If someones's covered this forgive me

#1
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hndog609

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#1
I've been pondering this class and have come up with concerns that I haven't heard expressed to any extent yet. Basically, are we really recruiting badly or merely being shut out of places we used to try to get our talent from?

We are a vampiric program with our talent, we have to be. This state has produced (per Rivals) 2 5* players and 16 4* in the last three classes COMBINED. AL is 3/13, GA 2/20 this year ALONE. And don't even start with FL, 5/43. Think about it, how big a deal would it be if we literally "locked down" our borders? Opposing coaches would just yawn. In recent years other teams have become more successful in keeping their best players in-state. I don't care what your take of Fulmer & Co is it's just plain harder to pull the better kids out of FL, AL, GA & LA and that's going to be the case regardless of who is coaching here. In fact, that's the case facing every coach in the nation wanting players from those states. When we can't manufacture our own talent that puts us at a distinct disadvantage with our main rivals that can. It's like interest, if we have the exact same interest rate of, say, 10% with those other teams we still come out way behind if they're sitting on 1K or 10K vs our measly $500. We have to beat the bushes all over the place and try to convince guys to come from far reaching places just to keep up with the other guys.

Am I making any sense?
 
#3
#3
Although we don't have a deep state when it comes to talent, it would still be great to lock up the borders. Florida has 3 major schools plus some up and coming programs to split their talent with, Bama has 2 schools and so does Georgia. We don't have to share our talent with another in state school, sorry Vandy.
 
#4
#4
OrangeWilly said:
You pretty much made sense of it.....except for the part about interest rates.
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Sorry. :) Just trying to come up with an analogy that other teams we're competing with can lose in-state talent and still clobber us even if we keep every decent player in the state. They have MUCH more talent drawing interest. Anyway, maybe not the best example.
 
#5
#5
hndog609 said:
Sorry. :) Just trying to come up with an analogy that other teams we're competing with can lose in-state talent and still clobber us even if we keep every decent player in the state. They have MUCH more talent drawing interest. Anyway, maybe not the best example.
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:good!:
 
#6
#6
but the problem is we don't lock down our own state and get those 4-5 solid players from here. the past few years we could've had:
2008
Barret Jones (4* OL-Bama)
Donta Hightower (4* LB BAMA)
Chris Jordan (4* ATH BAMA)
2007
Golden tate (4* ATH ND)
Alex Watkins (4* DE BAMA)
Rashad Mason (4* WR UNC)
John Stokes (4* DE Vandy)
Rod Davis (4* WR Ole Miss)
Harrison Smith (4* ATH ND)
2006
Mike Berry (4* DE Auburn)
2005
Patrick Turner (5* WR USC)
Michael Oher (5* OT Ole Miss)

Not to mention Patrick Willis and that Brandon warren (though he's with us now) signed with FSU out of high school. I'm not saying that there is any way we could get all of these guys, but seriously look at the names on this list. It is especially alarming that Saban has come in here and gotten 2 DE's, a LB, and an OL (ALL NEED POSITIONS THIS YEAR). Seriously come on guys.
 
#7
#7
volfan55 said:
but the problem is we don't lock down our own state and get those 4-5 solid players from here. the past few years we could've had:
2008
Barret Jones (4* OL-Bama)
Donta Hightower (4* LB BAMA)
Chris Jordan (4* ATH BAMA)
2007
Golden tate (4* ATH ND)
Alex Watkins (4* DE BAMA)
Rashad Mason (4* WR UNC)
John Stokes (4* DE Vandy)
Rod Davis (4* WR Ole Miss)
Harrison Smith (4* ATH ND)
2006
Mike Berry (4* DE Auburn)
2005
Patrick Turner (5* WR USC)
Michael Oher (5* OT Ole Miss)

Not to mention Patrick Willis and that Brandon warren (though he's with us now) signed with FSU out of high school. I'm not saying that there is any way we could get all of these guys, but seriously look at the names on this list. It is especially alarming that Saban has come in here and gotten 2 DE's, a LB, and an OL (ALL NEED POSITIONS THIS YEAR). Seriously come on guys.
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There's nothing wrong with the point made in your post. You list 10 4* and 2 5* players that a "locked down" TN could have brought us in recent years. My point is, for example, AL brought in 3 5* and 9 4* players from in-state this year ALONE.
 
#8
#8
and your list completely ignores the fact that some of those guys may have just been fans of other schools. It's hard to pull someone from a school they've wanted to play for their whole lives.
 
#9
#9
hndog...I feel ya on that, but if AL can pull 3 5* and 9 4* from their own state, then we need to do anything possible to keep them from pulling 4 4* from our state the past 2 years.
 
#10
#10
This thread isn't about who they wanted to play for their whole lives...I acknowledged that there was no way we could land every single one, but we should be able to land the majority of our top prospects in our own state.IMO
 
#11
#11
volfan55 said:
This thread isn't about who they wanted to play for their whole lives...I acknowledged that there was no way we could land every single one, but we should be able to land the majority of our top prospects in our own state.IMO
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Why? Your avatar is a perfect example of my point. Off the top of my head I could eliminate 3 you listed for that very reason
 
#12
#12
volfan55 said:
hndog...I feel ya on that, but if AL can pull 3 5* and 9 4* from their own state, then we need to do anything possible to keep them from pulling 4 4* from our state the past 2 years.
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No arguement here. Though there seems to be a consistent loss of UT "homerism" when you move west, especially once you hit Memphis.
 
#14
#14
volfan55 said:
but the problem is we don't lock down our own state and get those 4-5 solid players from here. the past few years we could've had:
2008
Barret Jones (4* OL-Bama)
Donta Hightower (4* LB BAMA)
Chris Jordan (4* ATH BAMA)
2007
Golden tate (4* ATH ND)
Alex Watkins (4* DE BAMA)
Rashad Mason (4* WR UNC)
John Stokes (4* DE Vandy)
Rod Davis (4* WR Ole Miss)
Harrison Smith (4* ATH ND)
2006
Mike Berry (4* DE Auburn)
2005
Patrick Turner (5* WR USC)
Michael Oher (5* OT Ole Miss)

Not to mention Patrick Willis and that Brandon warren (though he's with us now) signed with FSU out of high school. I'm not saying that there is any way we could get all of these guys, but seriously look at the names on this list. It is especially alarming that Saban has come in here and gotten 2 DE's, a LB, and an OL (ALL NEED POSITIONS THIS YEAR). Seriously come on guys.
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Daniel Brooks got Patrick Willis's scholarship. According to Rivals and Scout, Brooks was the better player.

Barrett Jones was a Bama legacy.

Golden Tate and Harrison Smith were Catholic. How in the hell are you supposed to turn down Notre Dame when you're Catholic.

Not saying it's not a problem, but just because they're in-state guys don't mean they should locks for Tennessee.
 
#15
#15
chavisut said:
Although we don't have a deep state when it comes to talent, it would still be great to lock up the borders. Florida has 3 major schools plus some up and coming programs to split their talent with, Bama has 2 schools and so does Georgia. We don't have to share our talent with another in state school, sorry Vandy.
Click to expand...

You'd have a good point if it weren't for one fact. The most talent rich region of the state... the far west... doesn't have real loyalty to UT. It might as well be another state.

Florida has 4 BCS schools now... and that's still 12 4-5* recruits each... if you assumed all had equal pull.

Georgia Tech hasn't really competed with UGA for the top instate talent in many years... maybe slightly more than Vandy or Memphis competes with UT.
 
#16
#16
It is a two edged sword when you go out of state for talent. On the one hand, you get a talented player. On the other hand, you lose a relationship with an instate HS coach whose 3* player you snubbed for that 5* from Atlanta.

BTW, heard that Hightower's HS coach is a Bama homer that basically steered the kid that way then ran interference against UT.
 
#17
#17
If the far west has no UT loyalty then why aren't the coaches getting their ass in their and getting some relationships built, similar to what Pearl is doing with basketball.
 
#18
#18
I don't know volfan55... I'm sure they haven't thought of that though... :jpshakehead:
 
#19
#19
volfan55 said:
If the far west has no UT loyalty then why aren't the coaches getting their ass in their and getting some relationships built, similar to what Pearl is doing with basketball.
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Maybe you can tell us why the far west has no UT loyalty. You're the "volfan" with the Memphis Tigers avatar.
 
#22
#22
Hey just because I come from another state(WestTenn) doesn't mean my blood doesn't run ORANGE!!
 
#23
#23
justingroves said:
Daniel Brooks got Patrick Willis's scholarship. According to Rivals and Scout, Brooks was the better player.

Barrett Jones was a Bama legacy.

Golden Tate and Harrison Smith were Catholic. How in the hell are you supposed to turn down Notre Dame when you're Catholic.

Not saying it's not a problem, but just because they're in-state guys don't mean they should locks for Tennessee.
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Not to mention, Chris Jordan came to Tennessee late in his high school career from Georgia and was never a "fan" of UT. And Michael Oher is a completely complex situation where he was adopted by a family that pushed him hard to Ole Miss and he owed that family a lot. Its certainly not as black and white as many like to make it sound when it comes to in-state recruits. There are certainly some misses on there that I am not pleased with though.
 
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