Recruiting Forum Football Talk IV

[BigSteve09]

The rising high school senior from Long Beach, Calif., is a walking, talking, touchdown-slinging, Instagram-storying brand. He draws the eye immediately, and he’s unforgettable once beheld. From his braids to his glasses to his trademark pajama pants (there’s an eponymous line in the works) Iamaleava is — as the members of his generation call it — a whole mood.

it became clear that if anyone can handle the crush that comes with being the first true high-dollar experiment of the NIL era, it’s a guy who smiles constantly, who seems genuinely happy to greet everyone who greets him, who tells his youngest fans to “be great.”

Knoxville-based marketing agency Spyre Sports is the group dealing with the most current Tennessee players, and appears to be on the cutting edge of NIL deals compared to most of its competitors.

The hope at Tennessee is that his early commitment allows him to have a Pied Piper effect on other highly-touted prospects. He spent the weekend working on Gilbert, Ariz., receiver Kyler Kasper, who also has interest from Ohio State and Notre Dame, and receiver Carnell Tate

 

[ALStateLineVol]

I could see us landing Tate and Burley, both who could end up as 5*s. Nico is a 5*. It's not out of the realm of possibility we land a couple of more. So it's possible we could go over 5. But like I said, I'd be a happy with a class of mostly 4*'s. Rankings are so inconsistent. I trust our staff's evaluations, so even the 3*'s they sign could be special. Quite a few Tennessee greats were rated 3*s coming out of HS.

I was thinking about the Bradley kid too as another.
For me, just having a discussion in year 2 of this staff and we are hypothetically trying to guess the o/u on 5* players, is truly astonishing.

Go Vols!!

 

[StoVol]

 

[Rizzo924]

How short is TV?

Taylor Lewan is 6’7”.

& Will Compton is listed at 6'1"

 

[Pridedad]

& Will Compton is listed at 6'1"

so 5-10 or 5-11?

 

[Batman1948]

When do we revisit the fact that Michael Jordan is the GOAT, and LeBron James didn't even make the playoffs this year?

I think you just did

 

[Batman1948]

Back to the point....AL signs 5* and upper 4* OL every year. They should not need to get one from the transfer portal. Just like they should not have been desperate for HT last year if their evaluations are as great as the recruiting services make them out to be.

That's not their intent. They're just stockpiling guys to keep them away from the competition. I bet they're paid well to ride the pine too

 

[Batman1948]

So whoever came up with the wooden bat idea we’re kicking him in the bread sack right?

I think that would be one Tony Vitello, he said it's gonna be an annual event. It's still baseball

 

[Devo182]

Other than Quincy Riley and Bru McCoy, I wonder who else we are still pursuing in the portal? Are we still looking for another Edge or DL? Or another LB? More secondary? After missing on Steen, are we looking at any other OL? Less than 3 weeks until the deadline to be in the portal and be eligible for next season. Would be nice to see more talent in the portal by then.

Callahan didn't seem very confident in taking an OT. Basically said most portaling this late are doing so because they couldn't lock down a spot in Spring...not sure staff will find anyone appreciably more qualified than what we already have.

Really sucks we had to wait this late in the portal. The best are already gone and those joining this late are rarely starter quality.

 

[Devo182]

Truthfully, I think the SEC having a different deadline than the NCAA is kind of dumb. Why not just have a set May 1st deadline, intraconference or not?

It's pretty clear imo

Sankey and SEC schools wanted to "join the party" and not be seen as the only regressive conference...and yet they added in this restrictive qualifier to still have some control over player movement. Ultimately, guys like Saban never wanted one iota of this. The schools would happily go back to when there were no transfers at all and players were held under lock and key.

They only gave in, at the bare minimum, to avoid the flak they've seen the NCAA take on for years. Ultimately, the schools (the members of the NCAA association) have always wanted full control and always will.

 

[BigSteve09]

“It’s been great being a recruiter and letting them know what it’s like in Knoxville,” Iamaleava said.

when Nico wore the Honco shirt:

Mike Honcho T-shirts have been flying off the shelves, and the profit from those shirts goes to Beck. So not only did Iamaleava help spread the word to potentially make a Tennessee athlete some more dough, he further endeared himself to a fanbase that could only accurately be called rabid if rabies somehow found a way to get even more intense.

Everyone calls Nico’s dad “Big Nick.” With the Smoky Mountains in the background, the father of eight and former JUCO lineman fits right into the landscape. He towers over even his 6-foot-6 son, and unlike Nico and 6-3 younger brother Madden (a class of 2025 QB), there is nothing lanky about Big Nick. This helps explain why his children are so polite. When Big Nick tells you to say “yes sir,” you say “yes sir” to him and to anyone else within earshot.

It’s difficult to tell much about his pocket awareness or his ability to read defenses from a seven-on-seven tournament, but it’s easy to hear the ball sizzle when it leaves his hand. He can power throws to the far sideline, and he can drop a deep ball into a receiver’s hands. On one play, Nico threw a perfect teardrop 40 yards over a cornerback to the outstretched arms of Mission Viejo, Calif., receiver Mikey Matthews.

Basically, Nico gives off the vibe of someone who probably should be famous for something. That’s probably how he created a signature look and started a trend by accident. In January, Team Toa was playing in a seven-on-seven tournament in Miami. This particular tournament allowed pass rushing, and the members of the South Florida Express chased Nico around the field. All that running left his sweatpants caked with mud. The next day, the team was running late leaving its hotel. Big Nick was yelling for everyone to hurry, and as we’ve established, when Big Nick says something, everyone complies. When Nico realized his pants were too muddy to wear again, he threw on the closest clean bottoms he could find and ran out the door. After he torched opponents that day wearing pajama bottoms, Nico started wearing them for every seven-on-seven event. His teammates followed suit. So did opponents.

If Nico eventually does become Tennessee’s starting quarterback and he leads the Volunteers back to real relevance in the SEC, half the kids in the state will beg their parents for Nico pajama bottoms. The parents probably would buy a few for themselves.

This guy is inescapable:

It took nearly a half hour to get Nico from the field to a waiting vehicle to get to his next stop Saturday. Everyone wanted a word or a photo or a video that could be remixed as an Instagram reel or Tik Tok post. One guy wanted to rap.

Random:

As great as some of the throws Nico made Saturday morning were, none were as beautiful as the ones sailing out of the right hand of Joe Milton. “He will look like the best quarterback you have ever seen in your life,” said a coach who recruited but didn’t sign Milton, a 6-foot-5, 245-pounder from Orlando, Fla., who played for Michigan before transferring to Tennessee last summer. Standing behind Milton as he runs an offense, the hyperbole of that assessment melts away. Watching Joe Milton throw a football up close is breathtaking. In terms of pure arm talent, there may only be a handful of NFL quarterbacks who can match Milton.

 

[MadWorld]

This MAN certainly bought into the program. I didn't think much of him coming out of HS at Lavergne, but he sure has worked hard and is ALL VOL.

 

[Devo182]

Some people are just terrible as umps. Doesn't mean they should be punched. I think every parent should have to umpire a game for other teams to see how hard it is. I have to call lines in volleyball all the time and when people complain about my calls I happily offer them the job. I've never had another person take it.

Can't wait till robot umps become a thing.

Nobody will ever talk back to T-1000.

 

[Weezer]

Callahan didn't seem very confident in taking an OT. Basically said most portaling this late are doing so because they couldn't lock down a spot in Spring...not sure staff will find anyone appreciably more qualified than what we already have.

Really sucks we had to wait this late in the portal. The best are already gone and those joining this late are rarely starter quality.

Hmmm... When I expressed this concern after the season I was told I was being negative and that there'd be tons of talent hit the portal come Spring.

Now that I got the salty out, this was always my concern. The reality of the situation is the better players hit the portal following the season. I understand we didn't have room because of the decision to limit scholarships, but I don't think I was being negative or that I was wrong in pointing out how this year is different than last year, when the deadline was extended, and the new transfer rule had just passed. That said, I'm still hoping maybe at least one or two good players hit the portal (from non-SEC teams) before the May 1st deadline.

 

[BigSteve09]

The running theme of the article was that Nico is worth $8M and is a natural at marketing himself and everything around him. He is a star on the field, and manages his star off the field perfectly. He's so good at it that he can make others around him and on the same campus a ton of money in the NIL age.

 

[Devo182]

I did it as a teenager- both baseball and basketball. You get thick skin when you do it at a young age.

I believe this subject came up several weeks ago, and I said then that all I care about is the ump/referee knowing the rules and putting forth the effort to be in position. Also, you have to be willing to have some thick skin and understand that coaches will see things differently as they are competitive and want to protect their players. However, resorting to violence is outrageous and should never be tolerated. But, two reasonable people can have a back and forth discussion/disagreement while still being professional and not ending up with technical fouls or worse.

Two reasonable people can have a discussion.

But 100,000 can't. And then suddenly bottles, golf balls, el tri batteries, etc become the pathetic norm. And then it's excused. Unless it's South American refs...who get killed right there on the field.

Jmo but it should be zero tolerance for all verbal or physical assaults. It is a freakin game and it's ridiculously childish. Society needs to grow up.

 

[BigSteve09]

Callahan didn't seem very confident in taking an OT. Basically said most portaling this late are doing so because they couldn't lock down a spot in Spring...not sure staff will find anyone appreciably more qualified than what we already have.

Really sucks we had to wait this late in the portal. The best are already gone and those joining this late are rarely starter quality.

Hmmm... When I expressed this concern after the season I was told I was being negative and that there'd be tons of talent hit the portal come Spring.

Now that I got the salty out, this was always my concern. The reality of the situation is the better players hit the portal following the season. I understand we didn't have room because of the decision to limit scholarships, but I don't think I was being negative or that I was wrong in pointing out how this year is different than last year, when the deadline was extended, and the new transfer rule had just passed. That said, I'm still hoping maybe at least one or two good players hit the portal (from non-SEC teams) before the May 1st deadline.

We are building depth, and in need of depth. Are there future All-Pros hitting the portal right now? No. Are there guys that can contribute and at least bolster the roster in various thin units? Absolutely.

 

[Batman1948]

Hard to go through the season playing the schedule they play without the possibility of someone sneaking up on you and beating cause of a let down or just cause of the grind. Loving this season and I hope this fires them up for another 30-1 run. GBO!!

Hard to go through the season playing the schedule they play without the possibility of someone sneaking up on you and beating cause of a let down or just cause of the grind. Loving this season and I hope this fires them up for another 30-1 run. GBO!!

If you win 65% of your games in MLB, you're in the playoffs and probably the favorite to win the World Series. What Tennessee is doing in baseball is unheard of and it can't be sustained for the entire season. Just enjoy what we've already achieved and hope we can make it to Omaha.

 

[Weezer]

Callahan didn't seem very confident in taking an OT. Basically said most portaling this late are doing so because they couldn't lock down a spot in Spring...not sure staff will find anyone appreciably more qualified than what we already have.

Really sucks we had to wait this late in the portal. The best are already gone and those joining this late are rarely starter quality.

@SugarCC

Not looking to restart the argument, but this is what I was saying after the season. Maybe people will understand and accept it better coming from Callahan.

And ftr, I'm still hoping to be wrong and see a couple of more good players hit the portal that we might snag.

 

[Voltime123]

@SugarCC

Not looking to restart the argument, but this is what I was saying after the season. Maybe people will understand and accept it better coming from Callahan.

And ftr, I'm still hoping to be wrong and see a couple of more good players hit the portal that we might snag.

What argument? We already got a OT, safety/corner, and about to get a WR and another corner. That’s 4 guys from the transfer portal with the possibility of more. It’s not great but it’s definitely decent..

 

[Batman1948]

Umps get punched because people believe they are biased and are making bad calls on purpose to help one team win over the other.

This goes way beyond sports. It's our sick society. Just look at all the crap that's going on with airline passengers in mid flight. It's just crazy. In general, a certain number of people in our society are just plain ole nuts. Doesn't matter what the venue is, some people are ready to throw down

 

[Weezer]

We are building depth, and in need of depth. Are there future All-Pros hitting the portal right now? No. Are there guys that can contribute and at least bolster the roster in various thin units? Absolutely.

Quincy Riley and Bru McCoy would be good additions to the team. I'm not sure who else we might be going after, but we know the staff pursued a couple of Edge players. We know they pursued an OT (Steen). We know they pursued a DL. It seems like they maybe pursued a LB, but I can't remember that one too well. What hurt us was the scholarship reduction, but it was a necessary evil. Hopefully it prevents further sanctions.

 

[Batman1948]

For fun:

Over under 5 stars in this class (on at least 1 service) at 4.5… I’ll take the over.

Are you including 5 star hearts----if so----it's the over

 

[BigSteve09]

Quincy Riley and Bru McCoy would be good additions to the team. I'm not sure who else we might be going after, but we know the staff pursued a couple of Edge players. We know they pursued an OT (Steen). We know they pursued a DL. It seems like they maybe pursued a LB, but I can't remember that one too well. What hurt us was the scholarship reduction, but it was a necessary evil. Hopefully it prevents further sanctions.

I think some of it has to do with the age-old "best available" vs "biggest need" argument. Sometimes when a guy is available, and he's that good, you have to take a shot. I wouldn't say we have a ton of positions of need, but we can stand to get better at every position.

Agreed on the scholarship reduction. That's also why I can accept us adding guys that aren't necessarily all-conference. We still need bodies.

 

[Devo182]

We're in on a few, so saying we might get 2 comes across as being extremely pessimistic. Which is entirely what I expect of you, but I had to point it out.

Thing is we're battling big time programs for even the ones we're in on. I'd be surprised if we're over 50% for either Tate or Burley. Tate alone is against OSU and ND. We might be 40%, say, maybe OSU 40% and ND 20% let's just estimate. So take multiple guys like that. We'd need to be "deep in on" 5 of them just to land 2, on average.

I think over 4.5 is being wildly optimistic. Basically need to land everyone we're in on.