Sabanocchio
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Didn't see this posted. Good insight into several guys UT and Kiffin are chasing.
Hooker: Kiffin placed ball in Boyd's court : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com
Some musings from Lane Kiffin's first week recruiting as Tennessee's football coach:
Honesty The Policy: Kiffin should be commended for being so forthright with highly touted quarterback Tajh Boyd from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., although it certainly wasn't the best move for UT's 2009 signing class.
Far too many pro-style offensive coaches would have gotten Boyd on campus then determined if he could play quarterback, or more appropriately determine what position he would be moved to.
Not Kiffin.
Integrity aside, there's a pragmatic reason not to mislead prospects. What happens when prospects-turned-college backups realize they've been misled?
Answer: They become disgruntled and undermine team chemistry.
Far too often recruiters think it is best to fool prospects when really they're just fooling themselves.
Here's another pragmatic reason not to lead Boyd astray. He won't be the last prospect from Hampton to play college football. A negative experience at UT would only undermine the Vols' future recruiting efforts there.
Some have said this is Kiffin's first huge misstep, that he should have told Boyd that he'd have every opportunity to be the pro-style quarterback he dreamed to be. Then, let the chips fall where they may.
I say kudos to Kiffin for playing it straight.
Memphis Man: I don't think it's possible for any coach from outside the South to become UT's head coach and understand the enigma that is Memphis recruiting. Kiffin, however, is trying.
"Studying the state, it became very apparent to me that we need to do a great job in Memphis," Kiffin said on WHBQ radio in Memphis. "So many good players there that have gotten away from us.
"I wanted to get on a plane and go to Memphis and make sure Memphis knows that although it is in the western part and a ways away, it's just as important as Knoxville and Nashville.We're all together and it's all part of Tennessee.
"We need to go a great job in the state of Tennessee and keep our kids home. I wanted to make sure I got to as many places as I could in Memphis and make sure the coaches knew they were going to see a lot of me."
Good luck. Memphis' history says you'll need it.
Spurring Spurrier: Kiffin has done something that former UT coach Phillip Fulmer was rarely able to do: get under Steve Spurrier's skin.
Why else would the ol' ball coach question Kiffin's recruiting tactics?
Spurrier wondered aloud if Kiffin had broken an NCAA rule by calling prospects last weekend. Had Kiffin taken the mandatory NCAA test that all coaches must pass every year, Spurrier questioned?
Evidently Spurrier doesn't think Kiffin is too bright. Kiffin confirmed he had passed the test days before in his introductory press conference.
But this wasn't about the test. This was about Kiffin stealing South Carolina's recruiting coordinator David Reaves, and subsequently gaining an advantage over two prospects that UT and South Carolina are both recruiting - tailback Jarvis Giles and safety D.J. Swearinger.
I'm also told that Gamecocks coaches, including Spurrier, aren't too happy about Reaves recruiting South Carolina prospects to UT, including those who have been placed at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with South Carolina in February.
Dynamic Duo's Destination: Don't be shocked if UT ends up signing both of the highly touted prospects - running back Dominique Allen and athlete Marsalis Teague - from Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn.
Teague was thought to be Florida-bound and probably still is. But he's also told other prospects that his meeting with Kiffin this week was very enlightening.
Allen's commitment to LSU never was considered an impossible hurdle to overcome. After all, he also committed to UT, then changed his mind. Don't forget he also grew up a UT fan.
Also, don't forget that Allen committed to LSU when the Tigers were thought to be one of the top programs in the nation. That's no longer the case and one has to wonder if there's a significant rebuilding job in Baton Rouge, especially defensively.
If I had to predict where the two will end up as of early December, I'd say UT gets Allen and Florida gets Teague.
Why Wait?: I think there's reason to be worried about tailback Jarvis Giles from Gaither High in Tampa, Fla.
Giles long said that he would re-commit to UT if recruiter/running backs coach Stan Drayton was retained on Kiffin's staff.
Now that appears to be the case and Giles is waiting for visits from South Carolina and Nebraska's coaches.
Perhaps Giles will end up committing to UT on Tuesday but his indecisiveness is cause for concern.
On The Lane: I once thought Eric Gordon was determined to play football outside of the state of Tennessee, probably Alabama. Now I'm not so sure.
He's probably the best example of a prospect that could change his mind based off the Kiffin hire.
Marlon The Man: While I think Marlon Brown was impressed by Kiffin's visit, I don't think that means the Vols have soared to the top of Brown's list.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver from Harding Academy in Memphis is playing it close to the vest but I'd say UT still has plenty of work to do to land Brown.
Hooker: Kiffin placed ball in Boyd's court : Football Recruiting : GoVolsXtra.com
Some musings from Lane Kiffin's first week recruiting as Tennessee's football coach:
Honesty The Policy: Kiffin should be commended for being so forthright with highly touted quarterback Tajh Boyd from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., although it certainly wasn't the best move for UT's 2009 signing class.
Far too many pro-style offensive coaches would have gotten Boyd on campus then determined if he could play quarterback, or more appropriately determine what position he would be moved to.
Not Kiffin.
Integrity aside, there's a pragmatic reason not to mislead prospects. What happens when prospects-turned-college backups realize they've been misled?
Answer: They become disgruntled and undermine team chemistry.
Far too often recruiters think it is best to fool prospects when really they're just fooling themselves.
Here's another pragmatic reason not to lead Boyd astray. He won't be the last prospect from Hampton to play college football. A negative experience at UT would only undermine the Vols' future recruiting efforts there.
Some have said this is Kiffin's first huge misstep, that he should have told Boyd that he'd have every opportunity to be the pro-style quarterback he dreamed to be. Then, let the chips fall where they may.
I say kudos to Kiffin for playing it straight.
Memphis Man: I don't think it's possible for any coach from outside the South to become UT's head coach and understand the enigma that is Memphis recruiting. Kiffin, however, is trying.
"Studying the state, it became very apparent to me that we need to do a great job in Memphis," Kiffin said on WHBQ radio in Memphis. "So many good players there that have gotten away from us.
"I wanted to get on a plane and go to Memphis and make sure Memphis knows that although it is in the western part and a ways away, it's just as important as Knoxville and Nashville.We're all together and it's all part of Tennessee.
"We need to go a great job in the state of Tennessee and keep our kids home. I wanted to make sure I got to as many places as I could in Memphis and make sure the coaches knew they were going to see a lot of me."
Good luck. Memphis' history says you'll need it.
Spurring Spurrier: Kiffin has done something that former UT coach Phillip Fulmer was rarely able to do: get under Steve Spurrier's skin.
Why else would the ol' ball coach question Kiffin's recruiting tactics?
Spurrier wondered aloud if Kiffin had broken an NCAA rule by calling prospects last weekend. Had Kiffin taken the mandatory NCAA test that all coaches must pass every year, Spurrier questioned?
Evidently Spurrier doesn't think Kiffin is too bright. Kiffin confirmed he had passed the test days before in his introductory press conference.
But this wasn't about the test. This was about Kiffin stealing South Carolina's recruiting coordinator David Reaves, and subsequently gaining an advantage over two prospects that UT and South Carolina are both recruiting - tailback Jarvis Giles and safety D.J. Swearinger.
I'm also told that Gamecocks coaches, including Spurrier, aren't too happy about Reaves recruiting South Carolina prospects to UT, including those who have been placed at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with South Carolina in February.
Dynamic Duo's Destination: Don't be shocked if UT ends up signing both of the highly touted prospects - running back Dominique Allen and athlete Marsalis Teague - from Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn.
Teague was thought to be Florida-bound and probably still is. But he's also told other prospects that his meeting with Kiffin this week was very enlightening.
Allen's commitment to LSU never was considered an impossible hurdle to overcome. After all, he also committed to UT, then changed his mind. Don't forget he also grew up a UT fan.
Also, don't forget that Allen committed to LSU when the Tigers were thought to be one of the top programs in the nation. That's no longer the case and one has to wonder if there's a significant rebuilding job in Baton Rouge, especially defensively.
If I had to predict where the two will end up as of early December, I'd say UT gets Allen and Florida gets Teague.
Why Wait?: I think there's reason to be worried about tailback Jarvis Giles from Gaither High in Tampa, Fla.
Giles long said that he would re-commit to UT if recruiter/running backs coach Stan Drayton was retained on Kiffin's staff.
Now that appears to be the case and Giles is waiting for visits from South Carolina and Nebraska's coaches.
Perhaps Giles will end up committing to UT on Tuesday but his indecisiveness is cause for concern.
On The Lane: I once thought Eric Gordon was determined to play football outside of the state of Tennessee, probably Alabama. Now I'm not so sure.
He's probably the best example of a prospect that could change his mind based off the Kiffin hire.
Marlon The Man: While I think Marlon Brown was impressed by Kiffin's visit, I don't think that means the Vols have soared to the top of Brown's list.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver from Harding Academy in Memphis is playing it close to the vest but I'd say UT still has plenty of work to do to land Brown.
