Tag Archives: Dewayne Hendrix

Charles Mosley, Dewayne Hendrix among Tennessee football roster updates

Charles Mosley

Charles Mosley (photo by 247 Sports)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee freshman defensive lineman Charles Mosley will start his career at a whopping 374 pounds, a dozen pounds more than his listed weight during recruiting.

That was among the tidbits gleaned from Tennessee’s release of the updated weights and heights for first-year players on the Vols’ 2014 roster.

Collectively, Tennessee’s first-year players gained 84 pounds and lost 72 for a net difference of 12 pounds from their listed weight when signed.

In some cases, that could indicate a player losing or gaining weight on his own. In other instances, it could simply mean that their weight was artificially inflated or deflated during the recruiting process and this is the first “official” measurement.

Defensive end Dewayne Hendrix gained the most weight in the new release, growing from 252 to 273 pounds. That suggests he could eventually move inside to a defensive tackle spot. (Or perhaps could move inside sooner than expected).

On the other side, defensive end Derek Barnett dropped from 284 to 267 pounds, the biggest loss among first-year players. Barnett is another strong-side end who was expected to play as a big end or eventually move inside.

Hendrix also gained an inch in height and is now listed at 6-foot-4. Three first-year players gained an inch, two lost an inch. Some players, of course, are still growing. The shrinking players likely benefited from an inflated inch during the recruiting process.

Remember: our Tennessee summer roster always stays updated with arrivals, departures and depth chart changes.

 

Former Vandy commit Michael Sawyers, planning trip to Knoxville, could be last ‘free agent’ on Vols’ board

Michael Sawyers of Ensworth High (photo by 247Sports, a News Sentinel partner)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Defensive tackle Michael Sawyers is one of a dozen Vanderbilt verbal commitments who have jumped ship since the departure of coach James Franklin to Penn State.

He might also be the last free agent that Tennessee is pursuing in the final stretch before National Signing Day.

Sawyers visited Ole Miss last weekend and most prognosticators on the 247Sports Crystal Ball expect him to sign with the Rebels. The Vols, however, have kept in contact and Sawyer is expected in Knoxville this weekend.

 

As Barton Simmons noted on today’s #GVXAudio podcast, Sawyers would be able to connect with many other in-state friends in the Vols’ current class. But Simmons also said that Sawyers has always been one to do things his own way and not necessarily follow the crowd.

Simmons also raised another question: Just how much room do the Vols have? Sawyers would be No. 35 in the class, and while the Vols should be able to sign that many, finding scholarships for all of them this summer will be more of a challenge. So does the pursuit of Sawyers indicate a defensive lineman could be de-committing? Dewayne Hendrix now seems securely in the fold. But what about Cory Thomas?

Could Adoree Jackson be last major decision to watch in Vols’ 2014 class?

Adoree Jackson (247Sports photo)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — With National Signing Day now in sight, Tennessee’s class has started to take a clearer form in the last four days.

Running back Derrell Scott is in.

Commitments who were visiting elsewhere, like defensive lineman Dewayne Hendrix, appear to be solidified (although other schools are still working to flip Cory Thomas and Derek Barnett).

Last-second additions like Wisconsin commitment Craig Evans seem to be off the table.

So where does that leave the drama between now and National Signing Day?

Look West to five-star cornerback Adoree Jackson.

 

J.C. Shurburtt‘s comments Tuesday (listen to them here on GVX Audio) suggested that Tennessee is no more a long shot than any other team in the quest to sign Jackson, the No. 1 corner in the nation in the 247Sports Composite.

ESPNU’s College Football Live featured Jackson on Tuesday night, focusing on his overall athletic ability (Jackson punts too, by the way), but especially his passion for track. 

Jackson said his goal is to compete in the 2016 Olympics in the long jump.

Jackson has previously listed Southern California, UCLA, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and Tennessee as his finalists.

USC and Florida have generally been considered the teams to beat. But the decision is tough to predict. Jackson’s parents live in East St. Louis, Ill. — where Tennessee’s staff has visited more than once — while he lives with his sister in California.

Jackson plans to announce on National Signing Day, ensuring some last-second suspense for fans of his final teams.

Vols commit Cory Thomas, en route to Starkville this weekend, among a few prospects UT trying to keep in fold

 

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — When Cory Thomas verbally committed to Tennessee in November, he wasn’t quite ready to close the door on Mississippi State.

MSU coaches, in turn, have never relented in their recruitment of the three-star strong-side defensive end from McAdory High School in suburban Birmingham, Ala.

Thomas will visit MSU this weekend, but is slated to finish the recruiting season next weekend in Knoxville. Despite being verbally committed to UT, many prognosticators expect him to eventually end up in Starkville.

In interviews, Thomas has expressed concern about the size of UT’s class and the number of defensive lineman the Vols plan to sign. At 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, Thomas is listed as a strong-side end, but could easily move up to tackle now or in the future. UT coaches will undoubtedly try to impress upon the Thomas their need for big linemen on defense.

Who else must UT keep a close eye on in the final two weeks?

Dewayne Hendrix, another strong-side end, is scheduled to visit Missouri this weekend. Normally UT might win a head-to-head battle with Mizzou, but Hendrix is from O’Fallon, Ill., just outside of St. Louis, which is only a two-hour drive from Missouri.

Finally, there’s Gavin Bryant, a Jackson, Ala., native who has also received interest from in-state Alabama and Auburn. Despite those schools’ history of stealing in-state prospects at the last minute, Bryant visited Knoxville last weekend and pronounced himself fully committed to the Vols.

Here’s a list of UT’s current verbal commitments.

Tennessee recruiting: Vols have needs but also flexibility on defensive line

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Butch Jones watches practice last week (photo by Evan Woodbery)

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Tennessee’s aggressive recruiting efforts show no signs of slowing, even as the Vols push past the 30-man limit in their class.

Cory Thomas was the latest player to verbally commit to the 2014 class.

Here’s a look at Tennessee’s class within the context of its current roster. Be sure to check out the disclaimer and details below.

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I’ve tweaked the breakdown above, adding a section for roster non-contributors. These are players who are in at least their second year in the program and have not contributed and don’t appear close to contributing right now. I didn’t want to single anyone out, but in order to provide a clear picture of the recruiting efforts, those numbers needed to be considered.

The usual caveat applies: This is a speculative exercise and may not match UT’s goals, strategy, etc.

The only major issue remains at defensive tackle, but that’s somewhat misleading, as many defensive tackles start their career at end.

Daniel McCullers (facing camera) chats with Trevarris Saulsberry before the Auburn game.

Even so, with Daniel McCullers and Daniel Hood graduating, the Vols would love to have more depth inside — both on the current roster, and in the 2014 class.

Who could grow into a defensive tackle? Anyone, really, including several options on the current roster. But if you’re looking for a big run-stuffer in the mold of McCullers, the options are more limited.

Dimarya Mixon (6-3, 265) is the only player listed as a tackle among the current group of commitments.

DaVonte Lambert (listed at 6-3, 275), Derek Barnett (6-3, 265), Thomas (6-6, 270) and DeWayne Hendrix (6-5 254) are all big ends, while Joe Henderson (6-3, 228) is in the lighter, weak-side mold.

Obviously, all heights and weights should be taken with a grain of salt, but compare those numbers to Hood (6-4, 277), McCullers (6-8, 351) and reserve tackle Trevarris Saulsberry (6-4, 291). Except for McCullers, the differences aren’t immense.

Marlon Walls (6-2, 272) is mainly an end now, although he’s played tackle before and frequently will move inside on passing downs when speed rushers come in.

Vols freshman tackle Jason Carr (6-5, 285) played briefly this year but will have a chance to earn more playing time in 2014.

Long story short, will defensive tackle be a concern in 2014? Probably. A crisis? Perhaps not.

With addition of Midwestern ‘brick,’ Vols 2014 class continues to move north

The geographic midpoint of Tennessee's 2014 recruiting class as of Oct. 28, 2014.

The geographic midpoint of Tennessee’s 2014 recruiting class as of Oct. 28, 2013.

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — When defensive end prospect Dewayne Hendrix verbally committed to sign with Tennessee in the 2014 class, Vols coach Butch Jones tweeted that he had added another “Mid-West brick.”

The addition of Hendrix, an O’Fallon, Ill., native, gives the Vols five Midwestern “bricks” in the 2014 class, pushing the geographic midpoint of the class about 100 miles north of the 2013 class that Jones patched together in the final weeks of the recruiting class.

The 28 current members of the 2014 class are centered on Kingston, Tenn., just a few miles west of Farragut. The 2013 class was centered on the Chattahoochee National Forest in north Georgia, near Ellijay.

Why did the class move north? Part of the impact is the Midwestern additions. But the Vols also have less of a south Florida influence than they did in Derek Dooley’s years.

Here are Tennessee’s current 28 commitments:

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