Five days remain before high school football seniors sign on the dotted line with respective colleges.
So I'm going to look at the Division I schools that have the most commitments from the state of Tennessee.
The criteria is who has signed the most players from the state not just how well the class is overall.
The individual rankings used in the story came from Rivals.
So enjoy and let the debate begin.
7. Kentucky Wildcats
Total Number of Commitments- 23
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 2
Instate Commitments- Dy'shawn Mobley (RB, Powell, No. 23 in the Rivals Tennessee Top 25 ) and Landon Foster (K, Independence)
Cumulative Class Rank- 41
Bottom Line- The Wildcats have a solid overall class coming in to Lexington with their best recruit being QB Patrick Towles (6-5, 235) a big armed quarterback that is the top overall recruit in the state of Kentucky.
Towels is the No. 9 rated pro style quarterback in the nation and the only four star recruit in the Wildcat class.
The recruitment of Mobley is a big get for the Wildcats and UK coach Tee Martin, a former Tennessee player.
All Mobley did this season was set a state record by rushing for 3,068 yards in a season and leading his team to the Class 5A state title game.
Mobley is the only running back committed and Foster is the only kicker in the 2012 class.
Foster was a Mr. Football kicker finalist this season and had a big year for former Titan and Independence coach Kevin Dyson.
6. Cincinnati Bearcats
Total Number of Commitments- 32
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 2
Instate Commitments- Nathan Cole (WR, Memphis Mitchell, ranked No. 14 in Rivals Tennessee Top 25) and Alex Dale (DB, MUS)
Cumulative Class Rank- 33
Bottom Line- The Bearcats have a huge class (32) that is heavy on linebackers with seven in the class.
Cincinnati also had four running backs and wide receivers both in this class for coach Butch Jones' wide open offense.
The big recruit in the class is jitterbug running back Dennis Norfleet (5-7, 170) who is the fifth best all purpose back in the country and the Bearcats got him out of Michigan and beat Michigan State and Tennessee for his services.
On of the four wide receivers is in state guy Nathan Cole who is the No. 2 receiver in Tennessee, the previous two seasons.
Cole the son of Mitchell head coach Nathan, Sr. has good hands and runs excellent routes which will be perfect in Cincinnati's offense.
Dale who is being recruited as an athlete could see action in the Bearcat defensive backfield as he was a stalwart in The MUS secondary all four seasons in high school.
5. Arkansas Razorbacks
Total Number of Commitments- 21
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 2
Instate Commitments- Cordale Boyd (OL, Ridgeway, ranked No. 20) and Brandon Lewis (DE, Ridgeway, No. 21)
Cumulative Class Rank- 21
Bottom Line- The Razorbacks went heavy on defensive ends with six committed in the class as well as four wide receivers on offense.
The best overall prospect in the Class looks to be Jonathan Williams, a four star back from talent rich Allen high school in Texas.
Ridgeway's Cordale Boyd is a big guy (6-4, 290) who has good leverage and is a masher and will a good fit on the Razorback line.
Boyd's teammate in Defensive end Brandon Lewis has the height at six foot 4, but at only 225 pounds will have to put on weight to be successful in the SEC.
4. Memphis Tigers
Total Number of Commitments- 26
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 3
Instate Commitments- Will Gross (QB, Memphis Melrose, No. 15), Latarius Brady (OL, Memphis East) and Tony Mays (OL, Whitehaven).
Cumulative Class Rank- 76
Bottom Line- New Memphis coach Justin Fuente has came in and saved a good class as he has gotten three in state recruits led by Melrose quarterback Will Gross.
Gross, who tore his ACL during his senior season was the commitment that had talked to the other recruits after Larry Porter was fired.
Fuente even was able to flip Memphis East offensive lineman Latarius Brady who is now a Tiger after decommitting from Arkansas State.
Memphis also got a commitment from local boy Tony Mays, a Whitehaven product.
The instate number could grow to six on signing day if they can swing soft verbals to signatures from Ridgeway DB Sheldon Dawson, and Wooddale teammates in WR Daniel Hurd and DE Carl Mitchell.
3. Tennessee Volunteers
Total Number of Commitments- 21
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 3
Instate Commitments- Drae Bowles (WR, Jackson Christian, No. 2), Cody Blanc (ATH, Knoxville Central) and George Bullock (K, Knox. West)
Cumulative Class Rank- 15
Bottom Line- The Volunteers 2012 class is very strong and is a top 20 class nationally according to all three major recruiting sites (Rivals, Scout and 247sports).
They have 10 four star players of their 21 commitments and their best player seems to be Texas defensive back LaDarrell McNeil who has good size (6-1, 190) to play in Sal Sunseri's system.
Where the Volunteers have done well nationally, the same cannot be said for their home state.
Tennessee's only big get of their three home grown prospects is Jackson Christian wide receiver Drae Bowles.
Bowles (6-1. 190) has good size and great hands and can score anytime he touches the football.
He is the No. 1 receiver in the state and second best prospect overall.
But as good as Bowles is, a lot of people think that the Vols reached when they received a commitment from hometown boy Cody Blanc.
Blanc (6-1, 190) has good size and good
speed but he is not rated high with any of the three recruiting services.
Knoxville West kicker George Bullock however was not a reach and was a finalist for Mr. Football kicker of the year and had a good career for West.
But the backlash on coach Derek Dooley has been his inability to get the best the Volunteer state has to offer as they were beaten for four stars Brian Kimbrow and Andrew Jelks by Vanderbilt.
He also never offered good players in Knoxville such as Maryville quarterback Patton Robinette who is a mid-term enrollee at Vanderbilt, Jay Guillermo, Robinette's teammate at Maryville who is a mid-term guy at Clemson and they have yet to offer Mobley who is going to Kentucky.
2. Ole Miss Rebels
Total Number of Commitments- 14
Total Number of Instate Commitments- 4
Instate Commitments- I'tavius Mathers (RB, Blackman, No. 7), Jaylen Walton (RB, Ridgeway, No. 12), C.J. Beathard (QB, BGA, No. 24) and Ben Still (OL, MUS)
Cumulative Class Rank-48
Bottom Line- The Rebel class doesn't have the quantity in it with only 14 commitments but new coach Huge Freeze is looking for quality.
Quality starts with the Best player in Mississippi in defensive end Channing Ward
Ward is the fifth best end in the class of 2012 and is rated No. 51 in Rivals Top 100.
As far as the Tennessee prospects are concerned, the Rebels have two good running backs in four star running back I'tavius Mathers and three star back Jaylen Walton.
Mathers could see immediate playing time in Oxford and was the Class AAA Mr.Football winner while Walton with his speed could see time in the slot or returning punts or kicks.
Beathard, the grandson of former Redskins General Manager Bobby Beathard has good size at (6-2, 190) and has great fundamentals.
Still has good size at (6-3, 290) and has good technique for a guard and could play center at the next level.
1. Vanderbilt Commodores
Total Number of Commitments- 21
Total Number of Instate Commitments-6
Instate Commitments- Brian Kimbrow (RB, Memphis East, No. 4), Caleb Azubike (DE, McGavock, No. 6), Andrew Jelks (OL, Henry County, No. 10), Barrett Gouger (OL, Baylor, No. 16), Patton Robinette (QB, Maryville, No. 18) and Cory Batey (WR, Ensworth, No. 25) and )
Cumulative Class Rank-34
Bottom Line-All Vanderbilt fans should be encouraged by first year coach James Franklin who led the Commodores to the Liberty Bowl and has a top flight class coming in as they are ranked No.25 by Ricals.
The attention to recruiting the Volunteer state hasn't been lost on Franklin as it has on UT.
He has made Tennessee a priority and has preached Vanderbilt'a academic reputation and the great city of Nashville as his recruiting pitch.
And so far players are buying in as all six instate commitments are in Rivals Tennessee Top 25.
The Commodores have upgraded in the speed department with all purpose speedster Brian Kimbrow who runs a blazing 4.28 in the 40,
They also got a four star pass rusher in Caleb Azubike who had 30 tackles for a loss this season
Vanderbilt got two good offensive linemen in Henry County monster (6-6, 260) Andrew Jelks who has length and a nasty streak and Baylor lineman Barrett Gouger who was the first one to commit to Vandy.
They also were able to flip Robinette, the Tennessee Gatorade player of the year after he had been committed to North Carolina.
The Commmodores also upgraded the wide receiver corps by getting Ensworth's Cory Batey who is a physical receiver.
Contact Donovan@donovan.stewart@bellsouth.net
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