When UT travels to Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California this Monday Night, Former Falcon Dennis Rogan and his fellow secondary teammates will gauge how well they have prepared for the upcoming season. Rogan will start at cornerback opposite DeAngelo Willingham, and along with Safeties Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley make-up a secondary that has been receiving much recognition this off-season and has been regarded by many as one of the best overall collection of defensive backs in the SEC. This hard hitting, ball hawking group is also regarded as the strength and cornerstone of the Volunteer defense for the 2008 season. The first test for Rogan and his secondary mates will come in the form of UCLA junior Quarterback Kevin Craft and wide receivers Marcus Everett (sr), Terrence Austin (jr) and Dominique Johnson (soph). Craft, a junior college transfer, is getting his first opportunity to start after senior Ben Olson suffered a foot injury at the start of training camp. Craft began his college career at San Diego State and then played at Mt. San Antonio College before transferring to UCLA in the spring. He passed for 4,231 yards and 44 touchdowns last season playing for his father, Tom, at Mt. SAC. Former USC and Titan Offense Coordinator, Norm Chow, has had the task of preparing Clark and has been working diligently to get him ready for the Vols defense.
At 6 foot 1, 205 lb, Senior Wideout Marcus Everett has a nice mix of size and speed and looks to be the biggest challenge for the Rogan and the Vols secondary. Everett has 82 career receptions for 1084 yards and 7 TDs despite missing most of the 2007 season with ankle injury that he suffered the the third game of the season versus Utah. He is UCLA's best goal line, as well as, most explosive deep threat.
Marcus Everett TD to Tie Washington State
Marcus Everett 54-yard TD reception vs. Notre Dame
Recent Articles on Rogan Leading up to the UCLA Opener:
Rogan Rarin' To Go (Scouts.com article):
Your first college start is always exciting, but it will be especially thrilling for one Tennessee Vol tonight in Pasadena.
That would be Dennis Rogan, a Knoxville native who grew up just a few miles from the UT campus. Further enhancing the experience is the fact the 5-10, 185-pound sophomore is a live wire – a guy with an abundance of energy and enthusiasm that his teammates find infectious.
“Dennis Rogan brings fun, excitement and joy ... on the defensive side and on kickoff and punt returns,” junior safety Demetrice Morley said. “That kid is awesome. I love him. I think he's going to do a lot of good things this year.”
Rogan certainly will have the opportunity to do a lot of good things this year. In addition to starting at cornerback vs. UCLA this evening, he is slated to return kickoffs and punts. He performed those last two duties brilliantly during the second half of 2007, averaging 29.5 yards on kickoff runbacks and 9.7 on punt runbacks. His 78-yard kickoff return helped spark a smashing defeat of Arkansas in Game 10 and his 45-yard fourth-quarter punt return set up the winning touchdown vs. Vanderbilt in Game 11.
Despite his youth and inexperience, Rogan beat out senior Antonio Gaines, junior Marsalous Johnson and sophomore Brent Vinson – all of whom were starters in 2007 – to win a first-team job at cornerback this fall.
“He's been working hard,” Morley noted. “He's got a lot to do (starting at corner, returning kickoffs and returning punts) so he's just got to take it one step at a time.”
A lightly regarded prospect coming out of Fulton High School, Rogan scarcely left the Vol bench through the first half of the 2007 season. He has made incredible strides since then, however, and now has the complete faith of Tennessee's secondary coach.
“He has come along,” Larry Slade said. “Dennis has always had that great work ethic, so I expected him to come along.”
Slade has 2 words for Rogan: Big time (KNS Article):
Tennessee defensive backs coach Larry Slade picked two words to describe sophomore defensive back Dennis Rogan.
"Big time," Slade exclaimed following UT's scrimmage in Neyland Stadium on Thursday. "He gives us that flexibility. He is tough.
"The guy is doing really well at corner, held his own versus all the competition and really would probably be the next safety in the football game."
Rogan is already a safety in UT's "Mustang" package, which incorporates one or two extra defensive backs. That allows usual starting safety Eric Berry to play closer to the line of scrimmage.
Rogan, the former Fulton High School standout, didn't start a game last season but is regarded as one of many stellar athletes in the secondary.
"He's right up there with them," Slade said of Rogan's athletic ability. "He can flat out run. He's a ball player. That's the best way to describe him."
Speedy Rogan eager for first college TD (Chattanooga Times Free Press):
Rogan, a hometown hero in the Knoxville area, had a memorable finish to his freshman season at UT. Injuries forced the high school tailback on the field as a Southeastern Conference defensive back last year, and he eventually overcame senior Jonathan Hefney as the team’s top return specialist.
As quickly as he entered the lineup, he removed any doubt whether he belonged.
The diminutive, dynamic Rogan provided a spark during UT’s late-season run to an SEC Eastern Division championship — especially on special teams. His kickoff returns routinely set the offense up near midfield, and his 78-yarder against Arkansas put Erik Ainge under center inside the red zone.
Rogan’s finest hour came weeks later, though, when his fourth-quarter heroics helped the Vols take a late lead and hold off Vanderbilt in Neyland Stadium. His 45-yard punt return with less than six minutes left keyed UT’s go-ahead drive, and he forced a Commodore out of bounds to prevent a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff.
When junior cornerback DeAngelo Willingham struggled early in the SEC championship game, coaches replaced him with Rogan, who held his own against the eventual national champions.
Rogan seems shorter than his listed 5-foot-10 height, but he’s consistently referenced as one of the team’s strongest pound-for-pound players. That explosion is evident in the return game, when his good vision and quick feet routinely get him past the first wall.
“He gave us an unbelievable lift last year,” Vols coach Phillip Fulmer said.
Rogan's sense of purpose and humor (KNS Article):
In only a year on Tennessee's campus, Dennis Rogan has made his impact felt in a big way.
Last season, he played in more games than any other true freshman except Freshman All-America safety Eric Berry. He added a new dynamic to Tennessee's return game and ranked among the SEC's best by year's end. He played the majority of the SEC championship game against LSU at cornerback, a little less than four months after setting foot on campus.
And he put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces.
"He's not one of those rah-rah guys," says Tennessee defensive backs coach Larry Slade. "He goes out and gets it done. I think they can see the results of how hard he's worked. He's a great story."
Veteran players talk about Rogan as if he's their younger brother, and his classmates at UT speak highly of the former Fulton High School standout.
"All of us are pretty close outside of football and outside of school," Rogan says. "I guess you kind of develop a relationship as a little brother. Most of the guys are older than me, so it kind of developed that way. On the field I'm younger and less experienced than most of them, too, so it kind of carries over that way, too. They help me with everything, let me know what to be aware of and everything."
He'll start the season as UT's kick and punt return specialist after averaging 9.7 yards per punt return and 29.5 yards per kickoff return last fall.
After that whirlwind freshman year, Rogan has settled into a starting role at cornerback opposite senior DeAngelo Willingham for Monday's season-opener at UCLA (TV: ESPN, 8 p.m.). After injuries to both starters forced Rogan into the rotation last fall, he's only grown into the role.
"I look at Dennis as an overachiever," Slade said. "He's a guy that I think people underestimate. He just works his butt off. He's gotten better every day and more confident in what he's doing."
Already he's proved to be one of the most valuable members of the Vols' 2007 signing class, which included highly touted prospects like Berry, receiver Gerald Jones and defensive end Ben Martin.
That Rogan was initially overshadowed by other prospects doesn't matter anymore.
"It's been fun," Rogan says. "Flying under the radar is not always a bad thing. It's really never a bad thing as long as you make your way up."
And it didn't even take a year to get there.
Vol seeks more out of returns; Yardage isn't enough for specialist Rogan; he wants touchdowns (Tennessean Article):
As good as Dennis Rogan was last season, he knew he had a chance to be great.
As a Tennessee freshman in 2007, he returned punts and kicks and nearly broke several for touchdowns. Instead, there was always one tackler in the way.
"That's a big goal of mine and of the team's," Rogan said about scoring a touchdown. "Anyway you can help the team out, that's what I want to do."
A special teams touchdown would help considerably, and he appears to be on the verge. Rogan proved to be one of UT's best weapons last season. The Knoxville native did not enter his freshman year as a potential game changer, but he ended as one. When former UT returner Jonathan Hefney struggled on punt returns, the coaching staff inserted Rogan midway through the year.
It was a good move. In seven of UT's final eight games, he had either a punt return or a kickoff return that went for more than 20 yards. He also ended the season as the Southeastern Conference's most productive freshman returner with a 9.7-yard average. He was equally impressive on kickoffs (29.5-yard average).
"Dennis has done well," UT Coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He's good with his hands on the ball, and he's legitimately a threat.
"He can't do it by himself. He needs a lot of guys helping him getting started and picking up blocks."
Helping out
Last year, multiple players — many who were upperclassmen — spoke about how much they liked blocking for Rogan, who some called their little brother. When asked about those comments, the soft-spoken Rogan responded sheepishly.
"It may just be because it's a team thing because sometimes it's exciting to just block," Rogan said. "But if you know there's someone back there who is exciting, you want to help him."
Among the highlights were a 78-yard kickoff return against Arkansas and a 31-yard kickoff return at Florida. But his top effort came against Vanderbilt late in the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium. He broke a punt return for 45 yards, which helped set up the game-winning field goal.
UT had to battle back from a 24-9 deficit in the fourth quarter and was also aided by a late, missed field-goal attempt by the Commodores.
More responsibility
Rogan's contributions won't only come on special teams, however. He did not make a start last season on defense, but is currently slated to start at right cornerback. He added 15 pounds of muscle weight in the offseason, and his improved strength quickly showed. During a recent scrimmage, he had one of the biggest hits of fall camp when he leveled an offensive player coming across the middle.
The adjustment to starting on defense has been tough at times, but Rogan's athletic ability and interest in getting better has made it more seamless.
"It's been pretty easy," Rogan said. "It has its time, but it's been pretty easy for the most part. Everybody has been trying to help me out."
Just like when they block for him on special teams.
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