Thanks for posting this, BigBeefe. He does sound sorta stuck on Oregon, so I voted for them. Hopefully my answer will change Monday if you ask me again.

Honestly, it makes more sense to call him “committed” to Oregon at the moment, despite the lingo. For Tennessee to get him, I think it comes down to:

+ Proving that the offense will be viable. Separate from the next points, I simply mean that the scheme has a reasonable chance of success against the defenses of the SEC.
+ Demonstrating a good chance at playing time. Honestly, UT has a decent set of running backs at the moment in Hardesty, Creer and Poole. Either Kiffin will need to show that he’ll use a deep RB rotation or that an incoming freshman has a chance to pick up the system well enough to make an impact in the first year.
+ Confidence in the QB situation. His comment about surrounding himself with good offensive weapons is spot-on to our concerns. If he thinks that UT will be 1-dimensional in ‘09, he won’t come. It may mean fewer carries, but a strong passing game is a running back’s second-best friend (after a strong O-line).
+ More than a football factory. He spoke a lot about lifetime friendships and relationships. Does UT still have the sense of family that existed under Fulmer? Is there enough time to demonstrate it?

This kid is a supreme example of why you can’t turn around a recruiting class in 2 months. I don’t think he and his family will be able to establish the necessary ties and confidence with UT to sign on the orange line. If he doesn’t come to Knoxville, I’ll have absolutely no hard feelings over that – it’s simply the way it works and I’d probably feel the same way in his situation.

Here or elsewhere, best of luck to him.

Would love to have him, though.