Reviewing the Class of 2007: who showed, who played

by Joel on Jan 28, 2008 6:33 AM EST in Tennessee Volunteer Football Comment 2 comments

With National Signing Day (no, not that one) right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to take a look at last year's class to see how things shook out.

The following guys didn't even make it onto campus:

No. 6, DE Rae Sykes -- DNQ; enrolled at Coffeyville Junior College; plans to re-sign with the Vols (?)
No. 10, DT Rolando Melancon -- DNQ; enrolled at Louisiana Tech?
No. 11, S Deshaun Barnes -- Asked for and received a release from his letter of intent; plans to enroll at Auburn
No. 18 Rufus Williams, who was denied admission.
No. 32, DE Cory Hall -- DNQ; attending Northwest Mississippi Junior College; plans to re-sign with the Vols

Information on these guys is difficult to find. I believe that's all good info, but correct me if I'm wrong. It looks like Sykes and Hall are the only ones we expect to re-sign with Tennessee. We could have used Sykes in 2007, and we can probably use him in 2008.

The following guys enrolled, but didn't play this season:

No. 4, WR Ahmad Paige -- DNP
No. 8, LB Chris Donald -- DNP
No. 12, OL Darris Sawtelle -- DNP
No. 13, WR Todd Campbell -- DNP
No. 16, DT William Brimfield -- DNP
No. 19, RB Daryl Vereen -- DNP
No. 21, OL Cody Pope -- DNP
No. 22, CB Art Evans -- DNP
No. 23, CB C.J. Fleming -- DNP
No. 24, DT Donald Langley -- DNP
No. 26, QB BJ Coleman -- DNP
No. 28, Athlete Anthony Anderson -- DNP
No. 29, WR Tyler Maples -- DNP
No. 30, RB Josh Hawkins -- DNP

The biggest surprise to me here is Ahmad Paige. Anybody know the story with him? Sawtelle, you can sort of understand, what with offensive line being the second toughest position to learn and the fact that we had a solid o-line already established. What about Brimfield and Langley? It would seem that they could have helped on the defensive line.

That leaves these guys, who played at least some during 2007:

No. 1, Athlete Eric Berry
No. 2, DE Ben Martin
No. 3, WR Brent Vinson
No. 5, RB Lennon Creer
No. 7, WR Gerald Jones
No. 8, LB Chris Donald
No. 9, LB Chris Walker
No. 14, WR Darnius Moore
No. 15, S Nevin McKenzie
No. 17, WR Kenny O'Neal
No. 18, DE Rufus Williams
No. 20, CB DeAngelo Willingham
No. 25, RB Dennis Rogan
No. 27, LB Savion Frazier
No. 31, FB Kevin Cooper

Over the next week or two, we'll take a closer look at the guys who played. Initial impressions are that we did a pretty good job of getting the best of the class onto the field this season and gave opportunities to everyone. Berry and Vinson played a lot, and Creer, Jones, Moore, McKenzie, Willingham, and Rogan all played key roles and minutes.

What about you? Anything surprise you here?

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The two DTs

I'd guess that Brimfield needed another year of development. If his first HS coach was that bad, then he only had one year of effectively developing his techniques and actually learning the game. His early success would have been purely a function of his athleticism.

I'd also guess that Langley needed a year to build his academic standing. Going back for a 5th year of school helped him in that he grew another year and was playing against younger kids, but it doesn't change the fact that he needed 5 years to get his diploma. I wouldn't be surprise if the adjustment to the college life slowed down his development as a player during the fall semester, and held him back a bit. If he's the beast his last year of HS makes him out to be, then expect to see him on the field this coming year if his grades are good enough.

Between these two, maybe we aren't quite as thin at DT as we think. It's a blind hope, but at least it's there. Imagine how we'd be without those two.

by Hooper on Jan 29, 2008 12:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Paige

Ahmad Paige was destined for a RS the day he signed an LOI. He's incredibly skinny and lanky, so a year in the weight room was essential. Even in the fall, he made noise by running the best routes of the WRs. I honestly believe he could come out of nowhere in 2008 and contribute a great deal.

by The Power T on Feb 2, 2008 12:05 AM EST reply actions 0 recs