Vols forced to go juco route

#1
YankeeVol

YankeeVol

Bestest Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
141,854
Likes
71,197
#1
I know this has been reported on here already, but I like the end where it has Dooley talking about JUCO players.

As per ESPN College Football Rumors:

In the item about a possible Brown brothers package deal to Knoxville, we mentioned that the Vols could have as few as 75 scholarship players this fall. (Though this account has UT at only about 70.)

Not surprisingly, then, Derek Dooley & Co. have turned to the juco ranks, where they hope to get some SEC-ready help. Last week OT Darin Gooch from Butte JC in California signed to play for the Vols this fall, and another juco OT, Dallas Hendrickson of Iowa Western CC, is reportedly awaiting a scholarship offer. If he gets one -- he said he expects to know by Monday -- he will also join the Vols this fall. (It's unclear if Tennessee only wanted one of the two, meaning now that Gooch is on board, the Vols won't offer Hendrickson.) Of course, with the departure of all five starters, including sophomore LT Aaron Douglas, Tennessee is particularly short on the O-line.

In this piece about the Vols' recruiting woes, Dooley indicates a reluctance to rely on juco players, citing his own inconsistent record in evaluating them -- he estimates that only one out of every four he signed at Louisiana Tech panned out. "That doesn't mean we're not going to (recruit them)," Dooley said. "I'm not really here to build a class on junior college players but there is a need for them and there are places where they can help you. But the success rate is not as great as you'd like it to be. You have to do a lot of diligence to make sure it's an area of need. They've got to be able to come in and make an immediate impact and it's the right kind of guy that will fit into your culture."
 
#2
#2
Dooley's gotta do what he has gotta do to make it through the year.....we need what we need.....enough said on the subject.
 
#3
#3
If I hear "with the departure of all five starters, including sophomore LT Aaron Douglas, Tennessee is particularly short on the O-line." one more time I'm going to shoot someone.
 
#5
#5
with the departure of all five starters, including sophomore LT Aaron Douglas, Tennessee is particularly short on the O-line
:D
 
#7
#7
getyopopcornready said:
If I hear "with the departure of all five starters, including sophomore LT Aaron Douglas, Tennessee is particularly short on the O-line." one more time I'm going to shoot someone.
Click to expand...

Guns don't kill people, crazy ass people who don't have a great OL at their favorite schools kill people. :)
 
#8
#8
getyopopcornready said:
If I hear "with the departure of all five starters, including sophomore LT Aaron Douglas, Tennessee is particularly short on the O-line." one more time I'm going to shoot someone.
Click to expand...

Might I suggest a certain coach who recently took his dream job on the west coach. :gun:
 
#12
#12
Thanks for posting. Some pan out, some don't. It's good that Dooley knows that. The one benefit JC's have over freshmen is experience and maturity, so when you're lacking in upper classmen, you have to pull the trigger on a few.
 
#14
#14
Interesting comment by Dooley. I assume the hard part about finding good JC players to come in is more about character and grades then actual playing ability. If anything, I'd think it would be easier to evaluate JC players on the field since they've matured a little more than high school kids and played against higher level competition.

It seems likely Gooch will start. Thomas and Pope were having a lot of trouble. Did either of them even play center in high school? Man, UT is thin.
 
#16
#16
I would argue the JC guy is here for back up help. If we can find a JC guy at this late date and he is a starter that means we really suck on the OL,, I hope CPF is enjoying his weekly checks.
 
#17
#17
Tampavolz said:
I would argue the JC guy is here for back up help. If we can find a JC guy at this late date and he is a starter that means we really suck on the OL,, I hope CPF is enjoying his weekly checks.
Click to expand...

Which we really do. The two guys we would have been forced to start were converted from other positions, Gooch is our only true center on the roster and will likely start.
 
#20
#20
They've got to be able to come in and make an immediate impact and it's the right kind of guy that will fit into your culture.
Click to expand...

This is the part that makes me wonder if we will offer Hendrickson. Sounds like by Gooch already being on board, he might have been the better fit. I would think if Hendrickson was the right fit as well, he would have been offered already.
 
#23
#23
Apparently, If our Offensive line were to show any sort of pulse this season then they would have exceeded expectations.

Just come out alive baby.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top