2021 Recruit Class Rating Plummets Dangerously

[BigOrangeTrain]

I don’t believe the NCAA issue are the reason we’re sitting at 50th in the class rankings and we only seem to be recruiting MAC and low P5 prospects going forward.

I don’t think this staff has the ability, nor the connections, to recruit at the level required to win consistently in the SEC.

You can think or believe what you like. But it just shows you don’t know that much about recruiting. I mean your opinions on this are actually kind of laughable.

Thinking that the worst situation that TN has faced in modern history having little effect on recruiting is demonstrably insane.

But you do you.

 

[Jaws]

“Most” = you with the benefit of trolling and hindsight. KNOWING is overrated…as well as impossible in this context.

Go back and watch the first 5 minutes of his opening presser. Seriously, it’s cringeworthy. No troll.

 

[BlinghamptonVol]

NLI is gonna make bad recruiters look good if boosters open their checkbooks, and make good recruiters look bad if the boosters don’t open their checkbooks. No more stories of McDonald’s bags, just Arch Manning being in a commercial for Dollywood.

 

[Envolronment]

If you can't develop then recruiting doesn't matter. See Butch Jones. If you want to be elite then you have to have both. I don't know how high Tennessee can go, but I don't think Huepel ever recruited anyone above a 3 star at UCF and they would have beat Tennessee any year that he was there as a head coach. Just food for thought.

 

[butchna]

Go back and watch the first 5 minutes of his opening presser. Seriously, it’s cringeworthy. No troll.

Why did YOU “watch the first 5 minutes”? I haven’t for a Gators coach in my lifetime…kinda odd.

 

[JRich]

 

[volinthenorth]

Its impressive, but you may be the dumbest person on this board. To not understand facts when people present them to you is impressive. What exactly is Tennessee's path back to relevance? What you seem to think is that we have gotten closer to beating Georgia (whom we've only beaten 3 times since 2008) and Florida (whom we have beaten ONCE since 2008) than we have further away from it. I'd love to hear your explanation for that, and how we are closer to being a contender again with what is coming on the horizon, which by the way, will make our national irrelevance 25 years if you see any sort of change after year 3. So there are your facts, lets hear your profound reasoning for why we are close and the glory days are coming back

I'll give you my reasons for hoping we're closer instead of further away. I think the ranked recruiting classes from about 6-50 are all very much the same. The top tier, I admit, has some extremely good (elite) athletes who are individual difference makers. But after that, everybody has a team made up of almost-the-same athletes. So the real reason for consistent winning is because you're getting your particular batch of athletes to play this fierce, violent game with confidence, cohesion, and competitiveness. Those things come from coaching, that is to say, leadership. And I think we have a staff of high-character, unified, confidence-inspiring leaders. This same thing happens in the armed forces or in corporate America. A leadership change for the better can have an almost instantaneous effect on productivity or unit success. I believe our new coaching staff and helmsman will lead to better play on the field. I think we have really good athletes who can win several games in the SEC and certainly against our non-conf opponents...but the teams we had the past few years were emotionally kicked around and undercut by the dipwad(s) we had coaching. The chaos those coaches fomented led to a kind of death spiral of bad play and low morale and finally, giving up. The JG chaos was a big part of that, so confusing and demoralizing to the rest of team. Remove that bad dynamic, replace it with high caliber men...and I think we're closer to success than anytime in the past four or five seasons. Not "glory days" but 7-9 regular season wins and a bowl invite unless a NCAA/self-imposed ban happens. Bump this post in December if we are doing great. Or if I'm wrong, I'll admit it!

 

[Volfan76]

So how can you equate facts as excuses?

Why? Are you gonna admit that everybody who read the writing on the wall was right when we are hiring a new coach in 3 years? I'll bet you are in here saying the exact same thing about the new coach that you said about Heupel, and Pruitt before him, and Butch before him. You equate "facts" as excuses by the mere fact that every program that has been down didnt stay down. Bama, FSU, Clemson, Florida, Penn St to name a few have all been bottom feeders at one time or another. Not one of them dug their way out with a mediocre, low budget coaching staff. Keep pumpin that shine and holding your breath though...may get lucky this time.

 

[Tyler865]

Probably not, but the last 15+ years of not being nationally relevant (or even SEC relevant minus the one year Lyle f'd it up) absolutely does.

Agree that's the crux of it.

I would say:
20 years of irrelevance - 80%
Heupel and staff's recruiting ability (or lack there of) - 15%
Expected sanctions - 5%

 

[MWAVolfan]

Someone should have been able to detect 3 minutes into a Jeremy Pruitt interview, that he was not a man to hand the keys to UT football over to. Fulmer should have detected it and anyone else who spoke with him. Most of the world knew it 5 minutes into his opening press conference.

Considering that 15 minutes before we hired him, Jeremy Pruitt wasn't expecting to be the head coach of anything, I can understand the "doofus in the headlights" presser.

 

[butchna]

Why? Are you gonna admit that everybody who read the writing on the wall was right when we are hiring a new coach in 3 years? I'll bet you are in here saying the exact same thing about the new coach that you said about Heupel, and Pruitt before him, and Butch before him. You equate "facts" as excuses by the mere fact that every program that has been down didnt stay down. Bama, FSU, Clemson, Florida, Penn St to name a few have all been bottom feeders at one time or another. Not one of them dug their way out with a mediocre, low budget coaching staff. Keep pumpin that shine and holding your breath though...may get lucky this time.

We’ve spent some money on this staff and you have no factual knowledge that they’re mediocre. Just your blathering opinion butt vomited in a violent fashion on a message board and presented as a History Channel documentary.

 

[OrangeTsar]

At one time, if I remember correctly, this recruit class was ranked 2, 3.

Now, on 247, after removing the rating points from Kaidon Salter and Isaiah Washington it has fallen all the way to #36.

There are now only 15 recruits left in that defection strapped class.

This is the kind of class a Bowling Green or Vanderbilt would aspire to.

Huge pressure on Heupel to bring in a top class this year. You CANNOT have two weak classes in a row. That will destroy you 3, 4, 5 years down the road.

IMHO we need a loaded top 5-10 class to overcome the 2021 debacle.

Tougher to do when you can’t take them to McDonalds anymore

 

[MWAVolfan]

Tougher to do when you can’t take them to McDonalds anymore

As soon as the NCAA loosens up its rules on bags of cash, we will be back to relevance.

 

[VolInNW]

We’ve spent some money on this staff and you have no factual knowledge that they’re mediocre. Just your blathering opinion butt vomited in a violent fashion on a message board and presented as a History Channel documentary.

Dang. Who peed in your Wheaties this morning?

 

[sjt18]

I'm not that worried about this year's class... or last year's. Heupel has to get through the NCAA issues, use the portal, and win some games. UT should be pushing for a quick answer from the NCAA even if they risk greater punishment. If they can simply get an answer then the negative recruiting will be defanged. IF THESE GUYS CAN COACH then the portal has the potential to short cut recovery from whatever happens.

I would claim that "institutional control" worked and that those above those involved acted decisively once they gathered enough information.

 

[orange parmejohn]

I'm not that worried about this year's class... or last year's. Heupel has to get through the NCAA issues, use the portal, and win some games. UT should be pushing for a quick answer from the NCAA even if they risk greater punishment. If they can simply get an answer then the negative recruiting will be defanged. IF THESE GUYS CAN COACH then the portal has the potential to short cut recovery from whatever happens.

I would claim that "institutional control" worked and that those above those involved acted decisively once they gathered enough information.

Well said, I agree.

 

[sjt18]

Why? Are you gonna admit that everybody who read the writing on the wall was right when we are hiring a new coach in 3 years? I'll bet you are in here saying the exact same thing about the new coach that you said about Heupel, and Pruitt before him, and Butch before him. You equate "facts" as excuses by the mere fact that every program that has been down didnt stay down. Bama, FSU, Clemson, Florida, Penn St to name a few have all been bottom feeders at one time or another. Not one of them dug their way out with a mediocre, low budget coaching staff. Keep pumpin that shine and holding your breath though...may get lucky this time.

That's not true. The only program in that list that went high budget was Bama. Franklin was paid in the same range as Heupel and wasn't a "proven" commodity. Swinney's first year salary was $800,000.

Who has FSU signed that "fixed it"? Fisher was paid less than Heupel when he took over at FSU... then got a big fat raise without finding a way to compete with Bama at TAM.

Programs find "their guy" in a lot of different ways. Heupel needs to outperform his talent... unlike the previous 3 coaches who underperformed their talent.

 

[butchna]

Dang. Who peed in your Wheaties this morning?

Never touch the stuff.

 

[OrangeTsar]

As soon as the NCAA loosens up its rules on bags of cash, we will be back to relevance.

Heupel furiously trying to find out max limit on Starbucks gift cards

 

[lukeneyland]

If Heupel can’t recruit at a big time level he won’t make it at Tennessee or we just take the upper decks off Neyland and say we are East Vandy and fully accept mediocrity forever with our football program and 5-7 and 7-5 seasons at best.

You have a sick fetish about downsizing Neyland

 

[Volfan76]

That's not true. The only program in that list that went high budget was Bama. Franklin was paid in the same range as Heupel and wasn't a "proven" commodity. Swinney's first year salary was $800,000.

Who has FSU signed that "fixed it"? Fisher was paid less than Heupel when he took over at FSU... then got a big fat raise without finding a way to compete with Bama at TAM.

Programs find "their guy" in a lot of different ways. Heupel needs to outperform his talent... unlike the previous 3 coaches who underperformed their talent.

Nice try but no cigar. You are failing to take into account the average salary of the time mentioned. Top head coaching salaries have increased dramatically in the past few years. James Franklins 2014 salary made him the 8th highest paid coach in the country at the time. Josh Heupel's salary doesn't even get him into the top 30 highest paid coaches...and he is way overpaid. Every pumper on VN talked about the "Cupboard is bare" and "we need depth" after Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley, Jones, and now Pruitt. These coaches certainly underperformed their talent, but they could at least bring the talent. Don't go look at the recruiting rankings...you will have to spend the rest of the day trying to talk up and sell transfer talent to the board. Btw..this isn't the only slump that FSU has been in.

 

[Jaws]

Why did YOU “watch the first 5 minutes”? I haven’t for a Gators coach in my lifetime…kinda odd.

I usually watch them for many SEC teams, FSU, Miami. I just find it interesting.

Pruitt was a bad one. A mix of goofy, phony and dumb. Huepel was so much better. By the way, Mullen was just ok. I didn’t think his was spectacular or anything, although he didn’t embarrass himself. Norvelle at FSU was bad. Muschamp’s have always been very good for what that’s worth (nothing), both at UF and SC.

Want to see a couple great ones, not surprisingly; Saban at Bama, Meyer at UF or Ohio State. Those two just have IT.

 

[Jaws]

Considering that 15 minutes before we hired him, Jeremy Pruitt wasn't expecting to be the head coach of anything, I can understand the "doofus in the headlights" presser.

Exactly correct.

 

[butchna]

I usually watch them for many SEC teams, FSU, Miami. I just find it interesting.

Pruitt was a bad one. A mix of goofy, phony and dumb. Huepel was so much better. By the way, Mullen was just ok. I didn’t think his was spectacular or anything, although he didn’t embarrass himself. Norvelle at FSU was bad. Muschamp’s have always been very good for what that’s worth (nothing), both at UF and SC.

Want to see a couple great ones, not surprisingly; Saban at Bama, Meyer at UF or Ohio State. Those two just have IT.

You can’t be taken seriously. You passed biased 49 exits ago. Wow…you acknowledged two multiple NC winning HC’s and pretend that you watched their intro PC’s. How non-revisionist of you…you fake, corny troll you.

 

[sjt18]

Nice try but no cigar. You are failing to take into account the average salary of the time mentioned. Top head coaching salaries have increased dramatically in the past few years. James Franklins 2014 salary made him the 8th highest paid coach in the country at the time. Josh Heupel's salary doesn't even get him into the top 30 highest paid coaches...and he is way overpaid. Every pumper on VN talked about the "Cupboard is bare" and "we need depth" after Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley, Jones, and now Pruitt. These coaches certainly underperformed their talent, but they could at least bring the talent. Don't go look at the recruiting rankings...you will have to spend the rest of the day trying to talk up and sell transfer talent to the board. Btw..this isn't the only slump that FSU has been in.

Right. You will parse everything to conform it to your negativity. That's your schtick... and your right as long as Freak tolerates it.

Salary inflation isn't that big of a factor. IIRC, Franklin went to PSU for about $3.5 million around 5 or 6 years ago. You didn't deal with Swinney's situation... because you can't.

I don't care about the rankings of the last class or the next one. Heupel has to find another way to get talent. That's not in question. Last year's class for various reasons had significant attrition that Heupel CHOSE to tolerate. He could have held them to their LOI and didn't. I don't know why he chose that route but he did. This year's class is tough for many reasons but the two biggest are the NCAA investigation and the timing of his hire and changes to recruiting periods. Nothing can be done about that except find another way to bring in players he can win with.

You're being a drama queen with the whole "look at the recruiting rankings" thing. You have to know the hand that Heupel was dealt and still want to use this situation to claim he can't bring in talent? He may indeed fail... but it is STUPID to make that assessment with the limited info we have RIGHT NOW.


You can poopoo the gains through the portal all you like. But they are gains and there will have to be more over the next 2 or 3 years for Heupel to survive and succeed. But that may just force him and UT to master the use of the portal sooner than others.