2003 Tennessee Football Signees

[Sequatchie]

Tom Lemming of ESPN has Tennessee rated as the 9th best class in the country!

 

 

Pos = Name = City,State = HT/WT/40time

 

WR__ Robert Meachem = Tulsa,OK (6-2/202/4.28)

CB__ Brandon Johnson = NE Oklahoma A&M (6-2/195/4.45)

CB__ Jonathan Hefney = Rock Hill,SC (5-10/175/4.45)

DL__ Zarnell Fitch = Navarro,TX JC (6-3/307/ 5.0

OL__ Aaron Sears = Russellville,AL (6-4/285/5.0)

WR__ Bret Smith = Warren,AR (6-3/185/4.4)

LB__ Daniel Brooks = Jackson,TN (6-3/235/4.56)

QB__ Bo Hardegree = Jackson,TN (6-5/195/4.9)

OL__ Eric Young = Union,SC (6-4/280/4.7)

WR__ Jayson Swain = Huntsville,AL (6-2/205/4.45)

CB__ RoShaun Fellows = Warren,AR (6-1/185/4.41)

DE__ Turk McBride = Camden,NJ (6-4/245/4.6)

S___ Corey Campbell = Houston,TX (6-3/205/4.3)

DT__ Tony McDaniel = Columbia,SC (6-6/275/4.8)

TE__ Brad Cottam = Cordova,TN (6-7/227/4.65)

DB__ Antonio Gaines = Covington,TN (5-9/170/4.45)

WR__ Bill Grimes = Douglasville,GA (6-3/205/4.5)

S___ Jarod Parrish = Summerville,GA (6-3/180/4.4)

DE__ Jared Hostetter = Louisa,KY (6-5/275/4.7)

%P___ Britton Colquitt = Knoxville,TN (6-3/185)

% Will count on next season limits!

 

*OL__ Steven Jones = Brentwood,TN (6-6/292/5.0)

*LB__ John Poe = Coffeyville,KS JC (6-0/230/4.6)

* Have enrolled in classes at Tennessee and will participate in spring drills!

 

 

Vols Sign 5 Parade All-Americans!!!

------------------------------------------------------------

WR Robert Meachem

WR Bret Smith

OL Eric Young

DL Turk McBride,

LB Daniel Brooks

All five of these young men were members of the First Team PARADE ALL-AMERICAN TEAM!

 

[Edited by Sequatchie on 2-5-03 4:39P]

 

[Duckbutterbandit]

I see UT signed 5 players from the state out of 19. Is there a problem with high school football in Tennessee? It looks to me that UT lets all the good football players go to Alabama and Auburn. They haven't learned their lesson yet.

[Sequatchie]

Posted by Duckbutterbandit:

I see UT signed 5 players from the state out of 19. Is there a problem with high school football in Tennessee? It looks to me that UT lets all the good football players go to Alabama and Auburn. They haven't learned their lesson yet.

 

5 is enough Daniel Brooks & Jon Poe is the only ones who will probably not have to Redshirt! According to one source Tennessee has signeed so for 10 All-Americans in this class why would you want in State talent other than the best like Brooks!

[Duckbutterbandit]

As was evident this past season, UT dosen't have enough players that play with heart and pride.

[WesVLT]

Well, things sure turned out all right. I was really worried there for a couple weeks! The reason UT doesn't pull an MTSU and @@@@ up on in-state talent is that it prefers to court the blue-chip prospects all throughout the US instead of confining itself to good or great local players. The 5 players signed from the state are all excellent players, and certainly represent the best Tennessee has to offer. You can't get everybody, but I'd say UT did pretty well in-state if you look at the talent of its signees combined with the caliber of out-of-state recruits.

 

Unfortunately, UT can't just sign a good player because he's a local boy. They have scholarship limitations, and have to get great players. I'd say they did that this year.

[iamoz]

Bandit: UTK may not be after more in-state players, but you're right -- their competition is ... Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, Ole Miss, Kentucky.

 

Coach McCollum on Riverdale's Kenyon Buford, Signing Day press conference:

"It's amazing when he commits to Ohio State, and all of a sudden changes to Middle Tennesse and I get media people ask me: 'well, did Ohio State really recruit him?' Well, check their lists, yes they did... he did commit, he was offered. We got Kenyon Buford at Middle Tennessee. There doesn't have to be a question anymore that because a kid comes to Middle Tennessee he wasn't recruited by somebody."

 

It's funny that people do that.

 

I think there's still a lot of hurt feelings at UTK about an in-state recruit by the name of John Henry. And, sure, go ahead and say that he wasn't smart enough to play for UTK (Miami or Notre Dame). It is fact that he was firm with UTK before Signing Day. They wanted him for some reason, I suppose.

 

There's plenty of argument to be done on this subject. I think when coaches lose players they tend to use academics as a crutch so they don't look bad.

 

"Well, only stupid players sign with non-BCS schools" ... "We have rules so that only smart players can play in our conference" ... or this one, which I made up: "Schools in smaller conferences cheat by letting stupid players become students at their school, holding them out of participating in sports for a season per NCAA rules so that they can get used to being in a four-year university setting... what cheap low-lifes they are."

 

I've heard a lot of them. And it seeems to me that if you can pass classes you can play. I don't think there's any rules against that.

[Edited by iamoz on 2-6-03 12:58A]

 

[Duckbutterbandit]

It is just disheartening to see a UTK rooster and maybe 25% of their players are from the state of Tennessee when other schools have done better with in state or at least regional boys. Fulmer evidently is a great recruiter but his coaching skills are lacking. Yes he has one of the best records in the nation but he has at least 5 or 6 sure wins on his schedule every year. He has a national championship under his XXXL belt, but how many more could he have had or at least opportunity. In 01 all he had to do was beat LSU in the SEC championship but his players were out played and he was out coached. He lost control of his team, which he has recruited. Clausen is a joke when it comes to leadership. Keep those California boys out west and these southern boys will play harder.

 

The Duck Butter Bandit

[KevB1990]

Other than the obvious one-year-wonders, tell me one school out there that makes the top 25 that doesn't have 5 or 6 sure wins.

 

Posted by Duckbutterbandit:

It is just disheartening to see a UTK rooster and maybe 25% of their players are from the state of Tennessee when other schools have done better with in state or at least regional boys. Fulmer evidently is a great recruiter but his coaching skills are lacking. Yes he has one of the best records in the nation but he has at least 5 or 6 sure wins on his schedule every year. He has a national championship under his XXXL belt, but how many more could he have had or at least opportunity. In 01 all he had to do was beat LSU in the SEC championship but his players were out played and he was out coached. He lost control of his team, which he has recruited. Clausen is a joke when it comes to leadership. Keep those California boys out west and these southern boys will play harder.

 

The Duck Butter Bandit

[WesVLT]

Fulmer knows the game as thoroughly as anyone. He has a brilliant coaching mind, and you have no right to criticise what you do not know.

[Duckbutterbandit]

Boy, I knew I would ruffle feathers in this thread! Don't get me wrong I don't hate UT. I don't have all the facts on Fulmer, but I'm not blind. If you look at the recruits at UGA you'll see well over 90% of the players are from the state of Georgia. Alabama recruits mostly Alabama players. UTK has a history of recruiting more players from out of state than in state and UT is always in somebody's top 10 recruting class. 25% is a little low. To me it's a slap in the face to TN high school football. I've seen a lot of good high school teams in TN and players don't get consideration from UTK but I don't have the facts. I'm like Schultz, "I KNOW NOTHING!" Fulmer should not forget where his roots are and give a kid from in state a chance. I think they could do just as well as some kid from California or New Jersey or some other place miles from their home. It would make it a whole lot easier to cheer for them.

[Guest MiddleRegion]

I'd say UT had a pretty good year, so it doesn't matter where the prospects are from.

[Duckbutterbandit]

I don't think you'll find many people that would agree that 8 and 5 is a good year for UT. It might be a good year for any other team in the state but not for UTK!