Almost missed this response to me, since you didn't actually use quotes. Oversight or attempt to be clever? No idea. But let's correct the usual sophistry...
There was little difference between the '#17 and #19 in the 2012 class. In the 2011 class, Dooley recruited 9 4*s, but only 6 remained by the 2013 season, with D. Arnett, C. Clear, and M. Couch gone, and Marcus Jackson and Curt Maggitt being out due to medical RS. That only left Marlin Lane, Tiny, Byron Moore, and Justin Coleman, and we know that neither of the latter 2 would have started if Butch had anyone else that could have started over them.
Dooley also recruited 9 4*s in his 2012 class, but by last season 4 of those 9 were gone - Deion Bonner, Devonte Bourqe, C. Patterson, and Dante Phillips. That left Drae Bowles, Daniel McCullough, Danny O'Brien, LaDarrell McNeil, and Nathan Peterman. Only McCullough and McNeil played more than a half, and neither one has been very productive.
Dooley only recruited 5 4*s in the 2013 class, and only North and JRM contributed last season. North was obviously a big contributor, and JRM was on ST, but Austin Sanders, Paul Harris and Jason Carr didn't, and Harris and Carr were recruited over and left
First of all, UT had the #17 ranked class in 2012 & Vanderbilt had the #29 (not #19, as you stated). Not sure if you were trying to be dishonest, but I'll assume you just misread my post.
Second, simply listing the players that left UT or didn't pan out here proves nothing, since you obviously didn't list the players Vanderbilt recruited and where they ended up. Since there was no reason to list this without comparing it to Vanderbilt, I can only conclude that you are listing it in an attempt to obscure the issue.
We had far more highly ranked/highly sought after recruits signed over the 4 years preceding the 2013 UT/Vandy game, and even with attrition, we had far more still playing and active in the program.
How many 4 star recruits did Franklin start in the game? Surely it should be around the same as we did (13) if, as you maintain, the recruiting classes were similar.
You tell me; all I know is Franklin got a lot of the top in-state players that Dooley was recruiting,
Somehow you guys always avoid answering this question. So, I finally went back and looked. Near as I can tell, Franklin started all of 1 4* recruit in the UT/Vandy game. We started 13 4* recruits. Pretty big disparity, no?
I can see now why you didn't want to do any research of your own. But I don't see how you can continue to argue that Franklin had as many highly recruited players as we did or that we didn't have enough big recruits due to attrition (not that logic has ever really played a big part in these arguments anyway).
Franklin also started around 5 2* recruits. This is according to rivals.
Is your argument really that we can only expect our coach to beat teams with inferior talent when the team is injury free? Because that is never going to happen. We had injuries. Vanderbilt had injuries. It's part of the game.
No, that's not my argument and your assertion is silly. I'm saying that there was not a big difference in the talent level between UT and Vandy last season, and when you are starting your 4th string QB and your top WR is out, the loss was not unexpected.
If you expected Butch to lose, at home, to a Vanderbilt program with lesser recruits, less facilities, less tradition, less resources, etc. etc, simply because of a handful of injuries (and taking into account the fact that the opponent had plenty of injuries of their own), then I take it you have a far lower opinion of his and his coaching staff's abilities than any so-called "nega-vol".
OK, you say that injuries are never an excuse, that all teams endure injuries. I agree with the latter, but will argue that rarely do teams suffer the loss of the 3 QBs and have to start their #4 QB. Vandy beath both UGA and UF last season, both of whom suffered key injuries leading up to that game. So Vandy either beat both of those teams because of those injuries or because Vandy was a pretty decent team. Which was it?
Yes, Vanderbilt achieved alot last season. They were the perfect example of what a well-coached team can accomplish, even with less talented players (and they even managed to do it after their starting QB went down). James Franklin actually got his players to improve and play above themselves. He actually game planned to take advantage of his team's strengths and attack other team's weaknesses. He demonstrated that a good coach can take over a program and show immediate improvement on the field, with big jumps in wins and competitiveness. Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn, and Kevin Sumlin have also demonstrated the impact a good coach can make quickly in a program. It is sad that we don't hold our coaches to the same standard, but instead seek to always make every possible excuse for them, even when they lose to a team they obviously should have beaten.