HUTCHINSON, Kan. -- Junior college wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (Hutchinson, Kan./Hutchinson CC) said he knew for a while that Tennessee was going to be his school of choice. One last talk with his family on Monday night sealed the deal as Patterson committed to the Volunteers on Wednesday morning. Tennessee fans can rejoice, but they might want to send a special "thank you" note to Furman wide receiver Will King. It was King who convinced Patterson to come out for football when Patterson was a junior and the two were high school teammates in Rock Hill, S.C.

If it wasn't for King, who was the team's quarterback, there is no telling where Patterson's journey would have taken him. It certainly wouldn't have taken him to Knoxville, Tenn. "I played football growing up, but when I got to high school, my love of the game was gone," Patterson said. "I needed a break. My junior year I was ready to get back out there and now here I am; it's crazy." Patterson said King urged him to start playing again because King knew he had the potential to be something special. There is no questioning Patterson's commitment to the game anymore.
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	Daniel McCullers commitment to Tennessee - Defensive Tackle Milledgeville, GA - Georgia Military College. 6'-6, 380 lbs [Photo by AP]

Meet Daniel McCullers, the Vols' Flagship Recruit

  One of the most recent Tennessee commits just so happens to be its biggest-in more ways than one. Just hours after it became widely known that now-former Alabama linebackers coach Sal Sunseri had taken Tennessee's defensive coordinator job, the Vols landed a huge commitment from one of the biggest football players in America. Coming in at a staggering 6'6", 380 pounds, Daniel McCullers might just become the biggest person to ever don the orange and white.

Finding a jersey to fit the giant could prove difficult. However, if there is one mold that McCullers fits it has to be the typical 3-4 nose tackle position. Before head coach Derek Dooley hired Sunseri, that might have been a slight issue since Tennessee has traditionally ran a 4-3 style defense. When Sunseri signed, however, there were reports that the Vols planned to switch to a 3-4 look. Dooley refused to commit to one defensive style in a recent press conference. "We're going to have both. Some plays we'll have two. We might have one some plays. We're going to do it all. Are we going to run some 3-4? Yes. That's what you all want to hear. We're not going to be a 4-3 team. We're going to be a multiple team, which means there will be 3-4 principles. There will be 40 principles." (via utsports.com) It's obvious the head coach doesn't want to be pinned down to one look. Dooley later continued, "There will be some odd looks, third down, everything. It's everything. What we're going to look like next fall is going to be predicated on - as we put stuff in during the spring and in training camp - what can we do well given our personnel?" (via utsports.com)
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	Daniel McCullers is a 6-6, 380 lb defensive lineman out of Georgia Military College. He's number 60 in the drills. Video by ScoutTV

Tennessee Volunteers Add Defensive Line Centerpiece In Daniel McCullers

  It was already shaping up to be a solid defensive front seven recruiting class for the Tennessee Volunteers. On Friday, the Vols added a momentous -- and mountainous -- commitment into the fold. Six-foot-six, 380-pound defensive tackle Daniel McCullers gave his verbal pledge to UT just hours after the Vols secured Sal Sunseri to be their new defensive coordinator. McCullers had been thought to be leaning toward UT ever since Alabama flipped Alphonse Taylor from Florida State, ending the Crimson Tide's recruitment of McCullers, who was reported to be deciding between UA and UT. Mississippi State also offered him as well as Texas A&M and North Carolina State. He is originally from Raleigh, N.C. and has played the past two seasons at Georgia Military College in Milledgeville.

Though he is often compared to former Alabama defensive tackle Terrence Cody -- his nickname is even "Mount McCullers" -- he is bigger and taller than the current Baltimore Ravens nose guard. He told several services that Tennessee presented the best fit for him. With the hiring of Sunseri and the commitment by McCullers, this goes a long way in UT transitioning from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 perhaps as early as this year. Tweets from Rivals, the Knoxville News Sentinel and GVX247 have indicated this morning that sources are saying Sunseri will bring a 3-4 base with him to Knoxville.
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	[Photos by AP]

Tino Thomas back on campus with six other new Vols

  The wait is over for Tino Thomas. The defensive back from Memphis Melrose High School is officially back on campus again at Tennessee, and this time there promises to be some practices in store for him. The freshman was initially all set to begin his career with the Vols last fall until a torn labrum suffered while lifting weights changed those plans, forcing him to grayshirt, delaying his arrival and ultimately making him a part of a different signing class. But Thomas is at UT now, and he was joined by six other members of that 2012 signing group on Wednesday as the early enrollees began their first semester with the program.

"I'm just so excited to get back," Thomas told the News Sentinel last month. "I'm just excited to get back with my teammates and everything." Thomas and the Vols already on the roster met a few of those new teammates as they reported for school and the start of preparations for the third season under coach Derek Dooley. UT also welcomed athlete Cody Blanc of Central, running back Alden Hill of Alliance, Ohio, quarterback Nathan Peterman of Fruit Cove, Fla., tight end Justin Meredith of Anderson, S.C., junior college transfer Darrington Sentimore of Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College and defensive lineman Trent Taylor of Lakeland, Fla., to the mix as classes resumed. Dooley is scheduled to address their arrival and the state of the roster this week, meeting with the media at some point today or Friday. Rest of the Class: Dooley will talk about the rest of the 2012 class during an event on National Signing Day at Neyland Stadium.
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	Eddrick Loften a safety 4-star recruit out of Irving, Texas signs with Tennessee. [Photo by UT]

Safety Eddrick Loften signs again with Vols

  Eddrick Loften came up short the first time, and he couldn't make it by the second deadline, either. But the safety from Texas still hasn't given up on playing football for Tennessee, and a third chance to make it as a qualifier is coming up.

Tennessee confirmed on Thursday that Loften signed another National Letter of Intent with the program, making him the 28th member of the 2011 class and signaling another run from him at fulfilling the academic requirements needed to allow him to provide some help for the Vols in the secondary. Loften's status was closely followed throughout Derek Dooley's first fall camp, with both the player and coach holding out hope he would earn the necessary test score in time to contribute for the Vols last season.
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	Nashville lineman Antonio Richardson, the state's top recruit, announced his decision to attend Tennessee. [Photo by Larry Mccormack]

Antonio Richardson signs with Tennessee Vols

After being heavily recruited for the past two years, former Ensworth lineman Antonio Richardson couldn't resist having a little fun. So he placed Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn baseball caps in front of him on a table at Pearl-Cohn on Wednesday, indicating those were his final three choices. When it was time to announce his decision, he went behind a curtain in the auditorium and put on an LSU hat.

The crowd was silent. Was he really going there? Nope. Richardson quickly replaced it with an orange Tennessee cap and a smile lit up his face. "I've seen it done all the time and I wanted this day to be special," said Richardson, ranked the state's top football prospect by Rivals.com. "I didn't want anybody to be mad at me. I just wanted to have a little fun and that's why I did it." The 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle received 29 Division I offers, but Tennessee has always been near the top of his list.
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	4-star Pearhl-Cohn (TN) high school offensive tackle Antonio Richardson. [Photo by AP]

Antonio Richardson Announcement: What It Means for Tennessee Football

  Pearhl-Cohn (TN) high school offensive tackle Antonio Richardson is headed to Rocky Top. That's right folks, the big tackle will be a Vol. He joins linebacker Curt Maggitt as the two most recent Volunteer pledges and Derek Dooley is a happy man. 6'6" and 310 pounds, Richardson is a force in the run game. He's quick at the snap, fires out and moves defenders off their mark. Explosive and strong at the point of attack, Richardson creates holes and alleys in the trenches with ease.

He's also athletic enough to be used on pulls and on the second level. Richardson also has the balance and agility to make blocks in space, which is very hard to do for big offensive linemen. Look for Richardson to end up at right tackle or perhaps even left tackle. He also has the ability to play guard as well. Auburn got Richardson's final visit last weekend, but that was not enough to pry the big man from staying home. Georgia was also a finalist, and playing in Athens was a big draw.
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	A snapshot of the 2011 University of Tennessee football signing class. [Photo by UT]

UT's Signing Day; Tennessee signs 27

  Derek Dooley didn't blink late last fall when it looked as if his first full signing class was struggling to come together. The players the Tennessee coach was chasing didn't flinch either when it came time to make it official. The patience, persistence and commitment from everybody involved finally all came together on an afternoon that essentially played out exactly as expected for Dooley, who landed 27 players on National Signing Day on Wednesday for a class that should finish in the top 15 in the nation according to the rankings.

"It's always exciting, the end of signing day," Dooley said in his first press conference since the Music City Bowl. "It's emotionally draining, too. A lot of hard work has gone into today all across the country. "I want to start by saying it's impossible to put together a quality signing class without a total team effort from so many people, starting with the Tennessee brand and what we're allowed to sell here."
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	Cameron Clear hugs assistant principal, and Alabama fan at Central High School. [Photo by Mike Brown]

Clear choice: State's No. 1 prospect says Vols offer 'best opportunity'

  MEMPHIS - In the end, a chance to play his preferred position in front of a hundred thousand passionate fans was too good for Cameron Clear to pass up. The Memphis Central High School standout, rated as the top prospect in the state by 247Sports, announced Tuesday that he would attend the University of Tennessee.

High school football players can sign national letters of intent starting today. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Clear selected the Vols from a final four that also included Memphis, Duke and Alabama. "Each school provided something that I felt would truly suit my needs," Clear said. "My trip to UT was great. I have a great relationship with Coach (Derek) Dooley and I like what they're trying to do with their program. "They say this decision is the most important decision in your life, and that's totally true for me. I think (UT) provides me with the best opportunity to excel both on and off the field."
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