'21 TN TE Hudson Wolfe (Ole Miss commit)

Kids who grow up in Hawaii want to get out and go somewhere else. It is easy to take a great place for granted when you grow up there. It is not about how beautiful a place is, it is about having a different experience and that is what college is all about.

Agree. I'm not picking on East Tennessee. But add this to the mountain of evidence that instate talent is not the huge advantage many claim it is. Proximate talent within a 2-4 hour radius (of which UT has plenty) is what's important. Hell, blue chip Nashville MSA kids are more likely to pick UT than Knoxville kids. There aren't that many, of course, but when the Knoxville area does produce a 4 or 5 star, he seems to leave, going back to Leroy Thompson in the mid-80s. And yeah, Mays transferred back, but he initially chose a rival in spite of being a legacy. The only one I can think of who did pick UT recently is Todd Kelly, Jr. and a) he was a legacy and b) even he was going to Alabama before Butch was hired.
 
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Agree. I'm not picking on East Tennessee. But add this to the mountain of evidence that instate talent is not the huge advantage many claim it is. Proximate talent within a 2-4 hour radius (of which UT has plenty) is what's important. Hell, blue chip Nashville MSA kids are more likely to pick UT than Knoxville kids. There aren't that many, of course, but when the Knoxville area does produce a 4 or 5 star, he seems to leave, going back to Leroy Thompson in the mid-80s. And yeah, Mays transferred back, but he initially chose a rival in spite of being a legacy. The only one I can think of who did pick UT recently is Todd Kelly, Jr. and a) he was a legacy and b) even he was going to Alabama before Butch was hired.
I didn't realize it but even UGA has barely recruited in-state since Kirby got there. This year is looking to be an exception, probably because they had two years of less than stellar results given the talent level
 
Kids who grow up in Hawaii want to get out and go somewhere else. It is easy to take a great place for granted when you grow up there. It is not about how beautiful a place is, it is about having a different experience and that is what college is all about.
I agree with you...but I wish we could count on most of the best instate players to come home. It would make recruiting a little easier, and therefore would make the job perception a little better.
 
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Cade came back when he saw what Athens was all about. I believe Higgins was truly torn but had to do what was best for him at the time. My point was that Knoxville is much better than the alternatives, and I believe we are about to be back on top. Recruiting will almost be easy.

I appreciate your input though.
The area around Clemson is very similar to East TN
 
Enjoy the weekend. Will be a nice start to the week.
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Just don't worry about something someone on ESPN writes. They know that writing something negative about Tennessee generates a spike in readership and viewership.
 
Kids who grow up in Hawaii want to get out and go somewhere else. It is easy to take a great place for granted when you grow up there. It is not about how beautiful a place is, it is about having a different experience and that is what college is all about.

This is the correct answer and why our 4-5 hour out of state radius is a big deal. Change of scenery is exciting but nice to be able to take a road trip home and have family be able to afford coming to games. For the most part, I couldn't care less if we ever land another Knoxville kid....unless he is a can't miss type talent.

Homegrown kids tend to have more distractions and get in more trouble.
 

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