Armchair Quarterback – Future looks bright thanks to Vol signees

Now begins the saddest time of year. Football season is over and March Madness doesn?t start for another month. We?re stuck in a rut with only the Daytona 500 to provide a little relief from having to watch the Pacers and Celtics on ESPN for our sports fix.

Sure, I could go back and break down the Super Bowl, but we already know the Colts won so what else is there to say? Instead, let?s look to the future, specifically to the future of college football as this week marked commitment week for the top high school stars around the country. It is the relatively quiet deadline for closing of commitment, which, one or two years from now, can pay off in competitive program.

For you Volunteer fans, it was a fruitful signing day as 31 up and coming freshmen inked with Tennessee, more than any other school.

According to ESPN rankings, Tennessee ranked fifth in quality of the recruiting class of 2007 in a top 10 filled with Southeastern Conference schools. Unfortunately for Vol fans, rivals Florida and LSU finished first and second, followed by USC, Texas and Tennessee. Auburn and up and coming South Carolina were right behind the Vols, followed by Oregon, Pitt, Michigan and Notre Dame.

USC inked the two top recruits, those being Everson Griffen, defensive end and running back prodigy (or the next coming of Reggie Bush as the Trojans are saying), and Joe McKnight, who could be a freshman starter if he is as good as billed.

While Tennessee did well, they failed to get their third Clausen brother as Jimmy Clausen, the top quarterback recruit of the year, younger brother of Casey and Matt of Tennessee fame, signed with the Fighting Irish as expected. He has been touted as the best of the brothers.

However, Tennessee isn?t left out in the cold as they got the top-rated cornerback of the 2007 class in Eric Berry, a cornerback/quarterback out of Creekside, Ga., a kid with great closing speed who could also go both ways as one of the Vols offensive threats at receiver. He also passed for over 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns finishing up his high school career.

Defensive end Ben Martin, a 6-6, 225 defensive end out of LaSalle High in Cincinnati, was the next highest signing for the Vols, rated third amongst defensive ends and 21st overall in the signing class. Martin is said to be a fast edge rusher and has good backside pursuit, logging 100 tackles and seven sacks in his senior year.

Tennessee also inked a pair of wideouts for Wide Receiver U., including Ahman Paige out of Sterlington, Louisiana and Gerald Jones out of Oklahoma City, both ranked well inside the top 100 recruits of the class. Tennessee also did its part to keep Tennessee players in Tennessee, although there were only two players from the Volunteer State ranked in the top 100.

The Vols did ink Chris Donald, 6-3, 220 linebacker out of Huntington. The other Tennessee player in the top 100, Rashad Mason out of Pearl-Cohn, signed with North Carolina.

As you would guess, Texas, California, Louisiana and Georgia accounted for the most players in the high school top 100, with an honorable mention for Pennsylvania and Florida.