12 TN RB I'tavius Mathers

#326
#326
RichRollin said:
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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I agree; its just sad that so many are not evaluated well enough or recruited well enough and are playing at other schools. I remember a run of talent that all went to the gumps. Antonio London - Dont'a Hightower along with others. I know that some kids live instate but have loyalties elsewhere but it would be nice to get these kids to stay instate. Unfortunately, this year will be a year that Tennessee kids go elsewhere; Tennessee the state is going to have more talent than Tennessee the school can sign and still bring in top talent from other states.
 
#327
#327
rpeagram said:
I agree; its just sad that so many are not evaluated well enough or recruited well enough and are playing at other schools. I remember a run of talent that all went to the gumps. Antonio London - Dont'a Hightower along with others. I know that some kids live instate but have loyalties elsewhere but it would be nice to get these kids to stay instate. Unfortunately, this year will be a year that Tennessee kids go elsewhere; Tennessee the state is going to have more talent than Tennessee the school can sign and still bring in top talent from other states.
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Knoxville just got a D-1 training facility. That's bigger than some folks want to realize. Many folks in the backwoods have never known how to get exposure for their kids. When they do drive to Nashville, Atl for a camp they will be better prepared. I know people who have their kids in D-1 now at 8-10 yrs old. The only other thing I can say is if you took DY and put him on Mathers team against the same comp would he do as good? I think he would do pretty good. Put Mathers behind Devrin's line against the same comp Devrin played. Middle Tenn football isn't much better than East Tenn. People are acting like its light years ahead.
 
#329
#329
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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Explanation? (not trying to call you out, just interested as an East TN native)
 
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#330
#330
Middle Tenn football isn't much better than East Tenn. People are acting like its light years ahead.
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Tennessee talent is going to be relatively equal from one point to the next within the state. The reason Tennessee has lagged behind other states is the investment other states make to athletics. If you go to the talent mills in South Carolina and look at their training facilities you will truly appreciate the gap that Tennessee kids have to overcome. Weight rooms at some schools in states like SC and Florida are as good as college. When Tennessee school budgets have moneys allocated for training facilities; Tennessee kids can start making ground. Take a tour of a HS in the Cincinnati area. Look at the builds of kids coming out of Florida HS.
 
#331
#331
We're talking about one district in Middle Tennessee here that happens to be strong. Is Middle Tennessee always better than East or West? Certainly not. The disparity is not huge.

It's a numbers deal though. We all know this. Look at the strongest areas for HS football nationwide. Generally the higher the population, the better the product. Look at Memphis.
 
#332
#332
It's a numbers deal though. We all know this. Look at the strongest areas for HS football nationwide. Generally the higher the population, the better the product. Look at Memphis.
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I know you said generally, but Mississippi and South Carolina kill per-capita. Tennessee can become one of those states with the right investment of time and money.


This is old but it makes my point and yours:

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1014/134319.jpg

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1014/134318.jpg

If you look at states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina; it becomes clearer to me that all you need is the desire, the investment, and the program to have top quality talent. Mississippi has half the population of Tennessee and smaller cities but is a darker green color because of the high level of talent. To your point, the larger cities in Tennessee have the most potential.


This is the old article link for the interested:

Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Where's all the talent coming from?
 
#333
#333
Sabanocchio said:
We're talking about one district in Middle Tennessee here that happens to be strong. Is Middle Tennessee always better than East or West? Certainly not. The disparity is not huge.

It's a numbers deal though. We all know this. Look at the strongest areas for HS football nationwide. Generally the higher the population, the better the product. Look at Memphis.
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The district that Blackman plays in is full of good football teams. It is a strong district indeed.
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#335
#335
rpeagram said:
I know you said generally, but Mississippi and South Carolina kill per-capita. Tennessee can become one of those states with the right investment of time and money.


This is old but it makes my point and yours:

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1014/134319.jpg

http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/1014/134318.jpg

If you look at states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina; it becomes clearer to me that all you need is the desire, the investment, and the program to have top quality talent. Mississippi has half the population of Tennessee and smaller cities but is a darker green color because of the high level of talent. To your point, the larger cities in Tennessee have the most potential.


This is the old article link for the interested:

Rivals.com Football Recruiting - Where's all the talent coming from?
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Tennessee will never produce as much talent as the states you list because they do not have the same percentage of black residents. All the states you list have over 30% black residents as part of their populations. Tennessee is 16%. Black kids make up the majority of college football players so those states naturally have an advantage.
 
#336
#336
The Rutherford County district is considered the best in the state of Tennessee and is also considered one of the toughest leagues in the South.......it is the cream of the crop in Tennessee easily...IMO....
 
#337
#337
snowvols said:
Tennessee will never produce as much talent as the states you list because they do not have the same percentage of black residents. All the states you list have over 30% black residents as part of their populations. Tennessee is 16%. Black kids make up the majority of college football players so those states naturally have an advantage.
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+1

That pretty much sums it up
 
#338
#338
snowvols said:
Tennessee will never produce as much talent as the states you list because they do not have the same percentage of black residents. All the states you list have over 30% black residents as part of their populations. Tennessee is 16%. Black kids make up the majority of college football players so those states naturally have an advantage.
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I said this on 1045 The Zone one night, when Willie and George were talking about why Tennessee doesn't have the players other states had. They acted like I was crazy, and I told them to pull up the census data and it would tell them the story. They probably still think I'm nuts.
 
#339
#339
orangeblur said:
The Rutherford County district is considered the best in the state of Tennessee and is also considered one of the toughest leagues in the South.......it is the cream of the crop in Tennessee easily...IMO....
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I don't disagree with that, however I don't think it blows the rest of the state away. Earlier in this thread someone posted a MaxPreps link saying that district was top 10 in the nation. They did it in defense of Mathers. HOWEVER, THE SAME SITE (Max Preps), named DY an All-American. Is Rutherford County football tough? HELL YEAH IT IS!!!! The point I'm trying to make is that the rest of the state has good comp. It tickles me when folks say we don't have good HS football in TN, but when it supports their theory it SUDDENLY becomes some of the best in the country. But I think you and I have probably taken the strongest stance for DY. The rest will have to wait and see.....
 
#340
#340
I'tavius has received an offer from the Red Wolves (Arkansas State) and is now receiving interest from the Golden Eagles (Boston College), according to a source close to Blackman's football team.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#341
#341
I personally watched this kid run through, past, and around the best defenses in his region this year. This region had very talented DL and LBs and Mathers was able to make them all look pretty bad. I mean the kid had over 2,000 yards rushing thats crazy.
 
#342
#342
RichRollin said:
I don't disagree with that, however I don't think it blows the rest of the state away. Earlier in this thread someone posted a MaxPreps link saying that district was top 10 in the nation. They did it in defense of Mathers. HOWEVER, THE SAME SITE (Max Preps), named DY an All-American. Is Rutherford County football tough? HELL YEAH IT IS!!!! The point I'm trying to make is that the rest of the state has good comp. It tickles me when folks say we don't have good HS football in TN, but when it supports their theory it SUDDENLY becomes some of the best in the country. But I think you and I have probably taken the strongest stance for DY. The rest will have to wait and see.....
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I think that in terms of stiff competition basically every week...it blows everyone away...IMO I think that other than D-II with schools like MUS, Brentwood, MBA, etc.........the district they play in....the Ruth County district is really tough......I agree the rest of the state has good comp......


I grew up on TN hs football and seen football in alot of places as you know........I think Tennessee doesnt get a fair shake overall...been saying it for years...sure some states have more volume of players , etc.......but Tennessee teams have proven over the last few years that they can play with and beat other nationally ranked teams from other states...who have had way more D-1 talent.

I have contended for the last 4-5 years that this isnt your grandad's version of TN hs football...alot of these kids can play instate..........
 
#344
#344
You guys don't forget to include Hickman County when making of list of Tennessee's perennial powerhouse football programs! :)
 
#346
#346
Has now received offers from Michigan, Minnesota, and Mississippi according to Rivals.com.

Also now receiving interest from UCLA, North Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, and Auburn.
 
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#348
#348
Mathers is planning on attending UT's 2nd Junior Day on March 26th. Apparently UT is taking his recruitment more seriously and an offer could be extended soon.
 
#349
#349
His youtube videos look impressive. He could turn out to be a stud for the vols.
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#350
#350
Glad the coaches are giving him a serious look. He's already surpassed the supposed Vandy/MTSU level.
 
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