On Wednesday, Fulmer spent the day with former Michigan offensive coordinator
Mike Debord and former Wolverine quarterback coach
Scott Loeffler. On Monday, Fulmer interviewed University of Richmond head coach
Dave Clawson.
According to a story in the
Richmond Post-Dispatch, Clawson is expecting news from Fulmer on Thursday.
It is believed that the earliest Fulmer would announce anything would be on Friday. And it is also believed that Fulmer is not going to interview anyone else for the position, at least there is not anything set up at this time.
Apparently if UT makes the move to the UM coaches, Mallett will be going to KNnoxville ...
ing Day is rapidly approaching, and with that, recruiting is heating up across the country. That's true in Knoxville as well where Tennessee will play hostto a large crop of official visitors this weekend. Top-100 tailback
De'Anthony Curtis, currently an Arkansascommitment, heads the list of impressive prospects expected on campus.
De'AnthonyCurtis - 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, 4.41 40-yard dash - Tailback
Camden, Ark./Fairview
The skinny: Curtis is one of the most electrifying backs in the South and a prospect the Vols were pursuing hard when he made his verbalcommitment to the home-state 'Hawgs over the summer. With the coaching change in Fayetteville though, Curtis is back in play and has been setting upvisits.
Curtis made an unofficial visit to Knoxville this past summer for camp, and the Vols were in the thick of things the first time around. The staff wasted littletime in re-establishing contact when Houston Nutt left Arkansas and as of now it appears that Curtis will make an official visit to Knoxville in January.
Tennessee is hardly alone in trying to make a late run at Curtis though. Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are two schools that are in the mix, and Nutt has alsomade a pitch for Curtis to follow him to Ole Miss.
Rivals.com rates Curtis as a four-star prospect, the No. 99 overall player in the nation and the No. 7 tailback in the class of '08.
Marlon Walls - 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, 4.55 40-yard dash - Outside linebacker
Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch
The skinny: So what exactly is going on with Walls? Good question, and one that we'll be searching for an answer too Sunday afternoon.
Back in the summer, it looked like Walls, who was living in Memphis at the time, was a strong lean to Tennessee. Ole Miss was in the mix as well, and theRebels' chances got a big boost when Walls moved to Olive Branch, Miss. for his senior year of high school and he committed to Ole Miss in early November.
Things have changed significantly though with Ed Orgeron getting fired at Ole Miss and the staff there undergoing numerous changes. As a result, recentscuttlebutt has the Vols' moving into better position with Walls.
Early in the process, grades were thought to be a big concern with Walls. The latest buzz seems to hint that he's got a solid shot at qualifying now, whichonly enhances his status as a prospect.
On the field Walls is an impressive player with excellent speed for the linebacker position. His size opens up the possibilty of a position switch somewheredown the road, but on film he stands at his linebacker spot.
Florida was a school that Walls had a lot of interest in early in the process, but with Singing Day drawing nearer it's looking more and more like it willbe Tennessee or Ole Miss, the two schools that were in it at the beginning.
Rivals.com rates Walls as a four-star prospect, the No. 19 outside linebacker in the nation and one of the top-250 prospects in the Class of 2008.
Brandon Thompson -6-foot-2, 291 pounds, 5.3 40-yard dash - Defenisve Tackle
Thomasville, Ga./Thomasville
The skinny: To put it lightly, this is one the Vols would love to land. Legitimate shots at landing highly regarded defensive linemen in thisclass don't appear to be presenting themselves in droves at the moment, so making a strong impression on Thompson this weekend is imperative for Tennessee.
The Vols have managed to position themselves well coming out of December, despite not having gotten Thompson on campus yet.
He's made four official visits-to LSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Ohio State-this fall which leaves the Vols with the last crack at making a strongimpression.
Thompson recently named Tennessee one of his favorites, telling Rivals.com last week that he was down to LSU, Clemson and Tennessee.
From that group, he's named Clemson as his leader, and he could decide soon after his visit this weekend.
Rivals.com rates Thompson as a four-star prospect, the No. 7 defensive tackle in the nation and one of the top-250 prospects in the Class of 2008.
Jameel Owens - 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, 4.31 40-yard dash - Wide Receiver
Muskogee, Okla./Muskogee
The skinny: If Tennessee is going to make some noise in January they're going to have to pull off a surprise or two. Landing Owens wouldcertainly qualify, and would also be reminiscent of when the Vols pulled Robert Meachem out of Oklahoma five years ago. A couple of the principles are still inplace from that coup; namely Phillip Fulmer and assistant Steve Caldwell.
Caldwell is the primary recruiter for Owens, and simply getting an official visit from him is an achievement.
On film Owens is one of the most physically imposing receivers in this class. But in addition to all that size and the ability to go up and get the ball,he's got sprinter's speed. Combined with his ability to run through smaller defensive backs, and he's a big-play waiting to happen.
He had initially planned to make his announcement at last week's U.S. Army All-American Bowl, but decided to postpone his plan in order to take two morevisits.
Owens has already visited Texas Tech , Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. He also has a Jan. 18 visit set up to Florida.
His teammate, defensive tackle
Stacey McGee was initially supposed to join Owens on his trip this weekend, but has since cancelled his visit. That has been interpretedas a bad sign in some quarters since many assume the pair will pick the same school.
Rivals.com rates Owens as a four-star prospect, the No. 46 overall player in the nation and the No. 7 wide receiver in the '08 Class.
Marcus Witherspoon -6-foot-2, 215 pounds, 4.5 40-yard dash -Linebacker
Absecon, N.J./Holy Spirit
The skinny: Witherspoon is a long-time Michigan commitment, haven giving the Wolverines a verbal commitment back during the summer, but inlight of Loyd Carr's retirement and widespread changes on the staff in Ann Arbor, he's in the mood to look around a little.
In our conversation with Witherspoon this week he seemed inclined to remain with Michigan, and made it plain he wasn't ready to de-commit. However, thedecision to visit Knoxville this weekend suggests that there's at least a little doubt in play.
One of the top outside linebackers in the 2008 Class, Witherspoon fits the bill of a prototypical 'John Chavis' player at the position. Extremely quickwith the reputation as a big hitter, Witherspoon is reminiscent of the Vols' Rico McCoy when he came out of high school three years ago.
Tennessee has a history of pulling prospects out of New Jersey, but the Vols haven't done so since landing Camden's Turk McBride in the Class of 2003.
Ironically, Phillip Fulmer interviewed two Michigan offensive assistants this week for the Vols' staff vacancies, but Witherspoon said that he had limitedrecruiting contact with the two while they were at Michigan and their potential presence in Knoxville would have no impact on his decision.
Rivals.com rates Witherspoon as a four-star prospect and the No. 17 outside linebacker in this class.
Lavunce Askew - 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, 4.8 40-yard dash - Defensive tackle
Camden, Ark./Fairview
The skinny: Askew is a high school teammate of Curtis and like Curtis, an Arkansas commitment. Obviously, the coaching change in Fayettevillehas injected a little drama into Askew's decision, and the Vols are hoping to give him something to think about.
As with Curtis, Tennessee was prominently involved with Askew early in the process, even getting him to campus for an unofficial visit during the summer.However, his early commitment to Arkansas ended thigns abruptly during the summer.
The Vols were one of the first staffs to get in touch with him after Houston Nutt left Fayetteville though, and Askew as ready to listen.
Like Curtis, he's not made any strong statements about de-committing from the 'Hawgs, but the fact that he's heading to Knoxville this weekend atleast suggests he's open to the idea of heading elsewhere.
Askew would fill a big need up front for Tennessee on the defensive line and it's also reasonable to think that if he has a favorable visit he mightinfluence Curtis to some degree.
Rivals.com rates Askew as a three-star prospect and the No. 41 defensive tackle in the nation.
Marcus Davis - 6-foot-4, 221 pounds, 4.5 40-yard dash - Athlete
Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes
The skinny: Davis is an explosive looking athlete who could project at any number of different positions on the next level.
Davis claims that the Vols are recruiting him as a quarterback, though with the offensive staff in flux at the moment that could be subject to change. Playingquarterback this fall, he accounted for 2,800 yards of total offense.
Athletically, Davis has the kind of ability that could make a move to receiver, tight end, or even the defensive side of the ball feasible for him.
The Vols appear to be very much in the mix for Davis at the moment. In an interview with our Penn State-site this week he placed the Vols in his top-threealong with Penn State and Virginia Tech.
He has already made an official visit to Penn State with a trip to Blacksburg set up for Jan. 25.
Rivls.com rates Davis as a three-star prospect and the No. 20 overall athlete in the nation.
Willie Mobley - 6-foot-2, 260 pounds, 4.85 40-yard dash - Defensive End
Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie
The skinny: Pencil Mobley in as a 'maybe' for this weekend, but the Vols have been recruiting him aggressively in the last couple ofmonths in an effort to get him on campus.
He gave Ohio State a verbal commitment at the close of November, and pulling him from the Buckeyes will be a tall order. The Vols are putting their best footforward though. Defensive end is a need position in this class and Mobley would be a big get in that regard.
Assistant coach Greg Adkins has been recruiting Mobley, so he wasn't affected by the staff turnover. Adkins and Fulmer made an in-home visit with Mobley inearly December, a visit that convinced Mobley to visit at that time. Obviously Ohio State would like to prevent that, so there's some question as towhether or not he'll make it to campus this weekend.
On the field Mobley is an impressive prospect with the kind of size that often leads a player his age to develop into a defensive tackle. Mobley would preferto start his career at end but is open to the possibility of moving inside if that's the best fit for him.
He has indicated that he's not considering any other trips aside from a visit to Tennessee.
Rivals.com rates Mobley as a four-star prospect, the No. 9 strong-side defensive end in the nation and a member of the Rivals.com Top-250.
Dallas Thomas - 6-foot-6, 253 pounds, 4.96 40-yard dash - Offensive Tackle
Baton Rouge, La./Scotlandville
The skinny: The Vols have been chasing offensive lineman as a priority in the 2008 class from the start of their recruiting efforts. WithSigning Day just over a month away, Thomas is looming as one of the more likely candidates to fill that need.
Thomas still needs to add weight to his 6-foot-6 frame, but he's got ample room to add that weight and coaches love his athleticism and footwork.
Thomas has been offered by Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee along with Ole Miss and others. Thomas himself has been largely mum on the subject ofrecruiting since naming Tennessee and Alabama as his top two in early November, but his high school coach has hinted in recent weeks that Tennessee is thefavorite.
Hometown LSU has yet to offer Thomas, and it's reasonable to wonder if increased interest from the Tigers might not change the equation.
Rivals.com rates Thomas as a three-star prospect and the No. 14 prospect in the state of Louisiana.
Aaron Douglas -6-foot-6, 245 pounds, 4.9 40-yard dash - Tight end
Maryville, Tenn./Maryville
The skinny: Like a lot of prospects who commit early, Douglas has sort flown under the radar on the national scene. He'll get noticed whenhe steps onto the field this fall though. The first commitment of the 2008 class and the son of a former Vol (and Lady Vol basketball player), Douglas has beenin the fold since his junior year.
He just got done helping Maryville to yet another state championship on the football field, wrapping up a stellar high school career.
With the emergence of the tight end as a weapon in the Vols' offensive attack, Douglas is a prospect who could have a bright future ahead of him inKnoxville. Blessed with great size and speed, Douglas is far more physically developed than some of the recent tight ends that the Vols have signed, and thenwaited a couple of years for their strength to catch up to their athleticism.
Douglas will no doubt have adjustments to make to the college game, but physically, he'll arrive on campus as an impressive prospect.
Rivals.com rates Douglas as a four-star prospect, the No. 7 tight end in the nation and one of the top-250 prospects in the '08 class.
Andre Wadley -6-foot-2, 245 pounds, 4.88 40-yard dash - Defensive End
Hernando, Miss./Hernando
The skinny: Defensive lineman are always at a premium, and that's true in Tennessee's case this year. Wadley is someone that has flownunder the radar to some degree as it relates to the Vols, but with Signing Day fast approaching he's emerged as a serious target.
Landing him could be a challenge though. He's got some significant ties to the Mississippi State program with an older brother who played for the Bulldogs.He's also been on the Starkville campus numerous times as a visitor.
Auburn is the other school involved, and the Tigers appear to be a serious player. Wadley made an official visit to Auburn in December and indicated to us thisweek that he's looking at the Tigers, Bulldogs and Vols as his only serious choices.
Steve Caldwell, who will be a busy man this weekend, is primarily responsible for Wadley's recruitment. Caldwell has a solid track record in Mississippi,and Walls pointed out to us this week that his relationship with Caldwell is one of the strongest selling points in Tennessee's favor.
Rivals.com rates Wadley as a three-star prospect and the No. 48 defensive end in the nation.
Steven Fowlkes-- 6-foot-5, 213 pounds, 4.65 40-yard dash - Athlete
College Park, Ga./Banneker
The Skinny: Fowlkes was a surprise commitment when he announced for the Vols in August. He had a low-profile at the time, and is stillsomething of a 'sleeper prospect', but he's certainly a player that a lot of college coaches know about now.
Fowlkes is still on the raw side, but he's a standout athlete with intriguing possibilities. Most programs like him as a defensive end, a position thathe'll obviously need to add some weight to play at the college level, but where his frame and speed could be major assets.
Fowlkes also plays receiver in high school, and would like to get a shot on offense when he lands in college. He'll probably get that in Knoxville, but theguess here is that he ends up at defensive end where his potential as a pass rusher makes him an intriguing prospect.
Rivals.com rates Fowlkes as a three-star prospect and the No. 21 weakside defensive end in the nation.