Reality vs Expectation

#26
#26
i can agree with your stats. but we all know Fulmer was fired for getting lazy in recruiting after 2003, especially in the QB department. also, Fulmer had 2 coordinators for a decade and a stable administration in Dickey. unheard of in todays game.
He did get lazy with recruiting, and also made key errors with staff hires. But the cogent detail is that at one point in time, he outperformed just about everybody, as in every coach in the country, in recruiting. It led to a NC.

I hope Pruitt is the guy. Never even for a minute did I buy in either with Rommel or the bricklayer; I was not sold on Florida Atlantic when he was hired, briefly was almost on the train when he brought us within a play of beating the eventual national champs with two walk-ons on the OL, and was not the slightest bit surprised when he left in the night. There were glimmers last year of real actual coaching, the first we've seen of that in ten years. But recruiting is as important for Pruitt as it is for Saban or Smart or Fisher, and until Pruitt pulls in a #1 class, it definitively cannot be said that he has even equalled Fulmer in recruiting, much less surpassed him. He would have to pull in multiple #1 classes in a two-year timespan to outdo Fulmer.
 
#27
#27
i can agree with your stats. but we all know Fulmer was fired for getting lazy in recruiting after 2003, especially in the QB department. also, Fulmer had 2 coordinators for a decade and a stable administration in Dickey. unheard of in todays game.

Imo, a bigger impact to recruiting than Fulmer getting lazy was the sabotage that Mike Hamilton did with his lukewarm public statements and outright criticisms concerning Fulmer. Hamilton hand delivered quotes that were used against Fulmer in negative recruiting onslaughts. Ruined our 2006 and 2008 classes. 2007, coming off the improvement in 2006 and optimism about Cut's return, yielded a #4 class, but the damage was already done and unrecoverable at that point.
 
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#28
#28
It's a vicious circle. I am still holding out hope for Pruitt, but the proof is in the record. Win games and everything else will take care of itself, unless you are Lyle Jones and have no idea what you are doing.

I generally agree with this. Then there is Jerry Green in bball.
 
#29
#29
He did get lazy with recruiting, and also made key errors with staff hires. But the cogent detail is that at one point in time, he outperformed just about everybody, as in every coach in the country, in recruiting. It led to a NC.

I hope Pruitt is the guy. Never even for a minute did I buy in either with Rommel or the bricklayer; I was not sold on Florida Atlantic when he was hired, briefly was almost on the train when he brought us within a play of beating the eventual national champs with two walk-ons on the OL, and was not the slightest bit surprised when he left in the night. There were glimmers last year of real actual coaching, the first we've seen of that in ten years. But recruiting is as important for Pruitt as it is for Saban or Smart or Fisher, and until Pruitt pulls in a #1 class, it definitively cannot be said that he has even equalled Fulmer in recruiting, much less surpassed him. He would have to pull in multiple #1 classes in a two-year timespan to outdo Fulmer.

Rommel. Bricklayer. LOL. Around the entire nation people would have no clue who these are. Yet on VN I never thought for 1 second who this was.
 
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#30
#30
Is it just me or has the off season gotten more brutal quicker this year than most? Could be my memory is bad. But its just May and the ripping and roaring is in full swing with predictions spinning like cotton candy at the fair. Why would ANYONE want their pre-season picks (especially the ones that are so sure of themselves) to be recorded here for everyone to see how wrong they were? SMH

There are so many predictions by the time Sooner actually arrives that it'll all get lost in noise. Then so posting stud will chime in around Christmas@how they called it before the season.
 
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#31
#31
I think the 2019 class is proof positive that winning has little to do with recruiting the RIGHT players. And right now UT needs the RIGHT players more than the highly touted ones. These players in the 2019 class knew what they were getting into. A lot of them had offers from from schools with much better records and NCs. Yet they chose UT because they believe enough in themselves to make a difference.
Give me that guy all day long over the 5* that comes from a powerhouse hs program that selects a college powerhouse program to attend out of fear of becoming a hs bust. Those guys NEED the great team around them to remain great because they lean on the team as much as the team leans on them. I may catch some crap for this but that's why I personally am not a Trevor Lawrence fan. There is something to be said for a qb that elevates his team vs one that relies on his team to keep him elevated. Most highly touted guys get hit in the mouth and shut down because they don't know what to do. We recruited players in 2019 that get hit in the mouth and their reaction is "My turn". Its the attitude we need most right now to change the culture and that's all between the ears.
 
#33
#33
I think the 2019 class is proof positive that winning has little to do with recruiting the RIGHT players. And right now UT needs the RIGHT players more than the highly touted ones. These players in the 2019 class knew what they were getting into. A lot of them had offers from from schools with much better records and NCs. Yet they chose UT because they believe enough in themselves to make a difference.
Give me that guy all day long over the 5* that comes from a powerhouse hs program that selects a college powerhouse program to attend out of fear of becoming a hs bust. Those guys NEED the great team around them to remain great because they lean on the team as much as the team leans on them. I may catch some crap for this but that's why I personally am not a Trevor Lawrence fan. There is something to be said for a qb that elevates his team vs one that relies on his team to keep him elevated. Most highly touted guys get hit in the mouth and shut down because they don't know what to do. We recruited players in 2019 that get hit in the mouth and their reaction is "My turn". Its the attitude we need most right now to change the culture and that's all between the ears.
No offense, but with every new coach we have had in this never-ending misery of ten years we have heard this same refrain. We were told we had five-star hearts not too long ago; that proved not to be the case. Bama is winning a NC roughly every other year with the kids who NEED the great team around them, and curb-stomping us on an annual basis in the process.

Of all the egregious misses on in-state talent that we have accumulated over the last four coaches, none comes close to the bricklayer passing on Lawrence. If it were possible to sue a coach for malpractice, we would have a slam-dunk case.
 
#34
#34
No offense, but with every new coach we have had in this never-ending misery of ten years we have heard this same refrain. We were told we had five-star hearts not too long ago; that proved not to be the case. Bama is winning a NC roughly every other year with the kids who NEED the great team around them, and curb-stomping us on an annual basis in the process.

Of all the egregious misses on in-state talent that we have accumulated over the last four coaches, none comes close to the bricklayer passing on Lawrence. If it were possible to sue a coach for malpractice, we would have a slam-dunk case.
That's my point about Lawrence. People feel like Butch missed on him over Clemson when (IMO) he was never coming to UT to begin with. UT didn't have the team he needs to not miss a beat. Clemson did. For him it was the closest thing to a sure thing for the NFL. I don't blame him a bit but this 2019 class is taking a chance that they believe in themselves enough to take. In fact if you rewatched the NC you'll see why I have the opinion I do. No one thought that Clemson would be able to over power Alabama in the trenches (at least I didn't) but that's what happened. It was the difference in the game. But the FEW times Lawrence got pressure he was erratic. So maybe what I'm saying is yes he's good but not a good fit for UT atm. And had he came here there's a really good possibility that he transferred anyway. We will never know. Call me optimistic and I know people say this every yr but I do feel like this class is going to make a major impact on UT football in a couple of yrs once they all are on the field at the same time.
 
#35
#35
everyday, there is a new thread regarding the UT's current state recruiting. starting to see more and more people post about how UT is losing out on recruits and that our coaching staff cant close.

whats the best way to recruit? WINNING.

until then, you have to give credit to the CURRENT administration and staff for what they have been able to do in 18 months. in the last 18 months, the entire school administration has been completely overhauled, not just athletics. yet, UT fans still expect for parents to send their kids to a school where the leadership has been a laughing stock for the last 10 years.

in the face of all that, Pruitt and Co. were able to CLOSE two 5 star, future NFL Offensive Lineman in Morris and Wright, Quartavious Crouch who was the #1 player in the country until he was unable to play his senior year and chose UT over Clemson, Eric Gray 3x Mr Tennessee and chose UT over Michigan, Henry To'oto'o who chose UT over Alabama, Ramel Keyton who chose UT over Georgia, and land DeAngelo Gibbs from Georgia and Aubrey Solomon from Michigan.

anyone who says that UT is not headed in the right direction after seeing Pruitt's first true recruiting class after going 5-7 is out of their mind. Pruitt was able to get kids to choose UT over Alabama and Clemson after both of those teams played for the NC.

and on top of all that, Pruitt is the first developmental coach UT has had in 10 years. not only does that equate to winning but it also equates to these players being drafted and playing in the NFL. How do UT fans expect to land 5 stars if the team is 5-7 and produces zero NFL draft picks???? yet, Pruitt did land TWO 5-stars.

when UT begins winning on regular basis and producing NFL draft picks again, recruiting will definitely become easier.

until then, give credit where credit is due and be patient. UT has to win on the field, period.

other than that, i know that Pruitt will not only recruit better than Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley, and Butch ever did and will develop these players to the NFL.

you guys should too

Everything you say is RIGHT ON. BUT,,,,,, to say he will recruit better than Fulmer or to develop players better than the Fulmer and staff (remember the guy named "Cut" or the one named "Chief") may be a stretch. For me it is hard to say Pruitt and staff will out preform Fulmer's group is saying a whole lot. Just to say "as good as" Fulmer and staff is enough for me. A few really good years of production by Pruitt and company,, then maybe I can say "better than".
 
#36
#36
Is it just me or has the off season gotten more brutal quicker this year than most? Could be my memory is bad. But its just May and the ripping and roaring is in full swing with predictions spinning like cotton candy at the fair. Why would ANYONE want their pre-season picks (especially the ones that are so sure of themselves) to be recorded here for everyone to see how wrong they were? SMH

At this point most of what is stated is pure BABBLE.;)
 
#38
#38
At this point most of what is stated is pure BABBLE.;)
Yep,,,and that's why I dont post much. Nobody really knows yet,,but it is entertaining to read.
I hope it's a very successful year but for me it's still gonna take a while. I like Pruitt and the staff but cant really say yet if he is the one to lead us back or not.
 
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#40
#40
People expecting to go from 4-8 to 9 win seasons in 3 years with our offense:

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6 times last year our defense allowed 38 points or more....it’s hardly just our offense
 
#41
#41
6 times last year our defense allowed 38 points or more....it’s hardly just our offense
Because they were on the field all the time. When your QB puts up career numbers of .8 TD a game and can complete a ton of short passes not for first downs......the d is gonna get a workout..
 
#43
#43
You act like stuff of that nature doesn't happen all the time.

Auburn went from 3-9 to a title in exactly 1 year.
Oh it happens all the time, just not to Tennessee. Ever.

Auburn also had a good QB..can't think of his name..he could pass, he could run, he basically carried the entire team...Not sure what he does nowadays though..probably wasnt even a first round pick..
 
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#44
#44
The largest thing Butch had to offer was immediate playing time for a prime University. But, after years of mediocre success, even now it is difficult to build upon that.
 
#45
#45
Here are my Expectations for 2019....

1. Beat Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and South Carolina! - Seriously, no more losing to any one or combination of these teams!! That sh_t stops and stops now!

2. Become bowl eligible! This is crucial for this season!

3. Whip the ever loving dogsh_t out of the lesser opponents! I'm sick of letting FCS and lesser FBS opponents look like world beaters against us! Let's end these games by halftime and let our back ups get some game experience!

4. Fight Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to the bitter end! I dont know if we will win any of these games but by God, I want them to hurt by the time the clock shows 0:00.
 
#46
#46
Oh it happens all the time, just not to Tennessee. Ever.

Auburn also had a good QB..can't think of his name..he could pass, he could run, he basically carried the entire team...Not sure what he does nowadays though..probably wasnt even a first round pick..
He was pretty good. He was also one player. And they won 3 games the year before. You know. One less than the least we have ever won.

Only Tennessee fans act like improvement should be measured on the same scale we measure climate change.

The same team as last year could probably win 6-7 this year. It's a much easier schedule.
 
#47
#47
Yeah,you predict losing seasons for Tennessee every season:rolleyes: God forbid someone is actually optimistic about the Tennessee football team:mad:

There's a difference between being optimistic and delusional. You fit the latter profile. I predicted losing seasons the last 2 years because we did not have the personel.. Come back in December and we'll see who's right.
 
#48
#48
No offense, but with every new coach we have had in this never-ending misery of ten years we have heard this same refrain. We were told we had five-star hearts not too long ago; that proved not to be the case. Bama is winning a NC roughly every other year with the kids who NEED the great team around them, and curb-stomping us on an annual basis in the process.

Of all the egregious misses on in-state talent that we have accumulated over the last four coaches, none comes close to the bricklayer passing on Lawrence. If it were possible to sue a coach for malpractice, we would have a slam-dunk case.

They had 5-star hearts. Butch just failed to disclose that he was using his own, proprietary 100-star scale.
 
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#49
#49
There's a difference between being optimistic and delusional. You fit the latter profile. I predicted losing seasons the last 2 years because we did not have the personel.. Come back in December and we'll see who's right.

You sure he isn’t drunk instead of being delusional?
 
#50
#50
With this years schedule, i`m thinking 8 wins, maybe 9 if we get lucky on one of the others and breaks go our way.
I say no less than 8 wins. and a bowl.
 
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