If Tennessee fans need another example of why they’re going to have to give Derek Dooley some time to right the listing ship in Knoxville, John Pennington’s current recruiting chart is a perfect example.

Using a points system similar to that used by Rivals.com, with 5 points awarded for a 5-star commitment, 4 points for a 4-star commitment, etc., Pennington tallies the 2011 commitments of each SEC school thus far. Not surprisingly, Alabama is in the lead, with 52 points.

Tennessee has 19 points.

With the commitment today of a couple more 3-star recruits, Tennessee’s total would be 25, tying the Vols with South Carolina. But that’s still far down the list. And all of the commitments the Vols do have are 3-star players. When it comes to 4-star players, Alabama and Florida have six each (‘Bama has a 5-star kid thrown in for good measure). Georgia has five. Tennessee has none.

There is already a sizable talent gap between the Vols and their chief rivals, and it’s only getting bigger. In fact, some of UT’s secondary rivals might be on their way to catching up in the talent department. Kentucky, for example, appears to be having a good recruiting year (by Kentucky standards, at least).

This isn’t necessarily an indication that Dooley and his staff aren’t good recruiters. It remains to be seen whether they can recruit effectively in the SEC, but it’s too early to make that call one way or the other. Instead, Dooley appears to be taking a different approach. Mack Crowder, who committed to Tennessee today, fits the same profile of many of the Vols’ other 2011 commitments. He has a modest rating from the major recruiting services, but he also has a 3.9 GPA.

Lane Kiffin had a very good recruiting class in 2009 and was on pace for another great one in 2010 before USC came calling. But a pretty strong argument can be made that Kiffin’s approach wasn’t the best approach for the program. The biggest news from Kiffin’s recruits so far has been crime, dismissals, and transfers.

Dooley, on the other hand, appears determined to rebuild things from the ground up: laying the foundation with the 3-star guys, then building his way back towards the top. It’s a strategy that might work, but it isn’t going to happen overnight.

Next year’s recruiting class isn’t going to be very good for Tennessee. Barring some major surprises (of the pleasant variety) on the field this fall, it might be the worst recruiting class for the Vols in a lot of years, in fact. But if Dooley’s plan works, 2012 will be an improvement, and 2013 better still.

The question is this: Will Tennessee’s infamously impatient fan base be willing to wait?