The Process

[Vols033]

The problem is that you keep taking a dump on this site. You never have anything positive to say, say you are interested in hearing other opinions, and then when you don't hear what you want, you pitch a fit and pick arguments.

Injuries derailed a season that could have ended with seven wins. I'm not saying it would have happened...just that it could have. Take on a bowl win and we match NC State's record and enter the season with momentum, right? Would we still be complaining about Dooley then?

Michigan did have an immediate turnaround, but they weren't suffering in recruiting before Hoke; they just didn't have a system that fit the talent. Tennessee didn't have talent. The challenge at Tennessee was more daunting. I'm not sure if another coach could have done more because the depth issues and lack of depth of talent were pretty severe.

Is Dooley the guy? I don't know, but I have doubts. He has another year to prove something. Would Brady Hoke or anyone else have helped us win by now? I don't know, but my guess is that we wouldn't be much better at this point. Sure, the boneheaded mistakes might have been eliminated, but we are talking about two or three losses turning into wins. That still leaves us talking about mediocre teams. Besides, Dooley is still coming into his own as a coach. This will be his sixth year as a coach, and his first year with strong talent and depth. This is his make or break season; let's sit back and watch to see what happens.

If you read my original post correctly, you would see I was complimentary of dooley's recruitment so far. He has done a solid job. The cupboard was bare when fulmer left, and kiffin didn't do much of anything to help matters. We faced a ton of attrition and were definitely at a disadvantage. We actually have talent on our team now that can potentially play at the next level which is a huge change from years past. I was merely just asking why some coaches could go places and start landing top 5 recruiting classes and Michigan was the example I used because they have to nationally recruit like we do. Don't act like they have huge advantages. Would you want to go to ice cold Ann arbor and play in the big 10 that gets dominated by the sec, or would you rather come to knoxville and play for the best conference in the nation in a warm climate. I could use other examples, like fisher at Fla st, or chizik at auburn of coaches going in and landing immediate top 5 classes, but their in state talent is better than ours. And before anyone says they won first, let me remind you that chizik landed a top 5 class after going 8-5 his first year at auburn, not after scam newton won the title. I get castrated over questions. LOL.

 

[UTGhostHunter]

If you read my original post correctly, you would see I was complimentary of dooley's recruitment so far. He has done a solid job. The cupboard was bare when fulmer left, and kiffin didn't do much of anything to help matters. We faced a ton of attrition and were definitely at a disadvantage. We actually have talent on our team now that can potentially play at the next level which is a huge change from years past. I was merely just asking why some coaches could go places and start landing top 5 recruiting classes and Michigan was the example I used because they have to nationally recruit like we do. Don't act like they have huge advantages. Would you want to go to ice cold Ann arbor and play in the big 10 that gets dominated by the sec, or would you rather come to knoxville and play for the best conference in the nation in a warm climate. I could use other examples, like fisher at Fla st, or chizik at auburn of coaches going in and landing immediate top 5 classes, but their in state talent is better than ours. And before anyone says they won first, let me remind you that chizik landed a top 5 class after going 8-5 his first year at auburn, not after scam newton won the title. I get castrated over questions. LOL.

First of all, not everyone likes a warm climate. As a former Michigander, I can definitely attest to that. I abhor being hot. As for why was Michigan able to recruit at that level, I would cite tradition, a massivie stadium that rivals some of the world's largest venues, and the second best conference in the country.

As for national recruiting, I'm not sure why you are asserting they recruit nationally. 18 of 21 current commitments have come from players in Big Ten states, and 19 of 25 were regional in the 2012 class. The same holds true for his 2011 class, his first at Michigan, which had 14 of 20 recruits from the midwest. I'm not asserting that they can't or don't recruit nationally; my point is that much of their recruiting is regional, and they are in a talent rich region.

As for why did it happen so quickly, they are usually right up there with Ohio State as the top recruiting team from the Big Ten. That held true for the Rich Rod years (with the exception of 2010). Rather than Hoke doing something special, I think he's just maintained high recruiting standards. Tennessee has a much more difficult task in recruiting because they recruit against the SEC, and over half the conference is recruiting at a top 25 level. Add to that the fact that everyone wants the recruits from our region and the difficulties shouldn't be that difficult to find.

As for Florida State and Auburn, both are located in talent rich states, so they don't have to travel as far for bodies. The other advantage in being located in talent rich areas is the fact that many of the kids you recruit have grown up watching you and may even be a fan. It's a different situation.

I hope that answers your question. If you want an explanation of anything I said or have a rebuttal, I'm here waiting.

 

[engie]

An outsider's thoughts...

The fair Michigan/UT comparison is NOT Hoke to Dooley. Dooley should be compared to Rich Rod based on what he took over and was tasked with rebuilding. Also, in the fact that everyone negatively recruits against you under the pretense of a coaching hot seat.

Hoke would be comparable to Dooley's possible replacement IF you got rid of him after this season. IMO Michigan tasked RichRod with rebuilding that roster, then got rid of him one season before they would have really started to see the fruits of his success. Hoke still did more winning that RichRod likely would have, but he walked into a tailor-made situation for success. UT is now teed up for the same level of success.

You can't fully see the fruits of Dooley's relationship-building yet because everyone is still fearful that he won't be there much longer. IF Dooley is successful this year(8+wins IMO) and gets a contract extension, you'll see his recruiting rise to a whole new level...back to the level of the Georgias and Floridas of the world IMO. IF he's not, he leaves a MUCH more attractive job no longer under NCAA scrutiny, with a roster chock full of talent teed up for the next guy to win on the highest level.

JMO :hi: