What happened?

#1
zestyzoo23

zestyzoo23

In VOLS We Trust
Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
214
Likes
0
#1
Looking through rivals team rankings over the past years and some of the players we got and I see these 5 star kids from 2007 like Chris Donald LB and Kenny O'Neal WR. Curious to know what happened to these guys?
 
#2
#2
kenny oneal was a complete bust couldint learn the playbook...and as for donald he trasfered to UTC this offseason bc he wasint getting playtime....he played in a real small school in tn so i guess when he got to the big leauge he couldint hack it
 
#5
#5
Lord Vader said:
90% of the 5stars we get are terrible.

but stars are what matter.
Click to expand...

I agree LV but then I look and see 3 star players that turned out amazing like Dan Williams... The stars are what people look for but stars don't rate the work ethic or the desire to be the best. I'll take those players over the highest "stars" possible...
 
#7
#7
Lord Vader said:
90% of the 5stars we get are terrible.

but stars are what matter.
Click to expand...

Blame Fulmer for that.

Also explain to me how so coincidental that the five best programs the last ten years (Florida, Texas, USC, Ohio State, and Oklahoma) are usually have the top 5-8 classes every year...

Average ranking since 2002

UF: 7
Texas: 8.6
USC: 1.6
OSU: 14 (Take out their #41 class in 2003, and it's 10.6
OU: 8.6

That's not an accident.
 
#8
#8
UT's average ranking during this period is 12.7. Take out 2008 (#35), and UT averaged a ranking of 10.

IMO, this says a great deal about player evaluation and development over the last several years. On paper, UT has brought in the classes to be competitive. But many of the higher rated players either never panned out, had off the field issues, issues with the coaching staff, or, I'm assuming, were not coached up.

The 2007 class is a great example. It had 15 5*/4* commitments (excluded Sykes who came in a later class). 3 were JCs and Berry left early for the NFL. Of the remaining 11 commitments, 3 will suit up for UT this Fall.

The Vols can land big classes. But, CDD and staff must do a better job of evaluation and player development in order to get UT back to being a contender for the SEC championship.
 
#9
#9
VOLinCO said:
UT's average ranking during this period is 12.7. Take out 2008 (#35), and UT averaged a ranking of 10.

IMO, this says a great deal about player evaluation and development over the last several years. On paper, UT has brought in the classes to be competitive. But many of the higher rated players either never panned out, had off the field issues, issues with the coaching staff, or, I'm assuming, were not coached up.

The 2007 class is a great example. It had 15 5*/4* commitments (excluded Sykes who came in a later class). 3 were JCs and Berry left early for the NFL. Of the remaining 11 commitments, 3 will suit up for UT this Fall.

The Vols can land big classes. But, CDD and staff must do a better job of evaluation and player development in order to get UT back to being a contender for the SEC championship.
Click to expand...

Agree, and I think those stats show about Fulmer's evaluation/development of prospects.

CDD does need good classes, but agree that his player development will be key.
 
#10
#10
zestyzoo23 said:
Looking through rivals team rankings over the past years and some of the players we got and I see these 5 star kids from 2007 like Chris Donald LB and Kenny O'Neal WR. Curious to know what happened to these guys?
Click to expand...

Where have you been for the last 10years? Please don't start these threads: :crazy:
 
#12
#12
Coaching is what DIDN'T happen....regardless if they are 5* recruits, they still have to be coached the right way...unfortunately for Fulmer that wasn't happening later in his last few years
 
#14
#14
Here's my theory about the 5-stars. Some of those ratings are purely the product of slick promotion and hype that comes from parents/coaches/boosters/etc. who fork over $$$ for kids to attend multiple camps where lazy scouts and journalists keep hearing some of the same names over and over and falsely assume that those prospects must be highly skilled. The coaches and programs that actually have the ability to evaluate talent and recruit well will avoid those overrrated prospects like the plague while less diligent coaches and coaches who are desperate to put some ice on their hot seats by signing a 5* or two will happily throw away a scholarship for a temporary feather in the cap.

I do think that most 5* prospects are the elite of thier classes but that does not mean that they should not be scrutinzed and evaluated the same as any other prospect.
 
#15
#15
Lord Vader said:
90% of the 5stars we get are terrible.

but stars are what matter.
Click to expand...

There is a strong correlation between number of stars an athlete has and how productive they wind up being on the football field in college. Five star prospects tend to do alot better in college than three star prospects do. That is a fact. However, as with anything, there are ALWAYS exceptions to that rule. Unfortunately, Tennessee has been in on way too many of those exceptions in the last 3-5 years.
 
#17
#17
I think toward the end of his career (maybe even much sooner) Fulmer recruited stars instead of truly evaluating the individual players and what they saw them bringing to the team. This as much a problem of Fulmers staff as it is Fulmer himself but after all he is the one that calls the shots.
 
#18
#18
VolunteerHillbilly said:
Here's my theory about the 5-stars. Some of those ratings are purely the product of slick promotion and hype that comes from parents/coaches/boosters/etc. who fork over $$$ for kids to attend multiple camps where lazy scouts and journalists keep hearing some of the same names over and over and falsely assume that those prospects must be highly skilled. The coaches and programs that actually have the ability to evaluate talent and recruit well will avoid those overrrated prospects like the plague while less diligent coaches and coaches who are desperate to put some ice on their hot seats by signing a 5* or two will happily throw away a scholarship for a temporary feather in the cap.

I do think that most 5* prospects are the elite of thier classes but that does not mean that they should not be scrutinzed and evaluated the same as any other prospect.
Click to expand...

This is a fact.
 
#19
#19
zjcvols said:
Blame Fulmer for that.

Also explain to me how so coincidental that the five best programs the last ten years (Florida, Texas, USC, Ohio State, and Oklahoma) are usually have the top 5-8 classes every year...

Average ranking since 2002

UF: 7
Texas: 8.6
USC: 1.6
OSU: 14 (Take out their #41 class in 2003, and it's 10.6
OU: 8.6

That's not an accident.
Click to expand...

Its more about what players you KEEP than the players you sign to an LOI.

CDD is going to recruit with the best of them but he's also going to be very tactful in making sure that the players he recruits will qualify academically.

I can't speak for every Vol fan but I think most would agree that taking a three star player with a 4.0 GPA who will have no problem getting in is better than signing a five star who can't qualify and will never step foot onto campus.

But then again...its all about the stars.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#20
#20
VolunteerHillbilly said:
Here's my theory about the 5-stars. Some of those ratings are purely the product of slick promotion and hype that comes from parents/coaches/boosters/etc. who fork over $$$ for kids to attend multiple camps where lazy scouts and journalists keep hearing some of the same names over and over and falsely assume that those prospects must be highly skilled. The coaches and programs that actually have the ability to evaluate talent and recruit well will avoid those overrrated prospects like the plague while less diligent coaches and coaches who are desperate to put some ice on their hot seats by signing a 5* or two will happily throw away a scholarship for a temporary feather in the cap.

I do think that most 5* prospects are the elite of thier classes but that does not mean that they should not be scrutinzed and evaluated the same as any other prospect.
Click to expand...


A lot of truth here
 
#21
#21
zestyzoo23 said:
Looking through rivals team rankings over the past years and some of the players we got and I see these 5 star kids from 2007 like Chris Donald LB and Kenny O'Neal WR. Curious to know what happened to these guys?
Click to expand...

In the 90's Tennessee had just as many 5* busts as they do presently. Brian Darden, Maurice Staley, Diron Robinson, etc.

The difference being Tennessee recruited well every year back then and could easily off-set guys that didn't pan out. There are 4* and 5* guys at Florida and Bama who never see the field either, but it doesn't effect them because they recruit well every single year like Tennessee did back in the 90's.

Today because recruiting has been so up and down Tennessee needs every highly rated guy to live up to his billing and realistically that will never happen at any program.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top