Recruiting Forum Football Talk III

[jave36]

I simply disagree. He's not great. He's serviceable. I think people nitpick every little thing with him. I do listen to more basketball than football.

He's better at basketball for sure.

 

[jave36]

Their permanent West game is Mississippi State. They also play UL every year while we’ve played Oregon, OU twice, VTech, and West Virginia in the last 8 years. Not all records are created equal. But they are UK. Good for them...I guess.

I'd take stoops over any of our last 3 coaches. He's getting a lot out of a little. If he had our recruits he'd be doing even better.

 

[HankHill]

Yeah I agree, and I know the portal has hurt. But Pruitt’s recruiting MO of swinging for the fences to end up striking out late and settling for guys wayyy down the list has put us in a bit behind with the defensive talent as well.

Dooley left Jones a pretty spotty roster. This one is pretty spotty too.

I don’t follow recruiting enough to know the details about each recruits situation but that’s a tough line to walk. Similar to in baseball taking guys that will probably go pro.

It’s honestly hard to gauge some of the talent on this team because i think both sides of the ball were put in extremely bad spots often. I’m not a fan of asking players to do things that you see plainly they can’t do, but you insist on it Bc it’s “how you’ve always done it” you have to adapt year to year as a coach.ie: Bama went from running like 75% RPOs with tua, to a more traditional drop back style passing scheme with Jones. We continued to play much man match defense and continued to run primarily vertical passing plays all year when it was plain as day that we cannot do it consistently.

 

[jave36]

I feel he is a solid coach but most of what you mentioned is built off perception.....As bad as Tennessee has been..... we have more overall wins than Kentucky during the same time period..... we are also 6-2 versus stoops..... he had 5 straight seasons where he had 7 or fewer wins..... he has 2 seasons in 8 years over 7 wins..... they never play anyone out of conference that is any good unless Louisville happens to have a good year.....Kentucky’s opponent from the western conference is I think Mississippi state((not exactly Alabama).

Their program is what it is. Their coach is getting the most lemonade out of the lemons of that program and the level of recruit it can pull. Where we have been making....dog food out of filet mignon...or something like that.

 

[ptclaus98]

Anyone saying this is a five year rebuild is crazy. Media just wants to lower expectations of our program. We have to stop doing that. One thing I am confident in, Danny White and Heup want to win now. They don’t want to start winning years from now. I guarantee we see more leave and more transfers in the summer. We will look much different in the fall and that is a good thing.

The media doesn't give a damn about our program. We've lost 20(?) scholarship players, find me another situation like that without sanctions that wasn't 5-10 year rebuild. It's unprecedented what has and continues to happen with this roster. The sentiment above made sense in 2013 and 2017. I don't know why it's not sticking in y'alls heads but we nuked our program. We didn't merely change directions, we didn't just cut our losses. We blew everything to hell, and now Heupel has to put them back together. And if you actually listen to them talk, they both know it's going to take awhile. Every single one of the teams in this conference is trying to compete, your top 5 programs are well oiled machines, they are recruiting well, the staff continuity is there, the program off the field is elite, and the rosters are deep with talent. The mid pack might give up one thing like recruiting(Miss St, Mizzou), or overall talent(Kentucky, Ole Miss) or they might not have the continuity(Auburn) and those programs all either have the resources or use the ones they have wisely. Then the bottom tier teams (Arkansas, Vandy, SCar) are all missing talent and recruiting and have little coaching continuity but their programs aren't complete dumpster fires. Whereas Tennessee has some talent but no depth, recruiting has taken a nose dive(which isn't Heupel's fault), and no staff continuity thanks to the program being an absolute disaster. And you're trying to tell me Tennessee will compete for championships in year 3? That's not crazy?

 

[JacketVol]

Disagree. JJ can’t stay healthy as a receiver. No way he stays healthy at safety.

He would be the hitter and most analysts agreed wit me coming out of high school.

 

[Orangeredblooded]

I'd take stoops over any of our last 3 coaches. He's getting a lot out of a little. If he had our recruits he'd be doing even better.

I’d take Stoops over our last 4 coaches also, apples to oranges.

 

[ACvol3]

Wrapping Up Spring Ball

That sure did look like Q in the black jersey

 

[beneVOLence]

The media doesn't give a damn about our program. We've lost 20(?) scholarship players, find me another situation like that without sanctions that wasn't 5-10 year rebuild. It's unprecedented what has and continues to happen with this roster. The sentiment above made sense in 2013 and 2017. I don't know why it's not sticking in y'alls heads but we nuked our program. We didn't merely change directions, we didn't just cut our losses. We blew everything to hell, and now Heupel has to put them back together. And if you actually listen to them talk, they both know it's going to take awhile. Every single one of the teams in this conference is trying to compete, your top 5 programs are well oiled machines, they are recruiting well, the staff continuity is there, the program off the field is elite, and the rosters are deep with talent. The mid pack might give up one thing like recruiting(Miss St, Mizzou), or overall talent(Kentucky, Ole Miss) or they might not have the continuity(Auburn) and those programs all either have the resources or use the ones they have wisely. Then the bottom tier teams (Arkansas, Vandy, SCar) are all missing talent and recruiting and have little coaching continuity but their programs aren't complete dumpster fires. Whereas Tennessee has some talent but no depth, recruiting has taken a nose dive(which isn't Heupel's fault), and no staff continuity thanks to the program being an absolute disaster. And you're trying to tell me Tennessee will compete for championships in year 3? That's not crazy?

 

[MrVolton]

I don’t follow recruiting enough to know the details about each recruits situation but that’s a tough line to walk. Similar to in baseball taking guys that will probably go pro.

It’s honestly hard to gauge some of the talent on this team because i think both sides of the ball were put in extremely bad spots often. I’m not a fan of asking players to do things that you see plainly they can’t do, but you insist on it Bc it’s “how you’ve always done it” you have to adapt year to year as a coach.ie: Bama went from running like 75% RPOs with tua, to a more traditional drop back style passing scheme with Jones. We continued to play much man match defense and continued to run primarily vertical passing plays all year when it was plain as day that we cannot do it consistently.

This is probably the least I’ve followed/cared about recruiting in 15 years. Mainly because it’s so depressing right now.

Looking back, Pruitt’s recruiting was pretty lackluster here outside of To’o To’o, Morris, Wright, and maybe a couple others. He always seemed to spend a lot of time trying to pry a top 50 guy out of Alabama or Georgia’s backyard when he could have had a top 250 guy in state. When the guys he was chasing spurned us for the inevitable choice on signing day, we often ended up signing some guy we had to beat Georgia Tech or Northern Illinois out for. Not saying we shouldn’t be swinging for those guys, but putting all our eggs their baskets burned us more often than not.

 

[MrVolton]

Anyone saying this is a five year rebuild is crazy. Media just wants to lower expectations of our program. We have to stop doing that. One thing I am confident in, Danny White and Heup want to win now. They don’t want to start winning years from now. I guarantee we see more leave and more transfers in the summer. We will look much different in the fall and that is a good thing.

This recruiting class will basically be a wash. Until the NCAA gets their heads out of their @$$3$ and hands down a reasonable punishment since we cleaned house and effectively did all the leg work for them, and until we actually put a product on the filed worth watching, we aren’t gonna do anything recruiting-wise. This makes the climb much tougher than anything the last 3 coaches faced.

 

[Weezer]

Maybe someone we should take a look at?

Ronald Williams, Alabama, Cornerback (247sports.com)

 

[butchna]

Maybe someone we should take a look at?

Ronald Williams, Alabama, Cornerback (247sports.com)

No maybe about it.

 

[Catbone]

That sure did look like Q in the black jersey

Anon?

 

[Revived2002]

Agreed unless we’re winning 3 games or something. You can see if progress is being made and the roster being built or if it’s falling apart

I hear you. I felt this way about Pruitt - that we should give him 5 or so years. Then his teams started getting blown out regularly and we suffered historically bad losses (Georgia State) and I lost faith quickly. I have strange confidence it won’t be that bad with Heupel. I don’t think it will be great early on but as long as we holding steady at 6 wins or so the first few years I strongly believe we should keep for a while.

I think Tennessee can be a solid 8 to 9 win program regularly just by simply being stable.

Time will tell.

 

[Pacer92]

Will the rain be gone by game time?

 

[Revived2002]

People don't want to see it. They choose not to see it. It's like the most severe form of BVS.

It’s clear you and I disagree. In reaching my conclusion that this season is going to be a grind, I’m listening to the plainly spoken words of beat writers and others who have watched practice. I’m not indulging in “BVS,” whatever that may be.

Please submit for my reading pleasure objective written reports from credible sources who have watched practice and seen the team that are saying this team is more talented than we all believe and should have 7 wins as their floor.

I’m waiting patiently for my Saturday morning read!

 

[ACvol3]

Will the rain be gone by game time?

No

 

[Pacer92]

No

Ugh. Was really wanting to see the QB’s sling it around all day.

 

[InVOLuntary]

I don't usually disagree with you, but man, what a horrendous take.

Do you travel much? You should listen to other schools' play by play guys. Even the local FCS schools have better guys just from a technical standpoint. Kesling paints the muddiest pictures, rarely gets the fundamentals right (down and distance between every play, formations before plays, which yard line they're on, etc...), and he's just flat out confusing a lot of the time. "Deep pass complete for a 3 yard gain." Huh?

IMO, he's objectively bad at his job. I usually have no clue what's going on when I'm forced to listen to him. I don't even care about how unexciting he is compared to some of the greats, I just want to know what's happening.

My biggest issue is that if you didn't know that Kessling was on the Vol network, you really would not know which team he was employed by. He gets just as excited when the opposing team scores as he does when the vols score. If you listen to announcers of other teams you know immediately who they call for. He tries way too hard to be unbiased.

 

[volbeast33]

I'd take stoops over any of our last 3 coaches. He's getting a lot out of a little. If he had our recruits he'd be doing even better.

He is getting about what rich brooks got out of it..... I’m not sure I’d want either of those two as coaches.

 

[ACvol3]

Ugh. Was really wanting to see the QB’s sling it around all day.

It goes from 100% to 50% at 2.. so there’s a chance, I guess

 

[Geaux_Vols]

Did anyone establish whether that was crouch in a black jersey in the latest video or not?

 

[peaygolf]

All is calm in Metropolis and Superman is bored. He flys to Gotham City to see Batman and says, "Yo Batman lets go paint the town red tonight." Batman says, "Can't man. The Joker is reeking havoc. Another time." Superman flys to see Spiderman and says, "Dude let's go pick up some chicks and have a party." Spidey says, " You know I'm not old enough to drink and party. Catch me in a few years."

Now Superman is bored and agitated. With his x-ray vision, he sees WonderWoman buck naked, laying down on a beach. He says to himself, "I'm like a speeding bullet. I can swoop down there, tap that real quick and she will have no idea what happened." So with all his speed, he fly's down, does his business and takes off. WonderWoman screams out, " What the hell was that?" Then, the Invisible Man says, "I don't know but my a-hole hurts like hell."

 

[JCP201]

My biggest issue is that if you didn't know that Kessling was on the Vol network, you really would not know which team he was employed by. He gets just as excited when the opposing team scores as he does when the vols score. If you listen to announcers of other teams you know immediately who they call for. He tries way too hard to be unbiased.

I laughed at Georgia's Munson play calling (RIP) --not because he was bad by any means, but because he was the biggest homer. Kessling's side kick Priest almost curses half the time, so he's pretty fun, but I agree with Jave that sometimes it's hard to tell what the score is--where the ball is etc, when listening to VOLS on radio.