I don't know about y'all, but this NCAA Tournament action is only wetting my whistle for more NIT basketball.  Obviously, my previous statement was typed in jest, but I can honestly say I am eagerly anticipating watching ESPN this upcoming Monday (03/19) at 7 PM ET as the Vols host the MTSU Blue Raiders in second round action of the NIT.  

All UT fans across the state and nation know that this Volunteer team has vastly improved throughout the course of the season.  All areas of the team have gotten sharper, and this includes the guard play.  That being said, it's no secret the backbone and strength of this Volunteer bunch is in the post.  The Vols' best player this year has clearly been Junior Jeronne Maymon.  Maymon leads the team in scoring (14.2), rebounding (7.9) and field goal percentage (.573).  He scored at least 12 points in every SEC contest this season.  The only question mark about Maymon right now is his health as he's listed day-to-day with a dinged knee.  There is hope he will play Monday night, but nothing is guaranteed.  In addition to the big Junior from the Badger State, the Vols trot out Freshman sensation Jarnell Stokes.  Stokes may be young, but he's a man in the paint at 6'8" 250 lbs.  The All-SEC Freshman performer averages 9.3 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per contest.  Like all NCAA teams, the Vols probably shoot too many three pointers at times, but they do have the ability to send the pumpkin into the post for the "big nasties" to put it in the basket.  Both Maymon and Stokes are a perfect fit for Coach Cuonzo Martin and his "bring your lunch pail" mentality.

If you have been living under a rock since Wednesday morning and have not yet seen the tearful Jim Irsay/Peyton Manning press conference, then I recommend you watch the theatrics here.  It is truly the end of an era in Indy and for the NFL.  No matter what colors and logo #18 trots out of the tunnel wearing next season, it's going to be weird not seeing Manning with the familiar horseshoe on his helmet calling the plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

Many moons ago (probably 15 years or so) Burger King served tacos.  Yes, that Burger King.  The tacos didn't stay on the menu very long because, well, I think I was the only human ingesting the delightfully crafted Mexican delicacies.  I was able to talk a select few skeptical friends into trying the tacos because I believe you could get two for 99 cents so what was there to lose?  Whenever a friend tried the tacos (at my persistent urging), he went into the tasting with a preconceived notion that the tacos would be awful.  I don't think anyone I got to try the tacos even finished a single one.  I am starting this post with this story because it's something that most people I know today do not know about me.  Heck, most folks reading this post probably didn't even know that the King once had tacos on his menu.

After a surprisingly drama-free Wednesday, the recruiting season, for the most part, is over for the Vols. It’s a good thing I’m not a betting man, because I missed on every recruit’s decision yesterday. However, even though the Vols only went ¼ yesterday out of their remaining targets, that one is a big one. After a hot and cold recruitment, 5-star WR Cordarrelle Patterson announced early Wednesday morning that he would be a Vol. This addition goes a long way to giving even more depth to an already great WR haul this class: 5-star Patterson, 4-star Jason Croom, 4-star Pig Howard and 4-star Drae Bowles. Not to mention the two future NFL first rounders we have coming back. However, while this is exciting, it’s not the biggest NSD story in my opinion. As I mentioned in my last post, the main key to making this class a successful one was not landing all 4 prospects yesterday, but keeping the current ones that were committed. Outside of losing Otha Peters on Tuesday, Tennessee had every verbal commitment sign their LOI yesterday. Many, including myself, were concerned about the likes of Pig Howard and especially LaDarrell McNeil. But both had their LOI faxed in fairly early on yesterday.

National Signing Day is here and Tennessee made up for a couple of disappointing decommitments over the last week with one really nice signing day surprise.  This class is loaded with speed and playmakers and addresses many of the Vols' key needs. 

Here is all you need to know about each player who has signed their letter of intent. 

With only a few hours remaining until NSD, things have certainly changed since my last post. Dalton Santos is a Longhorn, Otha Peters is a Razorback, new prospects have been offered, and every Vol fan is awaiting the decisions of four specific targets: WR Cordarrelle Patterson, DT Korren Kirven, WR Quinshad Davis, and CB Amos Leggett. First off, let me say that regardless of what happens with these four prospects, if we don’t lose anymore current commitments, this will still be a solid class that addressed a lot of needs. No, I’m not just saying that to try and stop the bleeding Vols fans are feeling after today, it’s the truth. Having said that, let’s take a look at each target and what to expect tomorrow.

I'm reading Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers: The Story of Success.  It's a fascinating work that studies the circumstances which help mold ultra-successful people.  There is a lot more to success than you might think.  The typical American thought process on success is that smart and talented people work harder than their peers and ultimately become successful in their field.  That's the American Dream, but it isn't that simple.  While hard work and talent are certainly critical to success in any venture, those aren't the only ingredients.  Timing, opportunity, expectations, access, and cultural factors all play a major role in success.  For instance, Gladwell writes that Bill Gates just so happened to go to one of the few middle schools in America that had a computer in the late 1960's.  Gates spent hours learning how to program and write code.  Had Gates been a youngster in any other city or at any other middle school or in any other time in history, the world might not know the basics of the PC as we have them today.  Would Bill Gates have been any less intelligent had he not had that access?  Of course not.  Would Bill Gates have been any less driven had he not been able to work on his craft at such a young age?  Of course not.  But Bill Gates is a product of excellent timing, unique access, nurturing support, and endless opportunity. 

National Signing Day 2012 will once again be a huge event.  Hundreds of websites will enjoy record traffic, and countless radio and television shows will profile the nation's top high school football talent.  It is not uncommon for recruiting junkies to take off work on the first Wednesday in February and spend the day trying to make sense of their favorite team's recruiting haul.  And I've got news for you, National Signing Day is only going to get bigger.  But what created this monster?  This relatively new phenomenon of sports lunacy had to start somewhere.  The NCAA doesn't directly benefit from high school kids choosing hats off of a table.  So what factors built National Signing Day into the huge event that it is today?

Recruiting gurus simply amaze me, including CBC's own Drew Pirtle.  Gurus, such as Drew, soak in recruiting knowledge like a heavy duty sponge. Oftentimes these guys know all the high schools by name in certain hot spot cities.  They know all the players by name, player family backgrounds, what types of offenses their high schools run, etc.  They know 40 times, top-five school lists, official visit schedules and on and on.  While I like to read the recruiting articles, I am not what you would call a recruiting junkie.  I don't live on the message boards, and I am not a recruiting "insider" by any stretch.  With that being said, I would classify myself as someone who follows "crootin" to an extent, and I am looking forward to National Signing Day next week just like all college football fans. 

It’s that time of year again. The time of year that is better than Christmas for the fanatics of the college football world. If you’re anything like myself, you have been on the message boards daily looking for even the smallest snippet of insider news on the recruiting trail. Well on the first Wednesday of February, this year February 1^st, all of the excitement and even dread, will for the most part be put to rest. It’s no secret that the coaching turnover on Rocky Top is getting old. Not only are we starved for wins, but stability as well. Mostly because those two generally go hand-in-hand. But despite the recent attrition among the staff, the Vols 2012 class has not really taken too big of a hit. Let’s take a look at how the Vols are looking on the recruiting trail, as well as what to expect on NSD.

Call me a Dool-Aid drinker, but in my opinion it's hard not to feel pretty good about the direction of the football program based on Derek Dooley's off-season hires.  Sure, there have been 6 coaches leave for other positions, but considering the Vols were 5 and 7 last year including a loss to Kentucky is that really such a bad thing?  Is the staff that lost to Kentucky and beat Vanderbilt in overtime really a staff that Tennessee fans wanted long term?  Change was needed and regardless of how that change came about Derek Dooley was given a chance to start fresh in a few key areas.  On paper he hit a homerun.