Good story on roster challenges for this yr & next

[adam.vol]

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.

Can you please explain how you expect someone to answer questions about their performance without excuses? Because I don’t care to watch a person cry and call their self a failure. I also don’t want to see a person brag about doing pretty good. Maybe stating realistic reasons is the appropriate response.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

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

.... annnnnnnd? In case you haven't noticed, CU sucks bigly.

 

[KTrain]

You beat me to it haha. Nice.

I wish all the Negas would just go spend some time in the RF and check out the kids we landed for 23, the amazing class we have so far for 2024 (75% of them are bluechip 4* and 5*) which is almost complete now, and the list of kids we already have here visiting for 25...the future on the Hill hasnt been this bright since peak Fulmer in maybe 2000? 2001? This 24 class in particular is nasty. Will be a difference maker. GO VOLS

I have no way of knowing for sure but a lot of time these are trolls from other teams that come on here yearly and put Vol or something in their handle relating to UT & try to start & keep discourse going. Some negative ppl are just followers that go with which ever wind blows, and they attach to something that makes them feel better about their lot in life. So, these don't concern me as much as it used to because recruits and their parents know more about social media trolls and know these ppl are in every program.

 

[slobberknocker]

What I don’t want to hear is whining. I’m tired of people whining about the coach, the quarterback, assistant coaches. No one has offered excuses, and we don’t know what the coaches know. Is it too hard to just believe the coaches when they say something?

And don't forget the refs. It was all their fault,

 

[Orangeslice13]

Can you please explain how you expect someone to answer questions about their performance without excuses? Because I don’t care to watch a person cry and call their self a failure. I also don’t want to see a person brag about doing pretty good. Maybe stating realistic reasons is the appropriate response.

He’s asked about why the roster is the way it is, he answered the question and Dipsticks “don’t want to hear excuses “.
VN is awesome.

 

[BowlBrother85]

"There’s an entire recruiting class that basically is gone from our roster, and really a majority of the one before that. And so we're old, and we're really young, and there's [a gap].

I support CJH 100% but I don't want to hear excuses.

There are excuses and then there are completely valid explanations. Josh Heupel wasn't hired until Wednesday January 27, 2021. The late signing period began on Wednesday February 3, 2021, while the early signing period was long gone. That gave him exactly one week. The Class of 2021 was a wash out for Tennessee, and that can not be blamed on Josh Heupel.

 

[BowlBrother85]

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

They are 4-7 .... and will probably finish 4-8.

 

[KTrain]

Yes, I think he's doing a good job, and I really don't know who would be doing a better job than him. Also, program building is not linear...it never has been...but it's tougher today. Majors wouldn't have lasted in today's world. Case in point...JH first three years at UT = 0.676 win %. Johnny career win % @ UT = 0.645%.

Here's the thing...I think... UT is a brand that if JH can connect a few more good seasons together, then we'll start to see us get into the upper tier realm more consistently. It's just so hard to get there now w/ the current and future SEC landscape. There's also the possibility that success looks different in the future w/ OK/TX joining, and the gauntlet everyone's going to have to go thru.

This ^ and if we ever get to the upper tier, you get a lot more 50/50 & no calls from the SEC refs. Because the Sankey's of the world want the team that can make the conference the most money in the playoffs. With the 12-team playoff Sankey's of the world will latch on to the 2 highest rated team near the end to try to get both in. Hey, he's just doing his job by hook or crook.

 

[swampfoxfan]

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.

I don't think he has ever made excuses

 

[njvols]

And I do find it crazy that folks think the transfer portal is a cure. It is helpful if you need those one or two players, but not to fill an entire team. Perfect example is Colorado. I know the media and folks were pushing that as the way to do it, but Colorado sank quickly when they started playing good teams.

Yes it’s almost like they have to fit from a skill perspective but also mesh into team chemistry and understanding of scheme. I think OL portal guys may be the toughest position grouping for JH to fill with contributors. Very few OL guys come in game-ready to play at our pace.

 

[BowlBrother85]

I think UT needs to look at their hiring process for coaches. No way should you terminate a coach and not have a plan in place to get a new coach hired ASAP. We essentially lost the entire class the year CJH was hired due to him being hired so late in the game.

You also have to remember that they had to hire an AD first.

 

[BeardedVol]

There are excuses and then there are completely valid explanations. Josh Heupel wasn't hired until Wednesday January 27, 2021. The late signing period began on Wednesday February 3, 2021, while the early signing period was long gone. That gave him exactly one week. The Class of 2021 was a wash out for Tennessee, and that can not be blamed on Josh Heupel.

You guys have funny memories about the 2021 Recruiting class

Tennessee 2021 Football Commits

Tennessee

247sports.com

Salter - Transferred in 2021 after being suspended for weed
Willis - Transferred in 2022 after playing in one game for UT
Evans - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 7 games for UT
Marley - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 0 games for UT
Campbell - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 3 games for UT
Parker - Transferred in 2023 after playing in 2 games for UT
Merrill - Transferred in 2023 after playing in 15 games for UT
Rucker - Still on roster
Bell - Transferred in 2022 played in 0 games for UT
Young - NFL draft 2022
Wright - Still on roster
Washington - Transferred in 2021 after being suspended for weed
Nixon - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 0 games for UT
Colby - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 1 game for UT
McNeil- Transferred in 2023 after playing in 6 games for UT
Crawford - Still on roster

 

[BowlBrother85]

You guys have funny memories about the 2021 Recruiting class

Tennessee 2021 Football Commits

Tennessee

247sports.com

Salter - Transferred in 2021 after being suspended for weed
Willis - Transferred in 2022 after playing in one game for UT
Evans - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 7 games for UT
Marley - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 0 games for UT
Campbell - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 3 games for UT
Parker - Transferred in 2023 after playing in 2 games for UT
Merrill - Transferred in 2023 after playing in 15 games for UT
Rucker - Still on roster
Bell - Transferred in 2022 played in 0 games for UT
Young - NFL draft 2022
Wright - Still on roster
Washington - Transferred in 2021 after being suspended for weed
Nixon - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 0 games for UT
Colby - Transferred in 2022 after playing in 1 game for UT
McNeil- Transferred in 2023 after playing in 6 games for UT
Crawford - Still on roster

How so? I said it was a wash out .... and that's what it was. Very few contributors.

 

[BeardedVol]

How so? I said it was a wash out .... and that's what it was. Very few contributors.

Well, almost all of them were here beyond 2021, at that point it's up to Heupel and his coaching staff to try to retain them.

Then, it's still up to the coaching staff to either look for replacements in the transfer portal, or the 2022 recruiting class.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Well, almost all of them were here beyond 2021, at that point it's up to Heupel and his coaching staff to try to retain them.

Then, it's still up to the coaching staff to either look for replacements in the transfer portal, or the 2022 recruiting class.

Most were gone after 2022 .... and very few ever contributed much. By any standard, that's a very weak class. There will be a price to pay for that at some point. Simply saying "Fix it with the portal," just isn't practical when you are talking about replacing a vacant class .... and we haven't even begun to talk about the self-imposed scholarship reductions the staff has been dealing with ....

 

[BeardedVol]

Most were gone after 2022 .... and very few ever contributed much. By any standard, that's a very weak class. There will be a price to pay for that at some point. Simply saying "Fix it with the portal," just isn't practical when you are talking about replacing a vacant class .... and we haven't even begun to talk about the self-imposed scholarship reductions the staff has been dealing with ....

At that point, it's still up to Heupel and his staff to try to retain them or replace them.

They didn't all bounce when Pruitt was fired, the vast majority was here for the 2021 season, and the ones that did leave, left in 2022 or later.

Every single coach is dealing with transfers, and it's no different for Heupel.

 

[BowlBrother85]

At that point, it's still up to Heupel and his staff to try to retain them or replace them.

They didn't all bounce when Pruitt was fired, the vast majority was here for the 2021 season, and the ones that did leave, left in 2022 or later.

Every single coach is dealing with transfers, and it's no different for Heupel.

I don't think most of them were worth retaining. There just wasn't much talent there. And it just isn't practical to think you can compensate for having a vacant class with transfers. Under the circumstances, Heupel managed the roster pretty well.

 

[Jackcrevol]

moar, pile it on.

 

[Volfan1000]

CJH Will probably need to consistently start competing for SEC chips and national chips by the 2026 season.

 

[BeardedVol]

I don't think most of them were worth retaining. There just wasn't much talent there. And it just isn't practical to think you can compensate for having a vacant class with transfers. Under the circumstances, Heupel managed the roster pretty well.

I agree, he found a managed to produce a significantly higher-than-expected level of success out of the roster in 2022.

2023 is a different story.

 

[BowlBrother85]

I agree, he found a managed to produce a significantly higher-than-expected level of success out of the roster in 2022.

2023 is a different story.

There will be a price to pay for scholarship reductions and vacant classes at some point. Part of the reason Heupel was hired so late in the recruiting cycle .... nobody wanted the Tennessee job in January of 2021. We lucked into Heupel, by hiring his current AD.

But I'm not saying Heupel has been perfect. He could be loyal to his assistants to a fault.

 

[wmcovol]

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.

You’re wrong again. Heupel operated with 18 less scholarships during the first 2 yrs of the “unrestricted transfer portal” you mentioned. They wanted to bring in more but simply couldn’t due to the self imposed penalty that saved their ass from getting hammered now going forward.

 

[volfan411]

You’re wrong again. Heupel operated with 18 less scholarships during the first 2 yrs of the “unrestricted transfer portal” you mentioned. They wanted to bring in more but simply couldn’t due to the self imposed penalty that saved their ass from getting hammered now going forward.

This^^^ CJH had to make a choice to use his limited scholarships on one and done guys or build the roster from the ground up.

Look at the Georgia or Bama model and it will show you how to use the portal.

 

[BeardedVol]

You’re wrong again. Heupel operated with 18 less scholarships during the first 2 yrs of the “unrestricted transfer portal” you mentioned. They wanted to bring in more but simply couldn’t due to the self imposed penalty that saved their ass from getting hammered now going forward.

UT was credited with 16 scholarship reductions in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, of which Hueoel still saw his most productive year at UT in 2022.

But go ahead, refresh yourself on the 2023 scholarship roster, and tell me again how we should still be completely non-competitive against the likes of Florida and Missouri.

Tennessee 2023 Football ScholarshipDistribution

Tennessee

247sports.com

 

[marcusluvsvols]

Theres no excuse for the Flarduh game. They are a bad team and we should have beat them. The refs screwed us obviously on the 1st 2 drives of the second half and put to naught any attempt at a comeback...but we started the game with a beautiful TD and should never have been put in a hole afterwards. The Oline totally crapped the bed, and 1 player which I will not name playing fill in center got absolutely dominated mentally and physically.

At Mizzou is different. We went on the road against a very good offensive team we had scored 66 and 62? On the previous 2 seasons....missing both starting Oline tackles and lost our best guard halfway thru to make certain the offense could never move the ball. With Squirrel as the only serviceable WR to throw the ball to in an offense that has been greatly simplified/shrunk so that Joe stands a chance at knowing where to go with the ball. I am not happy we lost to them...and look forward to seeing them in 2025 i think...but I can understand why our team lost this game. We were also missing both starting corners and a top safety on defense. We probably couldnt beat USCjr or aTm with the team we fielded at Mizzou this season either. We simply do not have the quality depth on our roster yet that Bama, UGA, etc have on their teams. We will soon as long as coach lands a top10 or top 15 at worst class every year. We look to be set at QB and RB already for at least 4 years IMO. Lots of young talent there. Interior offensive linemen should be as well. More positions will follow. I believe CJH is building a roster the right way and it will pay dividends. Go VOLS