0	12	7
13. Oregon	23	1	10	9
14. Notre Dame	23	0	10	12
15. Texas A&M	23	0	9	13
16. Georgia	19	0	9	9
17. Ole Miss	25	0	8	16
18. Clemson	23	0	9	13
19. West Virginia	21	1	5	13
20. Michigan	27	0	6	20
21. Missouri	23	0	7	16
22. Virginia Tech	21	0	6	15
23. Nebraska	21	0	8	10
24. Miami	28	0	6	18
25. South Carolina	23	1	5	11

News Brief

Football Recruiting 2010

(National Signing Day, Feb. 3, 2010) -- ESPN.com recruiting analyst Tom Lemming's Top 100. ET. Lemming will also have the latest on the top prospects who have yet to commit.
[See Special Web Page]

THE INSIDE SCOOP

	Calhoun High School quarterback Nash Nance, left, and running back Da'Rick Rogers both committed to the University of Tennessee today.

Rogers, Stone, Hunter sign with Vols

  The Vols were hoping to make a receiver connection in the 2010 signing class and while the dust was settling today on National Football Signing Day it appears they had a completion. Top receivers Da’Rick Rogers, 6-3, 215, from Calhoun (GA.) High School and Justin Hunter, 6-5, 180, of Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Va., signed with Tennessee. Leaving the defection of Markeith Ambles to Southern Cal almost painless. The Vols already have 6-6 Matt Milton and Ted Meline on campus as mid-term enrollees.

Tennessee also picked up one of the nation’s top linemen in James Stone, 6-5, 300 pounds from Maplewood High School in Nashville. The Vols signed 17 to bring the list to 25 signees counting the eight mid-term enrollees already in school. Head coach Derek Dooley’s press conference concerning the signing class is set for 5 p.m. today at Neyland Stadium.
FULL STORY >>

	Minor senior defensive end Raiques Crump wraps up Mountain Brook quarterback Chris Branch (12) in a file photo from last season. Crump was made a verbal commitment to Tennessee to accept a scholarship to play football. He is set to sign with the Volunteers on Wednesday's National Signing Day at the school.

LB Crump commits to Vols

The door of opportunity swung wide open for Raiques Crump, and he didn't hesitate. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker from Minor High School in Adamsville, Ala. replaced a departed commitment when he agreed to accept the scholarship offer he had long coveted, a source close to his recruitment said Tuesday. Crump was a backup prospect for linebacker Ralph Williams from Southridge High School in Miami. Williams had been committed to UT but is now expected to sign with Ole Miss.

The News rated him the No. 30 prospect in the state among the Class of 2010. Cook compared Crump favorably to Minor alums Brandon Johnson and Kenneth Hollis. Hollis started 16 games at LSU. Johnson starred at Louisville and has four years in the NFL. He started three games and had 58 tackles for the Cincinnati Bengals this year. "Crump is the best defensive player we've had at Minor in my 10 years," Cook said. "He's better than Johnson and Hollis were in high school. I have no doubt. I could never fault that kid for his motor. He was wide open always at all times."
FULL STORY >>

	Five-star WR Da'Rick Rogers

Five-star Rogers to sign with Vols

  The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Calhoun, Georgia, five-star wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers has changed his mind and will sign with Tennessee on Wednesday. Rogers and teammate Nash Nance made an official visit on January 23, and then both returned to the UT campus on an unofficial visit to attend the Vols basketball game with Florida. By then, Nance had already committed to Tennessee.

The newspaper's online story quotes another Georgia recruit as saying Rogers had informed him of his decision to sign with the Vols in a 9:45 a.m. ceremony at his school. Rogers is rated the number two receiver and the number nine best player overall by Rivals.com. If the report is accurate, he would be UT's 25th commitment and its only five-star player. WBIR.com/Atlanta Journal Constitution
FULL STORY >>

	LB John Propst, DB Dave Clark and Dontavis Sapp committed to the Vols Sunday

Trifecta Sunday: Defensive backs Clark, Sapp, LB Probst pick Vols

  Tennessee picked up at three commitments on Sunday. Defensive backs Dave Clark and Dontavis Sapp along with linebacker John Propst told the News Sentinel they committed during their official visit this weekend. Clark could fill an immediate need for UT. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety from Independence Community College will find a vastly different secondary than the Vols boasted last season since All-American safety Eric Berry and cornerback Dennis Rogan skipped their senior seasons to enter the NFL draft.

“Basically, the playing time is going to be up to me and what I do in practice,” said Clark, who picked the Vols over Louisiana Tech, Colorado and Memphis. Sapp could also benefit from UT’s immediate need in the defensive backfield. The 6-3, 205-pound safety from Valdosta (Ga.) High School had been committed to East Carolina since December, but jumped at the chance when UT came calling.
FULL STORY >>

Neal chooses Volunteers over Dawgs

  One weekend in Knoxville was enough for one former Mississippi State commitment to change his mind. The Rocky Top experience along with new head coach Derek Dooley was enough to sway Georgia running back Rajion Neal to be a Volunteer. “I had a great time during the visit too,” Neal told Scout.com “The campus was real nice, the coaches were nice, I liked the facilities, and I just got to know about everything up there. We felt each other out, I learned as much as I could, and we decided that Tennessee was best for me.” Telling new Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen about his decision wasn’t easy for Neal.

“It was tough to tell Mississippi State no because I have been through the recruiting process with them for about a year now,” Neal said. “I spent a lot of time there, I knew the coaches there well, and it was a hard thing to do.” Dooly and Tennessee offensive coordinator Jim Chaney apparently made a good impression on Neal.
FULL STORY >>

Vols land big on juco tight end from California

  The Vols picked up their 20th commitment tonight, with JUCO tight End Mychal Rivera. Rivera originally committed to Oregon in 2008, before spending a year at College of the Canyons JC. Rivera is 6'4" 230 lbs, and has three years of eligibility left. Rivera was not on Tennessee's board until recently, but he will provide some much needed depth at the Tight End Position.

Rivera chose the Vols over Oregon, Kansas State, and South Carolina. Welcome to Big Orange Country Mychal! On a side note, Coach Derek Dooley has an in home visit with Nashville Offensive Guard James Stone tonight. There is some hope that a verbal could come out of this visit. Volquest.com says Rivera chose Tennessee over Kansas State. College of the Canyons tight end Mychal Rivera has been through the recruiting process before. Coming out of high school, the California native signed on the dotted line with Oregon. Volquest.com
FULL STORY >>

	Glenn Stanley is a four-star linebacker from Eastern Arizona Junior College.

Juco defensive standout Stanley picks Vols

  Glenn Stanley, a four-star linebacker from Eastern Arizona Junior College, committed to Tennessee late Sunday. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Stanley was one of nine official visitors to UT this weekend. He played at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala, Fla., and committed to Central Florida on Oct. 22. The Orlando Sentinel reported that Stanley was supposed to enroll at UCF in January but never started classes. “What really sets him apart is his speed,” Eastern Arizona coach John O’Mera told The Orlando Sentinel last October. “He is 6-foot-2, 250, but he can run the 40 in 4.4. Not many people can do that. He just can get all over the field to make plays.”

Stanley was named to the Western State Football League first team. UT has 19 commitments, eight of which are already enrolled. The Vols are expected to sign approximately 27 prospects. National Signing Day is Feb. 3.
FULL STORY >>

	Despite what the jersey says, Loften is the newest Vol. He is the 14th-rated safety in the country by Rivals.com.

After talking to Dooley, DB Loften commits to Vols

  Apparently Tennessee doesn’t need Willie Mack Garza to close a deal. Derek Dooley, who was named UT’s coach last Friday, has already sealed a big one without the departed assistant. Eddrick Loften confirmed his intentions to sign with UT on Saturday, and the commitment from the defensive back out of Irving, Texas gives Dooley another solid addition to a class that has seemingly picked up steam over the last few days. And considering the 5-10, 195-pounder’s position, it provided another example that even with some uncertainty on the staff still, the new guy leading it knows what he’s doing.

“Coach Dooley is a straightforward person,” Loften said after becoming the 17th commitment for 2010 along with eight mid-term enrollees. “He told me he wants to come in and change the whole program around and everything, he told me about his background from NFL to college and everything he’s done, so he seemed like a pretty cool guy to me.
FULL STORY >>

	The four-star prospect Justin Hunter has also collected scholarship offers from 14 major colleges.

Receiver Hunter switching to Tennessee

  A coaching change helped land Tennessee a top-flight prospect — and it had nothing to do with Lane Kiffin. Justin Hunter committed to UT according to multiple media reports because of the departure of receivers coach D.J. McCarthy from LSU, according to Hunter’s high school coach, Chris Scott of Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, Va. Scott told Virginiapreps.com that Hunter, who had been committed to LSU since May, was interested in attending a college closer to home. McCarthy resigned amid reports of potential NCAA recruiting violations last month.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound receiver is considered one of the top receiver prospects in the nation. He was considering UT under former coach Lane Kiffin and visited Knoxville’s campus last year. Kiffin’s staff, however, wasn’t able to lure Hunter away from LSU despite some persistent recruiting. Hunter is the first public commitment under newly hired UT coach Derek Dooley.
FULL STORY >>

	Ooltewah's Jacques Smith

Ooltewah's Smith to stick with UT

  The whirlwind last five days are over and Jacques Smith is back where he wanted to be all along. The former Ooltewah High School All America defensive end reconfirmed his commitment to the University of Tennessee and will be back at the school, attending class, by Tuesday. "I felt like I was going to wind up back at UT but I wanted to talk with Coach (Derek) Dooley to make sure that's where I belonged," Smith said in an exclusive interview with the Times Free Press. "He started the conversation by trying to talk me into coming back and before he got very far I told him I would be back.

I didn't want to waste any more of his time because we have a lot of other guys that he needs to be working on. "I wanted to let him know real quick that I am still the guy who wants to play for Tennessee more than anybody."
FULL STORY >>

	Southwest DeKalb's Marques Dixon (1) runs for a touchdown in first half. Southwest DeKalb shuts out Tucker.

Dixon commits after getting official offer

  With a verbal offer in hand, all it took for one Georgia athlete was the official offer from the University of Tennessee Volunteers. That offer came Monday morning for Southwest DeKalb athlete Marques Dixon in the form of an in-home visit with recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron. That’s all it took, as shortly after the Vols coach left Dixon’s home, he decided to pull the trigger.

“Coach Orgeron was great,” Dixon said. “He laid a complete plan for me. He went over my academics, gave me a plan for me to be able to get ready for the next level. He broke down the roster and showed me where I can be an asset to their program.” With offer in hand, Dixon had some thinking to do. “I visited with my parents after Coach O left, and we realized this was the best situation for me,” Dixon said. “Miami and Alabama has been coming on strong recently. I had a lot of options.” Dixon became the Vols 20th commitment for the Class of 2010. Dixon got a chance to visit Rocky Top for the South Carolina versus Tennessee game.
FULL STORY >>

	Jacques Smith, a 6-foot-2 defensive end from Ooltewah High School.

Ooltewah's Smith ready for UT

  Jacques Smith is ready to move on. So ready, in fact, that the U.S. Army All-American Bowl won't be just an all-star game for the News Sentinel's top prospect in the state of Tennessee. The event, which will be held on Jan. 9 in San Antonio's Alamodome, is a chance to prove the doubters wrong who questioned his character when his high school career came to an abrupt, unceremonious end last month.

"It's something nobody should ever have to go through," the 6-foot-2, 240-pound defensive end said of Ooltewah's decision to suspend him for what would have been his last high school game, a 24-7 loss to Farragut in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs. "I can understand the whole situation but I still today don't agree with the punishment. What happened happened. I can't change anything." What happened was a punch thrown against a teammate in practice, a decision made in a millisecond that had wide-ranging repercussions on Smith, his team and his high school.
FULL STORY >>

	The raw, athletic Pair was impressive in Knoxville in early June.

Pair makes it a pair of Monday commitments

 When he arrived at the University of Tennessee's one-day camp for lineman earlier this month, Marques Pair was a relative unknown in the ultra-competitive world of football recruiting. A good performance in front of myriad media outlets, not to mention the Volunteers' coaching staff, changed things for the athletic but raw 6-foot-6-inch, 255-pounder from Sumter, S.C. On Monday, just as Pair's recruitment was reaching a bit of a frenzied state with increased interest from UT, South Carolina, North Carolina, Clemson, N.C. State and Auburn, Pair ended the suspense when he pledged to UT.

"Pretty much just when I went to their camp, I did my thing that I was told to do by the coaches and it just went from there. They liked me, like what they see and I liked their camp," said the well-spoken Pair, who also is solid in the classroom with nearly a 3.0 GPA. "I started talking to some coaches and players and the next thing you know, I got the offer and I committed."
FULL STORY >>

Fulton boosts UT signing class

Zach Fulton, an imposing 6-5, 315-pound offensive tackle prospect from Homewood High in Flossmoor, Ill., committed to the Vols at around 1:45 today during a meeting with UT head coach Lane Kiffin. "I feel great; it's a big weight off my back," Fulton said, relieved and elated as he chatted outside the UT Football Complex. "Now I can focus on my (high school) team. I want to concentrate on winning a state championship, so I'm glad to get the recruiting process over with."

Verbal commitments are not binding but he said his decision is final and that he will not visit any more schools. After describing himself as "more of a run blocker, a big mauler guy," the newest Vol commitment qualified by noting that "I like pass blocking a lot, and I feel I'm balanced." Fulton made an unofficial visit to the campus in March, then returned June 1 for Tennessee's Lineman Camp.
FULL STORY >>