Life goes on.

That's the mantra Tennessee's recruiters are adhering to a week after their master plan for pulling in two quarterbacks for the 2009 signing class was blown into more bits than Microsoft manufactures.

In some ways, UT's coaches benefitted from Josh Nunes' announcement last Saturday that the 6-foot-4, 205-pound senior from Upland (Calif.) High School had committed to Stanford. Like pulling off a bandage, it was quick and, well, pretty painful.

But at least it won't drag on. And for those in UT's recruiting office who believed they still had a shot at Nunes, well, they can move on.

The problem is the Vols didn't just miss out on Nunes by missing out on Nunes.

UT had visits pending from several highly touted signal callers before Nunes committed in June.

Ryan Mossakowski from Frisco, Texas, was one.

He canceled his trip once he heard Nunes committed. He has since committed to Kentucky.

The Vols are still looking for a complement to commitment Bryce Petty from Midlothian (Texas) High.

Petty looks like a better prospect than when he first committed to UT. Nebraska has since offered a scholarship.

Other schools likely would have followed had he not been so publicly solid on his commitment to play for the Vols.

Still, UT is intent on signing two quarterbacks, as was always the plan.

The key for the Vols is finding a prospect who is truly interested - not one that already knows where he's headed and just wants to take another trip.

UT has already received a call or two from quarterbacks committed elsewhere. And as the recruiting dominoes fall, more such calls will follow.

The number of those calls largely depends on how the Vols rebound from a disappointing 1-3 start.

Quarterback Kevin Newsome is a name that has surfaced and makes sense for a number of reasons.

First, Newsome plays for Hargrave Military Academy. UT has strong ties to the Chatham, Va., prep school. Hargrave is scheduled to play a junior varsity game in Neyland Stadium in November. That gives UT a chance to evaluate Newsome and woo him all in the same weekend.

Second, Newsome is an athletic quarterback, a perfect complement to Petty, who is more of a pocket passer.

Newsome is considering a handful of schools, including Penn State, North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia Tech, Virginia and UCLA.

Still, no one at UT is trying to fool himself. The Vols' recruiting efforts, quarterback or otherwise, rely largely on how well their offense can improve this season.

UT's crop of 16 commitments looks solid, but that can change quickly with a losing season. And even if those commitments are solid, the Vols still have to add eight to 10 more commitments to complete the class.

Want to know where UT's recruiting class is heading? There will be updates broadcast live every Saturday this fall.

Somewhat Sophomoric: I'm not really sure what to think about the Vols picking up a commitment for the 2011 class (yes, the 2011 class).

Eric MacLain from Jack Britt High in Fayetteville, N.C., made the early jump on Wednesday.

MacLain is only 15 years old and a sophomore. It will be more than 28 months until he can actually sign a letter of intent.

He certainly seems solid. He loves UT football and its engineering program. Still, February 2011 is a long way away.

This sort of thing has been happening in basketball for years, but that's a different sport. Bodies can change tremendously in the last 2 1/2 years of high school.

Based off what I'm hearing, chances are the UT-MacLain marriage will work out just fine. But I'd say that the vast majority of commitments made that early have many issues.

Say this much for MacLain's timing, the Vols could certainly use the good news.

And you can't coach size. MacLain is 6-5, 265 pounds.

www.boos.com: The boos at Neyland Stadium went national this week when Sports Illustrated picked up the story, interviewing Nunes about his decision to decommit for its Web site.

For those who despise the booing, there's good news this weekend. The boo birds have only one official visitor to dissuade from coming to UT.

He's linebacker Jerod Askew from Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, Va.

The 6-1, 230-pound Askew is considering several schools, including Alabama, West Virginia, South Carolina, Clemson, Michigan and Oklahoma.

As I've said before, boo if you must. But if so, don't expect Askew to leave Knoxville impressed with his visit.

Dave Hooker covers recruiting. He can be reached at hookerd@knoxnews.com.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.