UPDATE: 5/20 NEGEDU GRANTED HIS RELEASE.

If Tennessee announcer Bob Kesling popped open his laptop to read Volquest.com some time this afternoon, he likely spit his Bud Light all over the keyboard.

It appears that the Vols are major players for four-star wing Emmanuel Negedu, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound freakish athlete who UT courted desperately (along with Chris Singleton) before he committed and signed with Arizona and Lute Olsen.

I can just imagine Kesling trying to pronounce the name next year (which, you know, isn’t that hard … It’s pronounced the way it’s spelled.)

Bob: This Ningdangu kid is AWESOME, Bert! Where’s he from, anyway? Somewhere in South America, I know but …

Bert: Actually, Bob, it’s “NEGEDU” and he’s from Nigeria, and you’re right. He’s MONEY!

Bob: When you look at it, the Vols actually upgraded from Duke Chis- um, Crews and Raymar Smith by getting Bobby Maze and Naggadippu.

Bert: MONEY!

Bob: Precisely.

Yes, but even if listening to UT on the radio just got even more excruciating (hard to believe that was possible), you have to love the prospects of the Vols getting this prospect. Negedu is a raw talent, but his athleticism is pretty unparalleled in this year’s class, and he would fit right into Bruce Pearl’s helter-skelter style of play.

This is him — no joke — in his homeland of Nigeria

That would mean that the Vols essentially traded a feast-or-famine (mostly famine) combo guard in Ramar Smith for a junior-college transfer Bobby Maze, who is rumored to potentially be the most ready player in this year’s class of five (so far) signed by Pearl. Then, they traded an undersized (but big-hearted) post player with a weed problem (Duke Crews) for one of the top 50 players in the country and one of the two swingmen that Pearl coveted most before signing Renaldo Woolridge after Singleton chose Florida State and Negedu went to Arizona. Woolridge — the son of NBA All-Star Orlando Woolridge — blossomed into a fine player himself during his senior season, and now he may have company.

There is however one HUGE hangup: After Olsen was not able to re-recruit (not that he should have had to with a player already sealed with a signed LOI) Negedu back to Arizona, the Nigerian Nightmare probably won’t be released from his obligation.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think he should be, personally, because this isn’t a Tyler Smith situation. If UT gets him, that’s FANTASTIC. But do I believe that he should be released? Not at all. Tyler’s dad was dying, and this kid made a mistake when he signed. They’re not similar. Not even close. Negedu just got cold feet with Olsen’s leave of absence and then the final straw was when ace recruiter and assistant coach Josh Pastner bolted Tucson for Memphis and John Calipari’s staff.

Now, Negedu doesn’t think that Arizona will release him from his letter of intent. Also, he hasn’t said that going to UT is a done deal. He has said he will not play for the Wildcats, so he’ll either be on a new team this year or next year (after prep school), but he listed the Vols and Indiana as his top suitors.

We’ll know more about this in the coming days, but this would give UT one of the top five recruiting classes in the country. There is one negative for the Vols in this, making this class HUGE (six signees) and potentially causing a numbers crunch or handcuffing the program down the road. But with a player of this stature and this talent, you think about the upside. A bird in the hand is … well, you know the cliche.

With 6-8 power forward Kenny Hall coming next year (and — PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE — Leslie McDonald (a HUGE if) and five-star Scotty Hopson, four-stars Woolridge and 6-11 center Phillip Jurick and three-star point guard Daniel West already on board, Negedu would be ideal for college basketbal’s newest, hippest place to be.