UT gets sacked for losses
Fulmer defends class, ranked his lowest with Vols
By CHRIS LOW
Tennessean
KNOXVILLE — The only evaluation Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer puts any stock in is that of his own and his coaching staff. Never mind that the recruiting analysts say UT's 2006 signing class is the lowest rated of the Fulmer era, which comes on the heels of the first losing season in the Fulmer era. "I don't worry about the rankings," Fulmer said. "A lot of people are making a lot of money off that right now, and that's OK. It's the American way, I guess. "You really don't know how they're going to do until they get to college. I've had the five-star guy that was a flop, and I've had the two-star guy who's ended up being one of our best players." National Signing Day came and went yesterday with a whimper for the Vols, who lost one of their highest-rated players in the final hour and whiffed on four other players who were still on their board. Tight end Michael Goggans, who'd been committed to Tennessee since August, decided to stay closer to his Alexander City, Ala., home and signed with Auburn. Linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Perry Riley signed with LSU, defensive tackle Aleric Mullins with North Carolina and Greg Davis with West Virginia. "I want to celebrate the ones we got," Fulmer said. "It disappoints you when you lose any of them. But when you recruit 60 and are only going to sign 20 to 22, then you have to lose some of them … or they lose you." The Vols announced 22 signees. Defensive tackle J.T. Mapu is also counted as part of this class, although he didn't sign a letter-of-intent. Mapu has been away for two years on a Mormon mission and plans to be back at UT in July. Rivals.com ranked the class 23rd, while Scout.com ranked it 24th. Both services had the Vols seventh in the Southeastern Conference behind Florida, LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Mississippi. "Sometimes people that make those ratings, they've never seen (the players)," said Fulmer, whose 2005 class was ranked fourth nationally by Rivals.com. "They just go on what somebody else at some coffee shop said."
Fulmer conceded that the Vols didn't close as strongly as they normally do. In addition to Goggans going to Auburn at the last minute, Alcoa High's Brandon Warren reaffirmed his commitment to Florida State on Monday night on a Knoxville television show. "We had a couple of guys out there that were either dangling us or something," Fulmer said. "Unfortunately, that's part of the game. People say, 'Wait until the last day or don't commit. Put your hats out there and pick.' That's tough on the coaches." Fulmer, clearly agitated by some of the deception out there on the recruiting trail, said there was as much lying by prospects this year as he can ever remember. "We had some kids that just flat-out lied to you," he said. "That goes back more to their upbringing." Part of the problem, Fulmer said, is the high-profile prospects are now made out to be celebrities by the media, and some relish in keeping everybody hanging. "It's the generation now out there," Fulmer said. "It's not everywhere, but it's out there. … There are a few out there that make it a show, not only for their parents, but for their schools. You might come or you might not. But just be honest. I don't begrudge anyone for not choosing our school. That happens. We are not going to get every recruit. But just be honest." The 5-6 season last year also didn't help the Vols, not to mention the turnover in their offensive staff. "Officially, this puts an end to 2005, as far as I'm concerned," Fulmer said. "It was frustrating and challenging. What you find out is how great your fans are as you're out there recruiting, how well you're received in schools and how much support you get, and how much people believe in Tennessee football.
"We all believe it was an aberration last year, and we're ready to get back on track. Obviously, signing this many good players, a lot of people believe that as well." Fulmer said the strength of the class was in the offensive and defensive lines. Former Hillsboro High star Walter Fisher is already enrolled in school after spending the last two years at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College. Fulmer thinks Fisher will be a factor next season at defensive end. On the offensive line, the Vols scoured the country for players. They reeled in Cody Pope from San Diego, Ramone Johnson from Chicago, Jacques McClendon from Chattanooga and Darius Myers from Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy. Myers, originally from Cordova, signed year, but was placed in prep school after not qualifying academically. "The proof will be in the pudding over a period of time," Fulmer said in assessing this class. "It depends on the maturity, the development, how they handle the college atmosphere and how fast you can de-recruit them. "To be honest with you, sometimes those guys with five stars, it takes a while to make them realize they put their pants on the same way everybody does. "I like this class. I like the fact that it's physical, a good group of physical guys in it as far as linemen, big tight ends and the three linebackers we have." Fulmer said the Vols came up short in the secondary and would have also liked another receiver and defensive lineman in this class. "Overall, I thought it was a very solid class, good students, good kids, character kids," he said. "We had five guys who were honor students in this class. That's really pleasing." •
No comments:
Post a Comment