'17 TN RB/CB Chase Hayden (Arkansas commit)

That may be true and I know Chandler is ranked higher. I also know stats don't tell the whole story, but it's hard for me to square up what you're saying with the fact that Hayden averaged over 11 ypc while Chandler averaged just 7.4 ypc last season. Hayden also scored about twice as many TDs per carry as Chandler.

In addition, Hayden is heading to The Opening Finals based on his performance in Chicago, which included a 4.07 shuttle and a 42' kneeling powerball toss (10' more than Chandler's top mark), demonstrating superior upper-body & core power/explosiveness.

If he weren't a legacy, I'd be less disappointed; still, I think we're missing out on a helluva player.

Now, we just need to wrap up Chandler...

I don't know about the competition that Chandler plays, but Hayden is at a private school. The competition is not the best.
 
I have no idea if it is true that Butch is not going hard after Hayden or is this the typical "we didn't want him anyway response from the fans. But, if it is true, that would seem to be foolish if he isn't. Hayden is 1) a legacy, 2) from an area where UT needs to recruit annually, 3) has offers from major programs, and 4) projects at two positions of need (RB and slot). What am I missing?
 
I have no idea if it is true that Butch is not going hard after Hayden or is this the typical "we didn't want him anyway response from the fans. But, if it is true, that would seem to be foolish if he isn't. Hayden is 1) a legacy, 2) from an area where UT needs to recruit annually, 3) has offers from major programs, and 4) projects at two positions of need (RB and slot). What am I missing?

That the coaches have evaluated better options.
 
I have no idea if it is true that Butch is not going hard after Hayden or is this the typical "we didn't want him anyway response from the fans. But, if it is true, that would seem to be foolish if he isn't. Hayden is 1) a legacy, 2) from an area where UT needs to recruit annually, 3) has offers from major programs, and 4) projects at two positions of need (RB and slot). What am I missing?

Being a legacy should not mean an automatic offer. Memphis in not an area UT needs to recruit very heavy. We should be very concentrate in Memphis. Very narrow. He plays a position of need, exactly. We are not recruiting RB 'just for depth' in this class. That is exactly why you don't take a RB lower on your board just because he is a legacy. It's not fans saying we don't want him. UT not recruiting him heavily came from reporters.
 
I have no idea if it is true that Butch is not going hard after Hayden or is this the typical "we didn't want him anyway response from the fans. But, if it is true, that would seem to be foolish if he isn't. Hayden is 1) a legacy, 2) from an area where UT needs to recruit annually, 3) has offers from major programs, and 4) projects at two positions of need (RB and slot). What am I missing?

Is he better than the other players we are recruiting? My answer is NO. Does what your dad did make you automatically get an offer? The answer is NO. Does being from Memphis mean you'll help Tennessee win? Another NO on that one. He projects at an elite level at both positions? The Answer is another NO. Staff has a job to get the best players period regardless of area or last name.
 
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Is he better than the other players we are recruiting? My answer is NO. Does what your dad did make you automatically get an offer? The answer is NO. Does being from Memphis mean you'll help Tennessee win? Another NO on that one. He projects at an elite level at both positions? The Answer is another NO. Staff has a job to get the best players period regardless of area or last name.

People don't get it. It just doesn't always work out

Alvin Harper's kid
McKleskey's
I think Marcus Nash or another former WR out near Memphis a year or two ago.

I like Hayden but if you can do better, you simply do it
 
I have no idea if it is true that Butch is not going hard after Hayden or is this the typical "we didn't want him anyway response from the fans. But, if it is true, that would seem to be foolish if he isn't. Hayden is 1) a legacy, 2) from an area where UT needs to recruit annually, 3) has offers from major programs, and 4) projects at two positions of need (RB and slot). What am I missing?

If that LSU offer does come we'll have to see how it plays out. Coleman bails as LA recruits usually do, passing on Hayden might kind of suck.
 
Thank you for the obvious responses. Here's the deal: offering Hayden isn't an act of charity. He's a legit player as evidenced by his other offers. And, we have horrible luck with players from Louisiana. That's a bad pairing.

Where I'm coming from is if the evaluation is close, there are tiebreakers, at least I would imagine there are, and some of those, again I would imagine, are ties to the program and location in a desirable recruiting ground to foment further relationships in that area. Not all kids of players are as good as their fathers and I understand that just being a legacy doesn't get you a spot.

But, Hayden seems to match all the boxes except to the extent that the coaches think we are in on better players. Y'all are right that the coaches need to get the best players in irrespective of ties to the program but we just took a commitment from a Louisiana RB instead of Hayden. Maybe he is a better player and maybe he will actually make it to Knoxville and make an impact.

Riddle me this, however: when is the last time a recruit from Louisiana actually committed, made it to Knoxville, and made an impact? Answer: Janzen Jackson (and he got booted from the team and embarrassed us time and again). In between then and today, we have had multiple players commit to be Vols from the State of Louisiana and none of them have actually suited up for the Vols. Class of '16: Christmas-Giles spurns us for Texas and Henderson fails to qualify. Class of '15: Bussey spurns us for A&M (although there are rumors that we pulled the offer or there were issues with his father). Class of '12: Borque washes out within (I believe) a single week. I think I'm missing others.
 
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Thank you for the obvious responses. Here's the deal: offering Hayden isn't an act of charity. He's a legit player as evidenced by his other offers. And, we have horrible luck with players from Louisiana. That's a bad pairing.

Where I'm coming from is if the evaluation is close, there are tiebreakers, at least I would imagine there are, and some of those, again I would imagine, are ties to the program and location in a desirable recruiting ground to foment further relationships in that area. Not all kids of players are as good as their fathers and I understand that just being a legacy doesn't get you a spot.

But, Hayden seems to match all the boxes except to the extent that the coaches think we are in on better players. Y'all are right that the coaches need to get the best players in irrespective of ties to the program but we just took a commitment from a Louisiana RB instead of Hayden. Maybe he is a better player and maybe he will actually make it to Knoxville and make an impact.

Riddle me this, however: when is the last time a recruit from Louisiana actually committed, made it to Knoxville, and made an impact? Answer: Janzen Jackson (and he got booted from the team and embarrassed us time and again). In between then and today, we have had multiple players commit to be Vols from the State of Louisiana and none of them have actually suited up for the Vols. Class of '16: Christmas-Giles spurns us for Texas and Henderson fails to qualify. Class of '15: Bussey spurns us for A&M (although there are rumors that we pulled the offer or there were issues with his father). Class of '12: Borque washes out within (I believe) a single week. I think I'm missing others.

All of this doesn't mean to take Hayden.
 
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All of this doesn't mean to take Hayden.

I would imagine Butch wants to take different style of RBs as well. Looking at the Hudl film of the kid we took yesterday, he seems to have a more bruising style of running the ball and would compliment a Chandler or Akers or both very well.
 
We have offered Hayden correct? If so, then why is everyone saying we should've took him? He was the one who didn't commit. I hope we still have room and get him, but you can't blame coaches for recruiting other players.
 
We have offered Hayden correct? If so, then why is everyone saying we should've took him? He was the one who didn't commit. I hope we still have room and get him, but you can't blame coaches for recruiting other players.

A UT offer doesn't mean you can commit. I'd bet if Hayden were allowed to commit, he would have. I'd wager he just recently learned he was being slow played and then named USC his leader. JMO
 
Thank you for the obvious responses. Here's the deal: offering Hayden isn't an act of charity. He's a legit player as evidenced by his other offers. And, we have horrible luck with players from Louisiana. That's a bad pairing.

Where I'm coming from is if the evaluation is close, there are tiebreakers, at least I would imagine there are, and some of those, again I would imagine, are ties to the program and location in a desirable recruiting ground to foment further relationships in that area. Not all kids of players are as good as their fathers and I understand that just being a legacy doesn't get you a spot.

But, Hayden seems to match all the boxes except to the extent that the coaches think we are in on better players. Y'all are right that the coaches need to get the best players in irrespective of ties to the program but we just took a commitment from a Louisiana RB instead of Hayden. Maybe he is a better player and maybe he will actually make it to Knoxville and make an impact.

Riddle me this, however: when is the last time a recruit from Louisiana actually committed, made it to Knoxville, and made an impact? Answer: Janzen Jackson (and he got booted from the team and embarrassed us time and again). In between then and today, we have had multiple players commit to be Vols from the State of Louisiana and none of them have actually suited up for the Vols. Class of '16: Christmas-Giles spurns us for Texas and Henderson fails to qualify. Class of '15: Bussey spurns us for A&M (although there are rumors that we pulled the offer or there were issues with his father). Class of '12: Borque washes out within (I believe) a single week. I think I'm missing others.

Lately our luck has been not so good in that state. But should we stop recruiting there?
-Peyton Manning
-Jonathan Wade
-Raynoch Thompson

2 very good players one GOAT from there. If Leonard FournettE had come to UT i doubt we would have any hesitation about recruting there.

Hayden is a good prospect.
But hes not:
Ty Chandler
Cam Akers
Damon Williams

or Trey Coleman.

Coleman is bigger and faster than Hayden. I trust Butch because the man knows football talent.
 
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Lately our luck has been not so good in that state. But should we stop recruiting there?
-Peyton Manning
-Jonathan Wade
-Raynoch Thompson

2 very good players one GOAT from there. If Leonard FournettE had come to UT i doubt we would have any hesitation about recruting there.

Hayden is a good prospect.
But hes not:
Ty Chandler
Cam Akers
Damon Williams

or Trey Coleman.

Coleman is bigger and faster than Hayden. I trust Butch because the man knows football talent.

That's all fair. I think all the posters disagreeing with me are making valid points too. And, I'm not an expert talent evaluator. I thought there were some rumblings that Hayden was a really legit player and that's what has led to some of this discussion.

I hope Coleman sticks if he's a better player and I'm excited about his commitment. I just think it is pretty gutsy to take the commitment from a Louisiana kid given our recent track record with Hayden as a potential player. Maybe Coleman breaks the trend?
 
That's all fair. I think all the posters disagreeing with me are making valid points too. And, I'm not an expert talent evaluator. I thought there were some rumblings that Hayden was a really legit player and that's what has led to some of this discussion.

I hope Coleman sticks if he's a better player and I'm excited about his commitment. I just think it is pretty gutsy to take the commitment from a Louisiana kid given our recent track record with Hayden as a potential player. Maybe Coleman breaks the trend?

Think about it, if Hayden was a top tier prospect the coaches would've been pushing very hard here.
 
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I understand how things look right now with this recruitment but for some reason I just have a hard time not seeing Hayden as part of this class...I've always thought we'd take 3 RBs and Hayden would be one of them
 
We have really good atheltes that can play either slot/WR or corner (a more valuable combination IMHO). We need more of an 'every down' type of RB hence the Coleman commitment..
 
I understand how things look right now with this recruitment but for some reason I just have a hard time not seeing Hayden as part of this class...I've always thought we'd take 3 RBs and Hayden would be one of them

I think we will take 3 if Chandler and Akers both want in. Hayden, being a legacy, would be recruited much harder if he had a legitimate offer right now. I don't believe he does.
 
From SC:

RB Chase Hayden of Collierville, TN made his planned visit to USC Saturday. His parents joined him on the visit. Hayden told TheBigSpur after the visit has USC at the top of his list following the visit and a final decision could come soon. He is scheduled to visit Arkansas Thursday and Missouri Friday and those are the others at the top of his list. He's also still considering Tennessee, Michigan, Oklahoma State and Illinois
 
Coaches seem to be doubling down on Chandler and Akers. High risk, high reward.

UT's RB recruitment was... interesting... last year, too.
 

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