Tennessee Football Recruiting: Grading the Vols 2012 Signing Class by Position

Derek Dooley's third recruiting class at Tennessee might not be considered his best right now, but, as always, the true grade for every recruiting class is incomplete until four years after the players sign. 

Nevertheless, we must grade based on what we know about the athletes right now. We know that this was a consensus top 20 class. We also know that top 20 in the nation is still among the bottom half in the Southeastern Conference. 

Based on Tennessee's needs, however, Dooley did a pretty remarkable job of restocking the big orange cupboard.

Here's how the recruits grade out by position following National Signing Day. 

Wide Receivers

With both Da'Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter becoming eligible for the draft following the 2012 season, it was imperative for Dooley to restock the position.

When you consider how pedestrian the Vols offense became following Hunter's ACL tear in September, that point becomes even more magnified.

The top player in the Vols 2012 signing class was wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. The junior college transfer was a 5-star prospect according to 247sports and Scout. 

At 6'3", 205-pounds, Patterson will immediately step into an important role on the Vols offense.

Tennessee also landed 4-star Drae Bowles. Bowles was one of the top prospects in the state of Tennessee and an Army All-American. 6'5", 220-pound Jason Croom was a national top 50 wide receiver and Alton "Pig" Howard is one of the fastest recruits Dooley signed this year.

Grade: A+

Defensive Line

Perhaps the worst kept secret in the history of Tennessee football is Derek Dooley's plan to switch the Vols from their base 4-3 defense to a 3-4 base in 2012. The greatest evidence of that plan was the moment Daniel McCullers committed. 

At an astonishing 6'8", 380-pounds, McCullers is the prototypical nose tackle for Vols defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri's scheme. Also a junior college transfer, McCullers has drawn all sorts of comparisons to former Alabama defensive lineman Terrence Cody. 

A Flint, Michigan native, Danny O'Brien was one of the top defensive line prospects in the country according to all four recruiting services. 

Former Alabama commit Darrington Sentimore was also a key member of this class. Another junior college transfer, Sentimore will have two years of eligibility in Knoxville. 

Trent Taylor was a top 100 player in the state of Florida. 

Grade: A+

Defensive Backs

Rated a 4-star prospect by all four major recruiting services (ESPN, Rivals, Scout, 247Sports), LaDarrell McNeil was a major pickup for Dooley. The Dallas, TX prospect was one of the top safety prospects in the country. 

Deion Bonner generated some buzz when he committed to the Vols in late January. He also generated some buzz last year when he was arrested and charged with theft by taking after breaking into the Georgia locker room during an open house event at the Athens, Ga school. 

According to utsports.com, Daniel Gray has only played organized football for two years, but he was apparently good enough to garner top 100 status at his cornerback position coming out of Boyd Anderson High School in Florida.

Memphis prospect Tino Thomas was one of the Vols early enrollees. 

Grade: A

Running Backs

Considered one of the top all-purpose threats by more than one recruiting publication, Louisiana prospect Davante Bourque could wind up being one of the most important signees in this class. 

The consensus 4-star athlete was an LSU commit before pledging to Tennessee in January—not long after Vols running backs coach Jay Graham was hired. 

Early enrollee Alden Hill was the No. 43 prospect in the state of Ohio, according to rivals.com. 

Athens, Ga prospect Quenshaun Watson was a top 100 prospect in the talent-rich state of Georgia. 

Grade: B+

Linebackers

Justin King might not have been one of the top linebacker prospects in the country, but there's no denying the 6'3", 215-pounder was a key recruit in this signing class. The consensus 3-star linebacker stayed faithful to his commitment despite the Justin Wilcox/Peter Sirmon departures. 

Latroy Lewis was rated the No. 27 defensive end in the country by rivals.com. The 6'4", 235-pound linebacker-to-be should be a part of the Vols plans in their new 3-4 scheme next season.

A pair of longtime 4-star linebacker commits, Otha Peters and Dalton Santos, switched at the last minute and signed with other schools (Arkansas and Texas, respectively).

Grade: C

Quarterback

Another early enrollee, Nathan Peterman, has been on campus since early January. Rivals.com's No. 10 overall quarterback prospect, Peterman hails from the same Florida county as Tim Tebow.

The 6'3", 210-pound quarterback turned some heads in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Dallas, Texas just weeks before enrolling at Tennessee. 

Peterman obviously plays a position of current strength at Tennessee, but he could provide some competition for Justin Worley in 2013 if Tyler Bray decides to jump to the NFL following the 2012 season.

Grade: B-

TE Justin Meredith and Everyone Else

The best of the rest is tight end Justin Meredith. An ESPNU 4-star prospect from South Carolina, Meredith reportedly had offers from nearly half the teams in the ACC, as well as, Notre Dame, Auburn, LSU, Florida, Mississippi State and South Carolina. 

The 6'5", 225-pounder will provide Vols quarterbacks with a huge target in an offense that has always featured the tight end position. 

Knoxville natives George Bullock (kicker) and Cody Blanc (athlete) round out Tennessee's 2012 signing class. Bullock could provide a viable alternative to the so far disappointing Michael Palardy in 2012. Blanc averaged nearly eight yards per carry in his high school career. 

Grade: C+

Overall

The additions of Patterson and McCullers were absolutely huge for the Vols. Both should see plenty of action in 2012. Equally as important as those additions were the losses of Peters and Santos. 

Had those linebackers signed with the Vols, Dooley would have likely had his first consensus top 10 class at Tennessee. 

Still, with a restocked defensive line and playmakers like Borque and Croom in this class, it is impossible to rate this class as anything less than well above average. 

Grade: B+