"Lack of high school talent in TN"

[VolFan4Life87]

I hear this alot and I'm just curious - has recruiting changed that much in 14-15 years? I was watching the 1998 UT-Florida game recently on YouTube and I noticed that many of our stud players were from...you guessed it, Tennessee! Looking at our roster that year, something like half of the squad was from Tennessee.

Jeff Hall, Jermaine Copeland, Cedrick Wilson, Gerald Griffin, Travis Stephens, Al Wilson, Eric Westmoreland, Will Bartholomew just to name a few.

Were these guys highly sought after recruits or did they just get coached up and fit the "system" well?

I think one of the reasons Butch Jones is so adament about "owning Tennessee" is because he looks back and some of our most storied players are from the greatest state in the Union - Tennessee.

Thoughts?

 

[CHeightsvol]

they're still here, they just decide to go to other schools!....ie...BAMA:no:

 

[Volunteer forever]

they're still here, they just decide to go to other schools!....ie...BAMA:no:

And USC

 

[FriscoKid]

Tennessee only produces a handful of top level D1 talent each year. CBJ understands that we cannot allow our rivals come take the cream of the talent each year. When we were strong we had the ability to recruit north GA, SC and NC. When we can keep the top players home it makes recruiting easier.

 

[VolBeef88]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[Rockytop1018]

Tennessee is slowly getting better at high school football. This lack of talent excuse will weaken over time. Also, our geographic location can actually be advantageous. Some of the most talented kids in the North may consider us because we're the closest big SEC school. Also, we're pretty close to the recruiting hotbed of Atlanta. Charlotte is booming in population, so there should be good players to come trickling out of there as well. I'm sick of the excuses. The Tennessee program sells itself. We just need the right man as coach, and from his efforts so far, I'm cautiously optimistic with Coach Jones.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

I think most of those guys you listed were 3 star coach-em-up types, Wilson and Westmoreland might have been a little higher rated if memory serves.

The difference in in-state recruiting to me isn't so much an argument of whether TN has talent compared to other states like GA, or FL. It obviously doesn't.

It's the issue that the good players that are in state have been turning up at other schools with more regularity in recent years.

It started under Fulmer and locking down the state completely eroded with the Kiffin and Dooley debacles.

And when the Vols do manage to sign the top recruit in the state, they turn out to be a bust like a Chris Donald or Cam Clear.

Thankfully, Jones seems to be taking steps to try to rectify this.

 

[Wezcoast]

they're still here, they just decide to go to other schools!....ie...BAMA:no:

It's ****in nauseating to hear Tennesseans running around saying Roll Tide. Everytime one of those little twats in highschool did it I wanted to slap the sh** out of em.

 

[rickyb712]

sometimes a kid dont get a offer due to their high school coach not sending out tapes(MT JULIET COACH PERRY IS ONE THAT DONT)

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Every high school recruit in America has at least given a thought to playing at an SEC school given the BCS title run. Just being in the SEC is a huge selling point now.

When Ole Miss is on the verge of a top 10 recruiting class, you know things are bright for the SEC.

If we can ever get a coach that can prove UT belongs on the field with Bama again who will actually stay more than a year and actually get off his a%% and recruit, things will turn around.

 

[99gator]

tennessee produces some exceptional players, but tennessee does not produce enough. in short, that's the problem. that 1998 team had all kinds of talent not from tennessee. here are a list of recruits who made the rivals 250 list in recent years and were from the state of tennessee. if not indicated in parentheses, the player signed with tennessee.

2012
chad voytik (pittsburgh)
drae bowles
jovon robinson (auburn)
brian kimbrow (vandy)
graham shuler (stanford)
caleb azubike (vandy)

2011
antonio richardson
cameron clear

2010
jacques smith
barry brunetti (west virginia)
keiwone malone (alabama)

2009
marlon brown (georgia)
austin long (georgia)

2008
barrett jones (alabama)
aaron douglas

2007
bj coleman
chris donald
rashad mason (north carolina)
harrison smith (notre dame)
golden tate (notre dame)
alex watkins (alabama)

2006
mike berry (auburn)
jacques mcclendon
brandon warren (fsu)

in 2013, jalen ramsey, frank herron, cornelius elder, christian morris, jason carr, jalen reeves-mabin, and austin sanders are in the rivals 250.

reeves-mabin, carr, and sanders are current tennessee commits

 

[oregonvol]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Yeah, this.

But people who like to find excuses can always find one (this board over the last three years has practically been a case study of that). The whole "no in state talent" one is just the most popular.

 

[99gator]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

this is the way people need to think.

yes, the in state issue is correct. but, tennessee borders so many talent producing states that getting 25 kids a year to go to a school like tennessee really shouldn't be a problem

 

[TOP]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Yes, yes you are ignorant when it comes to the facts.

Getting accepted and producing are two different things.

Also, there are a number of states where if you took the 10th best players at every position and put them up against Tennessee's best player at every position, the game would still be embarrassing.

The only thing you have down to a T is being a jerk more often than not. Go back to fudging your numbers, armchair QB. You're so miserable that even a message board doesn't see you fit to be a "guru". Surely no competent program would either. I wish there was a handle to flush you back to the MLB forum where you'll whine and cry about the Cardinals as you make the entire fanbase look horrible. Which, they are horrible. The city is made up of Boston wannabes without the accolades in sports.

 

[SlyStone]

West Tn particularly Memphis has some great talent. The Vols have lost ground there to Bama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vandy and Memphis.

 

[#1DicksonVolFan]

West Tn particularly Memphis has some great talent. The Vols have lost ground there to Bama, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Vandy and Memphis.

Wrong forum.

 

[GAVol]

The myth that it's hard to recruit to UT always makes me laugh. The reality is that UT is a regional and national recruiting school. Draw a 200 mile circle around Knoxville and look at the annual talent that enters D1 programs.
When I hear "experts" and fans alike talk about the difficulties in UT recruiting and the lack of in state talent that tells me immediately that the person talking is ignorant of facts.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Problem is that you don't recruit in a vacuum in that 200 mile radius and any way you slice it they flat can't rely on in state talent the way Florida, UGA, LSU, Alabama etc. can.

 

[Advol]

The supposed LACK OF TALENT is a direct result of poor Daddy Ball Coaching in Youth Leagues and poor and poorer Coaching in Middle and High Schools.
Face it..............few if any are getting in and staying in the Coaching Profession locally.
Most good ones go on to College or get into Admin where they can make some money!!

 

[VolBeef88]

Yes, yes you are ignorant when it comes to the facts.

Getting accepted and producing are two different things.

Also, there are a number of states where if you took the 10th best players at every position and put them up against Tennessee's best player at every position, the game would still be embarrassing.

The only thing you have down to a T is being a jerk more often than not. Go back to fudging your numbers, armchair QB. You're so miserable that even a message board doesn't see you fit to be a "guru". Surely no competent program would either. I wish there was a handle to flush you back to the MLB forum where you'll whine and cry about the Cardinals as you make the entire fanbase look horrible. Which, they are horrible. The city is made up of Boston wannabes without the accolades in sports.

What a dumb a$$. Once again the fools without logic come caling. Haha
Tell me again how wrong I am about Dooley? Haha once again I laugh at you and your ilk.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[VolBeef88]

Problem is that you don't recruit in a vacuum in that 200 mile radius and any way you slice it they flat can't rely on in state talent the way Florida, UGA, LSU, Alabama etc. can.

That's true. But the shape of Tennessee and the location of Knoxville makes UT unique. Majors and Fulmer both viewed the 200 mile radius around Knoxville as a "part" of our state and we got a plethora of great talent in the radius.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[oregonvol]

That's true. But the shape of Tennessee and the location of Knoxville makes UT unique. Majors and Fulmer both viewed the 200 mile radius around Knoxville as a "part" of our state and we got a plethora of great talent in the radius.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Yeah, it's funny how we've gotten plenty of talent to come to UT in the past, what with all of our in state recruiting disadvantages. But I guess travel has just gotten way difficult and distance has come to be such a bigger obstacle in the past few years, compared to what it was for the previous 100 or so. Makes sense. It couldn't possibly be incompetent coaches and athletic directors.

 

[GAVol]

That's true. But the shape of Tennessee and the location of Knoxville makes UT unique. Majors and Fulmer both viewed the 200 mile radius around Knoxville as a "part" of our state and we got a plethora of great talent in the radius.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Yeah . . . before Steve Spurrier got the SC job, Mark Richt started locking down the top guys in GA and Nick Saban went beast mode.

 

[VolBeef88]

Yeah . . . before Steve Spurrier got the SC job, Mark Richt started locking down the top guys in GA and Nick Saban went beast mode.

Since Spurrier, Richt and Saban arrived we haven't gotten great talent in that radius? Hmmmmm some how that doesn't seem correct Ga.
The reality is that the talent is there and kids will come to UT if the coaches are right. I hope Jones is the guy. We shall see.
One thing is certain, he's a helluva upgrade over what we had.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[oregonvol]

Yeah . . . before Steve Spurrier got the SC job, Mark Richt started locking down the top guys in GA and Nick Saban went beast mode.

So, what you're saying is that our recruiting has been negatively affected by neighboring schools hiring better coaches and recruiters than we have. Yeah, I'd agree it has more to do with coaching/recruiting ability than geography. Too bad the trend looks like it will continue, until we get an AD who actually cares enough about the product to invest in top notch coaches.

 

[VolBeef88]

So, what you're saying is that our recruiting has been negatively affected by neighboring schools hiring better coaches and recruiters than we have. Yeah, I'd agree it has more to do with coaching/recruiting ability than geography. Too bad the trend looks like it will continue, until we get an AD who actually cares enough about the product to invest in top notch coaches.

My concern is more with Cheek than Hart. As far as Jones goes we shall see in time. I'll give him time to show what he can do.
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