One of the recruits the Tennessee Volunteers tried desperately to flip late in the process was Central Gwinnett (Ga.) linebacker Trey Johnson, who was recruited by new UT linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen.

The speedy four-star outside 'backer even visited Knoxville secretively two weeks ago, going as far as denying he was in Knoxville on his Twitter feed while he was in Knoxville.

Despite all the covertness from Johnson, the former Auburn commitment, stuck with the pledge he made at the Under Armour All-American game, faxing his letter of intent to Ohio State and Urban Meyer on Wednesday morning. Johnson is a definite star in this class, and he would have looked good in orange.

The real battle with the Buckeyes comes with five-star safety Vonn Bell's decision later this morning.