While Tennessee's 2008 recruiting class includes no five star prospects and lacks the national hype of last year's group, head coach Phillip Fulmer made a case that this class is as strong as any for the Vols in recent history.

"We filled some needs that were quite obvious to our team in the short term, but also the long term -- and that's what is most important," Fulmer said.

One of the most pressing needs was for a physical group of receivers.

The need that was filled with the signing of two 6-5 receivers: E.J. Abrams-Ward and Steven Fowlkes.

Rod Wilks out of Smyrna was the third receiver in the class and could develop into another option for the Vols out wide.

While the group will start as receivers, coach Fulmer pointed out it may not be a problem if any of the trio do not fit in on the offensive side of the ball.

"They all played defensive football in high school, and that mentality will bode well for them down the road."

Another player that may help out in the passing game early on is Maryville native Aaron Douglas. At 6-6 and 245 pounds, Douglas is a prototypical catching tight end that could easily help out Erik Ainge's replacement next season from the start. 

The lone quarterback signee, Casey Kelley from Sarasota, Fla., could prove to be one of the long-term players that Fulmer referenced in his speech.

However, Kelly is expected to be an early-round pick in this years Major League Baseball draft and may not play collegiate football at all.

We filled some needs that were quite obvious to our team in the short term, but also the long term -- and that's what is most important. Coach Phil Fulmer"We are very excited about the quarterback we signed, Casey Kelley...his intelligence, his demeanor, his work ethic were all very impressive," said Fulmer. "Obviously we will have a difficult time wading through the baseball draft."

If Kelly chooses to stay at UT, Fulmer mentioned that head baseball coach Todd Raleigh expects him to step in immediately and contribute to the pitching staff.

Tennessee also signed a versatile group of front-line defensive players that could make up the core of linebackers and defensive ends in the future.

Of the group, Gerald Williams from City College of San Francisco is most likely to see immediate playing time.

Williams finally made it to Knoxville after going to junior college for two years. He had been counted in each of the past two recruiting classes for UT but is finally academically eligible this year.

Austin Johnson of Hickory, N.C., Willie Bohannon of Mobile, Marlon Walls of Olive Branch, Miss. and Herman Lathers of Baton Rouge make up the remainder of the signees that could play in the defensive front seven.

"We added some size to our skill positions, which was one of our goals going into this class. We helped ourselves at linebacker/defensive end considerably along the way," Fulmer said.

Defensive back Prentiss Waggner of Clinton, La. “might be the best athlete in the class” according to Fulmer. Stephaun Raines is also expected to play in the secondary despite playing the position only as a sophomore in high school.

With last season's inconsistent play at defensive back, the depth that Waggner and Raines will bring is another of the short-term answers that Fulmer spoke of.

"We certainly need immediate help and depth at that position," Fulmer said. 

Even though this year's class is the smallest in terms of numbers in recent years, Fulmer pointed out the class is actually not as small as it seems.

"Demetrice Morley [will be] returning from an academic suspension, so he counted into our scholarships which left us with basically 15 or 16 spots to fill -- we actually oversigned a little bit this year."

And while the class may not be as highly touted as the rest of the groups in the SEC, Fulmer does not believe the players can simply be judged by how many stars they receive from the so-called experts.

"I have said this before, but the success of this group depends not only on their individual playing abilities," said Fulmer. "It also rests on their determination to work hard with their teammates while learning and responding to the demands of handling college academics and social interactions both on and off the field."