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Phillips officially joins Vols

  • http://tennessee.247sports.com/Article/Defensive-lineman-Dante-Phillips-officially-joins-Tennessee-Vols-83387

    Tennessee coach Derek Dooley confirmed Thursday that the latest addition to the Vols' 2012 recruiting class officially has been cleared to join the team.

    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • "He graduated, got it done in three years, and he's retiring," Dooley said. "On to the business world, so supporting Nigel, proud for him. He'll be a great employee for somebody."

    This is what college sports should be about...congratulations are in order.

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    CLEMSONVOL716

  • I hope some CEO or personnel manager, hopefully wearing orange glasses will give Nigel a chance. Graduating in three years, what ever the field of study is impressive.

    Bill B

  • Props to NMT on a successful and speedy collegiate career.

    Does his leaving early open up a spot from the 85, which will allow us to sign one more than expected this class? (I guess it may cancel out Phillips)

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    423VOL

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    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • Good to see Phillips on board. Sounds as if he has a lot of work to do to get in shape. Getting a quality DLman is always a plus. Now lets keep him happy and hope he helps us.

    Bill B

  • Ryan Callahan said...

    http://tennessee.247sports.com/Article/Defensive-lineman-Dante-Phillips-officially-joins-Tennessee-Vols-83387

    Tennessee coach Derek Dooley confirmed Thursday that the latest addition to the Vols' 2012 recruiting class officially has been cleared to join the team.

    Let's get some tutors lined up and get his academics in order so he contribute for 4 (or 3) years.

    davesojka

  • Great news on two fronts! It's easy to forget that these young men are students first, so it's nice to see Nigel getting his degree in three years. And adding Phillips this late in the game is absolutely awesome news. I don't foresee him making a contribution this year, but watch out Gators next year!!!

    BostonVol

  • If I am not mistaken this addition moves us up on the recruiting rankings that take admission and other factors into account after they sign. I read somewhere that it will move us ahead of Georgia's dream team because they didn't get all their players in. Tortoise and Hare anyone.

    tnbear66

  • tnbear66 said...

    If I am not mistaken this addition moves us up on the recruiting rankings that take admission and other factors into account after they sign. I read somewhere that it will move us ahead of Georgia's dream team because they didn't get all their players in. Tortoise and Hare anyone.

    I would take a lot of satisfaction in that, living here in Dawgland.

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    RockytopATL

  • Does anyone know what we might have jumped to in the rankings had he signed with us on signing day??

    VolsfaninSC

  • I thought we were 3 under the limit in the 2012 class.

    BoroVFL

  • DooleyNoted said...

    I thought we were 3 under the limit in the 2012 class.

    The 85 scholly limit was closer to maxing out than the 2012 class. Ryan, will Phillips redshirt if he is not in shape for 2012 season? And a big congrats to Nigel for such a great achievement. Hope life is good to you. GO VOLS!

    BUTCH IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. GO VOLS!

    OrangeNCarolina

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    Staff writer for govols247 — http://www.twitter.com/RyanCallahan247 — rcallahan@247sports.com

    Ryan Callahan ●

  • I'll actually be surprised if Phillips does NOT contribute this year. Be very surprised if he red shirts. We forget that these young guys can come to camp "out of shape", and in three weeks be 30 pounds lighter and have decent cardio. In five weeks of hard work, a really talented guy can be ready to contribute, at least on a part-time basis. I'm guessing when Dooley says, "Ease him back into it" he really means, you know, be careful not to kill him while pushing him past his limits every day. It's not going to take him that long to get into shape in this environment. And I think once he settles in and gets a few snaps, this guy might be a real shocker. In other words, my money is on "better than advertised" when it comes to Phillips. We'll see..

    Octoberblue

  • While I'm less than optemstic that Phillips will be physically ready to play in the first game, I do believe he will see playing time this season. Phillips is naturally gifted player with active hands and a good motor. I fully expect him to raise some eyebrows, but like all freshman, the jury is out until the pads start popping. I think we will all have a better idea of Phillip's ability to consistantly play at a high level during the GA St game. I am just glad to have the option to wait for a highly recruited prospect to develop, as opposed to being forced to throw him into the game before he is ready.

    utkdominic

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    BigOrangePete

  • And Bradley coming in next year. Stockpiling and rotating and resting. What was that about second half letdown? Next few years should be a lot of DL fun. Most of these guys have Sunday physical potential, Now which ones want it bad enough?

    clrstory

  • Always good to hear good news about the Vols. Congrats to you NMT.

    IT AINT ILLEGAL!!??!!??

    milesbukari

  • RockytopATL said...

    I would take a lot of satisfaction in that, living here in Dawgland.

    I dislike almost all dawg fans but I am hopelessly in love with one.

    tnbear66

  • I do not think Phillips will contribute as much as some others believe this season. He has not been in a college strength and conditioning program, and I believe he should redshirt so he can focus on his lifting and everything and start fresh next year. Also Dooley's comments about not relying on freshman and that they are a luxury now instead of a necessity to me conveys that he will not just waste a year like he has in the past.

    This post was edited by woody_12 on 8/3/2012 at 7:07 PM

    woody_12

  • tnbear66 said...

    I dislike almost all dawg fans but I am hopelessly in love with one.

    My daughter went to UGA on a HOPE scholarship, so I'm in the same boat!

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    RockytopATL

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