Good story on roster challenges for this yr & next

[temptn]

Stoops can give you some excuses if you need some.

 

[BeardedVol]

The transfer portal works both ways. While the three mentioned didn’t have access to an almost unlimited portal, it also didn’t decimate their rosters.

Florida and Mizzou also didn’t suffer the roster attrition and the complete collapse of a recruiting class as TN did…

College football teams who were crushed by transfer portal losses this offseason

Once in the early days of the transfer portal, the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s basketball team saw 11 of its 13 scholarship players enter the transfer portal

247sports.com

Which players transferred out, that you believe were integral to being able to even be competitive against Missouri and putrid Florida this season?

 

[LWSVOL]

The roster issues are a mark of constant changing of coaches. UT has compounded the problem each time by delaying the hiring process until too late in the recruiting cycle for the new coach to get his players. Every time a coach is fired that is a dead recruiting year.

100 percent the case. Every change sets it back

 

[wmcovol]

Heup is facing the biggest rebuilding challenge at UT in my memory. And my memory goes back to when Doug Dickey took over. He's doing a pretty darn good job IMO.

I agree. None of the other rebuilds (Dickey, Majors, etc) faced scholarship reductions AND potential major NCAA penalties for 2 yrs. Heupel’s clock starts at the end of this season IMO. Up until now has been damage control. None of us expected 3 winning seasons, a Top 10 finish in the first 3 yrs when he was hired. Count your blessings

 

[wmcovol]

Which players transferred out, that you believe were integral to being able to even be competitive against Missouri and putrid Florida this season?

Pruitt had some good recruits but the last couple of classes weren’t very good at all as a group. There were a few good players but nothing like what you need to compete.

 

[BeardedVol]

Pruitt had some good recruits but the last couple of classes weren’t very good at all as a group. There were a few good players but nothing like what you need to compete.

Heupel did pretty well with Pruitt's recruits in 2022.

I'm not talking about beating Georgia or winning the conference, I'm talking about not getting blown out by a terrible Florida, and a pedestrian Missouri.

 

[jonnon111]

Too much nuance and facts for Volnation.

 

[wmcovol]

Heupel did pretty well with Pruitt's recruits in 2022.

I'm not talking about beating Georgia or winning the conference, I'm talking about not getting blown out by a terrible Florida, and a pedestrian Missouri.

T’oo T’oo, Morris, Gray, Lawrence are a few. Hard to call Hooker a “Pruitt recruit”. Hell even JP admitted he never met HH. I doubt Tillman or Hyatt would have the career with a Pruitt/Chaney offense. Heupel took what was here & made something of it.

Calling Missouri “pedestrian” is inaccurate. They are a very good offensive team that can throw and run the ball.

 

[BeardedVol]

T’oo T’oo, Morris, Gray, Lawrence are a few. Hard to call Hooker a “Pruitt recruit”. Hell even JP admitted he never met HH. I doubt Tillman or Hyatt would have the career with a Pruitt/Chaney offense. Heupel took what was here & made something of it.

Calling Missouri “pedestrian” is inaccurate. They are a very good offensive team that can throw and run the ball.

But Hooker was a Pruitt recruit who would have never seen the field at UT if Milton hadn't been injured in 2021.

Hendon Hooker recalls recruitment by Jeremy Pruitt to Tennessee football after NCAA ruling

Hendon Hooker began his college football career at Virginia Tech but was brought to Tennessee by Jeremy Pruitt, who was later fired.

www.knoxnews.com

Missouri beat no one this season, and at times struggled offensively and defensively against powerhouses like MTSU.

Neither US, nor Kentucky, nor South Carolina, nor Florida, nor Vanderbilt took much talent or coaching acumen to beat this season.

 

[thehardknoxlife]

I know the facts, everyone knows the facts.

CJH is going through a rough stretch so he's airing excuses, and to me that's not what I want to hear from the leader of the team.

No, all you want to do is cry and act like you know what it takes to run a football program. You don't, you never will. I honestly hope you guys do run off Heupel. Then you'll really be crying. Ive seen UT be terrible so many times it doesn't bother me, so run him off and get what you fairweather fans deserve.

 

[DrTNT]

The same was said about Dooley's, Butch's, and Pruitt's tenures at Tennessee, and they didn't have access to a nearly unrestricted transfer portal.

There's no reason for UT to be as devoid of quality depth as we seem to be, in comparison to teams like Florida and Missouri this year, and going forward.

Yes, but transfer portal players and players who have been on the roster are completely different. Sure some players can come in and have immediate success, however most have to come in, learn new teammates, a new system, a new culture, a new coaching staff… your seniors are supposed to be the ones showing the young guys the ropes, not learning the ropes with them.

 

[laroc99a]

The last Pruitt/first Heupel recruiting class is basically gone. Heupel was hired until after the early signing day so you really can’t blame him for the disastrous class.

https://atozsports.com/nashville/tennessee-vols-football-josh-heupel-news-roster-recruiting/

This is true but my expectations would have been more realistic if Tennessee PR machine hadn’t over hyped Joe Milton all offseason.

 

[laroc99a]

Also this is a bad excuse Colorado basically flipped an entire roster in one season in the transfer portal

 

[Vol8188]

Heup is facing the biggest rebuilding challenge at UT in my memory. And my memory goes back to when Doug Dickey took over. He's doing a pretty darn good job IMO.

That’s 100% what we all said when he was hired. Then he made the terrible mistake of winning too many games too soon

 

[Vol8188]

Also this is a bad excuse Colorado basically flipped an entire roster in one season in the transfer portal

They’re going to win 4 games. Sure there’s a lot of guys in the portal who can take your team talent from 1 win to 4.

But from 8 wins to 10 or 11? There’s not many of those and you’re competing with the entire field for those guys.

 

[laroc99a]

They’re going to win 4 games. Sure there’s a lot of guys in the portal who can take your team talent from 1 win to 4.

But from 8 wins to 10 or 11? There’s not many of those and you’re competing with the entire field for those guys.

They said the issue was missing a whole recruiting class for depth not that they would be world beaters. Seems like the only a couple of coaches have a good rotation DL, RB and LB. So it wouldn’t matter because they really don’t substitute anyway.

 

[Vol8188]

They said the issue was missing a whole recruiting class for depth not that they would be world beaters. Seems like the only a couple of coaches have a good rotation DL, RB and LB. So it wouldn’t matter because they really don’t substitute anyway.

Obviously it would matter because the positions you didn’t mention are: WR, OL, and DB.

You know, the spots were all the injuries happened.

 

[laroc99a]

Obviously it would matter because the positions you didn’t mention are: WR, OL, and DB.

You know, the spots were all the injuries happened.

Fair point. Still think that it is an excuse of their own making.

 

[Vol8188]

Fair point. Still think that it is an excuse of their own making.

It’s not. They’ve had two recruiting classes total. And have been working with limited numbers. You can’t fix everything through the portal. Especially when you’re lacking roster spots to do so

 

[Visiting Dawg]

You don’t have to even believe him. You can review the roster yourself and confirm the facts!

While it's technically true that Tenn has 31 Srs, it's a bit misleading when you use Covid class numbers. No doubt there are 31 academic Srs or super Srs on the roster but the extra covid yr basically created a new category on the eligibility calendar and Sr no longer means a player is definitely going to exhaust his eligibility.

So, while you can correctly say TN has very few academic jrs, you have to also consider that out of 31 academic Srs, 17 are eligible to return which is effectively the same as having 17 jrs eligible to return. Now, the class separation is off kilter right now but even that is offset by having the ability to add thru the portal. It's not like it's 2015 and your going to lose 31 Srs with the only possible help being true frosh and sophs. Iows, it's not as bad as it sounds.

 

[volfan411]

100 percent the case. Every change sets it back

I am not sure why that is so hard for fans to understand.

 

[volfan411]

It’s not. They’ve had two recruiting classes total. And have been working with limited numbers. You can’t fix everything through the portal. Especially when you’re lacking roster spots to do so

And fixing through the portal takes a scholarship away from a younger player that you will not have in the system For the future. It is really a catch 22 do you want instant gratification or build for the future. I think the average fan wants the instant gratification but i myself wants a team that is built to compete year after year.

 

[LWSVOL]

And fixing through the portal takes a scholarship away from a younger player that you will not have in the system For the future. It is really a catch 22 do you want instant gratification or build for the future. I think the average fan wants the instant gratification but i myself wants a team that is built to compete year after year.

Georgia has signed 101 players in the last 4 recruiting classes and taken only 14 transfers in that time. Very, very selective transfers. Alabama has taken only 17 transfers.

I think there is a message there on how to manage championship level programs.

 

[volfan411]

Yes, but transfer portal players and players who have been on the roster are completely different. Sure some players can come in and have immediate success, however most have to come in, learn new teammates, a new system, a new culture, a new coaching staff… your seniors are supposed to be the ones showing the young guys the ropes, not learning the ropes with them.

This !!!! The players for the portal do not know the traditions or the pride of the program. Most are here for one season the get to the next level and i am okay with that but you also need players who are here for 3-4 seasons that learn the traditions and are leaders for the team.

 

[volfan411]

Georgia has signed 101 players in the last 4 recruiting classes and taken only 14 transfers in that time. Very, very selective transfers. Alabama has taken only 17 transfers.

I think there is a message there on how to manage championship level programs.

Exactly you have to build it from the ground up and compliment with transfer players!!!