'14 MD LB Jerome Dews (UT Commit 6/24)

#2,951
#2,951
If I am being honest and were the parent of a recruit where this happened, I would not be as accepting. I know you don't really have a choice, but I would be a bit more vocal to recruiting sites who like to run with stories like this. A promise should mean something, even in the cutthroat world of recruiting. I mean technically this kid could have been at several other quality D1 schools now had he not trusted UTs coaches. It's shady and IMO is something that should not happen.

I am a huge Tennessee Vol fan. As much as I want UT to win and get back to the top of the SEC, this is not how you do it. Would it bother me 1 bit if JD or his family called out UT and it's coaches for tactics like this? Not at all. I honestly hope every recruit in the future that our coaches try to "talk into waiting", GS/BS/Prep or whatever, reads this thread. I'd rather lose them to another school than to see this play out again.

JMO
 
#2,952
#2,952
I don't know how I feel about this...so many conflicting emotions. If UT accepted his commitment before knowing what the bulk of the talent was going to look like, honors the commitment, and then JD gets recruited over in future classes, have they done him a favor? Has JD benefited from the exposure of being a UT commit? If you make this such an issue that UT gets burned over it, they will simply quit accepting commitments from lower ranked players...ever. On the other hand, this has got to be pretty painful for JD, and no doubt smells like a breach of trust. I am a big believer in your 'yes' meaning yes. Again...conflicted.

Best thing to do is move forward. Being offended won't make it any better, but it can definitely make it worse. If JD is in better position now, with better offers as a result of waiting, focus on the positive...you'll be happier in the long run.
 
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#2,956
#2,956
zidanefan said:
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never that, just curious to know how yall felt, clearly last year and some of the comments that were made when he first committed were brutal...lol we pass that, if some still feel that way thats cool, i was just curious for the sake of conversation to see how some felt, your opinion is your opinion, no hard feelings with how one feels.
 
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#2,957
#2,957
I certainly cannot claim to know all the circumstances MDObserver, but I believe a man's word is the end-all and you should never go back on a promise unless there really is no other possible choice. One of my biggest problems with humanity is dishonesty and it seems there has been some dishonesty from our coaching staff. It is a cutthroat world in recruiting these days and I am sorry that you and your boy have been dragged through the mud. You, sir, are a class act and believe me that the vast majority of Vol fans on here share those feelings as well. Thank you for your positive input, it is much appreciated. Best of luck and GBO
 
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#2,958
#2,958
LebanonVolunteer said:
If I am being honest and were the parent of a recruit where this happened, I would not be as accepting. I know you don't really have a choice, but I would be a bit more vocal to recruiting sites who like to run with stories like this. A promise should mean something, even in the cutthroat world of recruiting. I mean technically this kid could have been at several other quality D1 schools now had he not trusted UTs coaches. It's shady and IMO is something that should not happen.

I am a huge Tennessee Vol fan. As much as I want UT to win and get back to the top of the SEC, this is not how you do it. Would it bother me 1 bit if JD or his family called out UT and it's coaches for tactics like this? Not at all. I honestly hope every recruit in the future that our coaches try to "talk into waiting", GS/BS/Prep or whatever, reads this thread. I'd rather lose them to another school than to see this play out again.

JMO
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We not here to **** on a school or any coaches, Jerome did what he was asked, he checked with me, his HS coach and he thought that is what he and Tenn wanted, turned out a different way, we have to move on, now his HS coach is more upset than anyone, and he has plenty of reach in PG County so my worry for Tenn would be if they can recruit that part of MD or DC like they were doing, but as far as Jerome concerned he will be fine.
 
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#2,959
#2,959
MDObserver said:
We not here to **** on a school or any coaches, Jerome did what he was asked, he checked with me, his HS coach and he thought that is what he and Tenn wanted, turned out a different way, we have to move on, now his HS coach is more upset than anyone, and he has plenty of reach in PG County so my worry for Tenn would be if they can recruit that part of MD or DC like they were doing, but as far as Jerome concerned he will be fine.
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Connections and relationships with HS coaches is always heavily overlooked in regards to recruiting, especially out of state. You bring up a very good point. Good luck to Jerome. Thank you for posting and bringing some great insight and perspective.
 
#2,960
#2,960
MDObserver said:
We not here to **** on a school or any coaches, Jerome did what he was asked, he checked with me, his HS coach and he thought that is what he and Tenn wanted, turned out a different way, we have to move on, now his HS coach is more upset than anyone, and he has plenty of reach in PG County so my worry for Tenn would be if they can recruit that part of MD or DC like they were doing, but as far as Jerome concerned he will be fine.
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I could tell you were going to take the high road and understand why you would. When I look at it I see it as much worse than just dropping a kid a week or even a day before NSD. At least then the recruit still has a great chance to sign on with another quality choice on NSD or shortly after. There are always schools who have a spot or 2 they don't fill and grab kids in that exact scenario. I can't even wrap my head around how a coach asks a recruit to go the prep route(when he has other D1 options) so he can add a little weight and be a part of my next class, then not honor that promise.

As you said these sort of things are not just no big deal in the recruiting world outside of the school doing it. It has long lasting ramifications in a lot of cases. HS coaches can at times shut out a school when shady stuff is happening. HS coaches can also impact other schools in the area. Burning bridges is never a good thing. A lot of times when fans hear a HS coach is kind of "blocking" a school", they think it's always the HS up to no good. At times it can be a HS coach looking out for his kids.

Jerome will land on his feet and in a good spot. He seems to have a pretty strong support system around him.
 
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#2,962
#2,962
SSVol said:
I don't know how I feel about this...so many conflicting emotions. If UT accepted his commitment before knowing what the bulk of the talent was going to look like, honors the commitment, and then JD gets recruited over in future classes, have they done him a favor? Has JD benefited from the exposure of being a UT commit? If you make this such an issue that UT gets burned over it, they will simply quit accepting commitments from lower ranked players...ever. On the other hand, this has got to be pretty painful for JD, and no doubt smells like a breach of trust. I am a big believer in your 'yes' meaning yes. Again...conflicted.

Best thing to do is move forward. Being offended won't make it any better, but it can definitely make it worse. If JD is in better position now, with better offers as a result of waiting, focus on the positive...you'll be happier in the long run.
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+1. Good post...I feel the exact same way. :hi:
 
#2,963
#2,963
LebanonVolunteer said:
I could tell you were going to take the high road and understand why you would. When I look at it I see it as much worse than just dropping a kid a week or even a day before NSD. At least then the recruit still has a great chance to sign on with another quality choice on NSD or shortly after. There are always schools who have a spot or 2 they don't fill and grab kids in that exact scenario. I can't even wrap my head around how a coach asks a recruit to go the prep route(when he has other D1 options) so he can add a little weight and be a part of my next class, then not honor that promise.

As you said these sort of things are not just no big deal in the recruiting world outside of the school doing it. It has long lasting ramifications in a lot of cases. HS coaches can at times shut out a school when shady stuff is happening. HS coaches can also impact other schools in the area. Burning bridges is never a good thing. A lot of times when fans hear a HS coach is kind of "blocking" a school", they think it's always the HS up to no good. At times it can be a HS coach looking out for his kids.

Jerome will land on his feet and in a good spot. He seems to have a pretty strong support system around him.
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There are two sides to every story. Jerome Dews didn't have the grades to get into Tennessee last year. His best option was prep school and Tennessee helped him with that. Tennessee had no obligation to re-recruit him just like he had no obligation to still come here. Maybe there were promises made but we don't know that for sure. Has he ever been listed as a 2015 commit? I'm not in anyway implying that MDObserver isn't being 100% forthcoming but things change quickly in recruiting and I just don't see this as a grievous act by CBJ.

Dews Chooses Prep School - VolNation Blog

LB Jerome Dews says he'll enroll at prep school rather than Tennessee this summer | Evan's Eleven
 
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#2,964
#2,964
GLDunlap said:
There are two sides to every story. Jerome Dews didn't have the grades to get into Tennessee last year. His best option was prep school and Tennessee helped him with that. Tennessee had no obligation to re-recruit him just like he had no obligation to still come here. Maybe there were promises made but we don't know that for sure. Has he ever been listed as a 2015 commit? I'm not in anyway implying that MDObserver isn't being 100% forthcoming but things change quickly in recruiting and I just don't see this as a grievous act by CBJ.

Dews Chooses Prep School - VolNation Blog
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I suspect there are quite a few that were unaware of the real situation as was I. This eases my mind a bit.
 
#2,965
#2,965
Wezcoast said:
I suspect there are quite a few that were unaware of the real situation as was I. This eases my mind a bit.
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I was unaware as well. I don't recall ever reading his grades were a part of the prep plan. Seeing the article now, I back off my previous comments. If grades were/are a concern, I don't mind the staff playing it safe. We can't afford to roll the dice and come up empty. Hopefully Jerome finds a quality place to play is college ball.
 
#2,966
#2,966
This whole thread shows the fluidity of the recruiting process and should be a must read for any HS athlete and his parents who are interested in D1 athletics. Nothing is binding until you sign a NLOI, both on the part of the university and the athlete. We've seen it countless times on the part of the athlete who verbally accepts an offer only to later change to a different school but its not usually well known if the school changes their mind on a recruit as the recruit usually changes their commitment to a different school without sharing that the original school pulled the offer. UT has had some real gaffs lately in this area (Taj Boyd and the Baylor QB for example) and JD may well play out the same.

My support tends to fall toward the individual although with all the signing restrictions I do understand the university is more easily left at the alter. I like the guarantee of a scholarship that Malone signed last year that commits the university before the athlete has to commit as it really shows a recruit where he stands.
 
#2,967
#2,967
GLDunlap said:
There are two sides to every story. Jerome Dews didn't have the grades to get into Tennessee last year. His best option was prep school and Tennessee helped him with that. Tennessee had no obligation to re-recruit him just like he had no obligation to still come here. Maybe there were promises made but we don't know that for sure. Has he ever been listed as a 2015 commit? I'm not in anyway implying that MDObserver isn't being 100% forthcoming but things change quickly in recruiting and I just don't see this as a grievous act by CBJ.

Dews Chooses Prep School - VolNation Blog

LB Jerome Dews says he'll enroll at prep school rather than Tennessee this summer | Evan's Eleven
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Slown down, that was before Jerome qualified, as i have been stating these were stipulations set forth by Tenn, i have stated before he did his part, he agreed to prep and got his scores in June, that was the plan from the get go, so he fulfilled everything Tenn asked him to do, come on now, im not trying to throw shade at Coach Jones it is what it is, but dont make it seem like Jerome didn't do what he was asked to do!
 
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#2,968
#2,968
walkenvol said:
This whole thread shows the fluidity of the recruiting process and should be a must read for any HS athlete and his parents who are interested in D1 athletics. Nothing is binding until you sign a NLOI, both on the part of the university and the athlete. We've seen it countless times on the part of the athlete who verbally accepts an offer only to later change to a different school but its not usually well known if the school changes their mind on a recruit as the recruit usually changes their commitment to a different school without sharing that the original school pulled the offer. UT has had some real gaffs lately in this area (Taj Boyd and the Baylor QB for example) and JD may well play out the same.

My support tends to fall toward the individual although with all the signing restrictions I do understand the university is more easily left at the alter. I like the guarantee of a scholarship that Malone signed last year that commits the university before the athlete has to commit as it really shows a recruit where he stands.
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Scolly's are annually renewable meaning they are only guarnteed for one year at a time.
 
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#2,969
#2,969
Not to be flip about commitments, but shouldn't Dews ask himself if he is better or worse for his relationship with UT? He was not on the D-1 radar screen when UT picked him up and put him on it. Do you remember his offer list? I think he is better off. If he didn't have the grades when he graduated, hopefully he does now. UT did for Dews what nobody else did. Let's give the guy credit for taking care of his business and wish him well.
Dews Chooses Prep School - VolNation Blog
 
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#2,970
#2,970
PrattvilleVol said:
Scolly's are annually renewable meaning they are only guarnteed for one year at a time.
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Looks like that is about to change. Multiple schools have started giving out guaranteed 4 year scholarships. USC just started doing it. IMO it's a huge recruiting advantage as recruits know their spot is theirs. Of course it's also risky for the school if the kid does not pan out.
 
#2,971
#2,971
MDObserver said:
Slown down, that was before Jerome qualified, as i have been stating these were stipulations set forth by Tenn, i have stated before he did his part, he agreed to prep and got his scores in June, that was the plan from the get go, so he fulfilled everything Tenn asked him to do, come on now, im not trying to throw shade at Coach Jones it is what it is, but dont make it seem like Jerome didn't do what he was asked to do!
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I don't think I did that at all. I am just pointing out that Jerome by his own admission had to go to either prep school or junior college instead of sign with Tennessee in 2014 due to academics. I completely understand that Tennessee thought prep school was his best option and guided him in that direction. My point wasn't to disparage you or Jerome in anyway and I don't think I did.
 
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#2,972
#2,972
Vol Main said:
Not to be flip about commitments, but shouldn't Dews ask himself if he is better or worse for his relationship with UT? He was not on the D-1 radar screen when UT picked him up and put him on it. Do you remember his offer list? I think he is better off. If he didn't have the grades when he graduated, hopefully he does now. UT did for Dews what nobody else did. Let's give the guy credit for taking care of his business and wish him well.
Dews Chooses Prep School - VolNation Blog
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Thats not the point, and i'm not sure what school will give a kid a offer just because another school offered without seeing for themselves, he earned every offer and accolade he received.
 
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#2,973
#2,973
GLDunlap said:
I don't think I did that at all. I am just pointing out that Jerome by his own admission had to go to either prep school or junior college instead of sign with Tennessee in 2014 due to academics. I completely understand that Tennessee thought prep school was his best option and guided him in that direction. My point wasn't to disparage you or Jerome in anyway and I don't think I did.
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People really need to stop listening to Jerome and that twitter nonsense, i guess he felt he needed to say that because people were wondering why he didn't sign and guessed he was worried about what people would think if he grey shirted, he needs to stay of twitter.
 
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#2,974
#2,974
It seems nobody really knows every aspect of this process but UT and the Dews family. Whatever the case actually is, thank you for not being vocally spiteful toward the University. I like to think karma will set it right in the end.
 
#2,975
#2,975
MDObserver said:
People really need to stop listening to Jerome and that twitter nonsense, i guess he felt he needed to say that because people were wondering why he didn't sign and guessed he was worried about what people would think if he grey shirted, he needs to stay of twitter.
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Nothing but respect for you and Jerome.
 
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