Recruiting Forum Football Talk XLV

[butchna]

Can already see it

Mullen goes to FL

We end up with a Schiano

Mullen kicks out azz for another 3 years and everyone goes dang we should have hired Mullen like they say about Franklin now

And all of us blame Currie. Since he does the hire.

 

[McGeesPub]

Can already see it

Mullen goes to FL

We end up with a Schiano

Mullen kicks out azz for another 3 years and everyone goes dang we should have hired Mullen like they say about Franklin now

Assuming we get neither, Schiano at Florida scares me more than Mullen at Florida.

 

[Catbone]

Dear Lord there's someone in the FF arguing Fitzgerald getting hurt actually gave Mississippi State an advantage, and that should've helped them win. 😂

 

[Smokey123]

Dear Lord there's someone in the FF arguing Fitzgerald getting hurt actually gave Mississippi State an advantage, and that should've helped them win. 😂

He's basing that on previous Vols games😂😭

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

So since it seems like there’s some consensus from VQ about the guys we’re going to be pursuing officially starting this weekend, I thought I’d just go through and list the questions I have about each one. Feel free to add to/debate anything I throw out here. It’s all just IMO and I think most here would agree that’s not worth too much lol

Mullen
1. Most would agree he can probably get us to/keep us around 8-4 or 9-3 year in year out. But does he have it in him to take the next step and give us big time results?


2. We know we can probably expect good offense from him every year (and he’d likely give us great QB play once he gets his guy). But can he bring in the right defense to get us back into the top 25/30 on that side of the ball? Grantham is a pretty good DC. But I don’t think he’s a DC who gives you a shot at the playoffs or anything.


3. How much better will he recruit at Tennessee than MSU? A valid question about him, IMO. But I do tend to agree that it isn’t THAT difficult to land top 10/15 classes at Tennessee. Question is whether he can bring in the blue chips we need.



Taggart
1. He’s shown he can turn a program around, but how much of that was coaching and how much of that was just him upping the talent level at the schools he was at previously? Taggart will probably recruit up a storm, but will he pair that with the player development we need to be a truly good team and not just a team with talented players (which I think describes us in 2015 and 2016).


2. How certain can we be that we can keep him around if he finds success here? There’s been a lot of smoke concerning his desire to coach in Florida, where he has his roots. If someone like FSU took a run at him 2-3 years down the road, would we be able to keep him? Probably not a big concern really, but I’ve gotta question most coaches who’d leave a job after one season for greener pastures.




Frost
1. How will his offense translate to the SEC? If his scheme doesn’t see as much success here, will he/can he adapt and make the necessary changes?


2. What kind of staff does he put together in Knoxville? I don’t know much about his staff down at UCF, but I’m willing to bet that many of them aren’t cut out for the rigors of coaching/recruiting in Knoxville. Gotta do what we can to build an SEC staff around him.


3. Will his impressive pedigree translate to success as the HC at a big time program? Will he be able to sustain that success if he does find it? There have been a lot of coaches who tear things up at G5 schools and go on only to middling success or even failure in P5. The Urban Meyers and Chris Petersen’s of CFB have had a much longer track record than Frost as a HC. Everything on his resume is super impressive. But his HC resume isn’t as long as you’d like for a HC we’ll likely have to outbid 3-4 other schools for.


Campbell
1. Dude can straight out coach, but he’s also young, has no connections to the south, and doesn’t have any experience playing or coaching at a big time program. Is he ready for a job like Tennessee?


2. Same as Frost: what kind of staff can he put together? I think this is a bigger question for Campbell than Frost, though. Frost’s experience at Nebraska, in the NFL, and at Oregon seem to suggest he’d have some more personal connections with big time assistants.


3. How will he recruit? Cruitin’ is a much different animal at Tennessee than at ISU. Can he land blue chip prospects?


4. This kind of goes along with 1 and 3, but how will he handle big time recruits if/when he does land them? He’s done a great job coaching up his teams at Toledo and ISU, but the dynamic of the rosters at those schools is very different from the dynamic of the roster he’ll inherit (and the ones he’ll be expected to build). Perhaps Butch’s biggest failure was his inability to keep big time recruits happy/on campus/focused/under control. Big time recruits have big time expectations. Can Campbell handle that kind of locker room? Or is he a guy who is more naturally suited to a school where he can take in lower rated kids and just coach the hell out of them?



Disclaimer: As an aside, I’d just like to note that I had a debate a day or two ago where I argued that Campbell should be right up there with Frost on the coaching board because his experience as a HC is longer and arguably more impressive than Frosts (largely due to ISU’s success against big time opponents this year). The more I think about it, though, the more I think I was wrong there. I think Campbell is a hell of a football coach, but he has much bigger questions about how he’ll recruit, what kind of staff he’ll build, and how he can handle big time players.



Schiano
1. Will Schiano and Currie survive the riot at the presser? Ok, just joking here. But I don’t think Schiano will get much benefit of the doubt from fans or media and I would worry that that may undermine somewhat him even if he turns out to be great coaching wise.


2. Same as the big question with Mullen, just to a larger extent: can he win big? What he did at Rutgers was impressive and he’s probably been well served by his time at OSU under Urban Meyer as well. I think he’d be an improvement over Butch, for sure. I’d be excited about (most likely) finally getting to see Tennessee play great defense again. But does he really have what it takes to make us more than a middle of the pack team?


3. Will his recruiting success at OSU carry over to Tennessee? Common sense suggests that it wouldn’t and that his recruiting success is probably tied to Meyer and OSU. But at the same time I thought the same thing about Kirby Smart and he has UGA recruiting with the best of them now.


4. Who does he get to coach our offense? Schiano likely has the connections to find a good OC, but can he lure one to Knoxville? Does he have a specific kind of system he’d like an OC to run, or will he be just try to find the right OC and be hands off about it all?



Bonus: Gruden
1. Does he really still have the drive to put in the hours to be great? He was famous for his work ethic as a HC before. Does he still have that same fire after a 10 year sabbatical?


2. Will his style of coaching translate to CFB? Sometimes a coach is cut out for CFB and not the NFL. Sometimes it’s the other way around. Sometimes a guy is just great at both. Which is Gruden?


3. Can he find great success quickly enough to satisfy fans and the administration? According to rumors, we’d be paying him 7-10 million dollars and dishing out an a**load of money for assistants as well. That’s the kind of money you give expecting big results fast. If Gruden’s first 3 years are like Jim Harbaugh’s, will fans remain patient with him? Of course they/we SHOULD, but as fans we’re not always so reasonable.

 

[Catbone]

He's basing that on previous Vols games😂😭

Tough crowd. They're insane 😂

 

[The Dog]

So since it seems like there’s some consensus from VQ about the guys we’re going to be pursuing officially starting this weekend, I thought I’d just go through and list the questions I have about each one. Feel free to add to/debate anything I throw out here. It’s all just IMO and I think most here would agree that’s not worth too much lol

Mullen
1. Most would agree he can probably get us to/keep us around 8-4 or 9-3 year in year out. But does he have it in him to take the next step and give us big time results?


2. We know we can probably expect good offense from him every year (and he’d likely give us great QB play once he gets his guy). But can he bring in the right defense to get us back into the top 25/30 on that side of the ball? Grantham is a pretty good DC. But I don’t think he’s a DC who gives you a shot at the playoffs or anything.


3. How much better will he recruit at Tennessee than MSU? A valid question about him, IMO. But I do tend to agree that it isn’t THAT difficult to land top 10/15 classes at Tennessee. Question is whether he can bring in the blue chips we need.



Taggart
1. He’s shown he can turn a program around, but how much of that was coaching and how much of that was just him upping the talent level at the schools he was at previously? Taggart will probably recruit up a storm, but will he pair that with the player development we need to be a truly good team and not just a team with talented players (which I think describes us in 2015 and 2016).


2. How certain can we be that we can keep him around if he finds success here? There’s been a lot of smoke concerning his desire to coach in Florida, where he has his roots. If someone like FSU took a run at him 2-3 years down the road, would we be able to keep him? Probably not a big concern really, but I’ve gotta question most coaches who’d leave a job after one season for greener pastures.




Frost
1. How will his offense translate to the SEC? If his scheme doesn’t see as much success here, will he/can he adapt and make the necessary changes?


2. What kind of staff does he put together in Knoxville? I don’t know much about his staff down at UCF, but I’m willing to bet that many of them aren’t cut out for the rigors of coaching/recruiting in Knoxville. Gotta do what we can to build an SEC staff around him.


3. Will his impressive pedigree translate to success as the HC at a big time program? Will he be able to sustain that success if he does find it? There have been a lot of coaches who tear things up at G5 schools and go on only to middling success or even failure in P5. The Urban Meyers and Chris Petersen’s of CFB have had a much longer track record than Frost as a HC. Everything on his resume is super impressive. But his HC resume isn’t as long as you’d like for a HC we’ll likely have to outbid 3-4 other schools for.


Campbell
1. Dude can straight out coach, but he’s also young, has no connections to the south, and doesn’t have any experience playing or coaching at a big time program. Is he ready for a job like Tennessee?


2. Same as Frost: what kind of staff can he put together? I think this is a bigger question for Campbell than Frost, though. Frost’s experience at Nebraska, in the NFL, and at Oregon seem to suggest he’d have some more personal connections with big time assistants.


3. How will he recruit? Cruitin’ is a much different animal at Tennessee than at ISU. Can he land blue chip prospects?


4. This kind of goes along with 1 and 3, but how will he handle big time recruits if/when he does land them? He’s done a great job coaching up his teams at Toledo and ISU, but the dynamic of the rosters at those schools is very different from the dynamic of the roster he’ll inherit (and the ones he’ll be expected to build). Perhaps Butch’s biggest failure was his inability to keep big time recruits happy/on campus/focused/under control. Big time recruits have big time expectations. Can Campbell handle that kind of locker room? Or is he a guy who is more naturally suited to a school where he can take in lower rated kids and just coach the hell out of them?



Disclaimer: As an aside, I’d just like to note that I had a debate a day or two ago where I argued that Campbell should be right up there with Frost on the coaching board because his experience as a HC is longer and arguably more impressive than Frosts (largely due to ISU’s success against big time opponents this year). The more I think about it, though, the more I think I was wrong there. I think Campbell is a hell of a football coach, but he has much bigger questions about how he’ll recruit, what kind of staff he’ll build, and how he can handle big time players.



Schiano
1. Will Schiano and Currie survive the riot at the presser? Ok, just joking here. But I don’t think Schiano will get much benefit of the doubt from fans or media and I would worry that that may undermine somewhat him even if he turns out to be great coaching wise.


2. Same as the big question with Mullen, just to a larger extent: can he win big? What he did at Rutgers was impressive and he’s probably been well served by his time at OSU under Urban Meyer as well. I think he’d be an improvement over Butch, for sure. I’d be excited about (most likely) finally getting to see Tennessee play great defense again. But does he really have what it takes to make us more than a middle of the pack team?


3. Will his recruiting success at OSU carry over to Tennessee? Common sense suggests that it wouldn’t and that his recruiting success is probably tied to Meyer and OSU. But at the same time I thought the same thing about Kirby Smart and he has UGA recruiting with the best of them now.


4. Who does he get to coach our offense? Schiano likely has the connections to find a good OC, but can he lure one to Knoxville? Does he have a specific kind of system he’d like an OC to run, or will he be just try to find the right OC and be hands off about it all?



Bonus: Gruden
1. Does he really still have the drive to put in the hours to be great? He was famous for his work ethic as a HC before. Does he still have that same fire after a 10 year sabbatical?


2. Will his style of coaching translate to CFB? Sometimes a coach is cut out for CFB and not the NFL. Sometimes it’s the other way around. Sometimes a guy is just great at both. Which is Gruden?


3. Can he find great success quickly enough to satisfy fans and the administration? According to rumors, we’d be paying him 7-10 million dollars and dishing out an a**load of money for assistants as well. That’s the kind of money you give expecting big results fast. If Gruden’s first 3 years are like Jim Harbaugh’s, will fans remain patient with him? Of course they/we SHOULD, but as fans we’re not always so reasonable.

Good stuff, DS. U have a lot of the same questions that I have for each candidate and some I've never thought of and/or thought wasn't relevant, but it has me debating most of the questions in my own head. If only the other 7 voices in my head would be quiet, so I could figure it all out.

 

[Smokey123]

Tough crowd. They're insane 😂

It seems like some of the same people that were saying last years A&M loss wasn't on Butch are dogging Mullen hard for tonight.

It's funny tho, The fumbles are very uncharacteristic of Msu this year. They are(were lol) top 10 for least amount of fumbles, and 2 of those fumbles were on ST's

 

[VOLinCO]

Quite an interesting and entertaining search so far. Lots of speculation with little to no concrete info. up to this point with the AD keeping a tight lid on everything. Media and analysts only able to offer opinions and best guesses. Only one potential candidate has been eliminated (Kelly). And, money is supposedly not an issue, so almost anyone is possible.

With that said, I’ll support whoever is behind the podium. But, until then, I’ll hope for a splash with Gruden or splash/left field choice with Petersen.

 

[KPT_VFL]

Bring Petersen to Gods country.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

So if this goes past Tuesday, do we assume we are swinging for Frost?

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Interesting how Mullen’s AD is now at Florida. He knows everything there is to know about the man, and somehow, seemingly decided he has better options to pursue first, and may not pursue him at all.

Yet, so many here would be “thrilled to have him”

Florida’s AD apparently expects more than He thinks Mullen can deliver.

Noted

 

[Volwark]

Bring Petersen to Gods country.

I still think Larry knows more than what he is letting on. He is friends with Fulmer after all.

 

[chargervol]

Mullen, Campbell, Frost, Taggart


Rank them in order.

Frost

Campbell

Taggart

Mullen's sissy gloves

Mullen

 

[JohnnyD1024]

Interesting how Mullen’s AD is now at Florida. He knows everything there is to know about the man, and somehow, seemingly decided he has better options to pursue first, and may not pursue him at all.

Yet, so many here would be “thrilled to have him”

Florida’s AD apparently expects more than He thinks Mullen can deliver.

Noted

Or he did contact Mullen but Mullen said thanks but no thanks and that was the end of it.

 

[Vols2DaWall]

I'd be ok with a lot of the names mentioned but please God no Schiano

 

[zhangliao04]

I'd be ok with a lot of the names mentioned but please God no Schiano

Ainge is very much right there with you (and so am I). Said he thinks he would not fit in here.

 

[AAVFL]

More on coaching search...



- Hubbs

That's Hubanese for it's Schiano.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

On Mullen...

-Hubbs

Well, look a here...Hubbs making it sound like there may not even be a meeting with Mullen today. It’s Friday and it sounds as if Currie is still mulling over which coaches to consider. Makes you think he may just have this coaching search locked up already.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

More on coaching search...



- Hubbs

And more comments with no mention of Gruden or Petersen.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

Didn’t the poster pred43 say the other day he’s one more failed drug test from being kicked out? Probably figures he might as well take his chances on the NFL.

Or he could just stop smoking weed or whatever he is doing that fails the drug test. That sure would be a novel approach.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Or he did contact Mullen but Mullen said thanks but no thanks and that was the end of it.

You may choose to believe that. I personally, do not

Speculation

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

Did anybody else catch this on ESPN after the Egg Bowl? The poster said they didnt make any jokes about it after saying it, just moved on to UF talk.



Ummm so that was weird. I'm watching ESPN and they just showed the egg bowl highlights. Was talking about interims and Matt Luke. Then showed us with Brady Hoke and said "the coach making the biggest buzz in Volnation is our own Jon Gruden" and then went on talking about Florida

They are setting it up to break the news of us hiring him...just like ole beaver said would happen.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Or he could just stop smoking weed or whatever he is doing that fails the drug test. That sure would be a novel approach.

E’ry day

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

There was a time this search was fun but I'm about ready for it to be over with