UT commitment Fugate starts season in style

Breathitt County star Channing Fugate started the 2009 season in style by returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, sparking the Bobcats to a 58-24 victory over Mercer County in the Forcht Bank Bowl at Campbellsville Saturday night.

Fugate didn't slow down much after that. The second time he touched the ball he went 35 yards for a TD. The third time he ran 70 yards for a score, but the play was wiped out by a penalty. Fugate also had scoring runs of 49 and 10 yards, and also returned a punt 53 yards for a TD.

"He put on a pretty big show," Coach Mike Holcomb said of the 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior who has committed to Tennessee.

Unofficially, Fugate ran 13 times for 224 yards, more than 140 yards in kick returns, and had five TDs.

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What's really going on with LaDarius Owens

LaDarius Owens' father might have played football at Auburn back in the eighties, but if it's up to UT's staff the younger Owens will be wearing orange and white on Saturdays.

Owens is a beast in the secondary at 6'2-225 who can run a 4.49 / 40 yard dash. No wonder he is rated the #98 player and the #8 outside linebacker in the entire nation. And considering UT's need for physical linebackers and coach Lance Thompson's ties to Alabama, it's no wonder UT has made Owens a top priority in the 2010 class.

If Owens had committed last Friday as planned, there is no doubt in my mind that he would've chosen Auburn since that was who was forcing his hand to commit. Likewise, there is no doubt in my mind that the VOLS were a big reason why Owens delayed his announcement. All I can say is that Owens is at the top of Monte and Thompson's wish list and Owens likes the idea of playing for the person who developed Derrick Brooks into a great outside linebacker.

Auburn fans are crazy if they think that Auburn's coaches are behind this delayed announcement. They should have gotten Owens to commit a long time ago considering the depth Alabama has at linebacker. It's safe to say Owens was the "big recruiting news" that Auburn had promised fans the last two weekends. Now coaches will be focused on Fall camp and the upcoming season which runs the risk of someone jumping Auburn on Owens' short list.

At the end of the day, Bama has too many linebackers and it comes down between Auburn and Tennessee. Considering Thompson's success recruiting Alabama while with the Tide, I like the VOLS chances, a lot. Owens may wind up at Auburn, but is by no means a lock to do so.

TE Millard names 4 favorites

After visiting South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt over the weekend, 4 Star TE Trey Millard (6'3-245-4.5) of Columbia, MO named a top 4.

He said he currently favors Oklahoma, Tennessee, Iowa, and Syracuse with no favorite. Tennessee was not on his favorite list before visiting and was the only one of the three schools he added. He will visit OU in two weeks and hopes to make a decision in the next month. Millard is ranked the #14 TE in the country.

Darius Kilgo down to VOLS and Gamecocks

Gogamecocks.com is reporting that DL Darius Kilgo (6'4-305) of Charlotte has cut his list to USC and Tennessee. Kilgo also has offers from Illinois, Maryland, East Carolina, Minnesota and Michigan State.

Kilgo said there's no leader between the Gamecocks and Vols and likes several things about both schools. "South Carolina, I want to major in criminal justice, and they have a good business school," Kilgo said." I like the campus. I'm getting a lot of personal letters from them. I talked with coach Graham two or three days ago. Tennessee, the business school is on of the tops. And I like their defensive line coach.

The 3 star prospecet plans to commit sometime during the season. He plans to visit both schools and Clemson soon.

Brunetti says he's solid to West Virginia

Should Tennessee not land Scroggins (and the Vols are not expected to), there is speculation they will turn the heat up on Memphis QB Barry Brunetti, who is rated the #1 Dual-threat QB in the nation and participating in the Elite 11 QB camp this week.

However, Brunetti says thanks, but no thanks.

"Like I said, I am solid (to WVU). I am 100%. UT had their chance to recruit me. I am solid. I am going to West Virginia. Tennessee offered me. They offered me a month and a half ago. When I committed, they offered me the day after I committed."

"I am solid. I am a Mountaineer."

Brunetti grew up a VOLS fan and dreamed of playing QB for the VOLS. Don't expect UT coaches to stop recruiting Brunetti if they don't land Scroggins despite his firm commitment to the Mountaineers.

Kyle Prater goes under center

Hillside, IL WR Kyle Prater is among the very best WR's in the 2010 class. But for his high school team who hasn't had a winning season since 1994, Prater may be better utilized at QB his senior season.

This weekend Prater lined up at QB at the Downer's Grove 7 on 7 and wowed spectators with his arm strength. Check out the video above to see Prater in action.

Prater was suppose to visit the VOLS earlier this month and fans were hopeful that Zach Fulton's commitment would help their chances. UT is still in the mix, but Prater favors Illinois, USC, Alabama, and Oklahoma at this time. However, many feel Prater may stay close to home in the end.

UT Should Focus More on Carolina's in Recruiting

I admit I have no real qualifications to question UT's recruiting strategies. And I apologize in advance if this ends up criticizing QB coach David Reaves recruiting capabilities. It isn't my intentions to write a negative piece about anyone, just state what I think is the obvious.

Lance Thompson needs to be recruiting the Carolina's, period. Thus far the 2008 National Recruiter of the Year has one UT commitment to his name and that is J.C. Copeland. I know Thompson has connections in Georgia and Alabama and that is why he is stationed there. And I refuse to believe that it was Nick Saban and the Alabama program that made him so successful as a Tide recruiter. Thompson has that "it" factor, whereas he can universally relate to 18 yr old stud athletes. Instead of putting Thompson in a place he knows, put him in the place that has the most talent and let him do work.

No offense to David Reaves, but he is still learning the ropes and should not be solely in charge of such a talent-rich area. The work he did at USCe as Recruiting Coordinator showed a lot of potential and there is no doubt he is learning from the best right now.

I know Georgia and Alabama are loaded with talent and Thompson has us in good shape with Ambles, Garrison Smith, and Dale Trimble. But do you know how hard it is to pull a kid out of Alabama? After Nick Saban takes his picks and Auburn cleans up the mess, is there really anything left that you couldn't get anywhere else?

As far as I remember UT has always had great success in northern and central Georgia. The Henry County/Stone Mountain area has produced close to a dozen great VOLS and that should continue with Mike Rozier walking on to play QB (Mike Sr. is head coach at Henry County).

But south Georgia is a different story. Gainesville and Valdosta may produce a dozen D1 prospects a year between the two, but there are 5 heavyweight programs that will always have an advantage over UT in the region. UGA, FSU, Auburn, UF, and GT. For those who aren't counting, that is 3 top SEC programs, the top ACC program, and a home state up-and-coming GT.

To the northeast you got the Carolina's, who this year, get credit for 10 of the top 65 players in the nation. Not only is it geographically more favorable than "Dixie," the only teams stopping you from cleaning house are USCe, Clemson, UNC, and NCSU. That's one middle pack SEC team and 3 okay ACC teams. And when it comes to superstar prospects, what do they always say: The SEC is the best and that is where I would like to play. The advantages are obvious.

In my opinion, UT should have had commitments from Corey Miller and Brandon Willis a month ago (after leaving camp). The Byrnes, SC teammates still have UT in their top 5, but it looks like FSU is the leader. That's right, they have already dropped all in-state schools and would rather go play for FSU 10 hours away in the ACC. Lance Thompson would have been all over this.

I'm sure CLK and his staff have a very good reason why they don't do it my way. And it isn't Reaves fault that he is less seasoned and has ties to an area that happens to be loaded with talent this year.

Give Lance Thompson both the Carolina's, north Georgia, and throw in the Virginia Beach area (Chesapeake, Newport, Hampton), and he will be a top 5 recruiter every single year. Combined with Orgeron cleaning house in Louisiana and Mississippi and Gran in South Florida, and you got your self a top 3 class every single years. JMO.

Rettig Finally Gets VOLS Offer

QB Chase Rettig (6'3-205) got his second offer today, and it was one that had been a long time coming. For weeks now Rettig's stock has been on the rise after competing in numerous summer camps around the nation. And although he showed a strong arm and mobility at every camp, he kept hearing the same thing from the nation's top schools: Wait until Scroggins commits (nation's top uncommitted QB prospect).

Rettig had been wanting a UT offer for awhile and even named the VOLS his favorite early on in his recruitment. But despite finally getting that big offer, Rettig still didn't commit on the spot. Hopefully he will soon, but you never know with football recruiting.

For the last couple days, word had begun to spread that QB Jesse Scroggins was leaning towards committing with the hometown USC Trojans. And although Scroggins won't decide until July 25, UT offering Rettig may be a sign that those rumors were true. Just this morning another one of UT's QB prospects committed to Notre Dame and another QB committed to Syracuse. With a domino effect of QB commits, it's no surprise that UT pulled the trigger when it did despite Scroggins future decision.

It's hard to tell how good Rettig is after playing on such a terrible team as a Junior. This year he will be transferring to another school in hopes of developing his skills and earning the respect that many think he deserves. As a sophomore, Rettig did pass for 2,500 yds and 25 TDs and led his team to a divisional title. What is even more impressive is that this was his inaugural season as La Salle's starting QB.

Prior to that season, Rettig attended Steve Clarkson's regional QB camps in both San Jose and San Fransisco. Clarkson is known for his ability to spot talent at the QB position and renowned for mentoring QB's such as Joe Montana, Ben Rothlesberger, Matt Leinart, and J.P. Losman. Just this past weekend, Clarkson held a camp in Maui that featured Joe Montana and hosted many of the nation's top QB's.

Rettig is a QB with an incredibly live arm and an uncanny ability to rifle the ball into tight windows. Additionally, Rettig is equipped with the intelligent decision making skills and a work ethic that is committed to success. With these qualities, it is evident that Rettig possesses a very high ceiling in terms of development.

UT is expected to sign two QB's in the 2010 class and most people think the other one will be Nick Lamaison, a JUCO QB from Mt. San Antonio C.C in California. Despite being only 6'1, Lamaison is a polished passer, makes great decisions, and led his team to a California JUCO championship. Offensive Coor. Jim Chaney is believed to have taken a liking to Lamaison and reminds him of Drew Brees, another short QB Chaney developed while OC at Purdue.

Yesterday I was beginning to hear some new names being mentioned as possible UT QB's. Now that Rettig has been offered, I don't know how legitimate these names are and don't feel comfortable mentioning them until Rettig makes a decision. All I will say is that I had never heard of them until yesterday and none of them are rated higher than Rettig.

Hopefully Rettig will commit to UT soon and it will trigger commitments from offensive playmakers. Thus far, UT has only 3 of 11 commitments on the offensive side of the ball, two OL and 1 FB. I will update you on Rettig's decision as more is released.

VOLS/Gran Doing Work in South Florida

Todd Chandler grew up wanting to play for the University of Miami. Afterall, almost his entire Northwestern team went on to play there after winning a mythical National Championship in 2007. So it was no surprise when the 6'1-290 pound DT committed to Randy Shannon's Hurricanes last December.

But after attending UT's lineman camp a couple weeks ago, Chandler admitted that he was impressed by UT Defensive Line Coach Ed Orgeron and that his mind was beginning to wander.

"Im committed but Tennessee is starting to weigh on me; I can say that," Chandler told GoVolsXtra. "I'll definitely take an officail visit to Tennessee. It's going to come down to signing day," Chandler said.

So how does UT stack up against Miami two weeks after visiting Knoxville?

"I can see myself going to Miami," Chandler told the Miami Herald. "But I'm getting recruited by Tennessee and Georgia the hardest....."But, like I told them, it would take something special for me not to go to UM."

When Lane Kiffin was hired as UT's headcoach he promised fans that his staff would not be outworked in regards to recruiting. Running Backs Coach Eddie Gran, who is in-charge of recruitng South Florida, has already landed 3 committments from the Miami area, including the nation's #1 kicker last week in Michael Palardy.

Michael Langston of FlaVarsity.com says UT & Eddie Gran are making serious noise in South Florida. Of the 100 top prospects in the state, 38 of them have UT in their top 5 or are seriously considering the VOLS according to Langston.

Over the last week UT fans got further proof that Eddie Gran is going to town in the talent rich area. Both the #1 LB Jeff Luc and the #1 CB Lamarcus Joyner announced that they would be using one of their 5 offical visits to check out the VOLS when they play Auburn on Oct. 3. Luc had just returned from a tour of a dozen or so South Eastern schools and apparently UT stuck out the most. UT is the only school that Luc plans to see at this time, but will likely use all 5 of his official visits throughout the season.

I'm sure Miami and all the in-state schools will get their's when recruiting the southern part of the state, but don't count UT out on a couple blue chip recruits like Luc, Joyner, Riggs, and Chandler.

Ash gets Trojan Offer

The offer from the Trojans has been on the mind of Ash for several months, as he and Coach Franklin have built up a strong relationship since the two first started talking.

"I'm happy, I've been waiting a long time for this," said Ash. "Coach Franklin said 'I told you I would get you."

After the Florida Gators, Ash's top school for several months, where does USC rank with the new offer?

"I put them at my top."

Luke Stampini: soFlaFB Full Story

Irish and VOLS offer Rees?

Forest Lake, IL Quarterback Tommy Rees has received interest from many top BCS programs. At one point, UT appeared to be close to offering him, but things dyed down after the Spring evaluation period.

Well yesterday Rees finally got his first big offer, but it was Notre Dame and Charlie Weis that made the call.

The Irish are looking to sign two QB's in 2010 and already received a committment from one of UT's top prospects Andrew Hendrix last week. Rees didn't pull the trigger when he received the offer and maintained a final 3 of ND, Stanford, and UT.

It's being reported that UT also offered Rees this week. But considering the scrunity surrounding UT's QB recruitment and the lack of a formal report until tonight, it is unclear if this is a commitable offer.

Last year Rees threw for 2,200 yds and 22 TDs.

RB Bernard has 9 schools in mind

St. Thomas Aquinas star running back Giovanni Bernard has that old school mentality that oozes from his head coach, George Smith. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Bernard does not display that prototypical South Florida boastfulness on the field, but you had better believe underneath that quiet demeanor of his, burns that swagger that is the common thread among South Florida's standout football players.

Where this talented back will head next fall is a question many want to know, and SoFlafootball.com caught up with him to try to find out.

"Right now, the nine schools are Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, FSU, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Notre Dame, and Nebraska."

Luke Stampini: soFlafootball Full Read

VOLS to host #23 player in the nation

Khairi Fortt (Stamford, CT) is a beast. The 6'3-220 lb is rated the #2 OLB in the country and has schools from all over the country competing for his signature. Right now Fortt does not have a top list but says that UNC and Penn State will make the cut when he names a top 6 at the end of the summer.

Fortt will spend the first part of the week visiting Rutgers with his family before spending four days on UT's campus July 2-5.

It is safe to say that the 4 star stud is seriously considering the VOLS and hopefully he will leave with a strong impression.

Fulton ready to commit to VOLS?

Zach Fulton (6'6-306 lb) was all set this weekend to make a follow up visit with his parents to see the VOLS. Unfortunately, Fulton's grandfather passed away earlier in the week and they couldn't make the trip. Instead the Fulton family left Illinois today and plan on taking in UT the next couple days.

Fulton is the younger brother of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rookie lineman Xavier Fulton, who played at Illinois.

His father Glen told IlliniHQ that Zach is likely to give Coach Lane Kiffin a verbal commitment before he leaves.

"We've got a full schedule for (Monday)," Glen Fulton told IlliniHQ. We will be meeting with Coach Kiffin probably around 12:30. Then we will have our last meeting at 1:30. I would say by then we'll have decided what's going on."

"We're definitely going to make a decision here."

Fulton is ranked the 21st best Offensive Guard in the nation by Rivals.com.

Memphis Tight End gets UT offer

If you thought that signing a QB and a couple big Offensive Lineman is the only issue the VOLS face for the 2010 signing class, you might want to think again. Yesterday I was trying to list TE's who UT may sign in 2010 and couldn't come up with a single prospect that had mutual interest in the VOLS.

Luckily today provided a little hope when CLK's staff extended an offer to Quinton Alton from Memphis Hillcrest. At 6'6-240 he appears to fit the mold of a large SEC TE. One small catch though, Alton has never played a down of football in his life.

Alton is a star basketball player and was offered purely on athleticism and potential. It's a trend that is becoming more and more common, especially in state's like Tennessee where high school basketball is more popular than football.

Tennessee goes into the 2009 season with only three TE's on roster. Senior Jeff Cottam and Junior Luke Stocker will carry the load for now and Ben Bartholomew is an inexperienced project who has played numerous positions. And at 6'2, Bartholomew is more of a H-Back than a traditional TE.

It is unclear who all UT is evaluating at TE. But considering that this was Alton's first offer, it makes me wonder if there are anymore legit TE's left on the board. If not, UT may have to wait until the fall to evaluate rising seniors at the position.

After USC camp, Cobbs on the verge of committing

Don't know how I feel about this one, all I know is it isn't good for the VOLS. After participating in the Rising Stars Camp at USC this week, it appears that top 100 athlete Demarco Cobbs (Tulsa, OK) is favoring the Trojans.

Not that this wasn't probable or expected, but as of this week Cobbs named Bama his leader with no mention to USC. I guess that SoCal weather has that effect on people and I can't say I blame him.

After the camp, Cobbs told an ESPN affiliate that "I'm really leaning towards USC right now" and "I'm going to make a decision pretty soon here."

I really liked UT chances, considering his level of interest for having never visited the school. Cobbs is what I call a can't miss prospect and is going to be a stud at the next level. It's one thing to pull a kid from the Sooner state; it's another when he has close family in LA and there is a Trojan offer on the table.

Rivals.com recruiting expert said of Cobbs after the camp: "If you had the ability to create the perfect receiver, Cobbs would be the end result."

Memphis LB favors LSU

ESPN 150 outside linebacker Justin Maclin says he has LSU as his leader.

"They [LSU] are probably my highest interest right now," Maclin told an ESPN affiliate.

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