First-year head football coach Lane Kiffin continued to build his coaching staff, adding Alabama outside linebackers coach Lance Thompson to the Vols' new group of coaches on Thursday.

Thompson was recognized as the top recruiter in the country by Rivals.com for his role in putting together Alabama's top-ranked class in 2008. He was the lead recruiter for wide receiver Julio Jones and another nine of the Crimson Tide's 32 commitments, according to Rivals.

Thompson has been on Alabama's staff since Nick Saban was named head coach in January 2007. He also coached with Saban at LSU in 2002 and 2003 and spent three seasons as defensive coordinator at Central Florida.

Three more assistants were hired Friday. Former Auburn running backs coach Eddie Gran, Mississippi State running backs coach Frank Wilson and former North Dakota State defensive coordinator Willie Garza have filled the remaining open positions for the Vols.

Gran spent 15 seasons as an assistant under Tommy Tuberville at Ole Miss and Auburn. He coached running backs at both schools and served as the Tigers' special teams coach from 2000 until the conclusion of last season.

Garza was a four-year starter as a defensive back at Texas. He has coached defensive backs at Western Michigan and TCU during his career, and will do the same for the Vols.

Wilson was on the Ole Miss staff during UT recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach Ed Orgeron's tenure, and he spent last season at Southern Miss. He was hired to Mississippi State's staff by new coach Dan Mullen on Dec. 30, but will leave the Bulldogs after just two weeks.

The hires mean running backs coach Stan Drayton, the lone holdover from the Phillip Fulmer era, will not return to UT. Sources indicate he may be hired at Syracuse, where former UT offensive line coach Greg Adkins is on the staff. Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone, who was hired following the conclusion of last season, was also an assistant at UT in 2001.