Why can't we have a 1st year turnaround under Pruitt like 2015 Michigan or Florida?

#1

Dobbs 4 Heisman

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#1
Remember 2015? In the preseason expectations were low for 1st year head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain. Both took over teams that had bad records the year before. Neither team had much blue-chip talent on offense. There are huge questions about Florida's offensive line. There were questions about Michigan QB situation. And yet in year 1 both teams ended up winning 10 games and were ranked in the top 10 nationally for at least some time during the season after starting out the season unranked.

What everyone underestimated in 2015 about Michigan and Florida was the amount of blue-chip talent they had on defense. Both schools had recruited really well over the preceding 4 years and even though they didn't win as many games as their recruiting rankings warranted, they still had talent. And what they needed to get that talent to play up to it's potential was a competent head coach. Once they got the new coach both teams took off immediately.

We all know Butch Jones was a totally incompetent head coach. The early practice reports in the spring are showing just how little coaching our players received under the previous coaching staff. With that said, the previous staff did do a decent job recruiting. According to 247sports, our 4-year composite recruiting ranks 11th overall in the nation. That's talent comparable to what Jim Harbaugh inherited at Michigan from Brady Hoke. If Jeremy Pruitt is even halfway decent as a head coach, we have every reason to expect a big turnaround next season. Yes there are questions on this team. Yes we have depth issues as certain positions. However, there is no denying we have a lot of top end talent as well. Especially on defense. And given the fact Jeremy Pruitt is thought of as a defensive mastermind, we should expect to see a big turnaround on defense this year.

We have enough talent on paper to beat everyone on our schedule other than Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn. And it's not impossible to believe we could steal a game from one of those three. This team has had the talent the last 3 years to be ELITE. We were just held back by incompetent coaching and bad luck with injuries. If we can stay healthy, there is no reason why we can't win 10 games in 2018.
 
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#4
#4
The only way we’re winning 10 games this year is if the opponents miss their flight and have to forfeit.
 
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#8
#8
Remember 2015? In the preseason expectations were low for 1st year head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain. Both took over teams that had bad records the year before. Neither team had much blue-chip talent on offense. There are huge questions about Florida's offensive line. There were questions about Michigan QB situation. And yet in year 1 both teams ended up winning 10 games and were ranked in the top 10 nationally for at least some time during the season after starting out the season unranked.

What everyone underestimated in 2015 about Michigan and Florida was the amount of blue-chip talent they had on defense. Both schools had recruited really well over the preceding 4 years and even though they didn't win as many games as their recruiting rankings warranted, they still had talent. And what they needed to get that talent to play up to it's potential was a competent head coach. Once they got the new coach both teams took off immediately.

We all know Butch Jones was a totally incompetent head coach. The early practice reports in the spring are showing just how little coaching our players received under the previous coaching staff. With that said, the previous staff did do a decent job recruiting. According to 247sports, our 4-year composite recruiting ranks 11th overall in the nation. That's talent comparable to what Jim Harbaugh inherited at Michigan from Brady Hoke. If Jeremy Pruitt is even halfway decent as a head coach, we have every reason to expect a big turnaround next season. Yes there are questions on this team. Yes we have depth issues as certain positions. However, there is no denying we have a lot of top end talent as well. Especially on defense. And given the fact Jeremy Pruitt is thought of as a defensive mastermind, we should expect to see a big turnaround on defense this year.

We have enough talent on paper to beat everyone on our schedule other than Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn. And it's not impossible to believe we could steal a game from one of those three. This team has had the talent the last 3 years to be ELITE. We were just held back by incompetent coaching and bad luck with injuries. If we can stay healthy, there is no reason why we can't win 10 games in 2018.

The problem I have with this line of reasoning - and of course not all players were affected to the same degree - but the coaching was so poor, the conditioning and esprit de corps had fallen off so much, so many players got soft and lackadaisical and had their talent squandered/regressed from the time they set foot on campus until this Spring, it's hard to see the team's effectiveness changing so dramatically in one season. Maybe it can, and I certainly hope so, but it's a helluva climb to get out of the rut Jones left us in.
 
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#9
#9
We are going into year four and Harbaugh has fielded nothing but an average team. The **** are you talking about.
 
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#10
#10
UF was not that good of a team in '15. Just because they won the SEC East doesn't automatically make them good.

I'm McElwain's 2 full seasons UF won the East. The powers at be at UF were so impressed they fired him in year 3.
 
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#11
#11
I'm about to get hammered, but I kind of like the positive thinking. I'm just not gonna get my hopes up haha
 
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#12
#12
Remember 2015? In the preseason expectations were low for 1st year head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain. Both took over teams that had bad records the year before. Neither .............. If we can stay healthy, there is no reason why we can't win 10 games in 2018.

Ok CBJ did recruit well but much of the talent walked out the door. Our current talent level is no where near the top 11. The cup board is not bare but we are lucky if we are in the top twenty from a talent point of view, and we play a tough schedule. We need more beef.
We also are learning both a new defense and new offense.
We will be better than predicted but not great. I give us 6 when wins.
 
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#13
#13
1 or 2 injuries along the OL and this season will go south, quick. The QB situation is precarious as well, unless Chryst comes in and absolutely dominates.
 
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#14
#14
D4H there could be a difference here where your comparison could be challenged.

In 2014 Michigan had the #4 defense in the entire nation and they held that ranking in 2015.

In 2014 Florida had the #15 defense in the nation and that improved to #8 in 2015.

Harbaugh actually improve Michigan's offense from #115 in 2014 to #69 in 2015.

Mac regressed with the Florida offense falling from #96 in 2014 to #112 in 2015. We should have won that game.

Jeremy is starting off with a defense that last year ranked #82 and an offense that was ranked #125.

In your comparison it could easily be argued both Harbaugh & Mac had a far superior inheritance than what Jeremy walked into. Clearly that was the case on defense. jmo.

A better comparison might be the 2012 Auburn team which quit on Chizik. That year their defense ranked #81 in the nation and came in at #87 in 2013. In 2012 their offense ranked #118 and improved to #11 in 2013.

It seems like no one is able to fix both sides of the ball in one year. Auburn, I would argue had a lot of luck in 2013 particularly with their schedule and the kick six.

I'm not really trying to pour cold water on expectations for this year but why stop at 10 wins. Let's focus on improving our offense from #125 to top 10 and getting to the national championship game. :)
 
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#15
#15
I might be a minority - but I didn’t see the talent, size and speed on the field last year to win 10 healthy games

Given our losses at senior and juniors from last years team, I’m not that hopeful

Hope to be surprised, but preparing for lots of moral victories.
 
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#16
#16
The only way we’re winning 10 games this year is if the opponents miss their flight and have to forfeit.

So you're saying you have no faith in Jeremy Pruitt? You think he's another Butch Jones?

Cause if Jeremy Pruitt is actually a good coach he should be able to get this team to play closer to its recruiting rank (11th overall in the country) than the 4-8 season we went through last season.

Great coaches at the very least get their players to play up to their talent level. Our talent level says we should win at least 9 games next year. PERIOD.
 
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#17
#17
Ok CBJ did recruit well but much of the talent walked out the door. Our current talent level is no where near the top 11. The cup board is not bare but we are lucky if we are in the top twenty from a talent point of view, and we play a tough schedule. We need more beef.
We also are learning both a new defense and new offense.
We will be better than predicted but not great. I give us 6 when wins.

According to 247sports it is. And they take into account attrition.

We have top 11 talent. PERIOD.

You can dispute whether recruiting rankings are reliable but you can't dispute the numbers. According to 247sports, we are the 11th most talented team in the country right now.
 
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#18
#18
D4H there could be a difference here where your comparison could be challenged.

In 2014 Michigan had the #4 defense in the entire nation and they held that ranking in 2015.

In 2014 Florida had the #15 defense in the nation and that improved to #8 in 2015.

Harbaugh actually improve Michigan's offense from #115 in 2014 to #69 in 2015.

Mac regressed with the Florida offense falling from #96 in 2014 to #112 in 2015. We should have won that game.

Jeremy is starting off with a defense that last year ranked #82 and an offense that was ranked #125.

In your comparison it could easily be argued both Harbaugh & Mac had a far superior inheritance than what Jeremy walked into. Clearly that was the case on defense. jmo.

A better comparison might be the 2012 Auburn team which quit on Chizik. That year their defense ranked #81 in the nation and came in at #87 in 2013. In 2012 their offense ranked #118 and improved to #11 in 2013.

It seems like no one is able to fix both sides of the ball in one year. Auburn, I would argue had a lot of luck in 2013 particularly with their schedule and the kick six.

I'm not really trying to pour cold water on expectations for this year but why stop at 10 wins. Let's focus on improving our offense from #125 to top 10 and getting to the national championship game. :)

Good post. Didn't know those numbers. Nonetheless, I can see Pruitt turning around our defense like Malzahn did with Auburn's offense in 2013.

We have ELITE talent all over our defense. Several highly rated four and five-star prospects at every level. If Jeremy Pruitt is the defensive mastermind people make him out to be, then he should be able to turn around our defense.

I expect our defense to rank in the top 20 next season nationally and top 4 in the SEC. We have the talent to do it. The issue the last few years has been coaching.
 
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#19
#19
Tennessee was 121st in the NCAA in yards per carry allowed rushing defense
Tennessee was 51st in yards per pass attempt allowed pass defense.
Tennessee was 87th in yards per play allowed total defense

Tennessee was 115th in yards per carry rushing offense
Tennessee was 104th in yards per pass attempt pass offense
Tennessee was 110th in yards per play total offense

Tennessee was 113th in 3rd down conversions allowed defensively
Tennessee was 120th in 3rd down conversions offensively

Tennessee was 110th in red zone TD percentage allowed defensively
Tennessee was 101st in red zone TD percentage offensively

Call me crazy. That's not getting fixed in one year.
 
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#20
#20
Tennessee was 121st in the NCAA in yards per carry allowed rushing defense
Tennessee was 51st in yards per pass attempt allowed pass defense.
Tennessee was 87th in yards per play allowed total defense

Tennessee was 115th in yards per carry rushing offense
Tennessee was 104th in yards per pass attempt pass offense
Tennessee was 110th in yards per play total offense

Tennessee was 113th in 3rd down conversions allowed defensively
Tennessee was 120th in 3rd down conversions offensively

Tennessee was 110th in red zone TD percentage allowed defensively
Tennessee was 101st in red zone TD percentage offensively

Call me crazy. That's not getting fixed in one year.

Yeah, as usual you are not crazy.
 
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#21
#21
If you believe in infinite universes this outcome does indeed become reality in a vast number of space-time locations (my phrase, I know it's inaccurate). Could ours be one of them?
 
#23
#23
tennessee was 121st in the ncaa in yards per carry allowed rushing defense
tennessee was 51st in yards per pass attempt allowed pass defense.
Tennessee was 87th in yards per play allowed total defense

tennessee was 115th in yards per carry rushing offense
tennessee was 104th in yards per pass attempt pass offense
tennessee was 110th in yards per play total offense

tennessee was 113th in 3rd down conversions allowed defensively
tennessee was 120th in 3rd down conversions offensively

tennessee was 110th in red zone td percentage allowed defensively
tennessee was 101st in red zone td percentage offensively

call me crazy. That's not getting fixed in one year six months.

fyp
 
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#24
#24
Reminder:

Before last season, the OP predicted UT would win the national championship.

UT went on to produce the worst season in program history.

Start celebrating when he picks UT to go winless.
 
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#25
#25
Remember 2015? In the preseason expectations were low for 1st year head coaches Jim Harbaugh and Jim McElwain. Both took over teams that had bad records the year before. Neither team had much blue-chip talent on offense. There are huge questions about Florida's offensive line. There were questions about Michigan QB situation. And yet in year 1 both teams ended up winning 10 games and were ranked in the top 10 nationally for at least some time during the season after starting out the season unranked.

What everyone underestimated in 2015 about Michigan and Florida was the amount of blue-chip talent they had on defense. Both schools had recruited really well over the preceding 4 years and even though they didn't win as many games as their recruiting rankings warranted, they still had talent. And what they needed to get that talent to play up to it's potential was a competent head coach. Once they got the new coach both teams took off immediately.

We all know Butch Jones was a totally incompetent head coach. The early practice reports in the spring are showing just how little coaching our players received under the previous coaching staff. With that said, the previous staff did do a decent job recruiting. According to 247sports, our 4-year composite recruiting ranks 11th overall in the nation. That's talent comparable to what Jim Harbaugh inherited at Michigan from Brady Hoke. If Jeremy Pruitt is even halfway decent as a head coach, we have every reason to expect a big turnaround next season. Yes there are questions on this team. Yes we have depth issues as certain positions. However, there is no denying we have a lot of top end talent as well. Especially on defense. And given the fact Jeremy Pruitt is thought of as a defensive mastermind, we should expect to see a big turnaround on defense this year.

We have enough talent on paper to beat everyone on our schedule other than Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn. And it's not impossible to believe we could steal a game from one of those three. This team has had the talent the last 3 years to be ELITE. We were just held back by incompetent coaching and bad luck with injuries. If we can stay healthy, there is no reason why we can't win 10 games in 2018.
No reason? You mean the team that lost every SEC game last year?

No proven QB. No proven RB. Best WR was reinstated. Oline has major issues. Defense was wretched and CB is huge ?. Lost punter and kicker.

Yes, other than that I can see no reason.
 
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