Interestingly enough, 13 of the 19 are projected to play defense and only six offense, even though Tennessee's defense was exceptional and its offense putrid last fall.
Five of the 13 defenders project to play linebacker. Counting Nyshier Oliver and Marsalis Teague – listed simply as “athlete” – five more are defensive back prospects. There are two defensive tackle prospects and one defensive end prospect.
Three of the six offensive signees project to be receivers. Two are offensive linemen and one is a running back. The Vols will have no quarterback enrolling for the second year in a row. Casey Kelly signed last February, then picked pro baseball over UT.
The biggest signee is 6-6 315-pound offensive lineman JerQuari Schofield of Aiken, S.C. The smallest is Nu'Keese Richardson, a 5-10 165-pound wideout from Pahokee, Fla.
Here are the 19 confirmed signees, as of 4:30 p.m. EST today:
Jerod Askew, LB, 6-1, 230, Chesapeake, Va. (Oscar Smith)
Mike Edwards, DB, 5-10, 170, Cleveland, Ohio (Glenville Academic Campus)
Eric Gordon, DB, 5-10, 187, Nashville, Tenn. (Hillsboro)
James Green, WR, 6-2, 190, Tallahassee, Fla. (Leon)
Montori Hughes, DT, 6-5, 275, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Siegel)
Arthur Jeffery, DT, 6-4, 285, Sarasota, Fla. (Booker)
Greg King, LB, 6-3, 200, Memphis, Tenn. (Melrose)
Nigel Mitchell-Thornton, LB, 6-2, 228, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stephenson)
Darren Myles, DB, 6-1, 190, Atlanta, Ga. (Carver)
Robert Nelson, LB, 6-0, 205, Stone Mountain, Ga. (Stone Mountian)
Nyshier Oliver, ATH, 5-10, 180, Jersey City, N.J. (Saint Peter's)
Kevin Revis, OL, 6-4, 265, Evensville, Tenn. (Rhea County)
Nu'Keese Richardson, WR, 5-10, 165, Pahokee, Fla. (Pahokee)
Zach Rogers, WR, 6-2, 170, Nashville, Tenn. (David Lipscomb)
JerQuari Schofield, OL, 6-6, 315, Aiken, S.C. (South Aiken)
Rae Sykes, DE, 6-4, 240, Alcoa, Tenn. (Alcoa/Coffeyville CC)
Marsalis Teague, ATH, 5-10, 180, Paris, Tenn. (Henry County)
Marlon Walls, LB, 6-2, 225, Olive Branch, Miss. (Olive Branch/Hargrave Military Academy)
Toney Williams, RB, 6-1, 235, Alpharetta, Ga. (Milton)