Newcomers not yet on campus: Kelly and Picou

#1
Fingers

Fingers

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#1
John Kelly and Quay Picou are the only two of the incoming freshman who aren't yet on campus.

Kelly is supposed to arrive around the beginning of July.

Picou, however, still has some work to do and isn't expected until July/August. Anyone know the extent of this? Hubbs wrote, "Picou still has some work to do and classes to take..."
 
#2
#2
Hope Picou gets everything done. I'm looking forward to him being a part of the team.
 
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#3
#3
Fingers said:
John Kelly and Quay Picou are the only two of the incoming freshman who aren't yet on campus.

Kelly is supposed to arrive around the beginning of July.

Picou, however, still has some work to do and isn't expected until July/August. Anyone know the extent of this? Hubbs wrote, "Picou still has some work to do and classes to take..."
Click to expand...

I heard on Swain's show this morning that Kelly was actually expected to arrive on campus today. Found this conversation with KMac on his Twitter......

@JKShuttlesworth: “@KM1_Era: @JKShuttlesworth you get in tomorrow?” I'll be there friday morning I'm leaving out tomorrow
 
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#4
#4
KBVol said:
I heard on Swain's show this morning that Kelly was actually expected to arrive on campus today. Found this conversation with KMac on his Twitter......

@JKShuttlesworth: “@KM1_Era: @JKShuttlesworth you get in tomorrow?” I'll be there friday morning I'm leaving out tomorrow
Click to expand...

Kelly was just visiting according to VQ.
 
#5
#5
Hopefully Picou will qualify. We need him desperately. You can never have too many able bodied big DTs. He may not be as highly rated as our other twp freshman DTs, but I believe he will be a good one too.
 
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#6
#6
ainge10heisman said:
Hopefully Picou will qualify. We need him desperately. You can never have too many able bodied big DTs. He may not be as highly rated as our other twp freshman DTs, but I believe he will be a good one too.
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I just hope that its not just a UT academic thing and he is ok per SEC and NCAA rules like the big OLineman from Georgia last your who ended up at Oklahoma because he met all the NCAA and SEC requirements but not jimmy cheeks requirements..
 
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#7
#7
Nocleats said:
I just hope that its not just a UT academic thing and he is ok per SEC and NCAA rules like the big OLineman from Georgia last your who ended up at Oklahoma because he met all the NCAA and SEC requirements but not jimmy cheeks requirements..
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Who knows man. I thought we had already started cooling down on that player before all of that happened anyways? What was his dang name? I can't remember for the life of me.
 
#8
#8
ainge10heisman said:
Who knows man. I thought we had already started cooling down on that player before all of that happened anyways? What was his dang name? I can't remember for the life of me.
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Brown, Orlando T 6-8 355 RFr. Duluth, Ga. (Peachtree Ridge HS)
We never cooled on him.. cheeks stupid entrance requirements got him and OU scooped him up because he qualified by NCAA standards
 
#9
#9
Nocleats said:
.. cheeks stupid entrance requirements got him and OU scooped him up because he qualified by NCAA standards
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I can't say if those requirements are stupid or not, but when you're building brick-by-brick, it's better to bring your own plumb line and level than depend on the building inspector after the mortar has set.

Psycho-academic metrics have gotten scarey-good at predicting successful transition to the college level. If you want to keep a clean program, you gotta do it up front. Once the player gets into the program, and the fight against impending failure is being fought way down at the tutor level, there's too much pressure on that tutor (and his/her supervisor) to just fix it. When it gets to that point, all of Vol Nation, the football program, the fans, the coaches, the alumni... the entire weight of everyone emotionally or financially invested in UT football success becomes an enormous, inverted pyramid with the apex pressing down on that tutor's neck.

Like I said, I don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid, but I'm convinced our future success lies in weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family.
 
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#10
#10
BruisedOrange said:
I can't say if those requirements are stupid or not, but when you're building brick-by-brick, it's better to bring your own plumb line and level than depend on the building inspector after the mortar has set.

Psycho-academic metrics have gotten scarey-good at predicting successful transition to the college level. If you want to keep a clean program, you gotta do it up front. Once the player gets into the program, and the fight against impending failure is being fought way down at the tutor level, there's too much pressure on that tutor (and his/her supervisor) to just fix it. When it gets to that point, all of Vol Nation, the football program, the fans, the coaches, the alumni... the entire weight of everyone emotionally or financially invested in UT football success becomes an enormous, inverted pyramid with the apex pressing down on that tutor's neck.

Like I said, I don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid, but I'm convinced our future success lies in weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family.
Click to expand...

Thanks for explaining Jimmy.
 
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#12
#12
BruisedOrange said:
I can't say if those requirements are stupid or not, but when you're building brick-by-brick, it's better to bring your own plumb line and level than depend on the building inspector after the mortar has set.

Psycho-academic metrics have gotten scarey-good at predicting successful transition to the college level. If you want to keep a clean program, you gotta do it up front. Once the player gets into the program, and the fight against impending failure is being fought way down at the tutor level, there's too much pressure on that tutor (and his/her supervisor) to just fix it. When it gets to that point, all of Vol Nation, the football program, the fans, the coaches, the alumni... the entire weight of everyone emotionally or financially invested in UT football success becomes an enormous, inverted pyramid with the apex pressing down on that tutor's neck.

Like I said, I don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid, but I'm convinced our future success lies in weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family.
Click to expand...

Probably one of the more logical posts in Volnation history.
 
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#13
#13
ainge10heisman said:
Hopefully Picou will qualify. We need him desperately. You can never have too many able bodied big DTs. He may not be as highly rated as our other twp freshman DTs, but I believe he will be a good one too.
Click to expand...

Absolutely true, heard good things about him, need him on campus.
 
#14
#14
Picou can ball. Hes a different player than the other two we brought in. Hes a quicker, agile, explosive player. Hes in the mold of Dom Easley. Not saying hes that good or anything but hes the 6'2 280lbs DT that uses his motor and has great get-off.
 
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#15
#15
BruisedOrange said:
I can't say if those requirements are stupid or not, but when you're building brick-by-brick, it's better to bring your own plumb line and level than depend on the building inspector after the mortar has set.

Psycho-academic metrics have gotten scarey-good at predicting successful transition to the college level. If you want to keep a clean program, you gotta do it up front. Once the player gets into the program, and the fight against impending failure is being fought way down at the tutor level, there's too much pressure on that tutor (and his/her supervisor) to just fix it. When it gets to that point, all of Vol Nation, the football program, the fans, the coaches, the alumni... the entire weight of everyone emotionally or financially invested in UT football success becomes an enormous, inverted pyramid with the apex pressing down on that tutor's neck.

Like I said, I don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid, but I'm convinced our future success lies in weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family.
Click to expand...

Whle I can see and agree with you on an intellectual level, the point remains that competitors are admitting these students because they DO QUALIFY, and Tennessee has to compete against them.. Think the Vols could use a 6'8 350lb O Tackle who is the son of an NFL Hall of famer? My point is that since Cheek has inserted his academic standard matrix, the Vols have struggled an only by CBJ being a recruiting crazed obsessive compulsive have the Vols began to recover. It would be nice if he could play by the same rules as EVERY other team in the SEC.(Even vandy allows academic exceptions.. I do see your point, but I believe mine is valid as well
 
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#16
#16
Nocleats said:
I do see your point, but I believe mine is valid as well
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I don't think we disagree. I really don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid. When I say weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family, I mean players who eventually disqualify themselves academically and don't get on the field anyway. Also, if a recruit's academic weaknesses are rooted in his character rather than academics (not judging any recruit who moved on), that's a football issue we dont want in the locker room.

Three thoughts to add: One, the NCAA is always under pressure from (once legitimate) civil rights groups to give more at-risk students a chance. Universities are under pressure from the same groups to provide more remedial classes for credit and more tutorial services. Point being that the NCAA's qualifying standards likely fall below safe standards. They insure the NCAA's viability--they invite the trouble the NCAA investigates.

Two, there's also the possibility that Cheeks new standards came with Coach Jones' approval. Raising the team's APR and erasing the image of Vol thuggery have been points of emphasis from day one. He's certainly been more successful (and sooner) than I'd have imagined. Maybe Jones likes having those standards beyond his control, so as a recruiter he's free to be the encourager, never the pessimist.

It's possible once CBJ is convinced "his culture" is in place, he would be willing to take on a few more academic projects. But I can't see him doing that before he hits a perceived ceiling of what Tennessee can achieve limiting itself to good students/good citizens.

Which is the third bit of conjecture: maybe the idea of bringing in guys who need special treatment--solely to get & keep them on the field--is an unacceptible compromise to the culture Jones wants. Maybe in his eyes, once you cross that line where you're compromising standards just to achieve success on the gridiron, you lose your claim to being a "family" and become just another player-consuming, big-time program.

Like I said, just some thoughts... not claiming facts.
 
#17
#17
BruisedOrange said:
I don't think we disagree. I really don't know if Cheeks' requirements are stupid. When I say weeding out as many academic burdens (and time bombs) at the gate before we bring them into the Vol family, I mean players who eventually disqualify themselves academically and don't get on the field anyway. Also, if a recruit's academic weaknesses are rooted in his character rather than academics (not judging any recruit who moved on), that's a football issue we dont want in the locker room.

Three thoughts to add: One, the NCAA is always under pressure from (once legitimate) civil rights groups to give more at-risk students a chance. Universities are under pressure from the same groups to provide more remedial classes for credit and more tutorial services. Point being that the NCAA's qualifying standards likely fall below safe standards. They insure the NCAA's viability--they invite the trouble the NCAA investigates.

Two, there's also the possibility that Cheeks new standards came with Coach Jones' approval. Raising the team's APR and erasing the image of Vol thuggery have been points of emphasis from day one. He's certainly been more successful (and sooner) than I'd have imagined. Maybe Jones likes having those standards beyond his control, so as a recruiter he's free to be the encourager, never the pessimist.

It's possible once CBJ is convinced "his culture" is in place, he would be willing to take on a few more academic projects. But I can't see him doing that before he hits a perceived ceiling of what Tennessee can achieve limiting itself to good students/good citizens.

Which is the third bit of conjecture: maybe the idea of bringing in guys who need special treatment--solely to get & keep them on the field--is an unacceptible compromise to the culture Jones wants. Maybe in his eyes, once you cross that line where you're compromising standards just to achieve success on the gridiron, you lose your claim to being a "family" and become just another player-consuming, big-time program.

Like I said, just some thoughts... not claiming facts.
Click to expand...

As I understand it, Cheeks Standards started during CPF final few years, (note the records) then Kiffin was shocked, (so Im told) Charlie Strong had serious questions about the standards, and CBJ took the job with the promise that Hart would begin to work for change... CPF has even lobbied Governor Haslam in the last couple of years about it... The principal is sound, but ONLY if all colleges are doing it... Its about playing on a level field
 
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#18
#18
Fingers said:
John Kelly and Quay Picou are the only two of the incoming freshman who aren't yet on campus.

Kelly is supposed to arrive around the beginning of July.

Picou, however, still has some work to do and isn't expected until July/August. Anyone know the extent of this? Hubbs wrote, "Picou still has some work to do and classes to take..."
Click to expand...

Sounds like picou might just be a red shirt this season.
 
#19
#19
Nocleats said:
I just hope that its not just a UT academic thing and he is ok per SEC and NCAA rules like the big OLineman from Georgia last your who ended up at Oklahoma because he met all the NCAA and SEC requirements but not jimmy cheeks requirements..
Click to expand...

Yeah. What is it with this school that they think college is for academics first instead of athletics anyhow? How dare they set a higher academic standard than many other schools. They sure wouldn't do that at Alabama.
 
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#20
#20
1982Alum said:
Yeah. What is it with this school that they think college is for academics first instead of athletics anyhow? How dare they set a higher academic standard than many other schools. They sure wouldn't do that at Alabama.
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UT is a state university, it may come as a shock to some, but it is for the masses not supposed to be about the academic elite. If that's what folks are into, Vandy, Tulane, and Georgia Tech are down the street. CBJ is correct we need to be on a level playing field academically and athletically as long as we are in the SEC IMO.
 
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#21
#21
1982Alum said:
Yeah. What is it with this school that they think college is for academics first instead of athletics anyhow? How dare they set a higher academic standard than many other schools. They sure wouldn't do that at Alabama.
Click to expand...

Do you attend a lot of spelling bees?
 
#22
#22
Fingers said:
Kelly was just visiting according to VQ.
Click to expand...

Ah. Ok, thanks for the clarification. All I heard was the blanket statement that he'd be on campus, assumed that he somehow got the ok/high school paperwork issues cleared up.
 
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