| Big Orange Report begins to introduce 2008 UT football recruits | By: Big Orange Report by Warner Agee
| | Meet the Vols
Signing Class 2008
At this writing, Scout.com had this Tennessee signing class ranked No. 35 in the nation and No. 7 in the Southeastern Conference. It is worth noting that Arkansas, which saw its entire football staff change at a late date, is rated at No. 25 nationally and No. 5 in the SEC.
• Ben Bartholomew — FB/LB/DE (6-3, 235, 4.7) from Nashville (Montgomery Bell Academy) — One of the top recruits in the class, big Ben is ranked among the best 10 fullback prospects in America by both Rivals and Scout.com. A two-time all-state selection, Bartholomew was named Mr. Football as a back in Division II. He started three years at middle linebacker and two as a multi-threat fullback for MBA, a team that went undefeated this past season. The Nashville prospect is also a state shot put champion in track and a state wrestling champion in the 215-pound division.
His former running backs coach at MBA, James Counce, calls Bartholomew a warrior and a pure football player. Counce believes that this younger brother of former Volunteer fullback Will Bartholomew might wind up as a defensive end at Tennessee.
He should play early in his Big Orange career.
• Willie Bohannon — DE (6-3, 234, 4.85) from Mobile, Ala. — Rivals ranked this south Alabama senior as the No. 23 overall weak side end while Scout had him slotted at No. 83 in the nation. He was named honorable mention all-state in Alabama this past season. As a senior at Blount High School, he booked 73 tackles, 12 stops for minus yardage, nine quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles. Bohannon was not offered by either Auburn or Alabama.
• Aaron Douglas — TE/DE (6-6, 247, 4.75) from Maryville — One of only two four-star rated recruits signed by UT this year, Douglas is another Vol legacy. His dad, David, lettered as an offensive tackle in 1984-85 and his mother is former Lady Vol basketball player Karla Horton Douglas. He was named the 4A Mr. Football Lineman of the Year in both 2006 and 2007 while helping to lead Maryville to a record of 60-0 and four consecutive state titles. Douglas was also a key member of 2007 state 4A basketball champions.
He reminds some Vol watchers of former UT tight end and current Dallas Cowboy all-pro Jason Whitten. He was the Knoxville News-Sentinel’s No. 1 rated prospect in the state this year.
• Steven Fowlkes — WR/DE (6-5, 216, 4.6) from College Park, Ga. — ESPN ranked him as the No. 121 defensive end prospect in the country. Rivals had him as the No. 19 weak side end and called him the No. 48 overall prospect in Georgia. In 2007, Fowlkes grabbed 24 passes for 400 yards and six touchdowns as a wide receiver and accumulated 53 tackles and 14 sacks on the defensive side of the ball for Banneker High School.
Fowlkes was not offered by his hometown school, the University of Georgia, and will need a redshirt year in Knoxville to add muscle and bulk to his wiry frame.
• Montori Hughes — Lineman (6-5, 280, 5.2) from Murfreesboro — A late offer came his way from Tennessee and he signed. Hughes was named the defensive player of the year in 5A football’s Region 4. The big guy amassed 106 tackles and 25 knockdowns for lost yardage last season. He picked Tennessee over Jacksonville State and Tennessee State. Grades may be a problem here.
• Austin Johnson — MLB (6-3, 238, 4.65) from Hickory, N.C. — Johnson has already enrolled at UT and will participate in spring practice this year. He was named the defensive player of the year in his conference in both 2006 and 2007. A three-star rated player by both Scout and Rivals, Johnson was tabbed the No. 9 fullback prospect in the nation and was among the top 40 at the middle linebacker position. A first team all-state selection in both his junior and senior campaigns, he is a solid prospect who could contribute early in his career as a middle linebacker or defensive end.
Johnson selected Tennessee over North Carolina.
• Casey Kelly — QB (6-4, 192, 4.7) from Sarasota, Fla. — Rivals calls Kelly the No. 17 quarterback recruit in America and Scout has him ranked at No. 20. A versatile two-sport star, he is expected to be taken in the professional baseball free agent draft later this year. If he goes high, he will probably sign and never play a down of football at Tennessee. His career passing numbers at Sarasota High School include 292 completions on 506 attempts for 4,212 yards and 37 touchdowns. Both his father and uncle played big league ball for the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Herman Lathers — OLB (6-0, 207, 4.6) from Baton Rouge, La. — ESPN ranks him as the No. 107 overall outside linebacker in the country. As a senior he tallied 114 tackles, 18 tackles for minus yardage and five quarterback sacks. He was named to the all-region and all-metro teams in Baton Rouge.
Lathers will need a redshirt year to work in the weight and training rooms. He had several small college offers, but decided to play at UT.
• Tauren Poole — TB (5-10, 197, 4.5) from Toccoa, Ga. — Poole ran for 2,138 yards his senior campaign and is the career rushing leader for Stephens County High School with a total of 5,413 yards. Nationally, he was rated No. 25 at running back by Rivals.com and No. 42 by Scout. ESPN listed him as the No. 20 tailback prospect in the nation this year.
He has already enrolled at UT and will participate in spring practice. Poole was not offered by Georgia nor Georgia Tech.
• Prentiss Waggner — DB (6-2, 185, 4.55) from Clinton, La. — One of the more highly rated prospects in this under whelming group, Waggner was tabbed as the No. 7 cover corner in the country by Tom Lemmings. He was also named the No. 17 overall football prospect in Louisiana this year. Rivals (No. 33) and Scout (No. 41) did not view him as quite a big-time prospect as did Lemmings. He was a two-way star for Clinton High School. On offense, he grabbed 37 passes for 873 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Defensively, Waggner had 45 total tackles and pilfered nine aerials last fall. During his high school career, he swiped a total of 26 passes and was a four-year starter in the secondary.
Waggner finished fourth in the 200 meters last spring at the state high school track championships.
• Dallas Thomas — OL (6-6, 266, 5.4) from Baton Rouge, La. — Another player who is going to be close on grades, Thomas is a two-time all-state selection in Louisiana. Rivals has him rated the No. 54 offensive tackle while Scout touts him as the No. 26 offensive guard prospect in America. The Shreveport Times positioned Thomas as the No. 12 overall football prospect in the state this year. Thomas will need a redshirt year to develop upper body strength if he does qualify academically to get into school.
• Marlon Walls — OLB/DE (6-4, 230, 4.6) from Olive Branch, Miss. — One of only three four-star rated players in this class, Walls was the No. 6 overall football prospect in Mississippi this year according to Rivals. Scout ranked him No. 14 in the nation as an outside linebacker while ESPN had him at No. 45. Walls had 127 tackles, 11 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during a terrific senior season. He played at Memphis Wooddale in 2006 where he posted 92 total hits and 13 quarterback sacks.
Walls could play immediately as Tennessee’s depth at both outside linebacker and defensive end is paper thin.
• Rodriquez Wilks — WR (6-1, 195, 4.45) from Smyrna — Wilks is one of the top 10 prospects in Tennessee this year and one of the few marquee players that UT was able to sign inside the borders. Rivals calls him the No. 63 wide receiver recruit and Scout positioned him at No. 75 as a pass catching prospect.
He had a spectacular senior year at Smyrna. Wilks hauled in 77 passes for 1,170 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also returned one punt and one kickoff for six-pointers last season.
The Knoxville News-Sentinel listed him as the No. 2 overall prospect in the state this year. He is the brother of current Volunteer defensive back Marsalous Johnson.
• E.J. Abrams-Ward — WR/OLB (6-5, 216, 4.6) from Thomasville, N.C. — A huge “get” on signing day, Ward helped avert a total disaster in recruiting this year when he inked with the Big Orange. A two-sport star at Thomasville High School, Ward hopes to play both football and basketball for UT. Rivals had a very high opinion of this terrific athlete, ranking him as the No. 11 pure athlete and the No. 1 prospect in North Carolina. PrepStar also listed him as the No. 1 player in Carolina and Scout ranked him as the No. 8 outside linebacker recruit in the country.
He accumulated over 2,000 all-purpose yards on offense last season. Abrams-Ward is a team captain for both football and basketball at his school.
• Carson Anderson — OG (6-3, 278, 5.3) from Florence, Ala. — Another Tennessee legacy, both his father and uncle played football at Tennessee. He was a first-team all-state selection in Alabama 6A last season. Scout rated his as the No. 62 offensive guard prospect but he was not ranked at all by Rivals or ESPN. Anderson started in the offensive line during the Alabama-Mississippi all-star game.
• Preston Bailey — OL (6-5, 325, 5.4) from Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville) — Bailey won the Mr. Football award as the Lineman of the Year in Division II (private schools) this year. Rivals listed him as No. 32 offensive tackle prospect in the nation while Scout checked him in at No. 30. He helped lead MBA to a perfect 13-0 record and state title in 2007. Bailey will probably require a redshirt season to work in the weight room and learn to become a more physical, dominating blocker. He was one of the few players in this class who received offers from other SEC schools. | | | | |
