Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXV

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#10,201
#10,201
vol2002 said:
Fortenberry had a very interesting take on instate recruiting in yesterday's VQ podcast. Most of it has been said before but he said he's been talking to a lot of people in the recruiting community that say Nashville today is what Gwinnett county in Atlanta was 20 years ago: a recruiting hotbed that is rapidly on the rise and will only get better with time due to growth. He said our "struggles" in state are because of the intense competition we now face for talent. Whereas 5-6 years ago Tennessee was doing well to have a handful of nationally sought-after recruits, there a bunch now and every school in the country is sending reps to local high schools. He said the diversity of colleges he sees at Nashville events is starting to rival Atlanta (not on same scale yet of course). He said the trouble for Tennessee is that most of these high rated recruits weren't born in Tennessee and since they've lived here, Tennessee has been terrible - on level with Kentucky (my interpretation of his words, not his exactly). So, instate kids need to overcome the perception that if they go to Tennessee they are settling for something less than the best.

Bottom line: to confirm what has already been said, we need a breakout season this fall that leaves no doubt anywhere in the country that the Vols are back.

If that happens, the floodgates are going to open.
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But....but...but...no way it all has to do with the lawsuit...can't be this.
 
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#10,203
#10,203
SouthKnoxVOL said:
But....but...but...no way it all has to do with the lawsuit...can't be this.
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You guys thinking the lawsuit has no bearing on recruiting are either whistling past the graveyard or missing the point. It's not so much that the lawsuit itself is damaging as it is that headlines like "Jones calls Bowles a traitor for helping rape victim" are being shared and embellished by opposing coaches with relish. They are no doubt suggesting that if the aforementioned headline is ever confirmed or should anything more ever come out, the university would have no choice but to let Jones go. Now I really think at worst, Jones got the whole "AJ got with Bowles ex and now Bowles is jelly and trying to make a stink" story and his knee-jerk reaction was to call and say some things that he later called and apologized for. But it's an easy thing to take and run with.

You guys trying to discredit LWS about his statements in relation to the lawsuit are a bit in denial as well. It is fair to say that his opinions slant a bit to the negative and that for a long time the only info he ever shared was bad news, but anyone whose ever paid much attention to this board or VQ the last 10+ years should know that he's rarely wrong. I guarantee that Jones is more than a little pissed that his reputation got tarnished by Wadwhani's mudslinging when this thing could have been settled a year ago without much ado. I also guarantee Manning was a bit pissed himself when all this old stuff was brought back up in relation to the lawsuit when the only headlines about him at the time should have been about the Super Bowl win and speculation about him riding out on top. Now if all this has been blown out of proportion (which I believe it has) and if Jones is reasonably innocent (which I believe he is), then I hope that whoever made the call not to settle last year walks the plank soon and that it's enough for Jones to get past it. And incidentally, I think since the university itself is being sued, not just the AD, that it was more likely someone like Cheek's call than Hart's.
 
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#10,204
#10,204
For the record Fortenberry said on the podcast that the lawsuit is having some effect on recruiting although he thinks when kids get on campus the coaches are able to convince them the lawsuit isn't a good reason to avoid committing.

I'm an all of the above guy on all this - all of these are reasons recruiting is off to a slow start. Doesn't mean it won't end well.
 
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#10,205
#10,205
vol2002 said:
For the record Fortenberry said on the podcast that the lawsuit is having some effect on recruiting although he thinks when kids get on campus the coaches are able to convince them the lawsuit isn't a good reason to avoid committing.

I'm an all of the above guy on all this - all of these are reasons recruiting is off to a slow start. Doesn't mean it won't end well.
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Winning will effect the '18 class more so than the '17. We'll finish top 15 this year with a few big pieces but overall everyone will be slightly disappointed in the end result. If we had won the games we were supposed to last year we'd be top 5.
 
#10,206
#10,206
Wickman said:
Winning will effect the '18 class more so than the '17. We'll finish top 15 this year with a few big pieces but overall everyone will be slightly disappointed in the end result. If we had won the games we were supposed to last year we'd be top 5.
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Good thing the talent in 2018 is a lot better than 2017.

I've been watching the tape of the top guys in 2017 and although they're better than the 2016 kids, they're not much better. Guys like Cam Akers and Jacoby Stevens have rather unimpressive highlights for 5 stars.

Only Tee Higgins jumps out as an elite player.
 
#10,207
#10,207
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Good thing the talent in 2018 is a lot better than 2017.

I've been watching the tape of the top guys in 2017 and although they're better than the 2016 kids, they're not much better. Guys like Cam Akers and Jacoby Stevens have rather unimpressive highlights for 5 stars.

Only Tee Higgins jumps out as an elite player.
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You have got to be kidding
 
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#10,209
#10,209
Dobbs 4 Heisman said:
Not instate. I was talking more in terms of nationwide.

A lot of the guys we're after this cycle don't impress me as much as the guys we landed in 2014 and 2015.
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JaCoby Stevens is the best player on the field every Friday. Absolute beast. He will be a difference maker for any team that gets him.
 
#10,210
#10,210
MrVolton said:
Seems like I heard Lawrence was wanting to commit this summer and start recruiting for his school. Just saying I hope they hold off because if both Stevens and Lawrence pick UGA this summer and start recruiting hard for them... well, it I just think it would really suck for us. Not to mention former commits and in-state guys like Hunter Johnson, Rogers, and Higgins recruiting against us at Clemson.

As to why recruiting is struggling right now, I'd just like to know all the reasoning behind the Hunter Johnson flip. That seems to be the moment when the wheels came off of the '17 class and I think some insight there could explain some things.
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How about he YouTubed Guarantano and became a Clemson fan? :hmm:
 
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#10,214
#10,214
Wickman said:
Winning will effect the '18 class more so than the '17. We'll finish top 15 this year with a few big pieces but overall everyone will be slightly disappointed in the end result. If we had won the games we were supposed to last year we'd be top 5.
Click to expand...

The only game we lost, that we were "supposed" to win, was probably Arky. Most folks outside of Volnation had the other games as either losses or at best toss ups. We definitely "should" have won the Okie and UF games after being so far out front, but that is in retrospect. I think the Arky game was a direct result of losing the way we did to UF and Okie. Either way it is being used against us. On that we agree.
 
#10,215
#10,215
Ulysees E. McGill said:
The only game we lost, that we were "supposed" to win, was probably Arky. Most folks outside of Volnation had the other games as either losses or at best toss ups. We definitely "should" have won the Okie and UF games after being so far out front, but that is in retrospect. I think the Arky game was a direct result of losing the way we did to UF and Okie. Either way it is being used against us. On that we agree.
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Should and supposed were the exact same message I was putting across. It just failed to come out that way lol. Agree that Ark was a direct result
 
#10,217
#10,217
Recruiting is always a crapshoot but this year has been exhausting.

Kids hate us then love us after Shoop.

Kids are going to commit then don't.

I can't remember a more confusing year in recruiting. Thankfully it's really early and we do have an incredible recruiter in Butch.

Not losing sleep by any means but I have to say this is puzzling.

We have to win big this year. Winning cures everything.
 
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#10,218
#10,218
volatil said:
Recruiting is always a crapshoot but this year has been exhausting.

Kids hate us then love us after Shoop.

Kids are going to commit then don't.

I can't remember a more confusing year in recruiting. Thankfully it's really early and we do have an incredible recruiter in Butch.

Not losing sleep by any means but I have to say this is puzzling.

We have to win big this year. Winning cures everything.
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums up how I feel about recruiting so far as well.

Not really that worried, just surprised some of the in-state guys haven't pulled the trigger yet. Also, having Johnson and Higgins committed in December of last year set us up to potentially contend for the #1 class.
 
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#10,219
#10,219
MrVolton said:
You guys thinking the lawsuit has no bearing on recruiting are either whistling past the graveyard or missing the point. It's not so much that the lawsuit itself is damaging as it is that headlines like "Jones calls Bowles a traitor for helping rape victim" are being shared and embellished by opposing coaches with relish. They are no doubt suggesting that if the aforementioned headline is ever confirmed or should anything more ever come out, the university would have no choice but to let Jones go. Now I really think at worst, Jones got the whole "AJ got with Bowles ex and now Bowles is jelly and trying to make a stink" story and his knee-jerk reaction was to call and say some things that he later called and apologized for. But it's an easy thing to take and run with.

You guys trying to discredit LWS about his statements in relation to the lawsuit are a bit in denial as well. It is fair to say that his opinions slant a bit to the negative and that for a long time the only info he ever shared was bad news, but anyone whose ever paid much attention to this board or VQ the last 10+ years should know that he's rarely wrong. I guarantee that Jones is more than a little pissed that his reputation got tarnished by Wadwhani's mudslinging when this thing could have been settled a year ago without much ado. I also guarantee Manning was a bit pissed himself when all this old stuff was brought back up in relation to the lawsuit when the only headlines about him at the time should have been about the Super Bowl win and speculation about him riding out on top. Now if all this has been blown out of proportion (which I believe it has) and if Jones is reasonably innocent (which I believe he is), then I hope that whoever made the call not to settle last year walks the plank soon and that it's enough for Jones to get past it. And incidentally, I think since the university itself is being sued, not just the AD, that it was more likely someone like Cheek's call than Hart's.
Click to expand...

No, it could not have been settled a year ago. That's not how the legal system works. UT will settle this lawsuit when the insurance carriers decide to settle and for the amount they deem appropriate. Attorneys won't even float serious numbers until after discovery.

UT's not letting CBJ go over a money grab that has nothing to do with criminal behavior and has even less to do with Team 120. Some meritless civil suit won't negatively affect recruiting half as much as the fallout from continuing to lose to our rivals or failing to win the SECE. Win and the recruits will come.
 
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#10,220
#10,220
This is a puzzling year - not at all the start to recruiting I expected after how solid a year on the field we just had.

Long term though if Nashville is a new Gwinnett, Vol football has never been better positioned for sustainable success. Future's bright! Just got to get over one more hump.
 
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#10,221
#10,221
vol2002 said:
This is a puzzling year - not at all the start to recruiting I expected after how solid a year on the field we just had.

Long term though if Nashville is a new Gwinnett, Vol football has never been better positioned for sustainable success. Future's bright! Just got to get over one more hump.
Click to expand...

Posted an article in off topic that Murfreesboro is the 13 th fastest growing city in the US. 126,000 residents. Projected 600,000 in Rutherford county in the next 24 years.

Win now. These kids that are moving here should never have to experience us down. I want to see us recruit 20+ players from Tennessee each year. That's a definite advantage.
 
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#10,222
#10,222
Volatil solid post- sorry I must have missed it, which players were going to commit and didn't? This is a puzzling recruiting cycle for sure. One could argue we had a better year last year than Georgia especially with our finish, and even with a new unproven head coach, their recruiting is on fire. We just seem to be puttering along.
 
#10,224
#10,224
Dec through Feb is going to be crucial. Coaches should have a 10+ win season under their belt and have two months to work on any of the in-state guys who still aren't feeling the Vols/committed elsewhere.
 
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