Woody's Week 1 recap: Tennessee prospects impress

I spent last Thursday and Friday taking in two games in the Knoxville area and got a chance to see several impressive prospects from the state of Tennessee. Here are my notes following the two contests between Knoxville (Tenn.) Fulton and Knoxville (Tenn.) Central, as well as Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Oakland and Maryville, Tenn.

The Oklahoma commit played nearly every snap in the game, working at cornerback and wide receiver. However, after catching a pass early in the first half, he suffered an injury that limited his touches the rest of way. On defense he made a couple of stops, but for the most part the ball didn't come his way much in the passing game. Washington is expected to be on campus in Norman for his official visit this weekend.

Anderson valiantly competed despite suffering an elbow injury the week prior. He sported a cast on his arm that went from nearly his shoulder to wrist but managed to make an impact while playing about half the snaps on defense. Despite playing with essentially one arm, he routinely drew double teams and made a few plays, included deflecting a pass. The South Carolina commit remains solidly committed to the Gamecocks.

Page was all over the field in Fulton's win on Thursday night, making several big plays, including an acrobatic interception along the sidelines as well as forcing another interception after a big hit jarred the ball loose from a wide receiver. He's a little undersized to be a true inside linebacker but plays well in space and can cover a lot of ground and probably translates to an outside linebacker or "star" type player at the next level. Missouri and West Virginia are his most notable offers to date and could receive official visits, although Tulane and Western Kentucky are the among the programs most active in Page's recruitment. Either one of the group of five programs landing Page would be a major coup considering the ability he showed with his performance against Central.

Hodge carried the bulk of the load for the Maryville offense, rushing for 144 yards including breaking a few runs down the field. He is a legit 6-foot-1 and has the look of a future Power Five back. As of now, Tennessee is the only Power Five school to offer, but if he continues to put up big numbers the Vols should be joined on his offer list by many. Some schools may question his top-end speed, but as a power back he should be an excellent fit at any number of places. He mentioned schools like Kentucky and South Carolina as others that are showing interest.

Davis put on quite a show against Oakland, consistently finding mismatches and making plays once the ball came his way. Davis got the ball a variety of ways, including catching passes, running the ball and even completing a deep pass down the field. The Maryville staff smartly kept him away from Rivals100 defensive back Woodi Washington, allowing him to get the ball in his hands and play a major role in his team's victory. Davis has an early offer from Indiana, but should continue to see his list grow once coaches get a chance to see his film later in the year.

McDonald has had a great start to the season and continues to see plenty of action as teams avoid Washington. He has good length and ideal size and also made his share of plays, including a handful of tackles and a pass breakup in the end zone to save a touchdown. McDonald has yet to receive his first offer, but that won't be the case for long as he looks like a future Power Five player.

Moore translates to an outside linebacker at the next level but plays more of a hybrid role in the Oakland defense. He made a few plays early in the game before leaving with an injury. He holds early offers from Arkansas and Rutgers and looks like a Power Five player down the road.

Randolph was very impressive in the game, helping fill the void left by the limited Anderson. He was routinely in the face of the Maryville quarterbacks and made some big hits that led to errant throws. He also had several tackles in the run game and also took snaps on offense at tight end. Randolph has offers from FBS programs Arkansas State and Southern Miss as well as several FCS programs. He looks like an FBS player for sure, especially considering his length and playmaking ability. It will be interesting to watch which schools enter the picture once his film makes the rounds among coaches in the coming months.

Anderson is an intriguing prospect and a guy that continues to be on the mind of several Power Five programs, including Wisconsin. He said after the game that he's working on improving his ACT score and if he takes care of it as expected, an offer could be on the way from the Badgers. Anderson is more of a true inside linebacker than his teammate Page and while he didn't make quite as many plays, he has intriguing upside because of his size and potential to continue improving at the next level. He was excellent stopping the run and also showed an ability to get after the quarterback, recording one sack and narrowly missing another.

While it's tough to scout tackles like Ellis in Oakland's Wing-T offense, he did show impressive flashes, especially when pulling and getting down the field. He's athletic for a player his size and has caught the eye of programs like Tulane and Southern Miss. Ellis could be a Group of Five or high FCS player when it comes time to sign later this year or in February.

Shelton was flying all over the field from the safety position against Oakland, making several big hits, especially in the second half when the ball was being thrown more. He has ideal size for a safety and his instincts helped him end up around the ball all night long. A virtual unknown on the recruiting trail, Shelton has the look and ability of an FBS player, so it will be worth watching to see if schools come calling as the cycle moves along.