Vols? signing class ranked 1 of nation?s best
Tennessee struggled some last year on signing day following a 5-6 season, the first losing record under coach Phillip Fulmer. But the Vols finished 9-4 in 2006 and were able to draw in some of the best talent from Tennessee and other states.
The Vols announced 32 newcomers ?five freshmen who have already enrolled and 27 signees, making it the largest class of Fulmer?s tenure.
?We are extremely excited about this group of young men,? Fulmer said. ?It took a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm by a lot of people. Our coaches, especially; lots of long days and nights and airplane rides and driving backroads and interstates and doing a great job of selling Tennessee football.?
Rivals.com ranked Tennessee?s class at No. 2 behind Florida and ahead of Southern California, and analyst JC Shurburtt hailed the group as a ?resurgent class for Phil Fulmer and Co.?
?Tennessee is not a school that?s going to get all their signees from their state just because of the level of high school football talent, but going out there and beating the bush to find in-state talent and building that base and then going into other states like Maryland, like Louisiana, like Ohio and cherry-picking kids speaks volumes for the recruiting ability of the university and football program,? said Shurburtt, who is Rivals? Southeast recruiting expert.
Max Emfinger, editor of National Blue Chips, ranked Tennessee fourth in his top five with Florida, Southern Cal, LSU and Texas.
?It?s the best class Tennessee has had in a while,? Emfinger said. ?They used to always be in the top five but in the last few years they weren?t in the top five. This is a phenomenal group.?
Scout.com and SuperPrep ranked Tennessee?s class fourth, and CSTV had the Vols at second.
?It?s one of the best classes I?ve seen in 10 years,? said Tom Lemming, host of Generation Next on CSTV.
One of the highlights of the class is Eric Berry of Fairburn, Ga., who is listed as the nation?s top cornerback prospect and best recruit in Georgia by several recruiting services.
Berry is a Parade All-American with fellow signees defensive lineman Ben Martin of Cincinnati and linebacker Chris Donald of Huntingdon, the top prospect in Tennessee.
?It?s been a little while since Tennessee has signed the top kid from the state of Georgia. Because of (Georgia coach) Mark Richt?s success in that state, it?s certainly important to get a foothold back there,? Shurburtt said.