New Opportunity

I've been given the opportunity to write for the site KnoxVegasVols.com, and anyone that finds their way here needs to head over and give it a look! The site is relatively new but is under great management and is poised for a great future. The other writers at KVV are great, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to work with and learn from all of them. So, head on over to KnoxVegasVols.com for all your Vol coverage, and check out our parent site, FanVsFan.com, for all your sports info!

Lost Leaders

Having been a part of the Tennessee football program for the past four or five season, last year's senior class had seen three head coaches and countless position coaches during their time on campus. The instability surrounding the coaching staff caused many of their teammates to leave the program, but those who stuck it out and proved they truly bled orange, will go down in Volunteer history. 

Nick Reveiz, a walk-on, came to Tennessee from Farragut High School in Knoxville. Reveiz, son of former UT kicker Fuad Reveiz, worked himself into a starting role his junior season before suffering an ACL injury early in the season. Reveiz came back even stronger as a senior; leading the team in tackles with 108.

Reveiz went undrafted, but has been signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is currently playing linebacker, fullback, and on special teams. He has impressed with his work ethic but isn't expected to make the 53 man roster.

Denarius Moore was considered by many to only be part of a package deal to bring running back Lennon Creer to Tennessee when he signed with the Vols, however, things changed once Moore got to campus. Creer left the program, and Moore became the team's big play threat. Moore played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore before exploding onto the scene midway through his junior year. His success carried on into his senior season where he caught 47 balls for 981 yards and 9 touchdowns. Moore finished his career seventh on Tennessee's all time leaderboard in both career receiving yardage (2,004) and single season receiving yardage (981).

Moore was drafted in the fifth round, 148th overall, by the Oakland Raiders. His explosiveness, playmaking ability, and consistency in practice has put him in a position to possibly begin the season as a starting receiver for the Raiders, who are already thin at the position due to injuries.

Gerald Jones came to UT as one of the most highly recruited athletes in the nation and quickly showed why. After playing quarterback and corner in high school, Jones broke onto the field as a wildcat quarterback, receiver, and kick and punt returner as a freshman. Although injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential, Jones' first touchdown against Kentucky gave a glimpse of his potential.

Jones was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent and has been a pleasant surprise thus far. However, the Eagles' depth at wide receiver will likely keep Jones from making the roster.

Luke Stocker came to Tennessee for a basketball camp before being introduced to then head coach Phil Fulmer and becoming a football prospect. Stocker followed in the footsteps of former Vol tight ends Brad Cottam and Jason Witten and was drafted in the third round by Tampa Bay following three years as a starter. Stocker caught 85 balls and 8 touchdowns during his time on The Hill.

Stocker is currently injured but is expected to make the Buccaneers regular season roster.

*LaMarcus Thompson has signed with the Atlanta Falcons, and Jarrod Shaw has signed with the Cleveland Browns.

**Chris Walker, Gerald Williams, Savion Frazier, and Victor Thomas are some other notable members of last year's graduating class. Unfortunately, they have been unable to make an NFL squad thus far. 

2012 Recruiting

With only two commitments to start July, many had begun to question coach Derek Dooley and staff's recruiting methods. However, after twelve commits in the last twenty-seven days, most doubts and concerns of Vol fans have been answered.

The defensive front seven has been the major focus of the staff's recruiting efforts this offseason, and last month's string of commits made that obvious. Led by highly-touted inside linebacker Dalton Santos and JuCo defensive tackle Damien Jacobs, this year's class will go a long way toward rebuilding the quality depth Tennessee needs to compete for SEC and national championships in the near future.

Here's a look at Tennessee's recruiting thus far:

--Position--Name--Height--Weight--40 Time--Hometown--Star Rating (via Rivals.com)--

QB: Nathan Peterman - 6-2 210 4.8 - Fruit Cove, FL - 3*
RB: Imani Cross - 6-1 229 4.53 - Gainesville, GA - 3*
RB: Alden Hill - 6-2 220 4.58 - Aliance, OH - 3*
WR: Drae Bowles - 6-1 198 4.5 - Jackson, TN - 4*
WR: Keithon Redding - 6-2 200 4.7 - Decatur, GA - 3*
DE: LaTroy Lewis - 6-4 230 4.7 - Akron, OH - 3*
DT: Damien Jacobs(JuCo) - 6-2 300 4.9 - Scooba, MS - Not Ranked
OLB: Justin King - 6-3 215 - Dunwoody, GA - 3*
OLB: Otha Peters - 6-1 221 4.61- Covington, LA - 3*
OLB: Khalid Henderson - 6-1 210 4.8 - Austell, GA - Not Ranked
MLB: Dalton Santos - 6-3 250 4.7 - Van, TX - 3*

CB: Kenneth Crawley - 6-1 170 x - Washington, DC - 4*
ATH: Cody Blanc - 6-1 190 4.4 - Knoxville, TN - 2*
K/P: George Bullock - 6-1 190 x - Knoxville, TN - 2*

***Look for multiple commits [Santos, Peterman, Peters] to get bumped to higher star ratings after they are re-evaluated during the season, as well as, Henderson and Jacobs being evaluated then ranked.

With fourteen future Vols now committed, remaining spots in this year's class are running thin. Due to a lack of available scholarships, the expectation was for the class to only contain around twenty recruits, but with the recent influx of commits, the possibility of this class reaching a full twenty-five is high. With a full class looking more and more possible, only eleven scholarships now remain open. Here's how I feel these eleven scholarships will be distributed:

WR: 2

TE: 1

OL: 2

DE: 2

DT: 2

LB: 1

DB: 1