15 for '15: Brightest Futures

[Gandalf]

Anyone else notice they mentioned Dobbs being the expected starter, unless Dormandy can come in and play as true freshman?

opcorn:

 

[KBVol]

Actually most of the comments from recruits were positive following the game. We should get a commitment from Abernathy by Friday and made some positive impressions on some good Olinemen as well as some 2016 players. Most of the recruits realize this is a team with several young players starting and succeeding right now.

On the flip side, how many of those recruits might have looked at yet another loss and been turned off? My only point in bringing up the recruits was that winning ball games is always gonna make us more attractive than losing, and while it's still early in Jones' tenure and he can still sell the rebuild and early playing time, at some point those same messages aren't gonna resonate anymore. He has to start winning games and last Saturday was a major blown golden opportunity to make his case even further to prospective recruits. There will come a time when recruits will be much less likely to visit if Jones doesn't start winning.

 

[DaddyChad]

Anyone else notice they mentioned Dobbs being the expected starter, unless Dormandy can come in and play as true freshman?

opcorn:

No one knows who will be the starter. I'm hoping Dobbs can win the job though, I think he is the best fit for the offense.

 

[oregonvol]

Last year we are all saying 15' is our year, but we are all in panick mode(myself included) in 14'.....patience....

Yeah, and now the same folks are saying 2016...it's funny how that number gets pushed back further with each passing season.

 

[Treesus]

Interesting that we are the only team in the top 10 that isn't already in the national title hunt. Crazy that national analysts and experts rave about our future and staff and the improvements but couch coaches on here are dead set that our future is doomed with this staff.
Call me crazy but I'll stick with the experts and those that get paid to do this stuff.

Unfortunately a large portion of our fan base didn't graduate the 8th grade.

 

[Treesus]

We still won't beat florida. I don't care if they hire dooley and we hire parcells. I am done thinking we will beat them again. Ever.

Might as well just move to the swamp and learn the gator chomp

 

[Otis07]

Seriously? Look at the coaching hires and attrition over the last few years before Jones, and tell me we should've been competing for titles. Bad coaching hires won't be the death of this program, rather impatience will be if it sinks permanently into irrelevance. We JUST got our first top ranked recruiting class. We still haven't even gotten our second one, but hey look, we're about to. Good Lord, if you don't want to have any patience, that's your choice, but I for one am excited to see where this program ends up once we have two or three top 10 classes maturing on the field instead of virtually zero depth and a ton of freshmen in the two deep. If you really think mediocrity will be the norm here with this much elite talent coming, I can't help you.

Hey Billy....sounds like you would make a great Cubbie, Keep painting the rosie picture and drinking the Kool-aid....I hope you are correct about the future. The fact remains wait until next year

 

[KBVol]

We still won't beat florida. I don't care if they hire dooley and we hire parcells. I am done thinking we will beat them again. Ever.

And you should be. Doesn't matter what year, what decade, what players, what coaches..... Tennessee cannot beat Florida. Just the way it is.

 

[sjt18]

The recruiting bodes well for the program... Hopefully Jones proves he can compete on gameday... but even if he doesn't someone is going to have a loaded team.

 

[sjt18]

And you should be. Doesn't matter what year, what decade, what players, what coaches..... Tennessee cannot beat Florida. Just the way it is.

When UT finds the "right" guy, the Vols will go on a run vs UF.

 

[WilliamDuVOL]

Hey Billy....sounds like you would make a great Cubbie, Keep painting the rosie picture and drinking the Kool-aid....I hope you are correct about the future. The fact remains wait until next year

First off, I go by Will. Second, although I respect your right to voice your opinion, what the hell do you plan to gain by coming here and disparaging me and inferring I should be a Cubs fan. Why the underhanded insults? Why even comment at all if you're so absolutely sure how this is all going to turn out? You "hope" I'm correct, you ACT like you don't care. Yes I hope it's next year because obviously it WON'T be this year. People see a top 10 recruiting class and expect immediate results with absolutely NO patience, then insult and berrate people like me who actually have the foresight and patience to see the change coming, and quite frankly, if all you have is little cheeky comments and insults, you'd be better off holding your tongue. Otherwise, come in with something solid or a valid point and not just "sounds like you would make a great Cubbie." Hell, if you're gonna crap on me, at least be more clever than calling me a good Cubs fan or telling me to drink the Koolaid, even I appreciate some good dark humor.

 

[KBVol]

When UT finds the "right" guy, the Vols will go on a run vs UF.

Seriously doubt that. Both Majors and Fulmer were the "right guys" based on their wins/accomplishments at UT.....neither could beat Florida. Think combined record was like 6-16.

 

[smokey90]

The article says the LSU may hire Coach Cut if Miles leaves. Would he keep Chavis? That would be interesting to see. When Cut returned to UT as OC, some said that he would be the apparent successor to Fulmer. So, LSU would essential be the UT coaching staff in purple and yellow. I don't like purple and yellow

 

[VolFootballlover]

Interesting that we are the only team in the top 10 that isn't already in the national title hunt. Crazy that national analysts and experts rave about our future and staff and the improvements but couch coaches on here are dead set that our future is doomed with this staff.
Call me crazy but I'll stick with the experts and those that get paid to do this stuff.

you mean those same experts that said they couldn't believe Tennessee didn't pull out all the stops to beat Florida? Not even 1 trick play or nothing with so much atstake

 

[JohnMcA60]

Agreed that Butch gets 4 years. He's recruited so hard that he deserves that long for now. Hope to see improvement over next couple of years and hopefully a return to being worth a damn

 

[GLDunlap]

No one knows who will be the starter. I'm hoping Dobbs can win the job though, I think he is the best fit for the offense.

What do they know they can't even spell Dormady.

If Dobbs doesn't win the job next year we are in big trouble. The SEC is not kind to true Freshman QB's.

 

[Orange_Crush]

I feel like we've been waiting for this sudden come back into relevance for years.

Yep. And the sad fact is that if we keep firing coaches, it will continue.

 

[JohnD13]

Personally, I'm in full wait and see mode, only prudent position to take right now. If he'd beaten Vandy last year and capitalized on a tailor- made win laid out on a silver platter vs Florida last week I'd be aboard....but those 2 games with Jones at the helm happened.

Please leave...

 

[DaddyChad]

On the flip side, how many of those recruits might have looked at yet another loss and been turned off? My only point in bringing up the recruits was that winning ball games is always gonna make us more attractive than losing, and while it's still early in Jones' tenure and he can still sell the rebuild and early playing time, at some point those same messages aren't gonna resonate anymore. He has to start winning games and last Saturday was a major blown golden opportunity to make his case even further to prospective recruits. There will come a time when recruits will be much less likely to visit if Jones doesn't start winning.

Apparently not Micah Abernathy.

It was even more significant, Simmons said, that Tennessee was able to beat out the home-state Bulldogs for “a kid that Georgia wanted.”

“Georgia has a tough gig holding onto the borders of its own state because of how many other programs are coming in and setting down roots, but Tennessee is really making it even tougher,” Simmons said.

“For this to be a kid that Georgia wanted and for Tennessee to come in and go head-to-head, weekend-to-weekend on official visits and beat the Dawgs, I think that really is a testament to where the Tennessee program is. In recent years, it’s really been Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State that have been the biggest contenders with Georgia for the state’s top prospects.

“Tennessee is another one of those schools now that is becoming a problem for (Georgia coach)*Mark Richt.”

Abernathy gave the Vols their 26th known commitment for their 2015 class, which now is ranked No. 3 nationally in the 247Sports team rankings.

With Tennessee on the verge of signing its second consecutive top-10 recruiting class under coach*Butch Jones’ staff, Simmons said the Vols are “getting national championship-level pieces in place right now.”

“Obviously, this program isn’t there yet, but that’s what makes what they’re doing on the recruiting trail even more impressive,” Simmons said. “They went bowl-less last year. They have yet to get that big signature win this year. But it hasn’t slowed the momentum in living rooms.

“I don’t think there is any question that Tennessee will have the horses to compete for SEC titles with the guys they’re bringing in, particularly at the skill positions.”

I do agree with your last sentiment that you can't sell a losing program forever but we're not close to there yet. Butch has to have the athletes in place to compete and we're getting there with this class. UT likely finishes 2nd or 3rd in SEC recruiting this year and has a top five class when all is said and done maybe even a top three finish.

 

[DeusExMachina]

8. Tennessee - This is the program that’s on the deck to return to national prominence. They’ve recruited too well since Butch Jones (and Tommy Thigpen) arrived not to. Especially at wide receiver (like usual), running back and defensive tackle. The key will be if Joshua Dobbs or more so, Quinten Dormandy, is the guy at quarterback. If so, it’s set up for them to win the SEC East in year four of the Butch Jones era (in 2016) and have potential sustained success beyond.

Ugh. FFS, It's D-O-R-M-A-D-Y.