Recruiting Classes and the Big Picture

This particular journey is a short one. Its impact however will be felt over the next five years. With seven days remaining, life altering decisions are being made across the country. In Knoxville Tennessee, a new journey has just begun again for the Tennessee Vols and their fans. What will this ride entail?

From January 15th to February 3rd is a mere 19 days. Two days short of three weeks, it’s a quick 456 hours. Put another way, it’s a month and a half less than the previous coach had for putting a staff in place and a recruiting class together.

Yet here we are, with continued hard work and a break or two away from a Top 8 recruiting class for 2010. Given the circumstances in which Tennessee football came under Derek Dooley’s watch, he has done an outstanding job thus far.

Points of interest

Recruiting and the 2010 Class. When the previous head coach jettisoned out of Knoxville, the Vols were ranked 6th in the nation by Rivals. Potentially headed for a Top 3 spot, it was not to be. The fall (out) at one point had Tennessee at 28th according to Scout. At this point, the Vols sit at 11th on Rivals. While that’s outside the Top 10, Tennessee still has 8 scholarships to give. That fact alone gives Tennessee good upside potential.

When we talk about player evaluation and stars assigned by recruiting services, it’s a mixed bag. Fans tend to love the star system when the school is in the Top 5 or at least ahead of conference rivals. On the other hand, if things aren’t going well, the system is vastly overrated. Right?

The truth lies somewhere in between. There are a couple of noteworthy points regarding the recruiting rankings. One is while they may be guesstimates based on measurable, exposure, and offer lists, they are relative. In other words as long as Florida and Alabama have top three recruiting classes, Tennessee must stay inside the Top 10. The gap would continue to widen over time if not.

The other point is that by staying relatively close in the recruiting classes (see above), Tennessee can compete and win against them. The results of coaching up as the expression goes can help do that. A bigger disparity of say having a top 20 class versus the other guys in the Top 3? Much more difficult.

A New Plan of Action. With a sense of urgency, tempered by patience, Coach Dooley hit the ground running. In a clear redirecting of where Tennessee’s base needs to be, he has gathered commitments from Virginia, Alabama, Texas, and a much needed JUCO linebacker. Regionalizing in the southeast with Texas more in the mix makes a lot of sense.

For a number of us who keep track of other conferences recruiting statistics, the whole west coast idea seemed a stretch. At least the intensity of it. From Texas to Virginia is plenty of elbow room for recruiting top notch classes. It also fits well with where this staffs ‘presence’ has the biggest payoff.

One other thought regarding this subject. It feels a lot better knowing that players being recruited to Tennessee are just that. Being recruited for what the school has to offer (which includes the coaching). Not to follow ‘wanna be’ rock stars who have no loyalties whatsoever.

Seeing the Big Picture. We’ve all cringe to some degree at the idea of not having a defensive coordinator in place before NSD. Undoubtedly Coach Dooley has felt some pressure to complete the staff. He has refused to make a rushed decision however.

It’s really fall to two things. First, get it right. Making a hire for the sake of saving a few defensive recruit in this cycle would not be smart. It might work, but it might not.

Second, the timing for finding a new defensive coordinator is tough. A couple weeks before NSD, a lot of coaches aren’t keen on leaving what they’ve worked hard to bring in. Others parlay it into a nice little raise.

Finally, if Coach Dooley’s  guy is coming from the NFL, that windows just recently opened.

Balanced seems to be the guiding force in Dooley’s approach. Not panicky, not whimsical, and certainly not backing down to the challenge. The bases seem to be getting covered consistently and effectively. Not only that but with good results.

IF we feel it’s too early to consider buying into the Big Picture even just a little bit. We can ask ourselves this: “What was my energy and enthusiasm level for the Vols two weeks ago?” It’s ok to admit it. While that was a rough stretch of road to be sure. Things are looking up this time around, you can already tell.

When Coaching and Integrity actually mean something. If we ever trusted the last guy, it was with some trepidation; a sort of ‘dance with the devil’ if you will. But with Dooley, we will see integrity take back its foothold on this program. In addition we can expect to see genuine class in dealing with league officials, coaches, and respect toward Tennessee fans.

With those basic tenets in place, if Derek Dooley recruits top 10 classes and go 50/50 with Alabama and Florida, the last 14 months will seem like a brief, albeit embarrassing chapter in Tennessee’s storied history.

Appreciating Chaney and Thompson. Can we really say enough about Jim Chaney and Lance Thompson? Their presence put some much needed oomph in Dooley’s ‘stabilize the damage, regain the momentum approach’.

It’s going to be fun to watch Chaney handle the play calling. As opposed to clearing his throat here and there. Coach Thompson has a lot of fan sentiment for the DC position. He’s showed Tennessee some loyalty and will get his shot sooner rather than later.

A Message from TDOT

 

It’s too early for a final analysis, but this hire has all the makings of an upgrade. We just traded in a rollercoaster ride with neck snapping turns and dizzying drop-offs.  All the  while in the back of your mind,  having this gnawing feeling the car could have derailed  at any moment.

Sure it had it moments; it was exhilarating and left you guessing what’s next. But at the end of the day you get out and your standing right where you started.

The new ride is a lot more stable and akin to where Tennessee football comes from. It’s got four wheels in the back for an extra payload. We’ll call it a Dooley.

It’s not flashy, but you feel safe and it will get the job done. If trouble looms and the road washes out, you can still get where you need to be. It’s dependable, tough and hasn’t even  hit its stride yet.
GO VOLS