Recruiting Football Talk VIII

[UTK]

I was at the game tonight. Just wanted to reflect and put some thoughts together about the season/tonight to decompress a bit. Haven’t read the board since pre-game so apologies if this is re-stating a bunch of similar thoughts, I’m sure most are thinking the same:

First off, Vol Nation is actually incredible! I can’t believe how many fellow Vols were in attendance and how loud and proud they were. So many sections of that stadium were just dominated by us and it was truly a sight to see. I don’t think its possible for anyone to care more than we do and I’m forever proud of that fact. Buckeye fans on the other hand are absolutely garbage, makes sense why people hate the state of Ohio. I will say the Horseshoe is a pretty cool stadium though and the views of the field were great all around. But man that place is quiet, it literally doesn’t even compare to Neyland. Onto the program:

Offense: Without an absolute game breaker at WR (Hyatt) and mastermind running it (I miss you Hendon), this current version of the offense is sadly as elementary as it gets. Our route concepts create absolutely zero confusion for the defense and that’s further emphasized with us no longer going at warp speed anymore. It was honestly hard to watch it play out in person and it’s what we’ve seen all year against teams that either match or overpower us in talent. We run zero misdirection, tight mesh plays, anything involving motion and it makes it so easy for the defense to man up, play cover 2, and out talent us in the end. I’m sitting here watching highlights from the 2022 offense and I caught the Hyatt TD against Missouri on the wheel route from the backfield. That play had us in a 3 TE set with a RB coming in motion on a fake jet sweep that caused all kinds of chaos for the defense post-snap. Where on earth did that play calling/creation go? How many times did Ohio State run crossers for Smith to just run open across the field? Egbuka was running wide open on quick outs for first downs because of simple pre snap motion by their WRs in bunch formations. Their concepts complemented each other and didn’t require a 1 on 1 win every single time unlike ours. And as a result we have Nico running for his life on every play, which to his credit really showed some toughness. I say all that knowing we were dealt a bad hand with Sampson’s injury issues and the WR core being decimated as well. But the personnel shouldn’t hold us back to the lengths that it did tonight and have all season.

Defense: It finally made sense why this team is so shockingly bad on the road while mostly being able to dominate at home. Banks’ system 100% relies on the confusion created by our fans at Neyland and loses that entire edge on the road. Offenses are so disoriented when we play at home and the D-Line feasts on that while the back 7 just do enough to clean up any mistakes. On the road, that entire factor is removed and we end up getting zero pressure with Banks’ tendencies to to rush 4 on every play and drop into zones that our LBs and Safties clearly struggle in (Georgia 2.0). When we did man up tonight, our CBs just weren’t good enough and didn’t do their jobs. But I don’t understand how Banks can just continue to live with that mindset on the road when it repeats itself every single time. If you’re gonna fall, at least go down swinging and try something different man. How he refused to bring any blitz packages on crucial downs will forever infuriate me. This system is good enough to win when we hold the advantages and when the talent levels are near equal, but we’re severely out-schemed in every way when the cards aren’t in our favor. I’m not sure what we do about that other than hope and pray Banks shows some willingness to adjust going forward if we have him around next year.

All in all, I’m proud of Heupel and what he’s done here so far. It was awesome to be in the playoffs and to feel like we’re part of this elite group once again. But the current state of the program and the direction we’re headed in will just never result in more than being a top 9-12 team. We might finish a couple spots ahead or below that every now and then but we will never truly be elite. We’ll always be 9-3 or 10-2. And I appreciate the culture we have with this team and program and it’s amazing to see how much of a brotherhood they seem to have together. But if we want to win with the OSU’s and Georgia’s of the world, Heupel needs to turn into an absolute killer. We can’t sit back in the portal and continue to be outbid for top tier talent because it’s not the “right culture fit” or would disrupt the NIL structure in the team. Those top 1-3 teams don’t care an ounce about that. We can’t continue to lose top recruits to other teams because we weren’t willing to engage in bidding games. At some point, Heupel needs to consider whether his system and program can really take the next step without that type of talent because it sure doesn’t seem like it. After tonight, we need new talent and we need it fast. You cannot leave Nico in this position going into next season or we will have wasted his entire window and sizable NIL investment. At the moment, I don’t see anything that suggests we’d improve past the 9-10 win range again next year with our class coming in and our minor involvement in the portal from the looks of it. And that may be fine and I’d be happy to just make the playoffs again next year, but the outcome won’t be any different and we’ll probably be doing this again in 365 days. I hope Heupel feels the same and doesn’t want to experience this all over again. But we need some change, that’s a fact.

Side note - I hope Elarbee was just left in Columbus tonight. That man is living off the memory of Darnell Wright and riding the coattails of Sampson this season. Why oh why does he have to be Heupel’s best friend

Good breakdown. Only thing I disagree is I think the corners played well. There were some just unreal throws by their QB he will probably never hit again in his life haha. Safeties absolutely not minus the Brooks INT.

 

[knoxvol52]

Is getting in the playoffs and getting embarrassed in the first round better than not getting in the playoffs and beating some ACC or B1G mid tier team by fiddy from a recruiting standpoint?

I don't think it's much of an embarrassment getting boat raced at the eventual National Champions home field in CFP. Yes, I said it if OSU doesn't mentally get in their own way they will win it all.

 

[TrippieRedd]

And Golesh just hired Burns to coach their WRs next season

lol nooooo way

 

[VolNash17]

Was at the game, section 10c. That game was prime example of being outmanned. Ohio state is elite talent everywhere. Tennessee not so much. Need to change the system up to get elite talent. If not that’s what we’re going to see every year. Good not ever elite.

 

[knoxvol52]

I posted that Banks would need to bring the heat vs OSU or the QB and those 5* WR's would have a field day. The 5* Frosh Smith owned us and Ebuka done his thing. It must be nice having Carnell Tate a 5* as your #3 option at WR. In a nutshell Chip Kelly out schemed Tim Banks defense.

 

[SGMVols]

I posted that Banks would need to bring the heat vs OSU or the QB and those 5* WR's would have a field day. The 5* Frosh Smith owned us and Ebuka done his thing. It must be nice having Carnell Tate a 5* as your #3 option at WR. In a nutshell Chip Kelly out schemed Tim Banks defense.

OSU has been one of the best offenses in the country against blitzes. You have to be able to affect Howard with 4. That’s what Michigan did.

 

[knoxvol52]

OSU has been one of the best offenses in the country against blitzes. You have to be able to affect Howard with 4. That’s what Michigan did.

Well obviously it didn't work for Tennessee last night. When one thing isn't working it seems like Banks would switch it up but Tennessee pays Banks the big bucks not me,.

 

[LargePairOfVols]

Take the rating system and 8 million dollars from Nico’s name

Do you really think he looks like an elite level qb?

Lagway at UF looks better right now. One year younger.

 

[TrippieRedd]

RB is fine for sure. Go take about 5 WRs though

No, it’s not.

Go get an elite RB. Go into the season next year with this unit and it’s a failure by the staff. Period.

 

[nashvol1]

I do believe we need more we need one elite WR and clearly OL out of portal. We also have a creativity issue on O.

What we saw last night from OSU, moved their playmakers around, created confusion, created mismatches, wore us down mentally as much as physically.

We have almost no creativity on O. It’s vanilla and everyone has figured it out.

We recruit similar to Penn St and while Franklin has struggled against Mich and OSU, the games have been more competitive.

 

[TrippieRedd]

Get rid of Hazle and hire Chip Kelly as OC/QB coach.

That would be the move of the century for Heupel.

Having Kelly work with Nico would be heaven. Chip would use him exactly like Mariota. Only issue would be Chip and Hype maybe having differences over coaching the QBs, but that’s the move I’d make at QB/OC.

 

[nashvol1]

This is so true.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

We need to tamper like crazy from this point on.

Doubtful. We will continue going along “doing things the right way” which includes getting reamed up the butthole by the SEC officiating and not causing any kind of stir over it.

 

[dmwvol12]

i love my vols.
i will always bleed orange.
this game hurts, but i hope it serves as a building block for the future.

i am damn proud of them getting 10 wins. especially after everything all of us has been through for 15 years.

in the offseason i hope there are some changes made and we can bring in some pure talent.

GOVOLS

The game was almost a carbon copy of the 97 Vols playing in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska. We got dominated in every facet of the game and guess what the score was 42-17. I literally felt like I had been transported back in time last night. Things looked bleak the next few weeks but we all know what happened in 1998. Was a good season but we ran into a pissed off buzz saw last night and nobody including Georgia, Oregon or any college team was going to beat OSU last night. Go Vols and now onto our top ranked basketball team. Baseball is right around the corner and we can compete for back to back titles. It’s Sunday morning and I intend to go to church and praise the Lord!

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Faizon has to be the guy.

Nico isnt

 

[dmwvol12]

kind of embarrassing how much garbage Tennessee fans talked about Indiana and SMU now.

Yep. Teams are never as good as they look on their best day or as bad as they look on their worst. Especially college kids after a 3 week break. It happens in the NFL with professional athletes and people are shocked when it happens in college. I played football for years and it just happens sometimes. Football is hard and sometimes when momentum gets going against you it’s hard to turn. When it’s at your back it’s hard to explain but fun to experience. Heupel and company can coach they just don’t have the $$$$$ that a few of massive universities have.

 

[dmwvol12]

I’ve kept saying I just wanted to get here. I can’t be mad no matter what tonight.

Only thing I’ve complained about is now going harder after the portal.

I’m proud of the guys this season. We got a taste, we need to do what’s necessary to get the whole pie now.

Great attitude Trippie. The only thing I would caution is Heupel doesn’t have the budget that schools like OSU, Texas and a few others have to outbid and get whoever he wants. They are massive universities with many, many more alumni and $$$$$. We have a rabid fan base and a few wealthy donors but just not too their level. We have to do it in a little different way and I would say it’s working pretty well. It’s not perfect but there’s a lot of teams that would love to change places with us.

 

[Ttucke11]

I can assure you they weren’t greasing my wheels. I took all night from them. Nico looked exactly how any QB would look with that protection. And yet he still fought with more heart than 99% of the naysayers on here all but calling for heupel’s head.

I'm not calling for any heads and still love Nico. Just staying the truth of the game.

 

[tnhunter 10]

The sun has risen today, but last night was as disappointing as it gets. Tennessee could use a talent upgrade and likely some changes in assistant coaching for certain positions. Still, it was a fun season, and I can’t wait for the next one!

 

[volsagain]

Great attitude Trippie. The only thing I would caution is Heupel doesn’t have the budget that schools like OSU, Texas and a few others have to outbid and get whoever he wants. They are massive universities with many, many more alumni and $$$$$. We have a rabid fan base and a few wealthy donors but just not too their level. We have to do it in a little different way and I would say it’s working pretty well. It’s not perfect but there’s a lot of teams that would love to change places with us.

So true. Also would add we're just not being coached well in a couple of positions. We struggled way too much in parts of games we had better talent. We got a ways to go to get to the top. For sure Heupel has brought us out of the ashes but he will have to make some coaching changes to get where we want to go.

 

[headhunter15]

Never want to relieve a single moment from last night. I do hope it was a wake up call getting embarrassed and your ass handed to you on national TV. Some moves gotta be made, and I hope Heupel does make some.

Already excited for spring practice.

 

[dmwvol12]

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Still a great season. Still glad I came up here for the game.

The whole time I kept thinking about what Tony V said at the national title celebration: “Make a choice. You’re either a Vol or you’re not. Through thick and thin.”

It was thin tonight. But I still love em and that will never change.

Salute to you Sir. This is how a real Volunteer acts. Big boy football is hard but at least we had a seat at the table. Much respect.

 

[mykidturnedmeintoaVOL]

I’m sad…the season is over…the full band won’t get to experience a bowl trip (once a POTS mom, always a POTS mom)…just sad that it all ended that way.

I’m proud…Vol Nation showed up and supported our team!

I’m hopeful…our future is bright…we belong in the conversation…looking forward to seeing what next season holds for our Vols!

And never forget…we beat Bama AND Florida this year! Go Vols!

Now on to surviving the off season.

 

[StoVol]

Banks ain't the best we could get at DC
Unacceptable

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

I'm not calling for any heads and still love Nico. Just staying the truth of the game.

You may not be, but several others are as if Heupel hasn’t come in here and revitalized a dying brand.