'22 TN DT Walter Nolen (Ole Miss)

#876
#876
Nashvegas31 said:
Your starting to see the unrealistic folks that were probably smoking the AV train that everything would be ok to gut the staff that had these kids locked up because it was their window to get rid of Fulmer/Pruitt without fan backlash. They couldn’t do it after yr 2 thanks to the run and they knew they couldn’t next yr with a top instate class locked up and actual full on practice time and the transfers Pruitt had lined up. One day people will see the game that was played for power not the program. And I really like the new guys so far but I really hate how we went about destroying ourselves during a covid season.
Click to expand...

The way I see it, keeping Pruitt another year would be worse than what we’re going through right now.

I couldn’t stand the guy and was happy to see him go.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VFL10, JacketVol, VolByLaw and 2 others
#878
#878
Kingston Vol said:
I agree.

What I wonder, though, is what happens if it doesn't take right away? What if we're just bad on offense in 2021? Does that dig an insurmountable hole for the next 2-3 years of recruits? I have no doubt this offense will be good at some point. It's been pretty good everywhere. What I'm getting at is largely unknowable, but I wonder how limited the window is to get this right.
Click to expand...
It can’t be worse than last year.. the scheme won’t let it
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vols4us, VFL10, VFLBerg and 1 other person
#879
#879
Kingston Vol said:
I agree.

What I wonder, though, is what happens if it doesn't take right away? What if we're just bad on offense in 2021? Does that dig an insurmountable hole for the next 2-3 years of recruits? I have no doubt this offense will be good at some point. It's been pretty good everywhere. What I'm getting at is largely unknowable, but I wonder how limited the window is to get this right.
Click to expand...
Idk what happened last year. Our offense was the most boring uncreative thing ive ever witnessed. We did virtually no motion or anything. I always thought Chaney was past his prime on top of Pruitt trying to run the show like it’s 1980.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BlinghamptonVol, Vols4us, JacketVol and 1 other person
#880
#880
ACvol3 said:
It can’t be worse than last year.. the scheme won’t let it
Click to expand...
KPT_VFL said:
Idk what happened last year. Our offense was the most boring uncreative thing ive ever witnessed. We did virtually no motion or anything. I always thought Chaney was past his prime on top of Pruitt trying to run the show like it’s 1980.
Click to expand...

Nowhere to go but up, I agree.

We know Pruitt put a restrictor plate on the offense. It's been rumored he was calling some of the plays and allowing other staffers to call plays over Chaney in certain situations. And I believe Chaney, as stubborn as he is, let the offense suffer to prove a point. Can't say I really blame him.

A big reason Tyson Helton left was that Pruitt took play-calling duties away from him in the "heat of the moment" during games and gave the duties to off-field staffers. He did the same thing this past season, firing Brumbaugh and letting Todd Watson run the defensive line.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KPT_VFL
#882
#882
Kingston Vol said:
I agree.

What I wonder, though, is what happens if it doesn't take right away? What if we're just bad on offense in 2021? Does that dig an insurmountable hole for the next 2-3 years of recruits? I have no doubt this offense will be good at some point. It's been pretty good everywhere. What I'm getting at is largely unknowable, but I wonder how limited the window is to get this right.
Click to expand...

Where we are going wrong is imagining a limited window. Heupel has done enough in his career to give him a much wider longer window to get things going.

Tennessee will never get stable if we keep cycling in coaches and creating the impression everything has run on all cylinders from day 1 for them to ever have a prayer.

#Year0
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vols4us, BigOrangeTrain, Kingston Vol and 1 other person
#883
#883
Another reason I think recruiting is struggling, is I believe JH is legit running a squeaky clean program. I think that is the biggest reason we’ve seen so many transfer out as well. Players no longer getting extra benefits. I respect JH for it, but it’s going to be a slow road back up doing it the right way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LittleVol, Berry4Heisman14, InVOLuntary and 9 others
#886
#886
VolFreakJosh said:
The way I see it, keeping Pruitt another year would be worse than what we’re going through right now.

I couldn’t stand the guy and was happy to see him go.
Click to expand...

Pruitt should have been fired after the UK loss. If that would have happened things may have worked out much differently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LittleVol, Smokeytom, unfrozencvmanvol and 2 others
#888
#888
secking said:
He lives in Chattanooga. As for Nolen, he’s already switched teams in/out of his top 10. Teams in his top 8 that wasn’t in his top 10. There’s nothing to prevent him from adding UT back.
Click to expand...
We going to land any high 4-5 stars this class? If so who? I need one 5 star name, if any, we stand a chance with.
 
#889
#889
secking said:
He lives in Chattanooga. As for Nolen, he’s already switched teams in/out of his top 10. Teams in his top 8 that wasn’t in his top 10. There’s nothing to prevent him from adding UT back.
Click to expand...

Thanks Rusty!
 
#890
#890
Nashvegas31 said:
Your starting to see the unrealistic folks that were probably smoking the AV train that everything would be ok to gut the staff that had these kids locked up because it was their window to get rid of Fulmer/Pruitt without fan backlash. They couldn’t do it after yr 2 thanks to the run and they knew they couldn’t next yr with a top instate class locked up and actual full on practice time and the transfers Pruitt had lined up. One day people will see the game that was played for power not the program. And I really like the new guys so far but I really hate how we went about destroying ourselves during a covid season.
Click to expand...
What PROOF of any kind do you offer that the old staff had any of these kids "locked up"?
 
  • Like
Reactions: butchna
#891
#891
VolFreakJosh said:
The way I see it, keeping Pruitt another year would be worse than what we’re going through right now.

I couldn’t stand the guy and was happy to see him go.
Click to expand...
I actually liked him and still think he is a good teacher of the game. He just isn't a HC. Hopefully he understands his limitations now.

But yes, keeping Pruitt and especially with the specter of the investigation would have been worse in the long run for sure and probably in the short run.

The current staff needs to beat "expectations" which have been set pretty low.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tri-CitiesVol
#892
#892
Kingston Vol said:
I think a lot of it has to do with this staff.

And before people pile on me, I'm not trying to be judgemental of Heupel or tough on him for no reason. These guys just don't have the reputation of being good recruiters. Garner does, but he can only do so much and can only target players his head coach gives him the "go ahead" on.

It's pretty simple to me: Danny White hired Josh Heupel because a ton of coaches turned us down. While spiraling, he decided it best to go with a guy he knows vs. a guy he doesn't. That's fine. I get it. But I don't expect it to work and, deep down, I don't think White does either. Heupel was hired to get us through sanctions. If he does more than that, consider it icing on the cake.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Couldn't be because they haven't been able to recruit in person and started two months behind, right?

There is a stigma around the program right now that have nothing to do with the current AD or HC. UT is a perennial top 15 recruiting program... that's been losing to bad teams on a pretty regular basis. That perception changes... when someone changes it. It also didn't help that Pruitt's philosophy and brand of football didn't appeal to the best recruits.
 
#895
#895
I really didn’t know of any staff that we could have hired to salvage this class. Any coach we reached out to prior to Heupel would be in the same spot.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolByLaw
#896
#896
Kingston Vol said:
Oh, for sure. Like I said earlier, it's all in the mix.

We've been bad for 15 years and recruits see us on the level of Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, etc. That just is what it is and it's not Danny White or Josh Heupel's fault.

We had a bad coach in Jeremy Pruitt. No doubt he should have been fired. But the way we decided to go about it only hurt us further. As @LA Vol and others have posted many times, we should have just fired him after A&M and paid the buyout. Plowman was looking for something more - and she found it.

Hiring Danny White was a big step forward, but I don't think he was totally aware of the coaching landscape and the interest (or lack thereof) in our job at the present time. When Elliott turned us down, it seems as though he didn't have the appetite to continue the search any further. So, to be expedient, he decided to hire Heupel after not contacting him throughout the entire process. He knew he had a safety blanket, and he used it.

And like I said, that's totally fine and understandable given where we were in the process and the candidates available. There were a couple of guys I would have preferred, but on the whole the resumes were about the same. But the book on Heupel for years has been that he is a great offensive mind, but not a great recruiter or face of a program. The fact we are struggling to recruit was expected.
Click to expand...
Tony Elliot declining the job is still just a rumor not fact don’t believe everything you read type of thing
 
  • Like
Reactions: AppStVol
#899
#899
Kingston Vol said:
I agree.

What I wonder, though, is what happens if it doesn't take right away? What if we're just bad on offense in 2021? Does that dig an insurmountable hole for the next 2-3 years of recruits? I have no doubt this offense will be good at some point. It's been pretty good everywhere. What I'm getting at is largely unknowable, but I wonder how limited the window is to get this right.
Click to expand...
There is very likely a faction of boosters who already have timeline and a plan to make a power play. White did not deliver what was expected by the people that matter most. His days are already numbered.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kingston Vol
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top