Harding Academy standout Marlon Brown reeled in a 71-yard touchdown reception in the Under Armour All-American game on Sunday. (File Photo by Danny Parker)

Number of U.S. Army All-Americans verbally committed to play for Tennessee: one.

OK. That's better than zero Volunteer fans. Now, add the total number of players from the Under Armour All-American game pledged to play in Knoxville. Let's see...this plus this...carry the one...and the total jumps to...one.

Oh, and that one is wavering. Wide receiver Je'Ron Stokes of Philadelphia, Pa., is under a lot of pressure to switch gears to someone like Illinois, Georgia or Oklahoma.

It's hard to blame the kid. What kind of a receiver is ready to come on board without any questions answered at quarterback? It was the most disappointing position at UT in a dismal 5-7 season. Add to it that the lone QB signee out of the 2008 class, Casey Kelly, decided to play pro baseball instead. Out of this year's class, the Vols have had commitments from three different signal-callers at times.

Josh Nunes of Upland, Calif., seemed like the answer for the longest as he was seen on campus and at practices shadowing UT offensive coordinator Dave Clawson. He was the commit that was going to turn things around. In a stunning move, he swapped over to Stanford after citing travel concerns across country.

Two other quarterbacks -- Tajh Boyd (Hampton, Va.) and Bryce Petty (Midlothian, Texas) -- were ready to ink come February until new Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin informed both that they weren't exactly what he's looking for out of the position.

Fans who follow recruiting on The Hill were surprised at the news with Boyd. In spite of playing with a torn knee ligament that didn't allow him to step into throws, Boyd completed 7-of-9 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday's U.S. Army All-American game.

Head coaches want their guys calling the shots on offense though. If Boyd can't be Kiffin's boy then the coach made the right decision.

There's light at the end of the tunnel though. Recruiting guru Ed Orgeron is hot on the trail of recruits shortly after formerly accepting a positing at UT last week. He and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will be in Memphis this week to visit with receiver Marlon Brown.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney showed some recruiting ability in his time at Purdue and Georgia assistant Rodney Garner has an offer on the table to come back to Rocky Top. Few coaches have ever recruited the Atlanta area like Garner, and he helped infuse UT with talent that brought them the 1998 national title.

One target the entire staff is likely to chip in with the recruitment of is 2010 quarterback Jake Heaps of Sammamish, Wash. UT looks like they're one of the preliminary favorites. Heaps, this year's Gatorade State Player of the Year, has thrown for 6,004 yards, 69 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions over 28 games that resulted in back-to-back state titles.

Heaps is said to have a bond with former Vol QB Erik Ainge.

Lane Kiffin needs to fill some holes on his offensive staff in a hurry. He'll want to be as close as possible to all systems go when at least 13 recruits come to campus for official visits this month. The biggest date is Jan. 30 when two five-star and two four-star receivers head to town.

Kiffin asked for patience the day he was hired in putting his staff together, citing the importance of quality of coaches brought on board over timeliness.

I have no problems with that stance. You have to see things in the bigger picture.