milohimself
RIP CITY
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By Bruce Feldman
Think Phil Fulmer wasn't a bit disappointed at how this season's recruiting run turned out? Big Phil really vented about prospects getting caught up in the recruiting game and didn't mince words this weekend: "There's guys that just lie to you -- flat lie to you," he told the AP. "That goes back to upbringing."
Among the almost-Vols that, I gather, had Big Phil a bit annoyed: TE Michael Goggans, who had verbally committed to Tennessee in August, instead chose to stay near his Alexander City, Ala., home and signed with Auburn; LBs Kelvin Sheppard and Perry Riley, from Stone Mountain, Ga., who both signed with LSU; DT Aleric Mullins (signed with North Carolina); and safety Greg Davis (signed with West Virginia.)
"It's the generation now out there," Fulmer told the AP. "It's not everywhere, but it's out there. There are a few out there that make it a show. You might come or you might not, but just be honest. I don't begrudge anyone for not choosing our school. We're not going to get every recruit, but just be honest."
My three cents: I buy that it goes back to upbringing to some degree, but I think the problem is becoming a little more complex than that. One coaching buddy of mine says it's pretty obvious watching kids change over the course of the year as they get recruited. "Good kids from good families start acting like idiots," the coach said. "You don't know how much I want to say, 'If you lay out four hats in front of you, you can take ours and stick it....' But it happens a lot now, and even mom and dad who seem pretty grounded lose it."
It'd be easy to put this on Fulmer for sounding like he's whining, but I believe he's on to something since this is hardly a Tennessee problem alone. After all, UT didn't miss out because he isn't still a strong recruiter or because his school isn't great. (Visit Knoxville and you're likely to be blown away. Some of the problem I hear stemmed from not just a losing season but the litany of offseason problems the Vols had last winter.) Still, I think this is more a case of bad timing. This kind of thing (kids misleading, whether intentional or not) can and will happen to every school to some degree. Fulmer just happened to catch the first real bad gust of it, I think.
Yes, this seems generational, but I think it all goes back to kids getting caught up in the hype game. They have gotten sucked into an inflated sense of self-worth. (Lord knows ESPN itself has a pretty strong suction capacity, too.) Many of the kids (targets) have dozens of reporters calling them a week, trying to chart their every move. They get conditioned to believe every impulse they have is news, because in a weird, warped way it is. Hate to say it, but I'm convinced this is only going to get worse.
Think Phil Fulmer wasn't a bit disappointed at how this season's recruiting run turned out? Big Phil really vented about prospects getting caught up in the recruiting game and didn't mince words this weekend: "There's guys that just lie to you -- flat lie to you," he told the AP. "That goes back to upbringing."
Among the almost-Vols that, I gather, had Big Phil a bit annoyed: TE Michael Goggans, who had verbally committed to Tennessee in August, instead chose to stay near his Alexander City, Ala., home and signed with Auburn; LBs Kelvin Sheppard and Perry Riley, from Stone Mountain, Ga., who both signed with LSU; DT Aleric Mullins (signed with North Carolina); and safety Greg Davis (signed with West Virginia.)
"It's the generation now out there," Fulmer told the AP. "It's not everywhere, but it's out there. There are a few out there that make it a show. You might come or you might not, but just be honest. I don't begrudge anyone for not choosing our school. We're not going to get every recruit, but just be honest."
My three cents: I buy that it goes back to upbringing to some degree, but I think the problem is becoming a little more complex than that. One coaching buddy of mine says it's pretty obvious watching kids change over the course of the year as they get recruited. "Good kids from good families start acting like idiots," the coach said. "You don't know how much I want to say, 'If you lay out four hats in front of you, you can take ours and stick it....' But it happens a lot now, and even mom and dad who seem pretty grounded lose it."
It'd be easy to put this on Fulmer for sounding like he's whining, but I believe he's on to something since this is hardly a Tennessee problem alone. After all, UT didn't miss out because he isn't still a strong recruiter or because his school isn't great. (Visit Knoxville and you're likely to be blown away. Some of the problem I hear stemmed from not just a losing season but the litany of offseason problems the Vols had last winter.) Still, I think this is more a case of bad timing. This kind of thing (kids misleading, whether intentional or not) can and will happen to every school to some degree. Fulmer just happened to catch the first real bad gust of it, I think.
Yes, this seems generational, but I think it all goes back to kids getting caught up in the hype game. They have gotten sucked into an inflated sense of self-worth. (Lord knows ESPN itself has a pretty strong suction capacity, too.) Many of the kids (targets) have dozens of reporters calling them a week, trying to chart their every move. They get conditioned to believe every impulse they have is news, because in a weird, warped way it is. Hate to say it, but I'm convinced this is only going to get worse.
