ESPN College Football

Tennessee and Memphis have had preliminary discussions to extend its current agreement to meet on the gridiron.

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UPDATE: It didn't take former Tennessee Volunteer Daniel Gray long to find a new home. Tennessee, meanwhile, will have to continue its juggling act in the secondary after his departure.

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ESPN 150 defensive end Justin Thornton (Prichard, Ala./Vigor) is ready to make his decision. Thornton shuffled his top options the past two months, but he's now ready to announce his plans.

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Rutgers already has nine verbal commitments to the 2014 recruiting class. The Scarlets Knights are also in position to land another commitment from a wide receiver in the state of Maryland.

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They call Orlando Brown, Jr. (Duluth, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) "Zeus." He got his name and nickname from his father, Orlando, Sr., whose career in the NFL lasted from 1994 to 2005 before his tragic diabetes-related death in 2011. The elder Brown was named after the king of the Greek Gods because of his 6-foot-7, 360-pound frame. Well, the acorn in this case has outgrown the tree -- the younger Brown is already 6-foot-8 and 348 pounds. And now we know he'll be taking all that beef to Knoxville.

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The nation's No. 4 cornerback and ESPN 150 recruit Jalen Tabor (Washington, D.C./Friendship Collegiate Academy) initially wavered on naming a short list of schools he is considering. Tabor named eight programs he liked two weeks ago. He has since trimmed the listed to five.

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T.J. Harrell (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Catholic) lays claim to 24 offers from around the country. Schools such as Arizona, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan State and UCLA are among those offers. Two programs currently stand out for the Florida product.

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UPDATE: ESPN Watch List recruit Travonte Valentine (Palm Bay, Fla./Bayside) trimmed his list of schools by one. Mississippi State is no longer among his favorites. A leader has emerged in this recruiting battle.

Alabama, Miami and Tennessee comprise Valentine's top three schools, and he favors the local program.

"Miami is in the lead," Valentine told Matt Shodell of CaneSport.com.

A commitment could come earlier than expected due to his fondness for Miami.

"I love Miami and if I had to pull the trigger for how I feel about Miami I will," Valentine said. "But right now I just have to stay calm, stay focused and see where this path will go."

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Tavonte Valentine has 16 offers, but four of those stand out for the defensive tackle. And an in-state program could be the early leader for his services.

"Valentine says his leading schools are (Miami), Florida State, Mississippi State and Tennessee," Matt Shodell of CaneSport.com reported.

Miami appears to have an early edge in this recruiting battle.

"Miami's high on my list," Valentine said. "I've been thinking about Miami for a long time."

A decision isn't coming soon. Valentine already has a date earmarked to make his announcement. He announce his choice of schools Nov. 15 -- his birthday.

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Kevin Mouhon (Norcross, Ga./Norcross) is a four-star recruit and the nation's No. 11 inside linebacker according to ESPN RecruitingNation. Mouhon has an offer from in-state school Georgia Tech, but he's currently leaning towards the SEC.

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The nation's No. 12 wide receiver recruit, Demarre Kitt (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek), is ready to make a decision. Kitt will announce his school of choice June 10th. Clemson, Ohio State and Tennessee comprise his top three schools. The ACC school may have the edge with a little over a month before the decision is made.

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Marlin Lane finished second on Tennessee last season with 658 rushing yards. He boasted an impressive 5.5 yards per carry average. Lane developed into a legit option out of the backfield the second half of last season. He was expected to carry that momentum into next season. But his status with the team is currently in question.

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Tennessee received verbal commitments from a pair of tight ends within two weeks of each other. Daniel Helm (Chatham, Ill./Glenwood) was the latest.

Helm wouldn't have committed to Tennessee if the Volunteers didn't share their plan in how they plan to use multiple tight ends. Helm is confident Tennessee's staff does have a plan in place in regards to how they will utilize the position within the offense.

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UPDATE: ESPN Watch List running back Nick Chubb (Cedartown, Ga./Cedartown) is considered a Georgia lean, but another SEC team has come into the picture and become a legitimate option for Chubb.

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Tennessee is attempting to build a pipeline into the state of Arizona. The Grand Canyon State has never been a priority for the Volunteers, but that will change with this year's recruiting class.

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