Recruiting Forum Football Talk [RIP 9.3.2019]

[SweetasSoda]

I think maybe you raise a good question because I've often been around people of Faith who would say they are following God's Will in their lives and I've always wondered about that. Do they have something like a secret connection where God tells them what to do or not to do or do they just use something like the wisdom of the Proverbs and prayer and stuff like that and seek to maintain a clear conscience before God? I think it's the clear conscience but knowledge, understanding, and wisdom surely informs someone of what is the right or best thing to do in a given situation or maybe not. I don't think I ever really tried any of that. You might say I've spent my life living on the edge, keeping my own counsel, sort of like Yoda.

Personally, in that situation I would pray, "Lord, if it is Your will for me to take the UCLA job make this and this happen and give me peace." Sometimes you just go with the situation you have peace about. Somethings you know the answer to like not committing adultery. Those that say God told them to commit adultery did not hear from God because he would never tell you to do something that is contrary to what His Word says.

 

[drvenner]

Ha. Yeah, the publishing teases were a clear mistake. Like I said, it's a pet theory, not a wholehearted belief.

For all I know, he's just stuck figuring out what sigil to give House No Name that had a squire in a tournament 2,837 years ago.

LOL, he is very detailed for sure. He is a genius at crafting a story. The world he has created is believable and the history behind it is phenomenal. I just wish he would understand that his readers are what got him to where he is now and he would show more respect for them by not making them wait 8 years or more between books.

 

[drvenner]

For sure. I understand it’s a business and it’s about money. Unless you’re Scott Frost at Nebraska you have no loyalty to the school. But, to come out and say it straight up like that is dumb and a slap in the face to the fans tbh

AT the end of the day, he stayed. He is going to work very hard for our team and our school, as he has already shown that he will. I will say I am a little disappointed that that is all that kept him here, but I am over it already and very ready to see what our team looks like next year and beyond.

 

[LA Vol]

For the most part, coaches who're not coaching at their alma mater or dream school are hired guns. It's a job to them. Rick Barnes is like Jeremy Pruitt or Jim Chaney. They follow the money.

Barnes stayed and UT sent the message that we're invested in winning. That's what matters.

 

[drvenner]

Yep. Fan support for him won’t be what it was

It will be if he keeps winning. That is the bottom line for most of us.

 

[drvenner]

Yep - the whole point is that, after all of this, the leash keeps getting shorter and shorter.

He had all the goodwill in the world from this fanbase. He could’ve rode first round exits all the way to retirement.

That’s not the case anymore.

It will be if he wins.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

AT the end of the day, he stayed. He is going to work very hard for our team and our school, as he has already shown that he will. I will say I am a little disappointed that that is all that kept him here, but I am over it already and very ready to see what our team looks like next year and beyond.

If he wins a championship nobody will care. If he fails to make it past the sweet 16 again or win the SEC, people will remember this.

 

[Ron Swanson]

If he wins a championship nobody will care. If he fails to make it past the sweet 16 again or win the SEC, people will remember this.

People are dumbasses and assholes. So what?

 

[drvenner]

Unless another blue blood offers to pay his buyout next year. He was going to take a pay cut to coach at UCLA. But he loves TN tho!

If we have successful coaches, we are going to have to go through this regularly. Hopefully, the end result will be the same as this time. If Pruitt kills it the next couple of years, he will have people lining up and throwing money at him. We will have to pony up to keep him, too.

 

[drvenner]

Y'all really want folks to be honest right up until they say something you don't want to hear.

Dude, I used to think that all you did was spit truth, but after this post, I have to say that I question everything you have ever posted here.

 

[chargervol]

I skipped over most of the posts but you're probably right and I'm not surprised.

Haha, I know bass was decently upset but I was wondering why your first post was making it sound like there was a lot of outrage.

Was definitely mild for a VN debate.

 

[gainesvol82]

Guys, this may not look great but remember that Barnes is his own agent. This comment is leverage for more money if another school comes calling in the future.

I doubt this will hurt with recruiting.

 

[drvenner]

This doesn’t help you at all. If we value wins we can do a lot better also. Barnes has his best team ever at TN and didn’t hang a single banner. He seems to be a sweet 16 coach. And he doesn’t want to be here. You know who would love to be here? A guy who coached circles around Barnes the last two years and made the final four this year. I’d rather have him

There is absolutely no evidence we can do any better. None. Zippo. Nada. Nicht. Nunt-uh, nope.

 

[drvenner]

Really isn’t difficult, is it?

And yet, you struggle.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

There is absolutely no evidence we can do any better. None. Zippo. Nada. Nicht. Nunt-uh, nope.

Unless we #bbb. Then there’s a lot of evidence we can

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

And yet, you struggle.

Gotta love it when you come here and respond to posts I made hours ago. I don’t even remember what that was in reference to and I’m not going back to look. Have fun with it

 

[ChattaTNVol]

I've gathered the majority of the outrage is the tie ins to this decision with God & Christianity specifically.


I think had it been a simple "I love UT, but had UCLA paid my buyout with the raise they were offering I would have left." Probably less outrage

I sort of got away from Church people when I went into the Navy. My home port was in California so I guess that wasn’t to be unexpected. The strangest things that have happened in my life however were not lost on me. I probably shouldn’t say anything about it but I will because it affected my perception of the world. There were times along my journey where I was really up against it. I had no idea and no options for a next move. And then, even before the last moment, I, you might say, got this “Godsend”. To me it was miraculous and and still is and there’s no way I deserved such a gift and it happened several times over the course of my life. I mean I didn’t understand it at all but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been driving down the interstate and opening my mind to some something out beyond the the realm of “reality” and meekly uttering the words, “Thank you.”

 

[jakez4ut]

For the most part, coaches who're not coaching at their alma mater or dream school are hired guns. It's a job to them. Rick Barnes is like Jeremy Pruitt or Jim Chaney. They follow the money.

Barnes stayed and UT sent the message that we're invested in winning. That's what matters.

agreed.

 

[Catbone]

Money is the one true king

 

[LA Vol]

I think UT fans take it more personally than other fanbases because we had coaching stability for decades. We had Majors and Fulmer at the helm for 31 years, with Pat Summitt heading up WBB a decade longer than that. Our coaches were home-grown for so long that we couldn't imagine them leaving for anywhere else. Times have changed, and success will bring even more of it.

 

[Jimmy Football]

For the most part, coaches who're not coaching at their alma mater or dream school are hired guns. It's a job to them. Rick Barnes is like Jeremy Pruitt or Jim Chaney. They follow the money.

Barnes stayed and UT sent the message that we're invested in winning. That's what matters.

This is the right answer to the wrong question.

Narrative matters a lot in college sports. And (miraculously) we ended up on the right side of it this time. UCLA looked like bumbling idiots, and we looked like, as you say, that we were invested in winning.

Job done. Disaster averted.

So with this being the case, it's baffling to me that we would hold a press conference for Barnes to publicly announce that he would have left if UCLA had paid the buyout. Now the narrative becomes, "Ya know, kind of seems like ol' Rick is looking for a way out."

Is that fair? Maybe, maybe not. But that measage is gonna be out there, and it could have been avoided. That's where the frustration lies.

Just seems like another case of UT self-sabotage.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Unless we #bbb. Then there’s a lot of evidence we can have an FBI and/or NCAA investigation.

FYP

 

[yourstruly23]

5 million dollars a year plus these honest yet stupid comments... I feel sorry for the guy if things go south in the next few seasons because this fan base will show no mercy.

If he doesn't pull the UCLA stunt, he gets the benefit of the doubt that next year is a rebuilding year. Kiss that narrative goodbye! And he did it to himself. Hopefully he remains successful and God doesn't have to help him find a new job.

 

[Batman1948]

Unless another blue blood offers to pay his buyout next year. He was going to take a pay cut to coach at UCLA. But he loves TN tho!

His buyout is $8 million bucks now. Nobody is going to pay that. He's ours now for at least 5 more years.

 

[Jimmy Football]

FYP

"Just roll with it. Everything will be ok."

- Will Wade