New recruiting category

[GUNTERSVOL]

You're right in that there's very little difference between the #1 recruiting class VS say, the #10 recruiting class. What's probably more important is which teams do a better job in retaining that talent and recruit at a top 10 level consistently.

One of the things that hurt Fulmer at the end was his recruiting became wildly inconsistent. He'd have a top 3 class one year, and barely break the top 25 the next year. He also struggled with player retention at the end that killed his depth. I remember he started an O-lineman in one of his latter years named Michael Frogg. He may have even been a walk on. And he was terrible! He eventually got replaced but championship programs dont put themselves in a position to have to start players like than. Look at Kiffin's 2009 team where he had to start two undersized walk ons on the O-line in the Sullen twins and a former walk on at middle linebacker in Nick Reviez. That was an indictment on Fulmer and his recruiting near the end!

The most underrated element of home state or close proximity numbers advantages, is its impact on floor level of depth on the roster. Attrition is always in play. More so now with the wide open portal.

 

[Hunerwadel]

Announcer. Need to recruit a John Ward genre announcer to make all the epic calls over the next few years these great recruiting classes and quality coaches are going to bring to us!! Go Vols!!

I've never understood the disrespect for Bob. Sure he may not be the best in the nation but there never will be another John Ward. Like most of us I would like to have seen Mike Keith take over. But no one in their right mind turns down an NFL gig to be a college team play by play announcer.

 

[volpadre]

The point is Bob is not remotely interesting to listen to. He is not even average. Good man I’m sure, but Voice of Vols should be able to hold the audience and pronounce names properly. New leadership is demanding excellence everywhere, so what about here? Mediocrity does not fit the plan

 

[Xanny]

First, I just love your imaginative idea!!! Second, I hope Daneel Blanco gets wind of it and follows through. It would be superlative if the UT hunted and hired the most exciting game announcer available. Perhaps the first peek should be to see if there are anymore of those old time style radio announcers. If so, grab one.

A portal guy - gotta be one out there!

 

[joevol33]

Bob pisses me off but no one is going to be Ward. Kessling has done his best despite his constant battles with inability to pronounce last names.

Good point. You all should just be glad he doesn't sound like a bale of hay like i do

 

[ru4real-really?]

There are no award ceremonies or grand prizes for being #1 vs #3 or #5 in recruiting. The only thing that is important is getting enough really high quality players that you can compete with the best on the field.

Once we acknowledge that truth, it is the size of the gap between #1 and #6 that's more important than the numbers themselves.

If I have a million bucks, and you have $999,999, and the next guy has $999,998, and the fourth guy has $999,997, and even the sixth guy has $999,995, well, he's only five bucks shy of being a millionaire. In reality, he's got everything I've got. He's just sixth instead of first. But who cares about the numbers, right?

On the other hand, if I have a million and you're in second place with $100,000, and the third place guy has $23,000, and the sixth place guy has a buck tree-fiddy, then that is a REAL, SIGNIFICANT difference in our relative positions. That's when to worry about #1 vs #6.

I'm no recruiting aficionado, but it seems to me that the scores are really crowded up in those top six spots. Which means, really, all those teams have roughly equal talent. Not a huge difference.

And as long as we have a competitive chance on the field, that's what's important, right?

Go Vols!

And I really think that our coaching staff would be in a tie with ever how many there are in the number one position! And to borrow the words of some poet …that will “make all the difference!”

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Plus the fact that the recruiting services degrade or upgrade players depending on which school they sign with. If Georgia or Alabama had our class and we had theirs the standings would be the same because the system is built on media bias and how many clicks the services get. In reality, we might have the best class in the country and the ratings not show it.

People put too much into recruiting sometimes. We have had 5 star players never play a down at UT. Lee Otis Burton, Geter from WV, and Brian Darden are just a few examples. There is no such thing as a can’t miss prospect.

I am excited about Sanders but am waiting for the potential on the field before celebrating.

Seems like there are fewer busts among highly rated OL. Much more prevalent with skill positions

 

[lastlapuncle]

Recruit those who FIT your needs and schemes.This is what Josh and his staff have done thus far in his tenure and it has worked out very well.If you go just for "stars",then you may have 4 five star rb's.Let our coaches go for whom they want and trust their wishes.It's all coming up ORANGE!

 

[BruisedOrange]

John Ward was a unique person. For us "boomers", there was a golden age of sports radio. Why? Because you were lucky if 2 or more games were broadcast on television. The role of a play by play announcer was the "go to" guy for those not at the game. The VOL network served the state of Tennessee well in 60's and 70's until the networks stranglehold on TV was taken down by this lawsuit:

NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Radio was the only way to get the game. Period, so the quality of the broadcast mattered. John Ward studied the great ones and he had the amazing ability to describe in great detail exactly what his eyes were seeing in real time. He (in my opinion) did it as good or better calling basketball games.

Growing up in Huntsville AL, the closest radio station was in Fayetteville Tn and it was barely strong enough to come in, so it was sketchy. The descriptions of the game Ward painted was how you "watched the game" in you head. Then, you'd wake up on Sunday and catch the "Bill Battle Show" or whatever and then you finally got confirmation on what Ward had described the day before. You also ran you and got a Sunday paper and if you were lucky, there was half a dozen photos of the game.

Ward set a high standard for the VOL network. Would Wilkerson be better, or Mike Keith or _______ fill in the blank? Is it as important now, as most people watch the game in real time on TV and the radio is for those who choose to fish on game day. Maybe not so much. Give him 6.

Outstanding explanation of how it was. Excellent account!

I'll only add that some of us have put TV out of our misery, and have found that the rising costs of food, rent, and necessities has made purchase of a game streaming app or contract to be prohibitive. That number will grow, but may not be many for another decade. In radio I've rediscovered a joy of youth, just as you described.

Even with Bob calling the game, I get more details--like which player substituted for which player--that I'd never get on live TV coverage. The complaint that he occasionally mispronounces a name is just petty. If you know who he meant, then you have been fully informed.

I'd be way more irritated with announcers who aren't even talking about the game while it's unfolding on the field. In that aspect of coverage, compared to Bob, today's TV announcers are like little boys with ADHD, eating sugar and playing video games while calling the game from a squirrel cage.

Give Bob his due: he's watching the game and relaying information--which has gotten a lot more challenging since Heupel's offense arrived and started ripping off plays in less than 16 seconds!

 

[Rocky Top T]

The point is Bob is not remotely interesting to listen to. He is not even average. Good man I’m sure, but Voice of Vols should be able to hold the audience and pronounce names properly. New leadership is demanding excellence everywhere, so what about here? Mediocrity does not fit the plan

I agree

 

[Rocky Top T]

I've never understood the disrespect for Bob. Sure he may not be the best in the nation but there never will be another John Ward. Like most of us I would like to have seen Mike Keith take over. But no one in their right mind turns down an NFL gig to be a college team play by play announcer.

Didn't expect him to be John Ward, but was hoping for someone with a pulse. He is terrible

 

[ptcarter]

Outstanding explanation of how it was. Excellent account!

I'll only add that some of us have put TV out of our misery, and have found that the rising costs of food, rent, and necessities has made purchase of a game streaming app or contract to be prohibitive. That number will grow, but may not be many for another decade. In radio I've rediscovered a joy of youth, just as you described.

Even with Bob calling the game, I get more details--like which player substituted for which player--that I'd never get on live TV coverage. The complaint that he occasionally mispronounces a name is just petty. If you know who he meant, then you have been fully informed.

I'd be way more irritated with announcers who aren't even talking about the game while it's unfolding on the field. In that aspect of coverage, compared to Bob, today's TV announcers are like little boys with ADHD, eating sugar and playing video games while calling the game from a squirrel cage.

Give Bob his due: he's watching the game and relaying information--which has gotten a lot more challenging since Heupel's offense arrived and started ripping off plays in less than 16 seconds!

Kessling started as a spotter for ward. That's a hard job. I agree 100%. And like you mentioned, some of these TV announcers just jack their jaws about irrelevant stuff as the game unfolds. I'll give a good example. Basketball. (Boy I feel a rant coming... brace yourself). Throw Dick Vitale in the mix. The game is going on and he's talking about other coaches, other games, other conferences... SHUT UP. When someone fouls, hard not only to find out who the foul was on, but the number of fouls, if they are in the double bonus or whatever. At least with the sound turned down and Kessling and Bertlecamp calling it, you get a flow of the game. On the radio, they don't have the luxury of going off on a 5 minute irrelevant rant. Same in football. Down, distance and time remaining are important for radio, and yes Kessling has his faults, but all in all, I think he gets a bad rap even here. I cut him some slack. Herbstriet, Fowler, Mowens and all the Florida, Georgia and Bama homers that get behind a microphone drive me bananas. Honestly, I turn the TV audio off and can follow the game just fine with these guys who have the need to be talking about the obvious, explaining to me what I clearly have seen and their jabber is just filler. The only time I unmute is when a play is getting reviewed, and yes Pig Howard fumbled and we lost the game...lol.

But you are spot on here. /end rant

 

[ptcarter]

P.S. This thread is about recruiting a new radio guy, not football players. Just saying.