Rivals: Is Pruitt recruiting better than Butch?

[VFL 24/7]

Rivals.com - Fact or Fiction: Jeremy Pruitt is recruiting better than Butch Jones

My personal take: Yes
Butch had some good classes, however those classes were never developed to their potential. Pruitt has already shown player development since he has been here (Darrell Taylor) is a good example. This staff is one of the best in the country at developing players, and I believe our pain will be ending way sooner than later. Its time folks, its time to strap up and get ready for the resurgence of one of the all-time greatest programs. If people thought we were annoying the last 10 years, just wait until we actually have a product on the field worth be annoying about. What are your thoughts on this matter and predictions for this recruiting class and the future of Tennessee football?

 

[1TheCoach1]

The very simple answer is "YES". Butch had to sign 30 players to get top 15 classes and then he wasted the talent.

 

[SmilezDavis]

Average player ratings have been similar with the exception of the 2019 class which was quite a bit higher, so Pruitt does get the edge. However, the biggest difference is development, as you said. The 2014 and 2015 classes each had players who we thought would be game changers, but Jones and crew couldn't get the most out of them. I think Kyle Phillips and Nigel Warrior are even better examples than Taylor. Phillips had one year under Pruitt and looked better than ever. Jones and crew didn't know what to do with him. Warrior had his struggles, but he was one of our best defenders by the end of last season.

 

[GrizzlyVol]

I'll give it to Butch he was a salesman which made him a good recruiter, the problem was he recruited players like Dormady that didn't fit our offensive system at all and didn't have the know how to develop players. He is a star gazer as most fans are, difference with Pruitt he takes guys that he sees promise in and that's fits our systems offense and defense

 

[VFL 24/7]

Average player ratings have been similar with the exception of the 2019 class which was quite a bit higher, so Pruitt does get the edge. However, the biggest difference is development, as you said. The 2014 and 2015 classes each had players who we thought would be game changers, but Jones and crew couldn't get the most out of them. I think Kyle Phillips and Nigel Warrior are even better examples than Taylor. Phillips had one year under Pruitt and looked better than ever. Jones and crew didn't know what to do with him. Warrior had his struggles, but he was one of our best defenders by the end of last season.

Solid point.

 

[Iam4utalways]

When it comes to recruiting it’s not just who you get but who you didn’t and why you didn’t get them.

JP isn’t missing on recruits that grew up dreaming about playing on The Hill.

How many didn’t run thru the T because of Jones?

 

[HollowaytoSeivers]

I believe the development of talent with CJP's staff is connected with the flow of commitments towards the '21 recruiting class. Prospective players pay attention to how current rosters develop, and the season to season skill development from the Butch staff to the current staff speaks volumes.

 

[sjt18]

Proof is in the pudding.... but I think he is primarily because he doesn't put as much stock in Rivals and 247 as Jones did.


Jones player development also resulted in extraordinary injury rates besides underutilization of talent. Many here argued that the HC or his policies do not impact how many guys get injured... but UT is not having the mass injuries under Pruitt they had under Jones. UT is now no worse than average and may be better than average on games lost to injury.

 

[VFL 24/7]

When it comes to recruiting it’s not just who you get but who you didn’t and why you didn’t get them.

JP isn’t missing on recruits that grew up dreaming about playing on The Hill.

How many didn’t run thru the T because of Jones?

I am a recent Tennessee grad and had multiple friends on the team that were apart of the "legacy class" and I know from them, that we had so many guys that didn't come mainly because of coaches, not Tennessee. If we had the right coaches in place, Clemson wouldn't be Clemson right now in my opinion.

 

[TAF]

Butch benched a future NFL Rookie of the Year...

 

[Iam4utalways]

I am a recent Tennessee grad and had multiple friends on the team that were apart of the "legacy class" and I know from them, that we had so many guys that didn't come mainly because of coaches, not Tennessee. If we had the right coaches in place, Clemson wouldn't be Clemson right now in my opinion.

It’s my understanding that Lane told Boyd he didn’t fit and he went to Clemson and Butch told their current QB(No disrespect intended. His name slips my mind.) he wasn’t a fit here.

Butch had conservative game plans. I’ve got no 1st hand knowledge of what his locker room was like, but it seems like it was a factor in why players that grew up Vol fans went somewhere else.

Edit: Trevor Lawrence
Thanks Coach

 

[Gandalf]

I'm no recruiting expert but Butch seemed to recruit based mostly on "star" power, irrespective if they fit his system and having a high overall ranking was his primary goal - so whoever the highest stars he could get.

Whereas Pruitt and co seems to have a very tight idea of what type of person that they want at every position and then they try to get the top couple of guys they can find at that position - and often that may mean some hidden gems that are maybe not even on the rating chart yet - mostly because he actually knows what he is seeing with his own two eyes, rather than depending on a service. I dont think Pruitt cares much about stars, it just so happens of course when you are going after the best players for a slot they often are well recognized already. In Pruitt's experience, the ratings come because your program offers a player, not the other way around. Give it another 2 years and I suspect a Vol commit to be worth a bump to any recruit sitting on a bubble between 3-4 or 4-5.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

I'm no recruiting expert but Butch seemed to recruit based mostly on "star" power, irrespective if they fit his system and having a high overall ranking was his primary goal - so whoever the highest stars he could get.

Whereas Pruitt and co seems to have a very tight idea of what type of person that they want at every position and then they try to get the top couple of guys they can find at that position - and often that may mean some hidden gems that are maybe not even on the rating chart yet - mostly because he actually knows what he is seeing with his own two eyes, rather than depending on a service. I dont think Pruitt cares much about stars, it just so happens of course when you are going after the best players for a slot they often are well recognized already. In Pruitt's experience, the ratings come because your program offers a player, not the other way around. Give it another 2 years and I suspect a Vol commit to be worth a bump to any recruit sitting on a bubble between 3-4 or 4-5.

This................Butch had the Honeymoon period of recruiting, then his obvious lack of coaching experience showed up, not hard to recruit against something like that...........glad he is gone.

 

[screenthis]

Rivals.com - Fact or Fiction: Jeremy Pruitt is recruiting better than Butch Jones

My personal take: Yes
Butch had some good classes, however those classes were never developed to their potential. Pruitt has already shown player development since he has been here (Darrell Taylor) is a good example. This staff is one of the best in the country at developing players, and I believe our pain will be ending way sooner than later. Its time folks, its time to strap up and get ready for the resurgence of one of the all-time greatest programs. If people thought we were annoying the last 10 years, just wait until we actually have a product on the field worth be annoying about. What are your thoughts on this matter and predictions for this recruiting class and the future of Tennessee football?

Yes. That's what excites me. Pruitt seems to be pairing an ability to recruit with a known ability to develop talent. I'm optimistic for the first time in years.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Is this a trick question?

 

[willinhf]

Butch benched a future NFL Rookie of the Year...

/thread

 

[tnutater]

The Hornblower loaded the first coupla classes. His offensive game plan was such that no players fit..
Got his buttt sent to little nicky for rehab.
I think Lyle will be the dwarf's biggest failure.

 

[Frozevol]

Most of these responses - he’ll even the article - are basing their assessment of what happened after Jones showed he couldn’t coach. The man did recruit well. Pruitt has recruited extremely well for 2021, but before that was fair to good compared to the SEC foes. IMO we gotta wait until 2022 to make a fair comparison.

 

[Jaws]

Helluva last few weeks for Pruitt and UT, I can’t do anything but tip my cap when a team goes on a run like this. They deserve credit for generating some serious buzz when everyone else is relatively silent.

It is still early though, and there will be so much shuffling, especially this year. For example, Bama is currently 56th in recruiting, everyone knows that will change. And with Bama, everyone’s current commit list is fair game, including UF and UT’s. Oklahoma is 47th, that will change. Auburn 48th, they’ll end up top 10. Florida State is 40th, they suck in general but they won’t finish 40th and will get some dudes in the end. Even teams like LSU, Georgia, Texas and Oregon all are hovering in the high teens to low 20’s. They’ll all crank it up at some point and start getting players.

So UT fans are rightly pleased with the very impressive hot streak they are currently seeing, but should be somewhat tempered because there is so much ground to cover between now and ESD.

 

[tnutater]

It is always better to be in the lead.

 

[rdk4121]

Average player ratings have been similar with the exception of the 2019 class which was quite a bit higher, so Pruitt does get the edge. However, the biggest difference is development, as you said. The 2014 and 2015 classes each had players who we thought would be game changers, but Jones and crew couldn't get the most out of them. I think Kyle Phillips and Nigel Warrior are even better examples than Taylor. Phillips had one year under Pruitt and looked better than ever. Jones and crew didn't know what to do with him. Warrior had his struggles, but he was one of our best defenders by the end of last season.

I'll add to that, Kongbo looked like a potential NFL player after two years of playing out of position under butch. I wish Kahlil would've stayed, because he could've really been helped by Pruitt and company. Bumphus, Blakely, and Butler all have improved (but also been moved to the correct position).

 

[k-town_king]

I'll give it to Butch he was a salesman which made him a good recruiter, the problem was he recruited players like Dormady that didn't fit our offensive system at all and didn't have the know how to develop players. He is a star gazer as most fans are, difference with Pruitt he takes guys that he sees promise in and that's fits our systems offense and defense

Dormady didn't fit anyone's system. lol

 

[Halph66]

The fact that ole Butchy Boy went a cycle without recruiting linemen should put the comparisons to bed.

 

[DiderotsGhost]

Obviously, Pruitt is much better at player development, but he's also much better at talent evaluation. I think Butch was too often swayed by the recruiting rankings and took high-rated kids who often didn't have the right attributes to succeed. Whereas, with Pruitt, it's pretty obvious he doesn't give a damn what the recruiting rankings say about a player. I think this staff is top-notch when it comes to talent evaluation.

 

[Ten_Titans]

When Pruitt got here, he said we have to go get the same players Bama and Georgia fight over. He's done that to some extent.

While Butch Jones had two top 5 classes, how many players did he bring in that were being highly recruited by all the top schools? Not very many.