Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXXIV

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#7,851
#7,851
utvols88 said:
Dang.. volleyball above baseball. Yeesh.. MLB has done a terrible job at promoting the sport in recent decades, perhaps that's a key factor.
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Yet, I have heard on radio that they are seeing record numbers in attendance the last few years.

They don't promote their stars as much, but it's also a 25 man roster and not an 8 man rotation in basketball.
 
#7,852
#7,852
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some have argued that Tennessee has more quality SEC players on its roster this year than last. Some have argued that’s one reason the Vols will be as good or better than last season’s 8-4 regular-season record.

Tennessee might match last year’s win total. It might even get to nine wins.

But reaching eight wins will be a tough task because I don’t see the talent being as good.

I don’t care how many four- or five-star players dot the roster. I care if those players play like four- or five-star players. And too many of them have not.

Here are three reasons I don’t think UT’s roster is as good as last season and the main reason I don’t predict the Tennessee Vols will exceed their win total of a year ago.

The position groups
Looking at eight units, I’d take Tennessee in five areas in 2016 over ’17, with one being a virtual push.

I think Tennessee was more talented last year at quarterback, running back, receivers/tight end, defensive line and special teams. I think this season’s team is better along the offensive line and in the secondary. I think linebacker is a push.

At quarterback, I don’t think anyone would argue that you’d rather have Josh Dobbs over Quinten Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano.

At running back, you’d prefer Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara and John Kelly over Kelly and either Ty Chandler or Carlin Fils-Aime at running back.

At receiver, I’d rather have Josh Malone and Jauan Jennings than Jennings and Tyler Byrd or Marquez Callaway.

Along the defensive line, it’s tough to replace the 20-plus sacks of Derek Barnett, Corey Vereen and LaTroy Lewis. I can’t imagine Jonathan Kongbo, Darrell Taylor and Kyle Phillips chalking up 20 combined sacks. They might not get 10. Tackle play could be better this season, but Danny O’Brien, who was suspended midway through last season, will be missed.

I give this season’s secondary the edge because I think it will have more depth and get a boost from the addition of grad transfer cornerback Shaq Wiggins, the improvement of corner Justin Martin and the talent of safety Nigel Warrior.

I would take last season’s special teams because it had Cam Sutton and Alvin Kamara as punt returners. Otherwise, the same subjects are involved: Evan Berry is a terrific kick returner, Trevor Daniel is a top-notch punter and Aaron Medley is an average kicker.

I’m a fan of middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. but too many others are unproven at this position. And Kirkland must stay healthy, which he didn’t a year ago.

The NFL draft
Tennessee had six players taken in the first four rounds of the 2017 draft. In the upcoming draft, UT might have one or two players taken in the first four rounds: Kirkland or Kongbo, and that’s if they turn pro early. Kelly and Jennings, both juniors, have an outside shot. Perhaps defensive tackle Shy Tuttle if healthy.

The point: UT doesn’t have as many difference-makers on the 2017 roster.

A close friend and former UT football coach told me Tennessee has about 45 players that you can win with in the SEC. My number is about half that.

Quite a few point to the star ratings of UT’s players as an indication of a high talent level. Let’s examine that.

In recent years, recruiting services have adjusted ratings. A five-star suggests a player who will be selected in the first round of the NFL draft and be a potential All-American. A four-star will be taken in rounds two to five and be a likely all-conference player. A three-star could be a late-round pick who should start for at least one season.

Using that as a guide, I don’t see one player who has taken a snap on the current roster who projects to be a first-round pick. While UT has more than 20 four-star players, few have played like a middle-round draft pick. In other words, not many of UT’s four- or five-star players have played to their star rating.

That could change this season, as some of the talent is young but unproven.

The preseason All-SEC team
Tennessee wasn’t close to having a player on the media’s first team. The Vols had two on the second team and two on the third team.

Last year, Tennessee had nine players on the media All-SEC teams: three on first, three on second, three on third.

Doesn’t that suggest to you a drop-off in talent?

My take: If Tennessee wins nine regular-season games this season, it will have overachieved based on its talent level. And eight wins would be a solid season.
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-Jimmy Hyams (Gridironnow)
 
#7,853
#7,853
VolGee4 said:
Yet, I have heard on radio that they are seeing record numbers in attendance the last few years.

They don't promote their stars as much, but it's also a 25 man roster and not an 8 man rotation in basketball.
Click to expand...

Way way way too many games and the length/slowness of games are their main problems.
 
#7,855
#7,855
utvols88 said:
Dang.. volleyball above baseball. Yeesh.. MLB has done a terrible job at promoting the sport in recent decades, perhaps that's a key factor.
Click to expand...

Or perhaps volleyball isn't really above baseball.

Who uses gender equality when talking about sports? What in the world does that even mean?
 
#7,856
#7,856
tumblr_lv2k7dB3pw1qlkly8.jpg
 
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#7,859
#7,859
31VFL said:
-Jimmy Hyams (Gridironnow)
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I don't agree with special teams. While Kamara did average 10 yards a punt return, he didn't score. That can be replaced. Everything else remains the same.

While we will miss Malone over the top, more involvement with Byrd has me excited. We just need Callaway and Johnson to develop.

While I agree with some of this, I think it's a little better than he suggests.
 
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#7,860
#7,860
jave36 said:
Way way way too many games and the length/slowness of games are their main problems.
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Every sport is having issues with the length of games. The NFL is the only league who has it perfected. NBA just made some changes to cut down time. We live in a world now where we have other distractions and things to do, and people don't want to spend the time.
 
#7,863
#7,863
Common misconception about Jimmy is that he's often wrong. Jimmy isn't often wrong. He went thru a period where he was often very late. Right around the beginning of the twitter journalism era.
 
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#7,865
#7,865
BigZiti09 said:
Common misconception about Jimmy is that he's often wrong. Jimmy isn't often wrong. He went thru a period where he was often very late. Right around the beginning of the twitter journalism era.
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He is giving a prediction. Big difference versus breaking recruiting news. It's just an opinion based on what he knows.
 
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#7,869
#7,869
SergeantVol said:
He is giving a prediction. Big difference versus breaking recruiting news. It's just an opinion based on what he knows.
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Right on.

He's pretty good at predictions too from what I recall.

Hubbs will probably echo these thoughts at some point before the first game. Both guys have been around the block.
 
#7,870
#7,870
VolGee4 said:
I don't agree with special teams. While Kamara did average 10 yards a punt return, he didn't score. That can be replaced. Everything else remains the same.

While we will miss Malone over the top, more involvement with Byrd has me excited. We just need Callaway and Johnson to develop.

While I agree with some of this, I think it's a little better than he suggests.
Click to expand...
Hyamms always slants negative. He didn't mention anything about 1/3 of our NFL draft picks not even playing most of last year. I don't agree with his assessment that Vereen and Lewis are practically irreplaceable this year either. If he had left it at "impossible to replace DB", I would agree with that.
 
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#7,872
#7,872
BigZiti09 said:
Right on.

He's pretty good at predictions too from what I recall.

Hubbs will probably echo these thoughts at some point before the first game. Both guys have been around the block.
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The way the program has been down in recent years, it's easy too predict less than stellar seasons and be right. Doesn't mean he has any special insight or knowledge, just that he tends to be on the negative side and that just so happens to align with where we have been as a program.
 
#7,874
#7,874
31VFL said:
-Jimmy Hyams (Gridironnow)
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This is really flawed, IMO. That he's analyzing ANYTHING based on the media's preseason All-SEC team is laughable. "Liking" position groups better from last year versus this year is really difficult to evaluate until AFTER the season is over. Also, that doesn't factor in the changes in the S&C or changes in head coaches.

Analysis = flawed.
 
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#7,875
#7,875
The way I see it is:

QB: 2016 (better passing 2017)
RB: 2016 (slight lead; too much turmoil last year)
OL: 2017
TE: 2017
WR: Push

DL: Gonna separate based on two groups
DE: 2016
DT: 2017
LB: 2017
Secondary: 2017

ST: Push
 
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