11th on Rivals 14th on 247

Yeah by .2 points....

Wow they sure are doing well to only average .2 points more than we do with a bagillion five stars all over the field

Oh and we are 19th in total offense to their 27th and they only have 200 more total yards having played one more game than we did....and we had to go against their defense

So what exactly are you trying say?

Hey, Hey, Hey Man! Don't be coming in hear and throwing facts around!

Next thing you'll be saying is that Year 1 vs Year 6 crap...
 
Still 6 other SEC teams ahead of us including Mizzou.

With all the NCAA stuff, this is to be expected.
Kemtuchy, fine. Mizzu, no. It was just 2 years ago that Mizzu even got hit with a bowl ban on their scandal. Drinkwitz was only 6-6 in his 2nd year. And it's freaking Mizzu.
 
That's true.

So with THAT in mind, how does Heupel and staff stack up against others coaching staff in SEC?

Spurrier made the SEC Championship game TWICE with South Carolina and they had a recruiting average of 8th (in conference)...over the years he coached.

Can Heupel get to Atlanta if his staff is recruiting top 15 nationally and 4th in the SEC overall every year?
I lean yes, but I think as time goes on and expectations grow, I'll need to see us win the tight games. Clean up the penalties a bit and a better in-game decision here or there. I think we'll be fine. I see the floor as 8-4 now with a 10-2 ceiling. I can get behind that. If FL flounders, I think you could talk yourself into more.
 
This could still change some, but I am liking where we are sitting currently.

4th in the SEC on Rivals 6th in the SEC on 247
#22 on Rivals in average and about #20 in average on 247. This is the ranking that is more important if you are concerned about the rankings. Nice improvement from a week ago when we were in the mid-thirties.
 
This could still change some, but I am liking where we are sitting currently.

4th in the SEC on Rivals 6th in the SEC on 247
It's actually changed to 11th and 14th. It's as if the recruiting services have adjusted ratings after the fact? Hard to stomach being outrecruited by Kentucky after beating them on their field in Huepel's first year. My memory tells me that the score should not have been as close and that we kept them in that game.

I have a few things I am going to keep an eye on this year. I felt as though our QB protection was pretty poor again this year against upper level talent. We have an elite DL coach, but not sure we have the same level of coaching on the OL. Could have been lack of depth and injuries. So, jury is still out for me as to whether or not we have the right person there. Same story for LBs. Last our DBs didn't play very well either. Just how well did we recruit in any of those areas? Two3* LBs, 3 3* + 1 4* OL (+a PWO and transfer from FLA), and 3 3* DBs. I am curious how much help they are going to provide? Plus, who is coming back?

With all of the seniors listed on this link, it seems we could lose a ton of players. Our two best LBs are seniors in Mitchell and Banks. Apparently we could lose up to 5 OLs. We lose Jackson & Taylor in the backfield. We could be very thin once again.

All that said, I am a fan of keeping the staff together and giving them all a few years. I feel in the past coaches were pressured to monkey around with their staff too soon and too often, and things only got worse from there.

I'd love some input!

Tennessee Volunteers on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games
 
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This could still change some, but I am liking where we are sitting currently.

4th in the SEC on Rivals 6th in the SEC on 247
I was a little concerned that we weren’t having traction with enough top recruits. Even though I acknowledged the NCAA cloud hurt, I saw a cause for concern. With this close the past few weeks I’m here to eat crow. Join me if you made similar posts about the jury being out on whether this staff could recruit at TN.

Top 10 according to Rivals as of today. Impressive given all the hurdles they faced this year.

Any other crow takers?
It's actually changed to 11th on Rivals and 14th on 247. I never saw a top 10 on either? It's as if the recruiting services have adjusted ratings after the fact?

I am very pleased, but here are some thoughts:

Hard to stomach being outrecruited by Kentucky after beating them on their field in Huepel's first year. My memory tells me that the score should not have been as close and that we kept them in that game. We also destroyed Missouri. Kudos to both of those coaches. How in the world are we being outrecruited by them though? I am hoping it's because they had more time. I.E. We just landed the top TE in 2023 and I think we got in early on that guy.

I have a few things I am going to keep an eye on this year. I felt as though our QB protection was pretty poor again this year against upper level talent. We have an elite DL coach, but not sure we have the same level of coaching on the OL. Could have been lack of depth and injuries. So, jury is still out for me as to whether or not we have the right person there.

Same story for LBs.

Last our DBs didn't play very well either. Just how well did we recruit in any of those areas?

Two3* LBs, 3 3* + 1 4* OL (+a PWO and transfer from FLA), and 3 3* DBs. I am curious how much help they are going to provide?

Plus, who is coming back? With all of the seniors listed on this link, it seems we could lose a ton of players. Our two best LBs are seniors in Mitchell and Banks. Apparently we could lose up to 5 OLs. We lose Jackson & Taylor in the backfield. We could be very thin once again.

Tennessee Volunteers on Yahoo! Sports - News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

All that said, I am a fan of keeping the staff together and giving them all a few years. I feel in the past coaches were pressured to monkey around with their staff too soon and too often, and things only got worse from there.

I'd love some input!
 
I don't really care where some website ranks our recruiting class. I am more concerned with did we get the people we wanted and needed. I feel much better after hearing Heupel's post recruiting press conference. One thing that he didn't overlook is the character of the recruit. Past coaches have talked about building something special here. I honestly believe Coach Heupel is do it and not just talking about it. GO VOLS!
 
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#22 on Rivals in average and about #20 in average on 247. This is the ranking that is more important if you are concerned about the rankings. Nice improvement from a week ago when we were in the mid-thirties.

That average ranking is because a lot of other teams don't have as many overall recruits as we do. Oregon, Mizzu, UCLA, Miami, Florida, etc., all have at least 4 less recruits than we do but a higher average. In order to maintain their current average recruit ranking, they will need several players in the top 400 (essentially only 4 stars). That simply is unlikely to happen at this point, given the players remaining on the board. So once they fill out their class in February, their average recruit ranking will drop considerably. We'll likely finish with our average recruit ranking right around the same area as the total ranking.
 
That average ranking is because a lot of other teams don't have as many overall recruits as we do. Oregon, Mizzu, UCLA, Miami, Florida, etc., all have at least 4 less recruits than we do but a higher average. It's unlikely any of these schools improve upon their average ranking once they fill out their classes (particularly Mizzu, Florida, Oregon, and UCLA). So once they fill out their class in February, their average recruit ranking will drop considerably. We'll likely finish with our average recruit ranking right around the same area as the total ranking.
Maybe, maybe not. I believe it is more likely we finish closer to our average ranking than our total ranking at the moment. Of course I hope I’m wrong and Heupel/Staff closes strong.

Edit: To answer your point the other teams are unlikely to improve in their average ranking through National Signing Day. That is also a possibility for UT so it’s not really a valid argument.
 
Maybe, maybe not. I believe it is more likely we finish closer to our average ranking than our total ranking at the moment. Of course I hope I’m wrong and Heupel/Staff closes strong.

Depends on the recruiting site. Right now we'd be good for a finish of 16-20 the last two years on rivals. I think we stay in the top 15 by Feb.
 
Depends on the recruiting site. Right now we'd be good for a finish of 16-20 the last two years on rivals. I think we stay in the top 15 by Feb.
See post#138. It’s really just speculation at this point so we will just have to wait and see. The fact is we are currently in the low 20’s regarding the true rankings.
 
Maybe, maybe not. I believe it is more likely we finish closer to our average ranking than our total ranking at the moment. Of course I hope I’m wrong and Heupel/Staff closes strong.

We've already closed strong. For reference, we have 227.86 points on 247 currently with only 20 commits. In 2021, Maryland finished 18th with 230.24 points and 24 commits. The only teams likely to leap frog us are Clemson and LSU, and maybe Auburn. We should be on track to finish 16th or 17th in total rankings by the next signing day, and that's assuming we don't get in on any other elite recruits during this time frame. Davison Igbinosun is still on our board and would be a huge get. As is Jeremiah Caldwell. TJ Dudley is a February sign that are still doing work on. And you never know who we might get involved with between now and February.
 
Yeah by .2 points....

Wow they sure are doing well to only average .2 points more than we do with a bagillion five stars all over the field

Oh and we are 19th in total offense to their 27th and they only have 200 more total yards having played one more game than we did....and we had to go against their defense

So what exactly are you trying say?
He's trying to say that you accidentally called our offense pedestrian.
 
A couple of those KY kids wanted to come to UT and we turned them down.

You're doing it wrong. crooting services have to protect their product.
 
We've already closed strong. For reference, we have 227.86 points on 247 currently with only 20 commits. In 2021, Maryland finished 18th with 230.24 points and 24 commits. The only teams likely to leap frog us are Clemson and LSU, and maybe Auburn. We should be on track to finish 16th or 17th in total rankings by the next signing day, and that's assuming we don't get in on any other elite recruits during this time frame. Davison Igbinosun is still on our board and would be a huge get. As is Jeremiah Caldwell. TJ Dudley is a February sign that are still doing work on. And you never know who we might get involved with between now and February.
You cannot close strong if the finish line is not here yet. We had a good ESD and moved up in average recruiting by about 10 to 15 positions. The fact remains though that we are currently ranked in the low twenties with Rivals and 247 regarding average recruiting ranking which is the most important factor to consider when evaluating rankings. Most teams will finish with about the same numbers of recruits after NSD. Right now we have advantage because we have signed more than some of the teams with higher averages. I expect we will drop positions because of this stat but hope I’m wrong. Heupel will need to close strong from now until NSD for us to keep the ranking some here are quoting.
 
You cannot close strong if the finish line is not here yet. We had a good ESD and moved up in average recruiting by about 10 to 15 positions. The fact remains though that we are currently ranked in the low twenties with Rivals and 247 regarding average recruiting ranking which is the most important factor to consider when evaluating rankings. Most teams will finish with about the same numbers of recruits after NSD. Right now we have advantage because we have signed more than some of the teams with higher averages. I expect we will drop positions because of this stat but hope I’m wrong. Heupel will need to close strong from now until NSD for us to keep the ranking some here are quoting.

A lot teams will finish with under 20 total recruits and finish with a high average ranking. That doesn't mean their class is better.

Take us vs Ole Miss last year. We finished with a better average recruit ranking, but took only 16 players. Ole Miss took 25. Clearly, OM had the better class and the final rankings reflected that.

Average ranking only matters with teams with a similar numbers of recruits.
 
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