The best recruiting decision Lane Kiffin may have made at Tennessee was moving on under-the-radar QB Tyler Bray, a lanky Californian, who at the time was committed to San Diego State. Back then, Bray's recruiting stock was percolating some. He competed at USC's summer camp, battling for the one QB offers the Trojans' staff was going to extend. It went to Jesse Scroggins.
Ironically, if USC had offered Bray, Scroggins might be at Tennessee now and Bray would be the one redshirting at USC.
Bray had impressed the Elite 11 staff at a regional workout he had in Las Vegas and that earned him a spot at a big Elite 11 camp in Southern California, where the kid shined. As I wrote back then, Bray's stock was really going up.
Kiffin, who already had been intrigued by the late bloomer's film, had called Bob Johnson. The veteran QBs coach, who helps run the Elite 11 camps drills, filled Kiffin in on just how sharp Bray had been as compared to the other top QB prospects around the country. The Vols moved on Bray, who may not have looked great when he first arrived in Knoxville, but right now Derek Dooley has to be thrilled by what his young QB is doing.
Bray and the Vols were fortunate early against Ole Miss that a pass went off Rebel LB Jonathan Cornell right to UT speedster Justin Hunter for an 80-yard TD. After that, Bray really got cranked up. He became the first QB to pass for 300 yards in his first two career starts.