Tyler Baron has entered the portal

#151
#151
Wow it looks like he’s already been removed from the team roster. I was gonna check his size and I don’t see him on there. Heupel don’t play.
 
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#152
#152
Baron stepped in at a low point for this program and it's in a lot better shape now that it was when he arrived.

And he has had a hand in the improvement as one of the better DL on the roster.

Best of luck to him however things shake out.
 
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#153
#153
mitzustu said:
We are LOADED at his position.

Pearce
Bradley
Herring
Josephs
Ross

He may have been processed out, honestly. Those young guys don’t wanna sit behind a super senior.
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I don’t get why people can’t understand this. There are probably better places to use that money than a 5th year guy at that position. If he comes back, which of those guys leave?
 
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#154
#154
Sucks but can't blame him to some degree, he has to get home for a pass to be incomplete. Our secondary is trash. He wants to win championships, it isn't here for next year anyway. Maybe in a couple.
 
#155
#155
PEPPERJAX said:
Oh yeah it makes sense. The cat is out of the bag and this is essentially CFB's version of free agency. We have to take the good and the bad in this new era of football. Obviously, we hope that UT can retain him but can get too bent out of shape because all of the other teams are dealing the with same stuff. IMO, HS recruiting is still going to be how programs build and sustain culture. Additionally, coaches now have to hold their roster together convincing key players to stick around. My knowledge of theses collectives is very limited btw. Hopefully, they are doing everything they can to keep valuable players on the hill. If he ends up at bama, I am going to FKN puke.
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It'll eventually evolve into what free agency means in professional sports. Generally speaking, successful teams have a core of players that they drafted and developed and then plug holes in their roster via free agency and trades.

The Portal is fundamentally different from professional free agency though because it consists of guys leaving a previous program voluntarily. It isn't like their contract expired. Oftentimes, the reasons these guys left a previous program aren't great (malcontent, not coachable, etc.). It seems difficult to identify guys who are in the Portal because they are blocked roster-wise, or genuinely looking for a better opportunity, versus guys who were pushed there by their previous coaching staff because they aren't good teammates.

Of course money matters a lot, but ideally you want to have a roster full of guys who are there for money in addition to other reasons.
 
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#156
#156
utvolpj said:
That doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he just go pro?
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Testing the waters. My gut tells me he wants to see how much he’s worth on the open market between UT and other college programs and compare that to whatever he thinks he’s draft grade will earn him if he declares. I have no insight in any of this, just a gut feeling.
 
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#157
#157
OrangeTsar said:
Tennessee isn’t like other college programs. You will not find a fan base that will support and follow you for life as a VFL anywhere else. When you put on the Power T you are entering a brotherhood and family without compare in college athletics. That is not something that should be thrown away lightly
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Not unique at all.
 
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#160
#160
05_never_again said:
It'll eventually evolve into what free agency means in professional sports. Generally speaking, successful teams have a core of players that they drafted and developed and then plug holes in their roster via free agency and trades.

The Portal is fundamentally different from professional free agency though because it consists of guys leaving a previous program voluntarily. It isn't like their contract expired. Oftentimes, the reasons these guys left a previous program aren't great (malcontent, not coachable, etc.). It seems difficult to identify guys who are in the Portal because they are blocked roster-wise, or genuinely looking for a better opportunity, versus guys who were pushed there by their previous coaching staff because they aren't good teammates.

Of course money matters a lot, but ideally you want to have a roster full of guys who are there for money in addition to other reasons.
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We will applaud it as UT fans when it benefits us and lament it when the roster takes a hit.
 
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#161
#161
SATX VOL said:
He probably wants to go somewhere the team has a chance to go all the way or somewhere he can reach his full potential for the NFL. We found out this year that they will do everything in their power to keep UT out of it and it was quite easy honestly. The players see it more than we do. They arnt dumb.
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Bama, UGA, etc aren’t paying big money for a 5th year guy that’s projected to be a mid-late round pick. They have plenty of those guys already.
 
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#165
#165
05_never_again said:
Yeah. It was awful when Hendon Hooker transferred here.
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It's not the individual situation, it's the environment where guys are coming and going yearly. In a vacuum, sure, Hendon Hooker coming to Tennessee was great. A college football sugar high if ever there was one. But an environment that allows that, where the roster radically changes year to year, and you're always at risk of losing your best players to a bigger payday, is hugely detrimental to college athletics as a concept. It completely changes the "value proposition," to borrow a marketing phrase.

Now of course, the chorus will come quickly. "Tough ****." And sure, okay, I think everyone gets that. Some people don't care that it's turned into this, and others even prefer it. But it is impossible to deny that the tone and atmosphere of college football hasn't completely changed. It has dramatically changed.

And, frankly, if we're going to be in an environment where it's soley about money and wins, (and that is the destination here, I believe), then I think it's fair to ask just what any of it has to do with the schools or why the schools have any business being connected to a purely professional product.
 
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#173
#173
Everyone jumping ship and nobody is jumping on the ship. Doesn’t seem to be good for the Vols and Heupel.
 
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