KNOXVILLE — Behind every great challenge lies a great opportunity.

KNOXVILLE -- Tired-legged Tennessee looked fresher than well-rested South Carolina on Saturday night.

KNOXVILLE -- Derek Dooley turned to a longtime friend Friday night and completed his first University of Tennessee football coaching staff.

KNOXVILLE -- Derek Dooley inherited an almost impossible situation nearly three weeks ago.

KNOXVILLE -- Judging by the NFL-caliber defections from this season's roster and uncertainty from their potential replacements, one could reasonably argue that the University of Tennessee's defense will need to do more with less next fall.

By noon the majority of the area’s college-bound prep football players had signed their paperwork and were back in class. A total of 36 area players signed scholarships, including 10 to Football Bowl Subdivision programs and six of those went to Southeastern Conference schools.

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee football team’s national signing day started with one big blow, but the Volunteers recovered with two big additions.

KNOXVILLE -- Coach Derek Dooley has crisscrossed the country the past few weeks in trying to salvage his first University of Tennessee football recruiting class.

KNOXVILLE -- Scotty Hopson's last-seconds jumper Sunday was big, but it was just one shot.

KNOXVILLE -- Da'Rick Rogers has maintained publicly that he's still committed to Georgia, but the Calhoun High School wide receiver star has spent the past two weekends visiting Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee.