Shoop: Kongbo 'is on a mission'

[KBVol]

" Not falling for the Kongbo hype two years in a row ".......
" I personally was in wait and see mode last year and was on record saying I wasn't expecting much from him as a JUCO transfer with very limited experience ...."

You did but didn't fall for it? lol









jk

Haha. I stated it poorly. I was in wait and see mode last year while all the hype was going on....."Not gonna get sucked in this year either until I see it" is what I should've written.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Like many of you, I expected so much more out of the guy...........

Last season? Really? I thought it was well established that he was raw and he hasn't been playing football for very long. I wasn't surprised that he didn't get any playing time the first half of last season especially before we started having some injuries along the defensive line. I mean, what veteran was he supposed to beat out? He played well in the Music City Bowl, though. He had 4 tackles and a sack vs Nebraska.

 

[Power T-Rev]

Not falling for the Kongbo hype two years in a row. Everybody raved about him last season and he wound up being a big disappointment in every regard. I'll be the first to jump on the bandwagon if he turns it all around, reaches some of that potential and becomes a stud this year. Holding pattern though until he does.

He had an insane amount of hype for a guy that only started playing football his senior year of highschool. I think last year was a wake up call, but we'll have to wait and see

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Personally I just want Shoop to keep his mouth shut and prove his worth as a DC. Then he can talk.

 

[illinoisvolfan1]

I'll get excited around game four. Take care of Georgia Tech, crush Indiana State, and somehow manufacture a win at the Swamp. Then I'll get excited.

 

[Remy]

That's the way I read it. 2016 wasn't really surprising to me. Thought, he might crack DE as a starter at some point. But, when the interior DL broke down, he bacame little more than a band aid then.

Some on here claim he's a natural DT, mainly due to his size. I'm no expert, but I don't see that at all. His build, movement, and athleticism scream edge rusher, not trench filling run stuffer. His feet look light and agile instead of strong and stable. The interior guys need that girth, grit, and sheer solid strength to take on doubles and hold up, or shed blockers and stuff runs. Kongbo looks like a big thoroughbred horse rather than a normal sized clydesdale.

I aint quitting may day job. So, he probably becomes an AA at the DT slot. :crazy:

I tend to agree, being interior guy takes those things you mentioned as well as leverage. If he actually is 6'6" putting him inside gives a lot of 6'2" & 6'3" guards and centers a natural advantage over him allowing them to be lower at the pad level at the snap. If he has the speed and it is said he does he's wasted inside where he can't use it much to his sdvantage KMO. I think he has a big season, All SEC? Probably not my dark horse for that is Phillips.

 

[The Dog]

Right? It's time for all these "highly touted" players we signed to play here to finally step up and show us what they can do!

Kongbo
Phillips
Taylor
Bird
Gaulden
McKenzie
Tuttle
Picou
Kelly Jr
Bates
Johnson
George
Wolf
Johnson
Richmond
Dormady (or Guarantano)

etc, etc.

ALL of these players were big time recruits. It's THEIR time! I'm ready start seeing the fruits of our coach's recruiting labor!

U really think TKjr hasn't shown what he can do? Maybe, he hasn't been a star at UT, but so far, he has had a pretty damn good career at UT. He seems to always be around the ball which has led to many interceptions and fumble recoveries, along with 100+ tackles, so far in 3 seasons. He may not be the fastest safety but he has given his all for Tennessee.

Yes, I went and looked up TKjr's stats:

99 solo tackles, 47 assisted tackles for a total of 146 total tackles

8 career interceptions and 1 fumble recovery

Like I said, maybe not all-SEC numbers, but not a bad career, so far

 

[BowlBrother85]

I tend to agree, being interior guy takes those things you mentioned as well as leverage. If he actually is 6'6" putting him inside gives a lot of 6'2" & 6'3" guards and centers a natural advantage over him allowing them to be lower at the pad level at the snap. If he has the speed and it is said he does he's wasted inside where he can't use it much to his sdvantage KMO. I think he has a big season, All SEC? Probably not my dark horse for that is Phillips.

The best DT tandem we've ever had (Haynesworth & Henderson) were 6'6" and 6'7" respectively.

 

[TNnative]

Not falling for the Kongbo hype two years in a row. Everybody raved about him last season and he wound up being a big disappointment in every regard. I'll be the first to jump on the bandwagon if he turns it all around, reaches some of that potential and becomes a stud this year. Holding pattern though until he does.

Take a look at the playing histories of your average D-1 football player. You will see most played 3 or 4 years in high school after playing in middle school and youth leagues.

If everything written about Kongbo is correct, he started playing football halfway through his senior year. In CANADA. That is like expecting someone to be a UN translator after giving them a week with Rosetta Stone.

He is as physically gifted as anyone I have seen, but his inexperience is showing. I believe it when Shoop says he is working hard to develop himself, because he is one of the people telling him he needs it.

The reason I didn't buy the hype was because way too much of it was coming from Kongbo's own social media. Eventually I think Kongbo will make a huge impact. I just hope it is more about what he does on the field and less about his social media.

 

[jakez4ut]

Fellas, one note to put 2016 in perspective:

Kongbo only started 2 games: Vandy, and Nebraska. He played defensive TACKLE (not END) in both those games. And wouldn't have started those two games if we hadn't been so badly devastated at the DT position. In other words, he was just helping out where he could, even if he didn't know the position very well at all.

Add that to his massive experience base of one year of HS football, and one year at Arizona Western College. That's it. He played 2 years of football, lifetime, before donning orange for us.

Not gonna give Kongbo a thumbs-down in 2016, regardless of how much the community collectively mouth-breathed over his hype.

Agreed. I don't see the need for the hype right now either, but any context added to last year kinda explains the lack of production.

 

[chuckb1448]

Listen, I'm not trying to complain here, I want him to succeed, but if he this talented why wasn't he in Division 1 his first year? Why didn't anyone beg for him, someone help me.

 

[chargervol]

Listen, I'm not trying to complain here, I want him to succeed, but if he this talented why wasn't he in Division 1 his first year? Why didn't anyone beg for him, someone help me.

He only had played fb for a year.
Not exactly on the radar.

 

[jakez4ut]

Listen, I'm not trying to complain here, I want him to succeed, but if he this talented why wasn't he in Division 1 his first year? Why didn't anyone beg for him, someone help me.

Canadian...1 or 2 years of hs ball... Relative unknown coming out of high school. Hit the scene at juco

 

[butchna]

Listen, I'm not trying to complain here, I want him to succeed, but if he this talented why wasn't he in Division 1 his first year? Why didn't anyone beg for him, someone help me.

Wyoming isn't FCS.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

U really think TKjr hasn't shown what he can do? Maybe, he hasn't been a star at UT, but so far, he has had a pretty damn good career at UT. He seems to always be around the ball which has led to many interceptions and fumble recoveries, along with 100+ tackles, so far in 3 seasons. He may not be the fastest safety but he has given his all for Tennessee.

Yes, I went and looked up TKjr's stats:

99 solo tackles, 47 assisted tackles for a total of 146 total tackles

8 career interceptions and 1 fumble recovery

Like I said, maybe not all-SEC numbers, but not a bad career, so far

He was a highly touted 4* recruit. At best he's been solid. At worst he's been servicable. In most cases he's been somewhere in between. I expected more out of him, frankly. I hope this is the year he puts it all together.

Dont even get me started on Dillon Bates.

 

[majorvol]

Hope Coach Shoop and Kongbo have a outstanding year.

 

[Remy]

The best DT tandem we've ever had (Haynesworth & Henderson) were 6'6" and 6'7" respectively.

Agreed but Kongbo does not begin to be at that level yet. Difficult to see that he'll get there, few have or ever will.

If Kongbo had their inner dog and lacked his speed, sure, but he's not close to being one of those type guys.

 

[VolDaddy61]

Like many of you, I expected so much more out of the guy...........

If anyone thought this young man was going to come in and dominate the S.E.C. after playing three years of organized football,that's on you.

 

[16VOLS14]

Not falling for the Kongbo hype two years in a row. Everybody raved about him last season and he wound up being a big disappointment in every regard. I'll be the first to jump on the bandwagon if he turns it all around, reaches some of that potential and becomes a stud this year. Holding pattern though until he does.

CYA much?

 

[m1al]

I'll be the first to jump on the bandwagon if he turns it all around.....

Jumping on 'vehicles' after they're already moving is dangerous........

 

[dcm3w]

Everyone was excited by his measurables and the way he looked in a uniform. If you were careful enough to read between the lines you would see that all the coaches saying he had a long ways to go with technique, being its only been a few years since he learned how to play.

if there is a time for him to step up and show out, it's this year. It's his draft year. Scouts will love his measurables but so far they just see a raw prospect. But if he puts in the work in this offseason and transfers it to the field. His draft stock will soar.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

If anyone thought this young man was going to come in and dominate the S.E.C. after playing three years of organized football,that's on you.

Don't try to downplay it VolDaddy, Kongbo was THE #1 JUCO prospect in the nation coming in and was rated a 5-star. They do not typically give those accolades to players who are considered projects. Those players are expected to come in and make an impact immediately. If anything, I guess you can blame the recruiting services for overhyping him but supposedly coaches do their own evaluations and don't listen to recruiting services (yeah right). If you say it was because of his measurables, I think that's bologna too because I can sling a dead cat at 100 D-1 programs right now and hit 6'6 260lbs. He MUST have shown everybody SOMETHING in JUCO to earn that 5* other than just measurables.

I'm telling you, all these highly touted recruits that Jones and his staff have brought in over the last 4 years have GOT to start showing why they were so highly touted on the field this year. Otherwise the perception is going to be that either Jones and his staff cannot evaluate talent correctly or they can't develop it. There's just too many recruiting "stars" on that field now for them to underperform.

Edit: And before anyone starts yelling "6 NFL draft picks this year" I fully realize that. I'm talking about it translating into wins on the field, not draft picks.

 

[KBVol]

CYA much?

Nice reach.

 

[VOLFan65]

Not falling for the Kongbo hype two years in a row. Everybody raved about him last season and he wound up being a big disappointment in every regard. I'll be the first to jump on the bandwagon if he turns it all around, reaches some of that potential and becomes a stud this year. Holding pattern though until he does.

Even though as fans we can't help it sometimes, it's safe to say that we shouldn't jump on anyone's hype train until they step on the field. No matter how many stars they have coming out of HS.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Don't try to downplay it VolDaddy, Kongbo was THE #1 JUCO prospect in the nation coming in and was rated a 5-star. They do not typically give those accolades to players who are considered projects. Those players are expected to come in and make an impact immediately. If anything, I guess you can blame the recruiting services for overhyping him but supposedly coaches do their own evaluations and don't listen to recruiting services (yeah right). If you say it was because of his measurables, I think that's bologna too because I can sling a dead cat at 100 D-1 programs right now and hit 6'6 260lbs. He MUST have shown everybody SOMETHING in JUCO to earn that 5* other than just measurables.

I'm telling you, all these highly touted recruits that Jones and his staff have brought in over the last 4 years have GOT to start showing why they were so highly touted on the field this year. Otherwise the perception is going to be that either Jones and his staff cannot evaluate talent correctly or they can't develop it. There's just too many recruiting "stars" on that field now for them to underperform.

Edit: And before anyone starts yelling "6 NFL draft picks this year" I fully realize that. I'm talking about it translating into wins on the field, not draft picks.

So you complain about Butch losing out on an 5* but when he actually lands one, you still complain? Got it.