We currently have 18 on the board.
I think we lose two (maybe three) soft commitments--possibly someone not currently listed as a soft commitment starts looking around. (16)
I think we get Marlon Brown and a second WR---hopefully Patterson, Bumphis, or Jeffrey. Any of the two will work for me. If no one cancels their visits, Patterson and Brown will tour Tennessee on the same weekend, which could help them bond and start discussing a UT-WR alliance. James Green will also be there that weekend to try and recruit them. If Brown picks Athens, but we get Patterson and Stokes, Tennessee loses a statement pickup, but we get speed and playmaker ability. Kiffin & co. will go looking for a big target to play on the outside in 2010.
(back to 18)
It's no secret Je'Ron stokes wants to play with his brother and he's been talking to multiple would-be suitors. We'd love to have him, but he probably goes to Illinois or another Big-10 program. He certainly seems to be Big-10 bound with a Michigan visit on the horizon and then a possible trip to Penn State.
We get one big surprise on defense---4 or 5 stars. Someone only thought of as a rumor on message boards. (19) Someone who is not currently scheduled for an official visit emerges. We need people on the D-line, but I'd be more than happy with Nico Johnson or Barkevious Mingo at LB (plus it'd piss off Alabma & LSU). Darren Myles (safety) is also considering us for the weekend of the 30th.
We get 2 more bodies on the offensive line. OG/OT (21) With all the visits people are taking, we seem to be slipping on linemen. Someone off the radar could also emerge to take a spot.
Some of these O-linemen are going to drop by the wayside if they haven't already.
We get another TE-- late bloomer/sleeper Zaccheus Mason or someone else. (22) We are currently trailing Southern Cal, UF, & GA in that order for Orson Charles. Z has tons of upside, so it's not that bad. We have returning players who can contribute while Z develops and Kiffin's crew goes after TE's for 2010.
Greg King becomes a Vol (23) perhaps before signing day. He has a visit 1/16 and has stated he wants to come to a decision soon.
One more sleeper/surprise emerges (24) between now and signing day.
We get another DB---Edwards, Hurst, or Jackson (25) It'd be great to get two of them, but I think that's too much to hope for.
Jackson is still an LSU verbal, Edwards sounds positive about TN, and Hurst's video was one of the most exciting ones I've seen---with track speed, he should be able to contribute somewhere. I'd love to see DeMontre Hurst in
ORANGE. As of tonight, he's confirmed to visit Knoxville on the 30th.
Tim Simon (LB) and Willie Ferrell (LB) are also still in play on the defensive side of the ball. After Monte visited J. Davis in Georgia, he also has to be considered a possible signee.
The Tennessean reported that Kiffin is expected to sign up to twenty-six in this class. I haven't seen any figure to contradict that estimate. Between those dismissed from the program for academic or behavioral problems and those incoming freshman who don't qualify it makes sense. It doesn't seem like signings will exceed available slots. With 17 visitors showing on Scout and only one committed to UT and multiple committed to other programs, expect the names to be shuffled and various players to cancel their trips as they lose interest after taking earlier trips to different schools. The list will, in all likelihood grow beyond 20 as TN's staff fights to get guys on campus.
Lastly, I predict that at least one of these predictions will go horribly wrong.
There will of course be new names to enter the picture and we'll lose some people we wanted. We'll wish them luck (so long as they don't go to Alabama or Florida).
This is an optimistic list. I just wanted to offer a possible scenario many TN fans would be pleased with.
There's a great chance it will be obsolete in a matter of days---that's the nature of recruiting.
Who else wants to share a completed or partial list? Without being a behavior monitor---let's try to keep it civil and fun.
A scenario like this would leave Tennessee with 24-25 in this class.
My personal favorites are
Demontre Hurst, Janzen Jackson, Patrick Patterson, Marlon Brown, Nico Johsnon,
Zaccheus Mason, and Darren Myles. It remains to be seen if we're in contention for Myles and Johnson, but if we acquire 2-3 of those seven we'd be flirting with a top-10 class and many eyes would be focused on Knoxville. Tennessee seems to be well on its way to not just salvaging this class, but thriving as many big names come into the fold.
Final prediction: Tennessee signs 24-26 of these players and recruiting junkies become very happy for a few fleeting moments, before everyone returns to normal and begins fighting again. Then things calm down, the season begins and after TN's first loss, someone starts saying, "We should've gotten so-and-so. Things would be different with so-and-so."
Let our hatred of Florida serve as the glue that bonds us together.
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