Tennessee's Fulmer cleaning up on recruiting front; more notes

Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer is the dean of SEC coaches, and lately he has been taking everybody to school on the recruiting front.

The Vols easily were the nation's hottest team in the past week, picking up five commitments -- including a monster pledge from four-star all-purpose back Jarvis Giles of Tampa Gaither. Giles ranks as the nation's No. 2 all-purpose back and the No. 103 player overall.

"They are like one big happy family and everyone is so friendly," Giles said. "People walk up to you and ask, 'How are you doing?' They come up out of the blue. It's a small community and it's like a close-knit family. This is the best fit for me. I have never seen anything like this. It's wonderful."

The Vols also picked up two three-star players in athlete Nyshier Oliver from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep and guard Kevin Revis of Evensville (Tenn.) Rhea County. Throw in Olive Branch (Miss.) High offensive tackle Aubrey Phillips and lineman JerQuari Schofield, and it has been a wild week for the Vols.

When you add in the players who already had committed -- including Je'Ron Stokes, the nation's No. 11 receiver, and Damien Thigpen, the nation's No. 29 athlete -- the Vols' class really is starting to shape up.

"Jarvis told me he was glad to see me committed," Phillips said. "And I told him that I was glad that he committed, too. I think we're all going to make each other better, and the great class they're putting together gets me really excited."

While it hasn't grabbed as much attention as the great starts at USC, Ohio State and Texas, Tennessee has laid a good foundation for what could be one of the best groups in the SEC on National Signing Day. Then again, that shouldn't be a surprise. Fulmer always gets passing marks as one of the SEC's best recruiters.

Most people nationally believe the only standout recruit in Utah is four-star offensive lineman John Martinez of Salt Lake City Cottonwood. But this past Saturday's Nike Training Camp in Provo proved there's plenty of talent in the state.

One of the fastest-rising players in Utah is three-star inside linebacker L.T. Filiaga of South Jordan Bingham. Filiaga, a 6-foot, 235-pounder, won the MVP award at linebacker Saturday with a solid all-around day.

"It was really important for me to come out here and do well because I've been so hungry for football," Filiaga said. "Utah doesn't do spring ball, and we have to wait a little longer to get out there. This was a great way to see where I'm at and how much I've improved in offseason training.