JaWuan James is all Volunteer!

by David Hooper on Nov 10, 2009 9:10 PM EST in Tennessee Volunteer Football

Offensive line, hey-O! This evening, JaWuan James made the call to UT recruiting headquarters that resulted in shouts heard across Knoxville: he was officially a Tennessee Volunteers commit. The former Alabama Crimson Tide commit is a Scout 4-star / Rivals 4-star offensive tackle who stands 6'-6" and weighs roughly 300 lbs. He comes from North Gwinnett, Georgia, which is just a little bit north of Atlanta. He had been suspected of being a Volunteer lean for quite some time, though Georgia appeared to be the other option on the table.

[Note by Hooper, 11/11/09 9:34 AM EST ] Great article on James at Scout.com.

The map is now updated:

View Rocky Top Talk Tennessee Volunteers Recruiting Big Board 2010 in a larger map

This brings the current class to a total of 22 which, at the time of this writing, is the #6 overall ranked class on Scout ~~(Rivals has not yet updated)~~ and remains at #6 in Rivals. That places Tennessee behind Alabama and LSU in the SEC, and immediately ahead of Georgia and Florida. More importantly, it addresses the largest need of the class - the offensive line - where graduation and thin roster numbers among juniors and sophomores will leave the program in a bit of a lurch next year.

JaWuan is physically developed enough to play as a freshmen if he learns the offense quickly. He should also be an early enrollee (pending graduation, which is on pace), so he should be available for spring practice. With Aaron Douglas likely moving to left tackle in the spring, James will be available for competition for the right tackle spot - and competition will only make the offense stronger.

There are more offensive linemen on the board, however, and one or two more would be ideal. Keep the ears open in the next month or two to see where the recruiting chimera heads next.

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Big.

The questions about the offensive line look a little better this evening.

Rocky Top Talk

by Will Shelton on Nov 10, 2009 9:22 PM EST reply actions

No kidding.

by David Hooper on Nov 10, 2009 9:26 PM EST up reply actions

Actually

it looks as if we’ll have as many offensive linemen next year as we do this year. I’ll need to double-check my numbers on that. We can still use one, maybe two, more because our numbers were a bit low. But James gets us out of a state of panic.

Paging Chaz Green…

by David Hooper on Nov 10, 2009 9:46 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah

And if he does in fact enroll in January, that’s also huge.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 10, 2009 9:49 PM EST up reply actions

The $$$article says he plans on it.

I’d bet that he will.

by David Hooper on Nov 10, 2009 9:51 PM EST up reply actions

WOO!!!

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 10, 2009 9:31 PM EST reply actions

There's a JuCo O-lineman that likes us.

Vols lead for JUCO lineman John Cullen after visit
Fullerton College (Calif.) offensive lineman John Cullen updated ESPN affiliate Web site OUInsider.com on the current status of his recruitment.

“Right now my No. 1 school is Tennessee,” he said. “It is the first school that I have visited. I have taken unofficial visits to UCLA and San Diego State, but Tennessee was my first official and I really enjoyed it. I have never seen SEC Football before in person, and I have never seen a stadium like that.”

Cullen, who is holding 14-15 total scholarship offers, also lists Auburn, Oklahoma, Miami-FL, Kansas State and Utah as his other top schools.

“The main thing is do I have a chance to play at that school? And I am looking to get out of California, so distance is not a factor at all. And I want to play in a pro style offense. That is the type of offense that I have played in since high school, and the type of offense that we run at Fullerton,” added Cullen.

ESPN.com

I told you we would beat Georgia!! Now, as for those 9 wins in '09......
Lane Kiffin owns lake-front property in Corch Urbie Meyers's head.

by VolBrian on Nov 11, 2009 7:52 AM EST reply actions

I saw this yesterday

Great news. Great great news.

________________________________
Eric Berry is better at football than you.

by kidbourbon on Nov 11, 2009 8:34 AM EST up reply actions

I'm looking forward to hearing on that one.

Right now, getting a JUCO player would be absolutely fantastic for helping restore balance in the rotation, experience-wise. We’re at danger of getting overloaded in next year’s sophomore and freshmen classes, which creates recruiting problems down the line.

by David Hooper on Nov 11, 2009 9:36 AM EST up reply actions

How many OT’s is that for you guys? I did notice this:

Under Armour All-American offensive tackle James Stone (Nashville, Tenn./Maplewood) does not have Tennessee in his top five, ESPN affiliate Web site AuburnUndercover.com reports.

What you're seeing is team spirit. It's like the Holy Spirit, but more powerful.

-Hank Hill

by Zoltar on Nov 11, 2009 10:54 AM EST reply actions

Depends on how you count them.

Right now, the list of offensive linemen total are Jose Jose, Marques Pair, Zach Fulton, and JaWuan James. Of those, only Jose Jose is not explicitly listed as OT (Jose’s most likely a center, but is listed in some places as a guard).

I would expect at least one of the two of Pair and Fulton to move to guard, but I’m not sure which (or both). James is more speed than power, and his length lends itself more to tackle, so I really don’t see him moving inside.

And if John Cullen comes onboard, perhaps both Pair and Fulton spend some early time at guard. Cullen is like Aaron Douglas – a former tight end who outgrew the passing patterns but is still very athletic for the line. He’s much more comfortable on the wings.

by David Hooper on Nov 11, 2009 11:43 AM EST up reply actions