12 TN RB I'tavius Mathers

#301
#301
Midfielder10 said:
Mathers is a Vandy/KY/MTSU talent.
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I agree. Wouldn't shock me to see him also pull an offer down the road from an Ole Miss / Miss State type but Tennessee will be focusing on national elite caliber RB's in the '12 class.

With the way Chaney liked to use his tailbacks in the passing game at Purdue there is no doubt an elite speedster like Kimbrow is hands down priority #1 at RB.

None of the guys on the current roster ar TB are those kinds of pass catching tailbacks that can kill a team with the ball in space. It's about filling needs and Kimbrow fills the need they have at tailack to a 'T'.
 
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#305
#305
Montrell Hardy said:
I agree. Wouldn't shock me to see him also pull an offer down the road from an Ole Miss / Miss State type but Tennessee will be focusing on national elite caliber RB's in the '12 class.

With the way Chaney liked to use his tailbacks in the passing game at Purdue there is no doubt an elite speedster like Kimbrow is hands down priority #1 at RB.

None of the guys on the current roster ar TB are those kinds of pass catching tailbacks that can kill a team with the ball in space. It's about filling needs and Kimbrow fills the need they have at tailack to a 'T'.
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He might not be UT caliber, I dunno. However, I think once he gets in some camps this summer, his offer list will boom. MTSU scrub, no.
 
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#308
#308
A source close to Blackman's football team told me that the Chickens have entered the picture for I'tavius, as well.
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#311
#311
Montrell Hardy said:
I agree. Wouldn't shock me to see him also pull an offer down the road from an Ole Miss / Miss State type but Tennessee will be focusing on national elite caliber RB's in the '12 class.

With the way Chaney liked to use his tailbacks in the passing game at Purdue there is no doubt an elite speedster like Kimbrow is hands down priority #1 at RB.

None of the guys on the current roster ar TB are those kinds of pass catching tailbacks that can kill a team with the ball in space. It's about filling needs and Kimbrow fills the need they have at tailack to a 'T'.
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I think we might be slightly less selective at RB, LB, and maybe DT.
 
#314
#314
I do think it is odd that not one coach from Tennessee has shown up to even talk to him and see him in person
 
#317
#317
LotteryPick said:
Yes. Played much better competition and put up better stats. But like you said, completely different.
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Impossible to say. Mathers might have played better comp, but he played behind a MUCH MUCH better o-line. Would be intersting to see what DY would do behind Mather's O-line. On the other hand... Mathers might have played better comp, but not leaps and bounds better. DY played Maryville twice, Kingsport D.B.,KnoxWest was pretty good, as was Catholic. I CONTINUE to hear this "better comp" statement. There are more D-1 prospects from Middle and West Tenn because they have triple the population. But the talent is still spread out amongst teams who might not even play one another. Its not like he plays DeMatha, or St. Thomas Aquinas. He plays teams just like DY plays. And I will ALWAYS take this stance until these "powerhouses" consistently beat East Tenn teams. You can say what you want, but these teams haven't faired to well against East Tenn teams. You are gonna start seeing a big increase in D-1 talent from East Tenn the next few years. Especially from Blount County and Oak Ridge.

Look, I'm not knocking Mathers, nor am I worshiping DY. I guess I'm just shocked at the myth that middle Tenn ball is so much better. Bout time they prove it on the field IMO.
 
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#320
#320
RichRollin said:
Impossible to say. Mathers might have played better comp, but he played behind a MUCH MUCH better o-line. Would be intersting to see what DY would do behind Mather's O-line. On the other hand... Mathers might have played better comp, but not leaps and bounds better. DY played Maryville twice, Kingsport D.B.,KnoxWest was pretty good, as was Catholic. I CONTINUE to hear this "better comp" statement. There are more D-1 prospects from Middle and West Tenn because they have triple the population. But the talent is still spread out amongst teams who might not even play one another. Its not like he plays DeMatha, or St. Thomas Aquinas. He plays teams just like DY plays. And I will ALWAYS take this stance until these "powerhouses" consistently beat East Tenn teams. You can say what you want, but these teams haven't faired to well against East Tenn teams. You are gonna start seeing a big increase in D-1 talent from East Tenn the next few years. Especially from Blount County and Oak Ridge.

Look, I'm not knocking Mathers, nor am I worshiping DY. I guess I'm just shocked at the myth that middle Tenn ball is so much better. Bout time they prove it on the field IMO.
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How have they not proved it? There is at least one team every year from that district that is a heavy favorite for the state championship. Now with the emergence of Blackman, it'll continue to be that way. And if you watch Mather's film, there's always one or two people in the backfield before he even gets the ball. His O-line isn't some world beater.
 
#322
#322
chavisut said:
Other than Maryville, how have the other upper class teams fared against middle TN? Under the old 5A format, Middle TN dominated.

Top 10 toughest football leagues in America - MaxPreps News
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I'm on my phone, can't find the rankings on that link you gave. HOWEVER, I've heard people say that on here multiple times and I don't doubt it. Two things I will say however. 1)Maryville wasn't in 5A when all those teams were dominating. 2) The 6A setup is MUCH better than the old 5A set up in East Tenn. Hell, Maryville went from 4A to 6A. I think you are kinda missing what I'm saying. I don't think football is weak in Middle Tenn. I just think its BETTER than some think in east tenn at the 6A level. And it will continue to improve. I just think you have to look at the talent surrounding each player as well. It was clear that Mathers had a FAR better O-line. Mathers is losing a couple lineman. IF, IF his #s go down that will be the 1st thing folks point out.
 
#323
#323
RichRollin said:
Impossible to say. Mathers might have played he bbut played behind a etter comp, MUCH MUCH better o-line. Would be intersting to see what DY would do behind Mather's O-line. On the other hand... Mathers might have played better comp, but not leaps and bounds better. DY played Maryville twice, Kingsport D.B.,KnoxWest was pretty good, as was Catholic. I CONTINUE to hear this "better comp" statement. There are more D-1 prospects from Middle and West Tenn because they have triple the population. But the talent is still spread out amongst teams who might not even play one another. Its not like he plays DeMatha, or St. Thomas Aquinas. He plays teams just like DY plays. And I will ALWAYS take this stance until these "powerhouses" consistently beat East Tenn teams. You can say what you want, but these teams haven't faired to well against East Tenn teams. You are gonna start seeing a big increase in D-1 talent from East Tenn the next few years. Especially from Blount County and Oak Ridge.

Look, I'm not knocking Mathers, nor am I worshiping DY. I guess I'm just shocked at the myth that middle Tenn ball is so much better. Bout time they prove it on the field IMO.
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BINGO! Not saying Mather's isn't good, just O LINE is often over looked when evaluating talent. What I loved about DY is his vision and agility. Looked to be fast too!:rock:
 
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#324
#324
chavisut said:
Other than Maryville, how have the other upper class teams fared against middle TN? Under the old 5A format, Middle TN dominated.

Top 10 toughest football leagues in America - MaxPreps News
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So do we currently play under the OLD 5A format? Also, its funny how Middle Tennessee HS football is amongst the best in the country when it benefits one's argument. But as soon as some folks need to take a different stance, Tenn football will be trashy, LOL.
 
#325
#325
LotteryPick said:
How have they not proved it? There is at least one team every year from that district that is a heavy favorite for the state championship. Now with the emergence of Blackman, it'll continue to be that way. And if you watch Mather's film, there's always one or two people in the backfield before he even gets the ball. His O-line isn't some world beater.
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If anything, the alignment of 6A football has/will help East Tenn IMO. Farragut was down and Oak Ridge was young. But overall 6A out here will compete and compete at a major level against Middle Tenn teams down the road. And I honestly think from a competitive standpoint Alcoa should be in 6A.

As I said before, when folks on here don't like the idea of taking a kid from Tennessee, they throw up the "no competition" claim. However, the talent level drastically increases when it helps state one's case. I've lobbied that there was more talent statewide than we get credit for, not just East Tenn. But it is what it is.
 
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