2024 Recruiting Thread

[madtownvol]

No i'm not mod ... i'm old school

The heyday of the mod movement was around 1965 so being a mod is pretty old school.

People try to put us d-down (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Just because we get around (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (Talkin' 'bout my generation)
This is my generation
This is my generation, baby

 

[creekdipper]

After reading some of the recruiting results, I feel inclined to get hung up and feed the ducks with a bun.

 

[Knoxvol14]

We aren't alone either. Duke, uconn, SC, Virginia tech, Ms state and more only have one recruit. This is the new world with the portal and nil money.

 

[VA_VOLFAN]

We aren't alone either. Duke, uconn, SC, Virginia tech, Ms state and more only have one recruit. This is the new world with the portal and nil money.

Yep. I think we need to reestablish ourselves as the "it" team although the world of women's basketball is much bigger than it used to be. I also hope that our NIL game gets up to par and we figure out how to get it done but legally.

Just looking forward to our ladies being great! And that starts NOW ... excited about the season ahead

 

[StorrsCentral]

We aren't alone either. Duke, uconn, SC, Virginia tech, Ms state and more only have one recruit. This is the new world with the portal and nil money.

Actually, UConn has 2 recruits for 2024. #18 Morgan Cheli, and #4 Allie Ziebell. They also have 2 in the books for 2025.

 

[WinnerCircle]

I’m speaking in general, my opinion is to let recruiting play out and stop taking it to the extreme. Tennessee doesn’t have an NIL problem. Look at the deals and opportunities it has landed Rickea Jackson, Tamari Key, Tess Darby, Jordan Horston, Jordan Walker etc.

The head coach has clearly expressed her recruiting philosophy and people on here who feel they have a better way I guess just won’t let it go.

She has REPEATEDLY stated it has to make sense. Now I’m not out of touch with reality and the times we are living in, but I fully agree that promising $100,000 or even $50,000 to a player out of HS don’t (doesn’t!!) make no SENSE!!

The proof of it not making sense, is yeah right now people can say well TN hasn’t signed any ranked HS players since 2022.. fine. But is it just TN when multiple players (1) 2024, (1) 2025, and (1) 2027 have already committed!!
Does NIL not matter to them? All three of the current HS commits are highly ranked and likely are still being heavily recruited.

Take one look at TN’s roster and it looks outstanding. Elite talent. Elite height. 13 players. One will redshirt. #9 preseason ranked team according to ESPNW.

I’m assuming next year’s team will have a full roster with about 3 or 4 players nobody on this forum including myself would’ve expected. Nobody on this forum can say they saw this team signing Elite 3-year starters G Jewel Spear and Destinee Wells PG from the portal. Or a pair of rising sophomores in G Avery Strickland and former McD All-American 5-star G Talaysia Cooper.

What I think is happening is these players aren’t just picking other schools everytime over TN, in some cases eventually both sides are realizing it’s just not the right fit at this time after the official visits and there’s no guarantees being made. I think in the long run this is a winning formula for this program and one that has solidified a run this year for a nat’l championship.

 

[RAVOL]

We aren't alone either. Duke, uconn, SC, Virginia tech, Ms state and more only have one recruit. This is the new world with the portal and nil money.

In today's basketball world I would only sign certain few players each year knowing for sure talent at SEC level will be in portal. In CHRIST Alone

 

[Knoxvol14]

In today's basketball world I would only sign certain few players each year knowing for sure talent at SEC level will be in portal. In CHRIST Alone

Thank you. So many are obsessed on getting big hs recruit classes when a certain class may not have the talent we want to pursue.

 

[turbovol]

I’m speaking in general, my opinion is to let recruiting play out and stop taking it to the extreme. Tennessee doesn’t have an NIL problem. Look at the deals and opportunities it has landed Rickea Jackson, Tamari Key, Tess Darby, Jordan Horston, Jordan Walker etc.

The head coach has clearly expressed her recruiting philosophy and people on here who feel they have a better way I guess just won’t let it go.

She has REPEATEDLY stated it has to make sense. Now I’m not out of touch with reality and the times we are living in, but I fully agree that promising $100,000 or even $50,000 to a player out of HS don’t (doesn’t!!) make no SENSE!!

The proof of it not making sense, is yeah right now people can say well TN hasn’t signed any ranked HS players since 2022.. fine. But is it just TN when multiple players (1) 2024, (1) 2025, and (1) 2027 have already committed!!
Does NIL not matter to them? All three of the current HS commits are highly ranked and likely are still being heavily recruited.

Take one look at TN’s roster and it looks outstanding. Elite talent. Elite height. 13 players. One will redshirt. #9 preseason ranked team according to ESPNW.

I’m assuming next year’s team will have a full roster with about 3 or 4 players nobody on this forum including myself would’ve expected. Nobody on this forum can say they saw this team signing Elite 3-year starters G Jewel Spear and Destinee Wells PG from the portal. Or a pair of rising sophomores in G Avery Strickland and former McD All-American 5-star G Talaysia Cooper.

What I think is happening is these players aren’t just picking other schools everytime over TN, in some cases eventually both sides are realizing it’s just not the right fit at this time after the official visits and there’s no guarantees being made. I think in the long run this is a winning formula for this program and one that has solidified a run this year for a nat’l championship.

So you think lousy high-school recruiting and then hoping to get a couple of good players every year in the portal is a "winning formula"? I'd call it a risky formula. We may have set a record for recruiting the largest number of players that "don't fit." We have to recruit better at the high-school level--period. Did we not recruit Wells out of high school? She's from Tennessee!

 

[NeedOrange]

Why list them if they're not one of ours

Probably because she had a Tennessee offer.

 

[WinnerCircle]

So you think lousy high-school recruiting and then hoping to get a couple of good players every year in the portal is a "winning formula"? I'd call it a risky formula. We may have set a record for recruiting the largest number of players that "don't fit." We have to recruit better at the high-school level--period. Did we not recruit Wells out of high school? She's from Tennessee!

Either you fail to comprehend or per usual just look for a reason to take every post out of context that doesn’t fit your perspective. Who in their right mind would really believe the notion that a team that has recruited and signed Rickea Jackson, Jewel Spear, Jillian Hollingshead, Talaysia Cooper, Destinee Wells etc majority heavily recruited HS recruits and later highly touted portal transfers can’t recruit players out of HS?
Players that recruitment is well documented and you’ve seen the other teams that recruited them yet they still picked Tennnessee via the portal.
Another fact you fail to acknowledge as I’ve pointed out, TN has (3) highly ranked and recruited commitments from HS prospects.
If all you took away from that post led you to the idea of me only saying “players that don’t fit” then your ability to think rationally is beyond having dialogue on this forum.
Keep traveling down a “one way street”.

 

[Coach Jumper]

Either you fail to comprehend or per usual just look for a reason to take every post out of context that doesn’t fit your perspective. Who in their right mind would really believe the notion that a team that has recruited and signed Rickea Jackson, Jewel Spear, Jillian Hollingshead, Talaysia Cooper, Destinee Wells etc majority heavily recruited HS recruits and later highly touted portal transfers can’t recruit players out of HS?
Players that recruitment is well documented and you’ve seen the other teams that recruited them yet they still picked Tennnessee via the portal.
Another fact you fail to acknowledge as I’ve pointed out, TN has (3) highly ranked and recruited commitments from HS prospects.
If all you took away from that post lead you to the idea of me only saying “players that don’t fit” then your ability to think rationally is beyond having dialogue on this forum.
Keep traveling down a “one way street”.

His faction is a foursome

 

[Coach Jumper]

Probably because she had a Tennessee offer.

I understand, but someone reading this page who is not following it closely only sees it as promoting other school's takeaways

If they go elsewhere, they were never here
JMO

 

[Knoxvol14]

I understand, but someone reading this page who is not following it closely only sees it as promoting other school's takeaways

If they go elsewhere, they were never here
JMO

I tend to agree and what we don't know is of that player even still had an offer. Some offers are conditional.

 

[LadyVol1908]

Some of yall want us to live in y’all’s delusion so bad! Pack it upppppp!

Yes some of us still believe in good ole high school recruiting, your long essays and theories on the portal and NIL isn’t going to change our minds. No matter how you slice and dice it, championships aren’t being won with portal players. I whole heartedly believe had Dawn not made a coaching malpractice against Iowa last year, they would’ve been the champions, or hell had UCONN not been injury ridden, they would’ve won with the talent they RECRUITED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I don’t understand how you all don’t see how important high school recruiting is to lay a foundation in case, GOD FORBID, we miss out on high level portal players one year.

Having to count on the portal when you don’t even know who’s going to be in there year after year is SO RISKY, and I’m trying to understand how some of yall don’t see that.

 

[WinnerCircle]

I’m a direct poster.. if you think anything that has been posted is “delusional” that I’m speaking of you may be ignorant of sports. Florida State men’s football team right now is ranked in the Top 5 based on some major transfer signees. The most renowned coach Coach Prime in any COLLEGE sport in America in this era and any decade since the hiring of Coach Saban has made a name from two college programs in 4 years by thriving in the portal.
Just say you want to complain and have an issue because it’s not done the way you see fit.
Because it dang sure has been effective and has Tennessee sitting in the Top 10 in preseason polls.

 

[RAVOL]

Thank you. So many are obsessed on getting big hs recruit classes when a certain class may not have the talent we want to pursue.

Program must embrace free agency because that is what the Portal and Nil are in today's college sports. In CHRIST Alone

 

[turbovol]

Either you fail to comprehend or per usual just look for a reason to take every post out of context that doesn’t fit your perspective. Who in their right mind would really believe the notion that a team that has recruited and signed Rickea Jackson, Jewel Spear, Jillian Hollingshead, Talaysia Cooper, Destinee Wells etc majority heavily recruited HS recruits and later highly touted portal transfers can’t recruit players out of HS?
Players that recruitment is well documented and you’ve seen the other teams that recruited them yet they still picked Tennnessee via the portal.
Another fact you fail to acknowledge as I’ve pointed out, TN has (3) highly ranked and recruited commitments from HS prospects.
If all you took away from that post led you to the idea of me only saying “players that don’t fit” then your ability to think rationally is beyond having dialogue on this forum.
Keep traveling down a “one way street”.

You might want to read your first sentence again. We didn't sign ANY of those players out of high school! That is the point that I made. High school. Harper has saved her job only by landing some good transfers. You can't count on landing good transfers every year.

 

[WinnerCircle]

You might want to read your first sentence again. We didn't sign ANY of those players out of high school! That is the point that I made. High school. Harper has saved her job only by landing some good transfers. You can't count on landing good transfers every year.

You responded to me, so I don’t have to read the first sentence when up until now I have scrolled by your typical posts and never replied.
Have a good day. GBO

 

[glv98]

Some of yall want us to live in y’all’s delusion so bad! Pack it upppppp!

Yes some of us still believe in good ole high school recruiting, your long essays and theories on the portal and NIL isn’t going to change our minds. No matter how you slice and dice it, championships aren’t being won with portal players. I whole heartedly believe had Dawn not made a coaching malpractice against Iowa last year, they would’ve been the champions, or hell had UCONN not been injury ridden, they would’ve won with the talent they RECRUITED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I don’t understand how you all don’t see how important high school recruiting is to lay a foundation in case, GOD FORBID, we miss out on high level portal players one year.

Having to count on the portal when you don’t even know who’s going to be in there year after year is SO RISKY, and I’m trying to understand how some of yall don’t see that.

Great post.

If there are two recruiting options, hs and portal, and one of them carries much more risk and unknown factors, it is dumb to pretend not to need the easy option just bc you're bad at it. Even if you've been good at the hard option. That is not a "winning formula". What are we actually winning? Not big games, not tournaments, not titles at this point. We're winning 3rd place which is way better than anything 4th and down, and yes we won that glorious half against LSU. But the goal is to break on thru to the other side.

Basketball Gods allowing, we're about to change that whole picture with some big wins right off the bat. The Florida St and Indiana games are already big. Maybe we do make the big step with our portal-built team, and that helps put our HS recruiting back on track. I'm not ready yet to be a one trick recruiting pony. Definitely need to be a big presence in both.

 

[River67]

Some of yall want us to live in y’all’s delusion so bad! Pack it upppppp!

Yes some of us still believe in good ole high school recruiting, your long essays and theories on the portal and NIL isn’t going to change our minds. No matter how you slice and dice it, championships aren’t being won with portal players. I whole heartedly believe had Dawn not made a coaching malpractice against Iowa last year, they would’ve been the champions, or hell had UCONN not been injury ridden, they would’ve won with the talent they RECRUITED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. I don’t understand how you all don’t see how important high school recruiting is to lay a foundation in case, GOD FORBID, we miss out on high level portal players one year.

Having to count on the portal when you don’t even know who’s going to be in there year after year is SO RISKY, and I’m trying to understand how some of yall don’t see that.

Actually, Dawn wouldn’t have won in 2017 without Gray and Davis and 4 of LSU’s starting 5 were transfers. Bottom line, Kellie’s not going to get in a bidding war for an unproven hs kid, not to mention we don’t have the money. If a top 50 kid is asking for $75k, are you giving it to her and taking away from current players? I would love to have hs recruits, but I also don’t think we should pony up that kind of cash for one. Do we really want a kid that will only commit to the highest bidder? It’s insane how NIL has affected college sports

 

[NeedOrange]

I understand, but someone reading this page who is not following it closely only sees it as promoting other school's takeaways

If they go elsewhere, they were never here
JMO

Wow! So you believe the image of LV basketball can't stand on its own but needs to be protected. Every school gets rejected. It's a fact of recruiting.

 

[Volfan2012]

I think you need to get some high school players, but in order to do that with the majority of elite players these days you have to have a NIL plan. Mulkey is not really out recruiting anybody the ones she is getting are from huge NIL offers. I guess if Kellie wants to be successful in high school recruiting NIL offers are going to need to be the way forward. If were not willing to go that route then I would look for very few elite high school recruits to be heading to Tennessee. Women's basketball seems to mean more to a few schools in 2023 than it does to Tennessee. I think she is doing a really good job keeping a competitive team here, but when you see players visiting three or more times then going elsewhere then you are probably getting outbid for their services. NIL may very well be the undoing of Coach Kellie's coaching career only time will tell.

 

[Majors]

Simple formula for HS players would be if you have a unicorn year of two top 10 nationally ranked players, don’t miss.

 

[glv98]

I think you need to get some high school players, but in order to do that with the majority of elite players these days you have to have a NIL plan. Mulkey is not really out recruiting anybody the ones she is getting are from huge NIL offers. I guess if Kellie wants to be successful in high school recruiting NIL offers are going to need to be the way forward. If were not willing to go that route then I would look for very few elite high school recruits to be heading to Tennessee. Women's basketball seems to mean more to a few schools in 2023 than it does to Tennessee. I think she is doing a really good job keeping a competitive team here, but when you see players visiting three or more times then going elsewhere then you are probably getting outbid for their services. NIL may very well be the undoing of Coach Kellie's coaching career only time will tell.

To be fair, KJH & staff were stuck in the mud on hs recruiting long before NIL. That's why she changed recruiting coordinators a few yrs ago. They've always lived in the 30-50 ranked zone and struggled to snag a top 20 fm hs. You could argue she's done better since NIL bc at least she's gotten an uber elite fm the portal, actually got RJ twice, and a couple of other probable elite gets (Jewel and Jill).

And do we actually "know" about these huge NIL giveaways or is that urban legend we're now just accepting as fact/excuse? Does Booster Barbie indeed hand over an envelope of cash to each recruit on move in day? Do they have to do anything for it? I feel like there's still so much I don't know about NIL. I'd love to see a factual report.

I swear I think it's as much about not winning championships and often not being competitive as it is about NIL. So back to my mantra: alot of what's wrong w hs recruiting would be fixed with a few damn elite wins. Let It Be.