Brown makes it official, Vols likely done

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 1:44 p.m. EST

Junior college defensive tackle John Brown made things official to wrap up the list of players expected to sign with the Vols today. That's a good thing for the Vols, especially after losing J.C. Copeland earlier today. Defensive tackle was a huge area of need after the graduation of starters Dan Williams and Wes Brown from last year's squad.

Barring any surprises, it appears the Vols recruiting class is complete with 25 players joining the program. The Vols currently rank No. 8 in Rivals.com Team Rankings, behind a handful of other SEC team's and newfound nemesis Southern Cal. Still, a top 10 recruiting class for all the turmoil the program experienced over the past month has to be considered a success.

Stone on ESPNU

Posted by Grant Ramey, 11:31 a.m. EST

James Stone made his official college decision on ESPNU. When asked why he was wearing a bow tie, Stone responded by saying he "wanted to try a different look" and that he "looks pretty sharp".

Asked if the bow tie would become a James Stone staple: "I don't know , I look pretty sharp."

Gotta love Signing Day.

Hunter, Rivera officially Vols

Posted by Grant Ramey, 10:50 a.m. EST

Wide receiver Justin Hunter and tight end Mychal Rivera are both now offically Vols. Both had been solid verbals to Tennessee prior to signing day.

Hunter is the No. 75 overall prospect in the nation. The Virginia Beach, Va., native is rated as the No. 8 overall wide receiver by Rivals. The addition of Hunter to Da'Rick Rogers, Ted Meline and Matt Milton makes this one of the most impressive wide receiver class Tennessee has had in years. And for note, each of the four receivers stands at least 6-foot-3-inches tall.

Mychal Rivera is transferring from the College of the Canyons.

Another interesting note, ESPNU has Tennessee's current signing class ranked No. 11. Who's No. 10? USC and some guy named Lane Kiffin.

Stone makes it official, signs with Vols

Posted by Grant Ramey, 10:40 a.m. EST

Nashville's James Stone has officially signed to play for Derek Dooley and Tennessee, according to multiple media outlets.

Stone, rated a four-star offensive guard by Rivals, is the No. 4 prospect in the state and the No. 7 offensive guard in the nation.

Rogers and Nance headed to Knoxville, Linebacker news

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 10 a.m. EST

High school teammates Da'Rick Rogers and Nash Nance officially announced their decisions to play college football for the Vols just minutes ago in Calhoun, Ga. Rogers was a long-time Georgia commitment, while Nance had been committed to play quarterback for Vanderbilt before the Vols made a late charge for both. Rogers is one of the highest-rated wideouts in the country and a huge get for Derek Dooley and the Vols.

As expected, Hoover, Ala., linebacker John Propst has signed with the Vols, while former Vol commit Glen Stanley is headed to USC. That comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed Stanley over the past week.

_________________________________________________________

First Surprise: Copeland spurns Vols for LSU

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 9:15 a.m. EST

Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Free Times Press just broke the first big surprise of the day via his Twitter feed. Defensive lineman J.C. Copeland, who reaffirmed a commitment to the Vols earlier this week, has signed with LSU. Copeland took a surprise visit to LSU last weekend, and that apparently swayed his decision. Tough blow for the Vols.

_________________________________________________________

Four More sign, Sentinel reports Stone to follow suit

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 9 a.m. EST

Four more players who were expected to sign with the Vols have done so: defensive backs Eddrick Loften and Dave Clark, linebacker Raiques Crump and athlete Marcques Dixon. However, the biggest news of the moment is who might sign later.

The News-Sentinel is reporting offensive lineman James Stone out of Nashville's Maplewood High School is expected to sign with the Vols later today. Stone is expected to announce his decision at 11:30 a.m. The highly-rated offensive lineman was one of the key targets for UT heading into today and would be a huge plus to the class.

_________________________________________________________

Ambles headed to Southern Cal

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 8:30 a.m. EST

Former Tennessee commitment Markeith Ambles is following in former coach Lane Kiffin's footsteps and going to USC. Ambles is a highly-touted wideout, but I can't say I'm at all disappointed with this decision

Ambles has caused a stir over the past week or so with some unnecessary Twitter posts, and he was also broadcasting live on USTREAM late last evening with over 700 people watching. He seems to love the spotlight, so it's no surprise he's following Kiffin to Los Angeles.

It's not all news about guys headed elsewhere for the Vols, though, as three players have been added to the mix in Knoxville. Running back Rajion Neal, defensive back Dontavis Sapp and offensive lineman Zach Fulton have all inked with the Vols, bringing the total number of signed commitments for UT to 13.

_________________________________________________________

And We're Underway

Posted by Cliff Chartrand, 8 a.m. EST

Happy National Signing Day everybody. I'm up and at this a little earlier than planned because of an announcement of an announcement that took place late last night, but more on that in a second.

The Vols signing class officially has some members, so here's an update on where we stand now. The eight mid-term enrollees have all signed on the dotted line. No surprise there, but that means you'll definitely see the following names in Orange and White next season: Tyler Bray (QB), Channing Fugate (Ath), Ja'Wuan James (OL), Ted Meline (WR), Corey Miller (DL), Matt Milton (WR), Matt Simms (QB) and Jacques Smith (DL).

The Vols have also received the paperwork from two other commitments: kicker Michael Palardy and offensive linemen Marques Pair. Palardy, out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., could be the player in this class that has the most immediate impact. After Daniel Lincoln struggled again this year, especially in the close loss to Alabama, the path seems clear for Palardy to start kicking early for the Vols.

The big names we're looking for today include Da'Rick Rogers (9:45 announcement), James Stone and Markeith Ambles. The latter announced via webcast last night that he'd make an announcement at 8:30 this morning. At least that's what someone watching told me. Hence, the earlier start for me than originally planned.

Now it wouldn't surprise me at all if Ambles announces this morning that he's announcing nothing at all, but if that's what happens I'll be here to update this and let you know.