ESPN: Five poised to be FPR teams in 2015

[Snakebrown13]

Check this out:

Five poised to be FPR teams in 2015

Tennessee Volunteers (No. 29)

What immediately stands out about the Volunteers is how highly we rated their recruiting efforts. Our panel has taken notice of second-year coach Butch Jones' strides to put together a strong roster.

Tennessee's 8.4 recruiting rating was higher than 16 of the top 25 teams, including the top-10 Oklahoma Sooners, Texas Longhorns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Obviously, that bodes well not only for UT's recruiting score, but for future talent and coaching scores.

The Vols currently have RecruitingNation's No. 12 class for 2015, and they posted the No. 5 class in 2014. While those prospects develop, it could be another rough fall for Tennessee. The line play is at ground zero, and other positions are slowly evolving. That isn't good news for a program that has not had a winning season since 2009, when Kiffin was head coach.

If Tennessee found a way to win six games and return to a bowl, the recruiting momentum could be enough to push the program into the back end of the top 25. For a school that has not won a lot in recent years, Jones at least has the national perception trending upward. It just isn't a short-term fix.

"I think Butch can coach," Tom Luginbill, one of our panelists, told me this week. "I just hope people there understand that it's going to take some time."

 

[Biopsyman]

The talent is coming quick which will be a short term fix

 

[JohnMarxism]

Just another article that doesn't mind mentioning our recruiting achievements, providing good reasons why we will struggle, but leaving just enough optimism so that if we pull of a 8 win season or better the author can say "I tried to tell you they had the potential"

 

[Snakebrown13]

Just another article that doesn't mind mentioning our recruiting achievements, providing good reasons why we will struggle, but leaving just enough optimism so that if we pull of a 8 win season or better the author can say "I tried to tell you they had the potential"

I agree - saying we will be ranked 29th in 2015 after all the compliments comes up a little short for me. If all their positives are true, then I see a 15-20 finish.

 

[EZE]

I agree - saying we will be ranked 29th in 2015 after all the compliments comes up a little short for me. If all their positives are true, then I see a 15-20 finish.

Let's tap the brakes a little bit, okay. Outside of our freshman, we are not loaded. Yes, we have some good players, but not across the field and certainly not any upperclass depth. The author of this article (and the numerous others saying the same thing) is correct. This rebuild WILL take some time.

 

[Catbone]

Let's tap the brakes a little bit, okay. Outside of our freshman, we are not loaded. Yes, we have some good players, but not across the field and certainly not any upperclass depth. The author of this article (and the numerous others saying the same thing) is correct. This rebuild WILL take some time.

Yep

 

[OrangeByBirth]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

 

[orange parmejohn]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

I understand your reasoning but mediocrity isn't our hope, it's our reality. I think the only way to build the team's confidence and instill a culture of winning, is to set an obtainable goal that will take hard work and determination, like winning a bowl game, so our kid's can focus on an accomplishment an actually feel the pride of reaching it. If we reach that goal, then raise the bar. Our kid's have no idea how to even be winners yet, let alone be champions.

 

[Dragon18]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

I'm pretty sure the team will show up to win EVERY game they have on the schedule. The difficulty with setting unrealistic goals is that they are ..... well unrealistic and you want your team to achieve and not fail to reach goals. If you have a mindset that says we will reach this goal, but just in case we will have this fall back goal, you are actually letting your team know that what you have put out there as a goal is not realistic. If I were a betting man I would say the goal is to win the East. That is a good stretch goal for this team. Minimum expectation is a bowl game.eace2:

 

[ImportedVoL]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

If the article was written by CBJ, you would have a point...but media members to not set our expectations.

I can promise you that CBJ and team #118 go into every game planning to win...

 

[FBtime]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

Read below the surface. 6-6 and a bowl game is not going to be come our goal EVERY year. Just THIS year. There are factors such as young talent, all new players on OL/DL (which is unprecedented) and a brutal schedule. Every year the bar raises as we climb out of this purgatory we've been in for the last 4 years.

 

[JohnMarxism]

I'm pretty sure the team will show up to win EVERY game they have on the schedule. The difficulty with setting unrealistic goals is that they are ..... well unrealistic and you want your team to achieve and not fail to reach goals. If you have a mindset that says we will reach this goal, but just in case we will have this fall back goal, you are actually letting your team know that what you have put out there as a goal is not realistic. If I were a betting man I would say the goal is to win the East. That is a good stretch goal for this team. Minimum expectation is a bowl game.eace2:

Losing to Bama and losing to Arkansas State are not even in the same atmosphere of heartbreak. Yes, every team should approach every game as if they are going to win. However, goals should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely)

 

[Quaint88]

I may be in the minority, but I don't think 6-6 should be the target. When mediocrity becomes acceptable as a pre-season goal ("bowl eligible"), the direction needs to change.

I don't expect a perfect season. It should be the goal though. If that goal falls, the next should be an SEC title. If that turns out to be out of reach, an SEC East title ... and so on. Maybe 6-6 becomes the realistic challenge. If so, strive for it. But, don't start the season with "hope" for mediocrity.

I agree with you that there's a difference between expectations and hopes. I expect mediocrity because it's realistic at this point, but if I'm going to hope for something, it's going to be better than what I expect. I expect either a bowl game or a 5-7 season with some close games and bad breaks, but I'm hoping for 9 wins and a top-25 finish. I do feel obligated to point out that the possibility of winning the SEC doesn't disappear until winning the East isn't possible, though.

EDIT: I just realized you could be saying we'd be in the SEC CG when the SEC title becomes out of reach and would still have the East title. If so, your hopes are better than mine! :rock:
I just hope they're not your expectations

 

[paradox89]

Inky Johnson said it best..."There is one goal, to win a national championship, and that is it. This is a top tier program." That quote is probably not verbatim but close enough, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about Tennessee football.

 

[Quaint88]

Inky Johnson said it best..."There is one goal, to win a national championship, and that is it. This is a top tier program." That quote is probably not verbatim but close enough, and it pretty much sums up how I feel about Tennessee football.

That has to be the goal of every team in a big 5 conference. You can't have a goal of beating the next opponent throughout the season without having the goal of what happens if you manage to do that each game all season.

 

[vollygirl]

The talent is coming quick which will be a short term fix

The talent coming in doesn't fix anything short term. We're still gonna lose games this season.

But the talent coming in (assuming it continues year after year, like it has so far) will put us taking the field with the means to beat anybody we play.

 

[fur burglar]

Losing to Bama and losing to Arkansas State are not even in the same atmosphere of heartbreak. Yes, every team should approach every game as if they are going to win. However, goals should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable, and Timely)

:swoon3:

 

[sjt18]

Let's tap the brakes a little bit, okay. Outside of our freshman, we are not loaded. Yes, we have some good players, but not across the field and certainly not any upperclass depth. The author of this article (and the numerous others saying the same thing) is correct. This rebuild WILL take some time.

It should not take that much time to at least get back into the conversation for the East if this is the right staff. That's a function of both reasonable expectations for the HC AND the current state of the SEC East. In '15, almost all of the starters will have been recruited and developed by THIS staff for their whole careers. None will remain that spent more time under the last staff than this one. It is far more than "reasonable" to expect Jones to have that team better than 29th in year 3.

Time is not a luxury new SEC coaches enjoy... and Jones' every action indicates that he's fully aware of that.