Vols recruiting’07 class shaping up

***See current list of UT football commitments at bottom It appears the University of Tennessee football program will enter the upcoming dead period for college football recruiting with a total of 24 commitments for the Class of 2007, good enough for a ranking of 4th in America according to Rivals.com. Tennessee’s prospective recruiting class jumped from fifth to fourth nationally in the last 72 hours following the Sunday commitment of prized cornerback prospect Eric Berry from Fairburn, Georgia. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Berry, who is considered the nation’s top high school cornerback prospect and No. 4 prospect overall by Rivals.com, confirmed his intentions to sign with UT on national signing day a couple days after a personal visit from Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer. An indication of just how competitive football recruiting is in the Southeastern Conference is that despite the fact the Vols are ranked 4th among all the other Division I college football programs, they’re only ranked third in their own conference. According to the Rivals.com website that focuses on recruiting, Florida and LSU still have more renowned potential signing classes than the Vols. The University of Texas continues to reap benefits from having such a grand crop of high school football talent within its own state. Texas, which boasts the top-ranked potential signing class according to Rivals, has 23 commitments so far, and 20 of the future Longhorns hail from the state of Texas. Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer apparently hasn’t lost his magic touch when it comes to recruiting. Although Fulmer and the Vols look to be about to lose a top-caliber kid from their own back yard, Catholic athlete prospect Harrison Smith, a 4-star recruit according to Rivals.com, the Vols have already secured pledges from some of America’s top prep football talent. As always, the defensive side of the ball—the defensive line in particular—will more than likely be the make or break area of the recruiting class when all is said and done four or five years from now. Because Smith is arguably the top high school football player to come through the prep ranks in the Knoxville metropolitan area since Austin-East/Penn State running back LeRoy Thomson in the 1980s, much hoopla has surrounded his recruitment and his apparent allegiance to Notre Dame. According to the Rivals.com rankings of the nation’s top ‘athlete’ prospects however, the Vols already have a commitment from a higher-regarded player with similar skills and attributes as the Catholic High School standout. Whereas Smith is the 19th ranked ‘athlete’ by Rivals, Gerald Jones, a 6-foot, 185-pound speedster from Oklahoma, is the 5th ranked ‘athlete’ in America by the website and has already pledged his services to the Vols. Tennessee is also high on the list of Rivals’ top outside linebacker, 6-foot-2, 220-pound Chris Donald from West Tennessee. Donald has reportedly narrowed his list of potential schools to North Carolina and UT. Tennessee acquired a pledge last week from Chris Walker, also a West Tennessee linebacker prospect, who is said to be friends with Donald and could influence his college choice in favor of the Vols. Marvin Austin and Ben Martin could be the Vols’ two most wanted players left on the prospect list, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Austin, a 6-foot-2, 291-pounder from Washington D.C., is the top-ranked defensive tackle in America according to Rivals. UT must beat out Florida State, Southern California and North Carolina to win the 5-star recruit’s services. Martin is a rangy 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end prospect from Ohio who is also considering his homestate Buckeyes, Florida and Notre Dame. Other defensive end prospects still believed to be on the Vols’ list include Charles Dunlap, a 5-star recruit from UT defensive coordinator John Chavis’ homestate of South Carolina, Rae Sykes, the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Alcoa product who is deciding between the Vols, Florida State and LSU. Will Blackwell, Rivals’ 10th best defensive tackle prospect, Simi Fili, a 6-foot-2, 329 pounder from Utah, and Kaniela Tuipulotu, a Hawaii native, are some other 4-star defensive line prospects believed to be heavily considering going to college in Knoxville. Some of the top offensive prospects left on the board for the Vols include Terance Toliver, a 5-star receiver from Texas; Lennon Creer, the 3rd best running back prospect in the country according to Rivals; Kristopher O’ Dowd, a 4-star 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman and Anthony Davis, the 3rd best offensive guard prospect in America, according to Rivals. The first day a high school football player can officially sign with their chosen college is February 6th, 2007. UT commitments through Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006 Anthony Anderson Ath Knoxville Deshaun Barnes DB Tallahassee, FL. Eric Berry DB Fairburn, GA. Todd Campbell WR Franklin B.J. Coleman QB Chattanooga Kevin Cooper RB Chattanooga Art Evans Ath Lakeland, FL. C.J. Fleming DB Highland Springs, VA. Savion Frazier LB Woodbridge, VA. Josh Hawkins RB Loudon Gerald Jones Ath Oklahoma City, OK. Donald Langley DT Germantown, MD. Tyler Maples WR Maryville Kenny O’Neal WR San Francisco, CA. Cody Pope OL San Diego, CA. Dennis Rogan RB Knoxville Darris Sawtelle OL Birmingham, MI. Daryl Vereen RB Hendersonville, NC. Brent Vinson Ath Chatham, VA. Chris Walker LB Memphis, TN Gerald Williams LB Fork Union, VA. Rufus Williams LB Titusville, Fla. D. Willingham DB Palm Desert, CA.