Momentum continues to build for Derek Dooley's first full recruiting class, and fears that the Vols had attracted only three-star players have been quieted over the past few days. After landing local o-line product Kyler Kerbyson this week, today the Vols added South Carolina safety Pat Martin to the fold ($). Kerbyson is a four-star player according to Scout.com, and both Scout and Rivals give Martin four stars, making him the highest rated commitment thus far.
The Greenville, SC native is ranked as the 14th best safety prospect in the nation according to Rivals (see his full profile here), and the Vols beat out the Gamecocks to land him (he also had offers from Oklahoma and LSU, among others). He helps fill an immediate need for quality depth in the secondary, making this an even bigger commit with the departure of Darren Myles and the uncertain status of Eddrick Loften.
The Vols now have 14 commitments for the 2011 class - full list after the jump.
Take a look at the whole group here - players listed below with Rivals' national position rank (which are, of course, subject to drastic change during their senior seasons):
- Allan Carson, DT, Alabama
- Justin Coleman, #22 DB, Georgia
- Mack Crowder, #13 C, Tennessee
- Brendan Downs, #23 TE, Tennessee
- Christian Harris, LB, Georgia
- Kyler Kerbyson, #49 OT, Tennessee
- Pat Martin, #14 S, South Carolina
- Juda Parker, DE, Hawaii
- Alan Posey, #43 OT, Georgia
- Andrew Power, TE, Arizona (juco)
- Brian Randolph, #41 S, Georgia
- Trevarris Saulsberry, DT, Florida
- Tom Smith, #43 RB, Florida
- Justin Worley, QB, South Carolina