‘23 NC EDGE Rico Walker (Maryland commit)

[GUNTERSVOL]

Because what happens when a player gets to the NFL has no bearing on collegiate success or potential. Completely different leagues and coaches. The NFL doesn’t expose anything at the college level. That’s insane. There is a DIRECT correlation between the amount of blue chip recruits you have and success rate in college. Let’s take an example from the SECE. Kentucky.

Mark Stoops, imo, is a top 5 coach in the SEC. Does he win at a high level? No. Why? He just doesn’t get the blue chip recruits. Who does? Saban and Smart. Who wins at the highest level year in and year out? Saban and Smart.

You can try and argue that all you want but if you do, show me the evidence at the COLLEGE level. Not the irrelevant NFL. Show me the team that goes to the playoffs routinely, wins conference and national championships, routinely that have roster not chocked full of blue chip recruits.

Services are services, they assign stars, do a pretty good job considering the number of players they have to assess and the fact that they mature at different rates and get very different coaching and training assistance. So yes, a kid rated a 5 star has a higher probability of success than a 4 star and down the line, BUT BUT BUT, that does not justify anyone ASSUMING that a player is PROPERLY rated and make value judgements about his POTENTIAL to be productive at the college or pro level.

Stoops is a good example of evaluating and signing enough of the upper echelon lower star groups and closing ground on those with higher rated classes. How many upper level SEC players has he uncovered on his ascent up the conference standings? He is finding misses, not creating the talent. Even then you might have to invest more time in a player to get them there.

Bottom line stars can be used to calculate probabilities a group of players can help you, not as a ceiling on any single players potential. Late bloomers and misused and under coached guys exist and can be found in camps when they are in drills side by side with higher rated guys, and we need to wait and see if the staff was simply ahead of the services and if these kids climb up the ladder with their senior performances before we celebrate or trash them. Sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you are good, and sometimes you are not. The number of times you are right gates your progress till you can reduce your three star percentages in your classes. Beat the odds and life can get good faster. Ability is ability, drive is drive, and attitude is attitude and that is hard to measure en mass with 17 year olds and their highlight reels. Size and speed is easy, the rest not so much.

 

[LittleVol]

They tried moving Harrison to the middle for a short time last year. He was completely lost. He's always played with his hand in the dirt so it was like trying to become fluent in Mandarin in 2 weeks. I think he's going to be one of the breakout stars this season. He got bigger and stronger this off season and should be a terror in passing situations, but also get more snaps on early downs as well.

I remember saying they were going to try him out there in the Spring of 2021, but then he they sidelined him to recover from surgery with a host of others.

I have a few thoughts on this actually. The ILBs now are a whole different breed than 10 years ago. I think Harrison could have played for Alabama during the early part of Saban's tenure.

If he was lost, then that would make sense to why he never got his chance there.

Also if he got any stronger he'd be benching like 500 lbs.

 

[LittleVol]

They tried moving Harrison to the middle for a short time last year. He was completely lost. He's always played with his hand in the dirt so it was like trying to become fluent in Mandarin in 2 weeks. I think he's going to be one of the breakout stars this season. He got bigger and stronger this off season and should be a terror in passing situations, but also get more snaps on early downs as well.

"Xi xi"

 

[LittleVol]

Harrison is one of my favorite players. I've been rooting for him since day 1.

I think he turns the corner and has a really good season this year.

I've been super excited about him since watching his TWENTY minute highlight video in high school hahaha.

I wish he had Redshirted...he did good for a freshman in 2019. Did nothing hardly in 2020 (like most of the team). But then last year under Banks he began to get his feet under him.
I'm thinking he gets 60 tackles and 8 sacks. 11 tkls for loss , this year

 

[LittleVol]

Because what happens when a player gets to the NFL has no bearing on collegiate success or potential. Completely different leagues and coaches. The NFL doesn’t expose anything at the college level. That’s insane. There is a DIRECT correlation between the amount of blue chip recruits you have and success rate in college. Let’s take an example from the SECE. Kentucky.

Mark Stoops, imo, is a top 5 coach in the SEC. Does he win at a high level? No. Why? He just doesn’t get the blue chip recruits. Who does? Saban and Smart. Who wins at the highest level year in and year out? Saban and Smart.

You can try and argue that all you want but if you do, show me the evidence at the COLLEGE level. Not the irrelevant NFL. Show me the team that goes to the playoffs routinely, wins conference and national championships, routinely that have roster not chocked full of blue chip recruits.

Kentucky's classes past 4 years cumulatively have been similar to level Clemson was at when they started their run.

Also, Saban made sure he ALWAYS had strong or even the best Coordinators available, to go along with the elite talent.

You have to use the reference of NFL...because 99 %of the time you have to had played very well IN college to have made into the NFL.

Also lol... Recruiting services rank many prospects based off specific offers. Can't be a 5 star unless you have a Bama, OSU, UGA, or LSU offer.

Kentucky and Alabama have had busts too. Just like UT.

You've argued this many times now. The flaw in this thinking is that you go by recruiting rankings ...and the "validity " of a 4 star being better than a 3 star always. When in reality not all 4 stars are equal. You're line of thinking -no offense- is just like Butch Jones. You're not factoring in scheme or team depth chart in how any recruit will get a chance to develop...

Things were less complicated before year 2000.

In a nutshell, you're saying ANY coach for any team - if they randomly grabbed 25 4 stars...would have more success than a team that had a design and proven method for success but they did it with mostly 3 star underrated players. That's completely wrong

 

[buckfama]

I've been super excited about him since watching his TWENTY minute highlight video in high school hahaha.

I wish he had Redshirted...he did good for a freshman in 2019. Did nothing hardly in 2020 (like most of the team). But then last year under Banks he began to get his feet under him.
I'm thinking he gets 60 tackles and 8 sacks. 11 tkls for loss , this year

I hope he does too. I'll be extremely happy for him if he gets those type of numbers.

 

[BigorangeBoy]

They tried moving Harrison to the middle for a short time last year. He was completely lost. He's always played with his hand in the dirt so it was like trying to become fluent in Mandarin in 2 weeks. I think he's going to be one of the breakout stars this season. He got bigger and stronger this off season and should be a terror in passing situations, but also get more snaps on early downs as well.

Doesn’t Harrison have an extra year because of CoVid?

 

[bigl3327]

Doesn’t Harrison have an extra year because of CoVid?

Yep

 

[Devo182]

0% chance.

Not-a-Vol.

 

[AlcoVOLic]

0% chance.

Not-a-Vol.[/QUOTE


He’s saying this about all the recruits.

 

[VolFaninFla]

4-star North Carolina EDGE moving up commitment date naming top 5
If not the Vols, please don’t let it be the Gators.

 

[Geaux_Vols]

4-star North Carolina EDGE moving up commitment date naming top 5
If not the Vols, please don’t let it be the Gators.

The article kinda concedes that’s prob not happening.

“Are those two relationships enough to get Florida into serious consideration though? It’s unlikely, to say the least.”

 

[Orange_Crush]

we are balling. We're going to have 10-12 commits between now and early August. And they aren't those 3 stars that Butch dropped in one weekend that we later cut. These are nearly all blue chippers. Everyone are priorities. Nuts.

So in other words we gonna be all like
View attachment 468814

Started with balling, and ended with nuts. Well played.

 

[DaddyChad]

Everything I’ve heard was Carolina vs Tennessee. Idk if anything has changed but I feel pretty good here.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Sure would be nice to land Walker! GBO!

 

[Ericvol2096]

Give him some of Mauigoas money.

 

[VolByLaw]

Rico Walker still feels like Tennessee and North Carolina as we hit the second week in July. Maybe he does something soon as his tweet this week indicated but it still feels like something that will go into the fall long-term.

-VQ

 

[JT3]

-VQ

Longer this goes the better for us right? Does he still have an OV available?

 

[jakez4ut]

Longer this goes the better for us right? Does he still have an OV available?

Yeah I think he's taking it during the season

 

[berryvol]

Sounds like even if he commits somewhere else, we still have a great shot at flipping him. Would love to get him in the boat early, but this doesn’t seem like one to write off until signing day.

 

[TBtheGBwiththeTD]

Longer this goes the better for us right? Does he still have an OV available?

Yeah sounds like UNC currently feels best about it's chances, so they are likely the frontrunner. The longer it goes the more Tennessee can swing that feeling

 

[mrmax86]

 

[SweetasSoda]

 

[Adam Sandler]

Usually do this when you’re closing in on a decision

 

[sjt18]

Usually do this when you’re closing in on a decision

Or has made one and doesn't want to hear any more.