vols 30
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2012
- Messages
- 37,525
- Likes
- 42,831
Recruiting Forum Football Talk II
- Thread starter jordan4vols
- Start date
- Status
Pepe
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2018
- Messages
- 5,096
- Likes
- 6,513
Orangeredblooded
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2017
- Messages
- 25,850
- Likes
- 73,415
mr.checkerboards
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2010
- Messages
- 59,078
- Likes
- 99,223
Paper_Towel
GBO
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2013
- Messages
- 10,262
- Likes
- 30,052
Orangeredblooded
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2017
- Messages
- 25,850
- Likes
- 73,415
nicksjuzunk
Lurking
- Joined
- May 29, 2009
- Messages
- 35,560
- Likes
- 112,832
Pepe
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2018
- Messages
- 5,096
- Likes
- 6,513
85SugarVol
I prefer the tumult of Liberty
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 32,936
- Likes
- 64,973
SmokinBob
(♀) Team chargervol
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2012
- Messages
- 9,752
- Likes
- 36,361
Paper_Towel
GBO
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2013
- Messages
- 10,262
- Likes
- 30,052
ChattaTNVol
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2011
- Messages
- 4,920
- Likes
- 28,125
TL:dnr – This is an article
Some notes on recruiting –
It has been said that a new staff needs a minimum of 2 years in their new job to build the relationships necessary to have effective recruiting. Obviously, Pruitt was under the gun after accepting the job here in late 2017 with commitments ongoing at two major university programs so his first full class was in 2019 and then the second in 2020. He’s now working on the third.
The signing class for the staff transition year (2018) ranked #21 with 8 blue chip recruits out of 22 signees, and we added 2 blue chip transfers. The interesting thing about that class is as of now we sort of haven’t lost anyone. Tanner Antonutti had to medically retire, Banks is expected to come back, and DWA exhausted his eligibility as did the 2 transfers.
In 2019 Pruitt’s staff again had 22 signees and included 12 blue chip recruits. He also added another 4 transfers, 3 of which also had been blue chips. The class ranking came in at #13. From the 2019 class, we lost Melvin McBride due to a preexisting medical issue and Jerrod Means entered the transfer portal, for reasons I never knew why. It looks like right now he’s still looking for some place to go.
For the 2020 class, Pruitt signed 23 (so far) and has an additional 4 transfers, including a 5-star offensive lineman. The class was rated 10th best in the nation (so far).
So the reason for this note was to look at the decommits (according to 247) that we have had in Pruitt’s first 2 full classes (2019 & 2020). If you just look at the decommits on 247 for Tennessee in a given cycle you may miss that some of those guys were not recruited by Pruitt.
The 2019 class of decommits: There were 4 “Pruitt” decommits in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Lakia Henry (Juco –ILB, 0.9141), (who may have had to make room for Henry To’o To’o, Darnell Wright, or Bryce Thompson), ended up at Ole Miss. Anthony Harris (S, 0.9123) didn’t make his grades and enrolled at Fort Scott C.C. LaDarrius Cox (DT, 0.8742) went to Ole Miss. Jalil Clemons (SDE, 0.8702) ended up at Memphis. Kendrell Scurry (WR, 0.8453) decommitted from the previous staff in May of 2017 and remains unsigned. Adonis Otey (CB, 0.8791) decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017 and went to USC. T.J. Sheffield (WR, 0.8743) decommitted from the previous staff in October of 2017 and ended up at Purdue. Cameron Wynn (ATH. 0.8710) decommitted from the previous staff in early December of 2017 and went to Florida Atlantic. Te’cory Couch (CB, 0.8954) had committed to the previous staff in June 2017, decommitted during the spring of 2018 and ended up at Miami.
The 2020 class of decommits: There were 12 “Pruitt” decommits in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Antonio Johnson (S, 0.9651) ended up at Texas A&M, B.J. Ojulari (WDE, 0.9636) signed with LSU. Kristian Story (ATH, 0.9250) went to Alabama. Jordan Davis (WDE-Juco, 0.9034) ended up at Mississippi State. Mordecai McDaniel (CB, 0.8924) sold out to Florida, Art Green (CB-Juco, 0.8846) apparently remains unsigned. Ebony Jackson (RB, 0.8817) remains unsigned. Lovie Jenkins (S, 0.8655) ended up with Louisville. Darion Williamson (ATH, 0.8648) signed with Florida State. Jimari Butler (WDE, 0.8621) ended up at Nebraska. Antonio Barber (WR, 0.8512) remains unsigned. Kyree Miller (OG, 0.8412) remains unsigned. Leonard Manuel (WR, 0.8858), the 13th decommit for the 2020 cycle, decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017, apparently remains unsigned. Miles Friday (RB, 0.7396), the 14th decommit for the 2020 cycle, also decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017 and remains unsigned.
I think we may have lost some guys last year (2020) that we really wanted. I’m not sure that’s the case for 2019. Jimbo Fisher probably had something to say to Antonio Johnson but since his season in 2019 wasn’t any better than ours, he may have a lot less to say this cycle. Auburn can’t really say much because Pruitt beat Gus with a 5-7 squad of mostly practice players (jmo). Georgia lost their offensive coordinator to us, the guy that took them to the National Championship game with a freshman quarterback and Kirby is developing a reputation for squandering talent on offense. It’s probably also worth pointing out that it was our current head coach that was the defensive coordinator which kept Kirby from the title. Mullen has a culture problem so I think LSU is our only real SEC threat on the recruiting trail. The fact that Pruitt currently is holding the title for 2nd longest winning streak in P5 football (tied with Notre Dame) behind only LSU also may help our recruiting pitch. Taking Alabama to the wire, almost, with what almost everyone would consider an inferior roster is a valid claim imo.
Last year many people didn’t know for certain whether Pruitt would be able to deliver as a head coach, even a lot of relatively rational fans. That’s not so much the case anymore. He’s earned a significant amount of both trust and respect from the fans, the media, and rival fan bases, but perhaps more importantly, from kids who are trying to see who they want to play college football for in that next chapter of their lives. I think most people see Pruitt as a knowledgeable coach and a likeable guy and he is surrounding himself with a staff that has those same qualities.
Longtime veterans of this forum often point out to visitors that recruiting is fluid and nothing is final until the papers are signed or the prospect has enrolled. This is what I’m convinced of beyond any doubt, Pruitt intends to sign the best class he possibly can. His goal, as stated by both he and Coach Fulmer, is to get the guys everyone else wants. He won’t be able to win all those battles, nobody can, but he appears to be investing everything he has into reaching that goal. How he goes about it is mostly a mystery to me. I’m sure he has his own devices and principles and he has earned a tremendous amount of support for whatever his methods may be. We all want to win, but he would say he wants to win more than any of us. I believe him. It has often been said if you want to win on Saturdays you best be winning on the recruiting trail. There has been some scuttlebutt in both of the last two years suggesting Pruitt was displeased with the recruiting production of some on his staff. True or not he has made changes to his staff and apparently with an even heavier emphasis on recruiting production. I think this year Pruitt and his revamped staff are in a much more favorable position to win on the trail than at any previous point in his time with us. jmo.
Roster management is another challenge faced by every coach. The roster needs to first and foremost have enough bodies, something Pruitt didn’t have when he first arrived on the hill, at least not healthy bodies. Then there’s a balance between the classes if we are to have a sustainable roster, given that “football is a developmental sport”. For example, right now for this year, Hill is our Junior class QB. It’s possible that could end up being former 5-star JT Daniels were he to come in and have to sit out a year. Cade Mays is a 5-star offensive lineman who in my opinion if he doesn’t get a waiver could work to our favor if Wanya or Darnell were to be able to leave after their junior seasons. Getting Zach Evans would probably be a boon to our running back room and would likely impact the number of running backs we take in this cycle.
I don’t know how many of the 15 so-called commitments we now have will end up signing with us. It could be half or it could be all of them. I have no idea. Pruitt probably does. An oft repeated refrain in this forum is that we trust the coaches’ evaluations over the public recruiting services or our keyboard analysts here on VolNation. While that is probably true and should be, for myself I think it may be more accurate to say I trust their methodologies more in recruiting than my own conclusions. I think Pruitt, in particular, at this point, has more than earned that trust. jmo.
Some notes on recruiting –
It has been said that a new staff needs a minimum of 2 years in their new job to build the relationships necessary to have effective recruiting. Obviously, Pruitt was under the gun after accepting the job here in late 2017 with commitments ongoing at two major university programs so his first full class was in 2019 and then the second in 2020. He’s now working on the third.
The signing class for the staff transition year (2018) ranked #21 with 8 blue chip recruits out of 22 signees, and we added 2 blue chip transfers. The interesting thing about that class is as of now we sort of haven’t lost anyone. Tanner Antonutti had to medically retire, Banks is expected to come back, and DWA exhausted his eligibility as did the 2 transfers.
In 2019 Pruitt’s staff again had 22 signees and included 12 blue chip recruits. He also added another 4 transfers, 3 of which also had been blue chips. The class ranking came in at #13. From the 2019 class, we lost Melvin McBride due to a preexisting medical issue and Jerrod Means entered the transfer portal, for reasons I never knew why. It looks like right now he’s still looking for some place to go.
For the 2020 class, Pruitt signed 23 (so far) and has an additional 4 transfers, including a 5-star offensive lineman. The class was rated 10th best in the nation (so far).
So the reason for this note was to look at the decommits (according to 247) that we have had in Pruitt’s first 2 full classes (2019 & 2020). If you just look at the decommits on 247 for Tennessee in a given cycle you may miss that some of those guys were not recruited by Pruitt.
The 2019 class of decommits: There were 4 “Pruitt” decommits in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Lakia Henry (Juco –ILB, 0.9141), (who may have had to make room for Henry To’o To’o, Darnell Wright, or Bryce Thompson), ended up at Ole Miss. Anthony Harris (S, 0.9123) didn’t make his grades and enrolled at Fort Scott C.C. LaDarrius Cox (DT, 0.8742) went to Ole Miss. Jalil Clemons (SDE, 0.8702) ended up at Memphis. Kendrell Scurry (WR, 0.8453) decommitted from the previous staff in May of 2017 and remains unsigned. Adonis Otey (CB, 0.8791) decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017 and went to USC. T.J. Sheffield (WR, 0.8743) decommitted from the previous staff in October of 2017 and ended up at Purdue. Cameron Wynn (ATH. 0.8710) decommitted from the previous staff in early December of 2017 and went to Florida Atlantic. Te’cory Couch (CB, 0.8954) had committed to the previous staff in June 2017, decommitted during the spring of 2018 and ended up at Miami.
The 2020 class of decommits: There were 12 “Pruitt” decommits in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Antonio Johnson (S, 0.9651) ended up at Texas A&M, B.J. Ojulari (WDE, 0.9636) signed with LSU. Kristian Story (ATH, 0.9250) went to Alabama. Jordan Davis (WDE-Juco, 0.9034) ended up at Mississippi State. Mordecai McDaniel (CB, 0.8924) sold out to Florida, Art Green (CB-Juco, 0.8846) apparently remains unsigned. Ebony Jackson (RB, 0.8817) remains unsigned. Lovie Jenkins (S, 0.8655) ended up with Louisville. Darion Williamson (ATH, 0.8648) signed with Florida State. Jimari Butler (WDE, 0.8621) ended up at Nebraska. Antonio Barber (WR, 0.8512) remains unsigned. Kyree Miller (OG, 0.8412) remains unsigned. Leonard Manuel (WR, 0.8858), the 13th decommit for the 2020 cycle, decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017, apparently remains unsigned. Miles Friday (RB, 0.7396), the 14th decommit for the 2020 cycle, also decommitted from the previous staff in July of 2017 and remains unsigned.
I think we may have lost some guys last year (2020) that we really wanted. I’m not sure that’s the case for 2019. Jimbo Fisher probably had something to say to Antonio Johnson but since his season in 2019 wasn’t any better than ours, he may have a lot less to say this cycle. Auburn can’t really say much because Pruitt beat Gus with a 5-7 squad of mostly practice players (jmo). Georgia lost their offensive coordinator to us, the guy that took them to the National Championship game with a freshman quarterback and Kirby is developing a reputation for squandering talent on offense. It’s probably also worth pointing out that it was our current head coach that was the defensive coordinator which kept Kirby from the title. Mullen has a culture problem so I think LSU is our only real SEC threat on the recruiting trail. The fact that Pruitt currently is holding the title for 2nd longest winning streak in P5 football (tied with Notre Dame) behind only LSU also may help our recruiting pitch. Taking Alabama to the wire, almost, with what almost everyone would consider an inferior roster is a valid claim imo.
Last year many people didn’t know for certain whether Pruitt would be able to deliver as a head coach, even a lot of relatively rational fans. That’s not so much the case anymore. He’s earned a significant amount of both trust and respect from the fans, the media, and rival fan bases, but perhaps more importantly, from kids who are trying to see who they want to play college football for in that next chapter of their lives. I think most people see Pruitt as a knowledgeable coach and a likeable guy and he is surrounding himself with a staff that has those same qualities.
Longtime veterans of this forum often point out to visitors that recruiting is fluid and nothing is final until the papers are signed or the prospect has enrolled. This is what I’m convinced of beyond any doubt, Pruitt intends to sign the best class he possibly can. His goal, as stated by both he and Coach Fulmer, is to get the guys everyone else wants. He won’t be able to win all those battles, nobody can, but he appears to be investing everything he has into reaching that goal. How he goes about it is mostly a mystery to me. I’m sure he has his own devices and principles and he has earned a tremendous amount of support for whatever his methods may be. We all want to win, but he would say he wants to win more than any of us. I believe him. It has often been said if you want to win on Saturdays you best be winning on the recruiting trail. There has been some scuttlebutt in both of the last two years suggesting Pruitt was displeased with the recruiting production of some on his staff. True or not he has made changes to his staff and apparently with an even heavier emphasis on recruiting production. I think this year Pruitt and his revamped staff are in a much more favorable position to win on the trail than at any previous point in his time with us. jmo.
Roster management is another challenge faced by every coach. The roster needs to first and foremost have enough bodies, something Pruitt didn’t have when he first arrived on the hill, at least not healthy bodies. Then there’s a balance between the classes if we are to have a sustainable roster, given that “football is a developmental sport”. For example, right now for this year, Hill is our Junior class QB. It’s possible that could end up being former 5-star JT Daniels were he to come in and have to sit out a year. Cade Mays is a 5-star offensive lineman who in my opinion if he doesn’t get a waiver could work to our favor if Wanya or Darnell were to be able to leave after their junior seasons. Getting Zach Evans would probably be a boon to our running back room and would likely impact the number of running backs we take in this cycle.
I don’t know how many of the 15 so-called commitments we now have will end up signing with us. It could be half or it could be all of them. I have no idea. Pruitt probably does. An oft repeated refrain in this forum is that we trust the coaches’ evaluations over the public recruiting services or our keyboard analysts here on VolNation. While that is probably true and should be, for myself I think it may be more accurate to say I trust their methodologies more in recruiting than my own conclusions. I think Pruitt, in particular, at this point, has more than earned that trust. jmo.
Smokeytom
Keep Calm and Heup On
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2011
- Messages
- 7,391
- Likes
- 23,914
Idk what it’s called, but we our place is at that first right hand turn on E County Highway 30A after crossing the Western Lake. The Watercolor Beach Club Grill is right there along with The Gathering Spot at Watercolor Inn. We walk or bike down to Bud and Alley’s and the Pizza Bar. Such a great area!
HoleInTheRoof
Elite ★★★★★ Poster
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2009
- Messages
- 23,476
- Likes
- 158,693
cHiZzLeVOL
Who Knows?
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2018
- Messages
- 18,908
- Likes
- 45,090
cHiZzLeVOL
Who Knows?
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2018
- Messages
- 18,908
- Likes
- 45,090
rekinhavoc
Deus Vult
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2007
- Messages
- 16,754
- Likes
- 32,588
Rishvol
Well-Known Member -StoVol
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2016
- Messages
- 26,000
- Likes
- 59,182
OGbabyaviVol
Performing horse rectal exams for a living
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2010
- Messages
- 27,255
- Likes
- 57,142
orangemadam
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2016
- Messages
- 3,615
- Likes
- 4,128
InVOLuntary
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2012
- Messages
- 61,034
- Likes
- 144,987
- Status
VN Store
