Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXV

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#3,376
#3,376
The Breakerboy said:
Kid dominated down the stretch. Made every play he was supposed to make. Plays inside out like a MLB is supposed to do. Closes like a middle too. Favorite LB to watch in Orange since a healthy Kevin Simon.
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And with Tuttle in front kid will make even more plays this yr. This is one of the most athletic Ds we will put on the field in a LONG time. If Martin becomes lockdown like I know he should/will and the offense puts up 30 a game we go into Atlanta no worse than 11-1.
 
#3,379
#3,379
The Breakerboy said:
Kid dominated down the stretch. Made every play he was supposed to make. Plays inside out like a MLB is supposed to do. Closes like a middle too. Favorite LB to watch in Orange since a healthy Kevin Simon.
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Simon then Mayo and McCoy for me

Simon played on a completely different level. Hard not to let your mind wonder what might have been if not for that devastating knee injury during the AA game

We went through some lean times at LB
 
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#3,380
#3,380
justwatch123 said:
And with Tuttle in front kid will make even more plays this yr. This is one of the most athletic Ds we will put on the field in a LONG time. If Martin becomes lockdown like I know he should/will and the offense puts up 30 a game we go into Atlanta no worse than 11-1.
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Defense will dominate period. Secondary: Sutton, Martin, TKjr, Berry, Gaulden, Foreman, and Abernathy will be dominant. I'm saying it now. This secondary will maul WRs this year. Wouldn't trade this group for any in the country.
 
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#3,383
#3,383
2ez2dv8 said:
Safe bet considering Shoops history with DBs
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The 3 times we played Vandy when he was the DC were not fun.It seemed like every pass we threw was contested and every caught pass their was 2 candy DBs to make the tackle.The article from a few days ago about his defenses shrinking the field is spot on.When we played against them I felt like our offense had a noose around its neck that was slowly being tightened all game.
 
#3,384
#3,384
UT ranked #8 in country in pre-season poll by Athon Sports.

8. Tennessee:

Reason for Hope: With 18 returning starters, the Volunteers are the team to beat in the SEC East. Coach Butch Jones has upgraded the talent level and added to it with another solid class in February. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs, running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara are back to headline the offense. Bob Shoop is one of the top coordinator hires in the nation. He inherits a defense with nine returning starters, including linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, cornerback Cam Sutton and defensive end Derek Barnett.


Reason for Concern: Not much. The offensive line loses left tackle Kyler Kerbyson and needs more out of the passing attack. Will Josh Malone, Preston Williams and Josh Smith develop into big-time playmakers at receiver for Dobbs?
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-Athlon Sports.
 
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#3,388
#3,388
The Breakerboy said:
Defense will dominate period. Secondary: Sutton, Martin, TKjr, Berry, Gaulden, Foreman, and Abernathy will be dominant. I'm saying it now. This secondary will maul WRs this year. Wouldn't trade this group for any in the country.
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You really shouldn't forget about Byrd and especially Warrior. I've heard that Warrior is as good as TKJR right now.
 
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#3,390
#3,390
PW is now my key to the season. If he becomes a safety blanket-type WR for Dobbs, all of our passing game problems go away. And that's without Dobbs making any miracle overnight progression as a passer. He hasn't had anyone who was consistently open/willing to fight for balls, but when he does, he lights it up. I think losing Pig was a bigger deal than we thought last season, as he was by far our most physical WR in 2014 (although not on a consistent basis) and we didn't really have anyone to fill his shoes in 2015.

PW has the size, speed, and talent to be our best WR right now. If he also has the fearlessness and physicality that we desperately need at the position, the offense will explode.
 
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#3,393
#3,393
Aesius said:
PW is now my key to the season. If he becomes a safety blanket-type WR for Dobbs, all of our passing game problems go away. And that's without Dobbs making any miracle overnight progression as a passer. He hasn't had anyone who was consistently open/willing to fight for balls, but when he does, he lights it up. I think losing Pig was a bigger deal than we thought last season, as he was by far our most physical WR in 2014 (although not on a consistent basis) and we didn't really have anyone to fill his shoes in 2015.

PW has the size, speed, and talent to be our best WR right now. If he also has the fearlessness and physicality that we desperately need at the position, the offense will explode.
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We better find a LT or it won't matter who steps up at WR.

On the other side of the ball, we've got to get Shy back to 100% and get some help from some others. We've got to be better at DT/OT.

I'm feeling better about the secondary right now. That is my other concern but I think the talent is there now. Just have to put it all together early.
 
#3,394
#3,394
BigZiti09 said:
We better find a LT or it won't matter who steps up at WR.

On the other side of the ball, we've got to get Shy back to 100% and get some help from some others. We've got to be better at DT/OT.

I'm feeling better about the secondary right now. That is my other concern but I think the talent is there now. Just have to put it all together early.
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Very true. The tackles on both sides of the ball are the biggest question mark on the team. I feel confident everywhere else.
 
#3,395
#3,395
tn4elvis said:
The 3 times we played Vandy when he was the DC were not fun.It seemed like every pass we threw was contested and every caught pass their was 2 candy DBs to make the tackle.The article from a few days ago about his defenses shrinking the field is spot on.When we played against them I felt like our offense had a noose around its neck that was slowly being tightened all game.
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And unlike VU or PSU he's loaded with talent. Def records will fall
 
#3,396
#3,396
BigZiti09 said:
We better find a LT or it won't matter who steps up at WR.

On the other side of the ball, we've got to get Shy back to 100% and get some help from some others. We've got to be better at DT/OT.

I'm feeling better about the secondary right now. That is my other concern but I think the talent is there now. Just have to put it all together early.
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VQ seems high on Richmond already, and worst case scenario, the coaches can shuffle around Hall and Kendrick to find the best fit. We absolutely cannot afford for either tackle position to be a weakness, though.

And yeah--a DT rotation of only KM/Vickers/O'Brien/Picou is dicey as hell. I don't think Picou is ready, so that's basically a 3-man rotation right now. Absolutely need Tuttle back in the mix. Really need Johnson back as well, but Tuttle is by far the more important of the two. With DE being so deep, I will be surprised if they don't move/begin preparing someone to move to DT by the time fall camp arrives, even if they get good news on Tuttle and Johnson.

Secondary is a complete non-concern right now. Talent and depth all over the place. Sutton is rock solid, of course. Martin looks to be a star. TK Jr. is solid. Gaulden may the most talented player back there and we haven't really even seen him in action. Foreman seemed to be locking down the NB position. Plus we still have Abernathy, Osborne, Berry, Moseley, and Griffin.

Beyond the concerns listed above, if I had to get picky, I would say that we need someone to step up and be a clear #2 MLB behind DK Jr. Hard to find major faults with the roster outside of that, though.
 
#3,397
#3,397
Aesius said:
VQ seems high on Richmond already, and worst case scenario, the coaches can shuffle around Hall and Kendrick to find the best fit. We absolutely cannot afford for either tackle position to be a weakness, though.

And yeah--a DT rotation of only KM/Vickers/O'Brien/Picou is dicey as hell. I don't think Picou is ready, so that's basically a 3-man rotation right now. Absolutely need Tuttle back in the mix. Really need Johnson back as well, but Tuttle is by far the more important of the two. With DE being so deep, I will be surprised if they don't move/begin preparing someone to move to DT by the time fall camp arrives, even if they get good news on Tuttle and Johnson.

Secondary is a complete non-concern right now. Talent and depth all over the place. Sutton is rock solid, of course. Martin looks to be a star. TK Jr. is solid. Gaulden may the most talented player back there and we haven't really even seen him in action. Foreman seemed to be locking down the NB position. Plus we still have Abernathy, Osborne, Berry, Moseley, and Griffin.

Beyond the concerns listed above, if I had to get picky, I would say that we need someone to step up and be a clear #2 MLB behind DK Jr. Hard to find major faults with the roster outside of that, though.
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I think Kyle Phillips ends up playing a lot of DT. He needs to look at Malik and his time here with UT. He was a big guy that was slid inside a lot IIRC.

I know there is talent at secondary but we (fans) tend to assume that people are just going to flawlessly step up and step into roles and it's not that simple. I like our talent. I want to see us put it all together early. We have to be clicking by the 4 game gauntlet.

OT is a concern. Chance Hall I like. Kendrick/Richmond is my concern. Heaven forbid one of them goes down. We need to find an answer there and stay healthy. That's not a lot of options for that position.
 
#3,399
#3,399
Coach Shoop on the defense after the first couple of days of spring camp:

Shoop said their practices Monday and Tuesday in helmets and shorts showed him “exactly what I thought” going into spring practice about what he will be working with in his new defense.

“Up front, we have really good leadership,” Shoop said Thursday just hours before Tennessee’s first spring practice in pads. “Danny O’Brien inside has done a good job. He’s one of the more experienced players. Kahlil McKenzie’s a big, giant person who, once we get into pads, he’ll get to show some of the things he’s capable of doing.

“It’s been good seeing some of the other guys move around. (Dimarya) Mixon’s a guy, certainly, who’s shown, (and) LaTroy Lewis on the edge. I think up front it’s been good.

“The guy in the back end who’s really kind of made the strongest impression and been very productive is Micah Abernathy. I really think, through the first two days, he’s probably been the most consistent performer, maybe, on the entire unit. He’s been productive. He’s very attentive, pays tremendous attention to detail and has been very precise in his techniques and fundamentals. It’s been really impressive.”

But he said it’s “really exciting for me to watch” some of the Vols’ backups who are looking to make the most of a clean slate under Shoop, including linebackers Colton Jumper, Gavin Bryant, Quart'e Sapp, Dillon Bates and Cortez McDowell.

“(Bates is) exactly what you just talked about — a guy who wanted a fresh start,” Shoop said. “And when you have the Will linebacker with the experience that Jalen does, we’re looking to assess that situation behind him. It’s very competitive between Cortez — who I think has had two really good days; he’s the one who, I think, has stepped up and played well in that backup linebacker corps — Quart’e and Dillon.
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- 247
 
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