Recruiting Forum Football Talk IV

[csprig9]

Volquest Mailbag Podcast Notes - 3/24/2022

• Official thoughts that Adidas is entering the NIL game
  • Rob Lewis is not surprised by this and thinks the other brands will follow
  • Kind of takes the Spyre's out of the equation, however...

I don’t think it takes the spyres out
If adidas funds one team in theory they would have to the other adidas teams somewhat equally or teams will switch brands
IMO
Spyre is an added bonus
I don’t know the details so I may be talking out of my ass also lol

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

Volquest Mailbag Podcast Notes - 3/24/2022

• Official thoughts that Adidas is entering the NIL game
  • Rob Lewis is not surprised by this and thinks the other brands will follow
  • Kind of takes the Spyre's out of the equation, however...
• Did the price just go up for every Tennessee QB moving forward?
  • QBs are going to be 7 figure players going forward
  • Who knows exactly what Nico got? Proving it is different.
  • QB at Alabama is making 7 figures so it is not unprecedented
• Bru McCoy going to do something this weekend? Does Tennessee lead for Steen? What about Agude?
  • AP does not know if he commits this weekend
  • Might get official visit from Steen
  • Agude makes an official this weekend and then we will see.
• Wilfong said Tennessee might be in pole position for Tate is that true? What are some OL we are in good shape with?
  • Unsure about pole position. Tennessee is right there at the top along with Notre Dame and Ohio State.
  • AP thinks we have a better shot at Kasper compared to Tate but both are very possible
• Is Slaughter fast enough to play in the SEC?
  • Slaughter probably not fast enough, but maybe could play some
  • Turnage, Hadden, Rucker, and Burrell being out is tough for this team
  • Desmond Williams needs to go fast and get ready
• Has Joe Milton made any progress? What about Juwan Mitchell at linebacker?
  • Mitchell is pretty much full go
  • Joe Milton is not bad but probably has not changed dramatically
• When do we start seeing defensive recruits commit? How many WRs will we take?
  • Herring comes off the board probably soon.
  • Tennessee is in a good spot with Jeremiah Telander from Georgia
  • Also in a great spot with Zach Myers
  • Tennessee will take 3-4 more recievers
  • Here are the WR names: Kasper, Tate, Rogers, Hyatt, Porter, Brown... a lot of names
• What about Riley from MTSU (cornerback transfer)
  • He has to think he can play right away after watching practice on Tuesday
  • How hard does Tennessee pursue there? Tennessee needs to get someone.
• Any position moves this spring?
  • If they did not do it to start spring practice, then it probably is not happening

So...just about the time we get recruiting right and going our way with Spyre...freaking shoe companies are going to us over?

 

[Jimmy Football]

So...just about the time we get recruiting right and going our way with Spyre...freaking shoe companies are going to us over?

I don’t understand what he’s talking about. Why would shoe company NIL stuff obviate Spyre’s NIL stuff?

 

[Glitch]

None of that will help if he doesn’t change his socks.

Very true.

 

[Glitch]

I don’t understand what he’s talking about. Why would shoe company NIL stuff obviate Spyre’s NIL stuff?

Yeah. I don't see how it negates Spyre at all. Spyre's entire purpose is marketing athletes. Shoe companies make shoes and market their products. I think Spyre will be just fine.

 

[Adam2014]

I don’t understand what he’s talking about. Why would shoe company NIL stuff obviate Spyre’s NIL stuff?

I should have been more clear with my notes. I will update. My apologies. Rob's thought was that instead of a player signing with Spyre where he only gets the money if he plays at Tennessee he could instead sign with Nike, Adidas, or Under Armor and have multiple places to play.

 

[SamRebel35]

So...just about the time we get recruiting right and going our way with Spyre...freaking shoe companies are going to us over?

I don't see why it would hurt us though. I don't see Adidas or Nike offering endorsement deals to recruits based on where they end up going to school. I'm thinking it'll be like a true name/image/likeness type deal where a big name recruit can be in commercials and on billboards and stuff. But I don't think it would nullify Spyre being able to do their thing as well.

 

[Jimmy Football]

I should have been more clear with my notes. I will update. My apologies. Rob's thought was that instead of a player signing with Spyre where he only gets the money if he plays at Tennessee he could instead sign with Nike, Adidas, or Under Armor and have multiple places to play.

Thanks, that clears things up.

Edit: I would be worried about shoe companies pushing kids to favored schools, but that shouldn’t be a problem in the short term because of the recent FBI corruption case for basketball recruiting. It will inevitably become an issue down the road, though.

 

[Adam2014]

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

I don’t understand what he’s talking about. Why would shoe company NIL stuff obviate Spyre’s NIL stuff?

Exactly! If those companies get involved, then even better for us, because we can offer Spyre AND Nike!

 

[Vols4us]

Where can we improve this year and is it reasonable to think we can?

On offense there’s one major area I’d like to see us improve in – sacks allowed per game. We were last in the conference last year and 124th in the nation (out of 130 teams). Hooker’s average time to throw was 2.00 seconds, best in the conference, and his average depth of throw was also farthest. He had an average of 6.75 blockers which means relative to others we were trying to help. Our protection guys just need to be better. 11.92% of the time Hooker is back to pass he’s taking a sack, almost twice as high as the conference average. It shouldn’t have to be said but it should be noted that some of our defensive opponents are leading the nation in sacks/game. It’s not so much that we’re bad at protecting the QB, it’s more I think we have to face the best pass rushers in the country due to our schedule moreso than anyone else. jmo.

Can we improve in pass protection this year? Last year we struggled with depth and due to injuries often had to put bodies out there. This year we have 4 returning starters on the offensive line. Callahan on March 16th said on Ainge’s radio show that in talking with the staff he thought they were looking at bringing in another OT from the portal this year (in addition to another WR, another RB, and one each for the three levels of the defense). While we haven’t significantly boosted the talent up front, given some added time for development for some of the inherited guys and due to the 4 returning starters I’d estimate that the probability for improvement is moderate to high. I mean when we’re in last place it’s pretty clear that the only way for us to go is up. jmo.

The second area I’d like to see us improve on is our consistency on defense across the course of the game. Last year We were 27th best in the nation for 1st quarter defense. We were 119th in the nation in 2nd quarter defense. We were 71st in the nation in 3rd quarter defense, and we were 106th in the nation in 4th quarter defense. On offense we were 1st in the nation at 1st quarter offense, 59th for 2nd quarter offense, 29th for 3rd quarter offense, and 48th for 4th quarter offense. It’s perhaps likely that we just didn’t have enough bodies on defense last year and the guys just ran out of gas in the latter part of the halves (perhaps moreso with the pace of our offense and the strength of our schedule). If we can improve the depth on defense we might be able to improve our consistency on that side of the ball over the course of the game which theoretically would provide more opportunities to the offense and a “go for throttle up” for Hooker and Co. on the scoreboard. jmo.

Can we improve our depth on defense going into this fall’s season? Well we had some young guys last year that HAD to play so that should help this year. The idea from Callahan that we may still be looking to add a DL, a LB, and a DB from the portal after spring ball might also help. The attrition during the coaching change last year in addition to the losses on the offensive line and at running back from 2020 had the new staff scrambling upon their arrival. Athlon picked us to finish 5th in the east last year; we finished 3rd and beat the 2nd place finisher. The attrition of defense was expected to hold us back more than it did. I think that’s a testament to the guys who stayed as well as the staff on that side of the ball. I think the probability for improvement in the consistency of our defense this year is at least moderate. and could be higher depending on who we can get from the portal in the next few weeks. jmo.

Great post. Thanks for the work you put in. Agree completely.

 

[bigorange]

 

[bigorange]

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

My prediction for commits in March/April:

Devin Hyatt
Zack Myers
Caleb Herring
Brycen Sanders
Cristian Conyer
Kyler Kasper

That would give us the current #1 class with 11 players.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

I don't see why it would hurt us though. I don't see Adidas or Nike offering endorsement deals to recruits based on where they end up going to school. I'm thinking it'll be like a true name/image/likeness type deal where a big name recruit can be in commercials and on billboards and stuff. But I don't think it would nullify Spyre being able to do their thing as well.

Thanks to Adams next post, I can see how it would hurt.

 

[Glitch]

 

[Jimmy Football]

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Sounds like Slaughter likely plays where Theo was if they don't think he's fast enough to cover or play safety.

 

[bigorange]

 

[bigorange]

 

[SSVol]

So...just about the time we get recruiting right and going our way with Spyre...freaking shoe companies are going to us over?

No. Shoe companies give all players some money. Spyre gives some players more money. Ever been to an auction? You've got the guys that show up looking for a deal. They bid low on everything, but have no real conviction. Then you have the guys that show up with money to buy a specific thing. They bid with conviction. Spyre is the latter.

 

[RiseToTheTop]

It also means we can offer Nike and Spyre.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

So...just about the time we get recruiting right and going our way with Spyre...freaking shoe companies are going to us over?

Spyre can guarantee the player a minimum amount. Shoe companies are going to be strictly based on a % of a player sells. They are in it to make money, Spyre is in it to support the players at the school of his choice.

Is there anything that prevents Spyre from basically reselling the certain apparel deals to the shoe company on behalf of the Athlete? How many Athletes do you think a shoe company is going to do individual contracts with?

I just see this as another wrinkle in a changing world.

 

[ChattaTNVol]

Exactly! If those companies get involved, then even better for us, because we can offer Spyre AND Nike!

I think you have the right analysis.

If I read the Adidas announcement correctly a student athlete has to be at an Adidas school to take advantage of the opportunity. They have 50,000 student athletes at Adidas contracted schools. so they say. Athletes get a commission on sales of Adidas merchandise and so much for social media posts. They're free to make deals with other sponsors.

Sprye's initial budget target is said to be $30,000,000 per year. When Nike matches or exceeds the Adidas offer it will be a wash but I don't think either one of them is going to be spending all that much money on this, at least not on a per athlete basis. They'll get something in return, presumably higher sales revenues.

Below is a website that tracks the schools that have collectives and other programs to support students NIL opportunities. I think these collectives will always be the heavy hitters. jmo.

Our goal, the goal of Volnation, probably needs to be to encourage as many of our fellow fans as possible to join the 1951 club if they can swing it. If we show up, we'll probably do well. jmo.

There is likely to be billions funneled into these collectives when everybody is up and running. I figure just the P-5 schools alone will be north of a couple billion/year at least. jmo.

Tracker: University-Specific NIL Collectives

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

I don’t think it takes the spyres out
If adidas funds one team in theory they would have to the other adidas teams somewhat equally or teams will switch brands
IMO
Spyre is an added bonus
I don’t know the details so I may be talking out of my ass also lol

It doesn't take Spyre out of the equation at all. The only way it hurts Tennessee is if a kids signs with Adidas or Under Armor. Any kid that signs with Nike could still pick Tennessee and that's where Spyre steps in. You also might have a top recruit get a better offer from Adidas than Nike but a Nike school like Tennessee that has a collective like Spyre could make the overall NIL money much better to sign with Nike and go to Tennessee. Also, every top 250 recruit won't get a deal with an apparel company.