How well does Butch recruit?

[Jeepkuntry]

It seems to bke the general consensus that Butch is a great recruiter. What am I missing? Each year the overall ranking drops. Quite a few big names haven't really panned out.

 

[Iam4utalways]

Can't blame Butch for going after and getting the 4 and 5*s. Maybe he should get blamed if they aren't being developed. It could be they have been better all their lives and don't think they need to put in the work that it takes to stay elite or some other kind of head/heart case.

We have seen the impact of one disgruntled Apple(I can't say that Hurd is a bad apple but I will say the way his time ended with the Vols was about as bad as it gets. I wonder if Hurd was one of those guys that if you can get them you have to give it a shot, even if it could end up biting your backside. Which make me wonder about Tee jr. Did we stop recruiting him for a reason or could we just not sign him?) so to go after the 5* hearts and let them out work everybody else and be that star in the rough. I want both. 5* talent with a 5* heart.

Go Vols!

 

[Roustabout]

It seems to bke the general consensus that Butch is a great recruiter. What am I missing? Each year the overall ranking drops. Quite a few big names haven't really panned out.

Butch is not a great recruiter.
I think he has some solid recruiters on his new staff.

 

[CountVolcula]

I give him 3.8 out of 5 as a recruiter

 

[UT Hill Man]

He recruits great.

But too many in his classes have washed out leaving us with perpetual depth issues.

If they re-ranked classes after year 3 - how many top 20 classes we would actually have?

 

[Boca Vol]

He recruits great.

But too many in his classes have washed out leaving us with perpetual depth issues.

If they re-ranked classes after year 3 - how many top 20 classes we would actually have?

I completely understand what you're saying but daj can point to his numbers and would tell us it really doesn't matter.

I've gone round and round with daj in the past and am now willing to trust his numbers. Based on that UT should go 9-3 this season by factoring the last 4 recruiting classes. Although LSU, UGA, UT, and UF are pretty close in rankings.

 

[Iam4utalways]

He recruits great.

But too many in his classes have washed out leaving us with perpetual depth issues.

If they re-ranked classes after year 3 - how many top 20 classes we would actually have?

When the expectation is "Win today and win tomorrow.", that's a lot to ask a person to not have a bad day ever and if you do "Snap and clear." That takes much mental toughness to be able to do that. Don't second guess what you're doing just always "give your all".

 

[jakez4ut]

i'll say this, he really relies on the relationships between the recruits and current players. it's great that he's been able to capitalize on it.

unfortunate that several big name recruits haven't panned out while wearing orange/white, but all in all i think he's done a really good job of recruiting.

this year in particular with all the negative attention he seems to get regionally on social media and click bait type publications, he's still pulling guys in and getting them to make visits.

it's important that he keeps this current class together and is able to capitalize on several key recruits in this cycle that have yet to make a decision.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

2014 & 2015 classes wowed a lot of fans due to the high profile guys the staff got on board. This gave CBJ that solid recruiting reputation IMO. Too early to judge 2016 & 2017 classes atp. Butch's biggest problem is keeping guys on campus once they have signed their LOI. Attrition seems to be the issue. 2018 class looks very promising thus far though.

 

[TAF]

Better as a Recruiter than a Sideline Coach..

TROOF!

 

[Grand Vol]

There are 66 Power 5 teams out there recruiting (counting Notre Dame and BYU) for football. Tennessee has consistently been ranked in the Top 20 since CBJ took over according to 24/7:

2014 - #7
2015 - #4
2016 - #14
2017 - #17

Average of #11 in class ranking (rounding up) since CBJ took over. Even with the "drop" in the past two years, UT is still sitting in the upper third of recruiting for all P5 schools.

What's he doing wrong again?

 

[jakez4ut]

There are 66 Power 5 teams out there recruiting (counting Notre Dame and BYU) for football. Tennessee has consistently been ranked in the Top 20 since CBJ took over according to 24/7:

2014 - #7
2015 - #4
2016 - #14
2017 - #17

Average of #11 in class ranking (rounding up) since CBJ took over. Even with the "drop" in the past two years, UT is still sitting in the upper third of recruiting for all P5 schools.

What's he doing wrong again?

247 has us at 11, Rivals has us 8th. Scout, 13?...for this year's class, and it probably will climb some more before all is said and done.

i think this will be a top 10 class when all is said and done.

 

[Grand Vol]

247 has us at 11, Rivals has us 8th. Scout, 13?...for this year's class, and it probably will climb some more before all is said and done.

i think this will be a top 10 class when all is said and done.

You're looking at 2018. 2017 is the year we just finished.

 

[Nationdom]

Butch is a good recruiter, not great. Tennessee is one of the easiest places in the country try to recruit to and top 15 classes should be relatively easy.

 

[Stoked]

How many of his players just got drafted?

 

[Iam4utalways]

How many of his players just got drafted?

Only 6.

 

[Stoked]

Only 6.

Only?

 

[Iam4utalways]

Only?

He signed 35 his 1st class.

 

[UT Hill Man]

There are 66 Power 5 teams out there recruiting (counting Notre Dame and BYU) for football. Tennessee has consistently been ranked in the Top 20 since CBJ took over according to 24/7:

2014 - #7
2015 - #4
2016 - #14
2017 - #17

Average of #11 in class ranking (rounding up) since CBJ took over. Even with the "drop" in the past two years, UT is still sitting in the upper third of recruiting for all P5 schools.

What's he doing wrong again?

If our recruiting averages out to the 11th best, then why haven't we even sniffed a top 15 finish the past couple of years?

We had to beat Nebraska in a bowl no one much cared about just to sneak in the top 25 last year.

So yeah, he recruits well, but the wheels fall off in regards to keeping and developing top talent.

 

[Doberman]

Pretty good recruiter, but not great.

Certainly very acceptable, however, and I have no real complaints. 2017 was pretty MEH, though.

 

[Grand Vol]

If our recruiting averages out to the 11th best, then why haven't we even sniffed a top 15 finish the past couple of years?

We had to beat Nebraska in a bowl no one much cared about just to sneak in the top 25 last year.

So yeah, he recruits well, but the wheels fall off in regards to keeping and developing top talent.

Average - constituting the result obtained by adding together several quantities and then dividing this total by the number of quantities.

7+4+14+17 = 42
42/4 = 10.5 (rounded to 11)

That's called an "average."

And in case you missed it:

Even with the "drop" in the past two years, UT is still sitting in the upper third of recruiting for all P5 schools.

 

[BeardedVol]

If our recruiting averages out to the 11th best, then why haven't we even sniffed a top 15 finish the past couple of years?

We had to beat Nebraska in a bowl no one much cared about just to sneak in the top 25 last year.

So yeah, he recruits well, but the wheels fall off in regards to keeping and developing top talent.

Unfortunately it's not just about getting the top recruits, but getting the top recruits that best fit the system, and also developing them to maximize their talent. Four years with Mahoney, Martinez, Azzani, and no dedicated QB coach have hurt us in that area.

This article is a few years old, but there's something to be said for being a perennial over-achiever when it comes to recruiting class rankings and the-end results on the field.

 

[WildTurkey]

Butch is not a great recruiter.
I think he has some solid recruiters on his new staff.

He is actually a very good recruiter - evidenced by his ability to keep highly regarded prospects interested in and enrolling at UT. Despite some on-field hiccups and unflattering media coverage, recruits continue to buy what he sells.

If (big if) Jones can put it together on gameday, I think he would become one of the elite HC recruiters in the nation.

 

[njvols]

Is say he is above average recruiter. By making the staff moves this past year, the group is stronger in recruiting, and jones doesn't have to be the lead recruiter...which i am fine with as long as we are getting players to buy in.

 

[UT Hill Man]

Average - constituting the result obtained by adding together several quantities and then dividing this total by the number of quantities.

7+4+14+17 = 42
42/4 = 10.5 (rounded to 11)

That's called an "average."

And in case you missed it:

You miss my point entirely - I'm not saying the classes have not been really good.

The point is Butch has recruited near top ten talent and yet struggled to break the top 25 in the final polls.

He has under achieved with the talent he has brought in.