Recruiting Forum Football Talk IX

[Jackcrevol]

sorry that's kind of how people talk internally. I actually thought spraggins was just a body last year and he was 3rd team all ec.

@KingVFL I know how you feel.

I never played a single down of football. Got Pope and Martinez zeroed in.

 

[Orange.]

My neighbor's 13 year old boy asked me if I have any work for him to make a dollar. He wants to buy a ps5 or whatever the new game system is. I told him I'd give him $250 to pressure wash my decks and privacy fence.

He worked for about 2 or 3 hours when a lady I've never seen before pulls in. She jumped out crying that I have "a 10 year old working out in the summer heat". . . saying that there are businesses that do this type of work and kids shouldn't be doing it. I told her not to worry about it, mind her down business and get the he** out of here. I fully expect her husband to be here any minute crying about how I talked to her. . .

I remember doing this type of work when I was 13. What the heck is wrong with people these days?

That's eighth grade, right? Other kids his age are practicing football right now in the same weather. Others have been playing day time baseball. Others are mowing yards for family and grandparents and sometimes for some for coin, too. The young guy does need to hydrate. Give him a water or two if he didn't bring any. And something with some salt in it. And tell him to bring his own forever after. Tell him if he gets dizzy -- not hot, not tired, literally dizzy -- he needs to take a break in the shade. Maybe spray himself with the water. Otherwise, rock on.

Good on him for asking.

If any of us tried to complain about the heat, Dad always said "It's supposed to be hot, it's summer." That remark has gotten me complaint-free through decades of searing summer days. Unloading steel trucks mid day in sun in the summer for coin when I was in college, for example.

 

[SoilVol]

for those of you negas thinking 7-5 is really possible, do you expect Heupel’s seat to start getting warm then? Because it would be.

8-4 is the floor. 9-3 is what we’ll be. 10-2 the ceiling.

Will he get fired? No. Will fans be mad? Yeah. Should fans be mad? No. Should fans be disappointed? Yeah.

I don't think flatly saying 7-5 is possible if the QBs and WRs aren't good is being a Nega. A Nega would be confidently declaring something like "We won't even make a bowl this year, not even worth watching."

I think we go 9-3.

 

[SoilVol]

My neighbor's 13 year old boy asked me if I have any work for him to make a dollar. He wants to buy a ps5 or whatever the new game system is. I told him I'd give him $250 to pressure wash my decks and privacy fence.

He worked for about 2 or 3 hours when a lady I've never seen before pulls in. She jumped out crying that I have "a 10 year old working out in the summer heat". . . saying that there are businesses that do this type of work and kids shouldn't be doing it. I told her not to worry about it, mind her down business and get the he** out of here. I fully expect her husband to be here any minute crying about how I talked to her. . .

I remember doing this type of work when I was 13. What the heck is wrong with people these days?

What, 13yr olds can't do yard work anymore? Does that mean they can't play on a playground or ride a bike through the neighborhood too?

 

[Glitch]

What, 13yr olds can't do yard work anymore? Does that mean they can't play on a playground or ride a bike through the neighborhood too?

Their bikes are all electric motorized contraptions. Little tools don't even have to pedal.


No offense to anyone with kids with electric motorized bikes. They are just the most saddest things I have seen in a while. The struggle and benefit that came from having to pedal a bike was just a part of childhood that appears to be lost at this point. Makes me sads.

 

[Orange.]

I don't think his seat is really even warm at 7-5. There isn't much he can do to get on a hot seat after this season. If he does it in back to back seasons and it's effecting recruiting too, I think he'll ease up into a pressure cooker. . .

'cruiting machine going brrrrrrr.

 

[UTSuave’]

Well, the push away from having anything to do with Christianity is the nexus of that, I think. BCE is Before Common Era and CE is Common Era...but what is the line in the sand to delineate what is BCE and what is CE....? The birth of Jesus Christ, aka year 1. It is all semantics to make some non-religious person feel that the calendar years no longer have to do with the birth of Christ. If that makes them feel better then it matters not to most people. Not a hill I would choose to die on one way or the other.

This is exactly what I was struggling with…there wasn’t any “before the Bible in my family” that was most important and that’s where life started…so you’re telling me life was happening before Christ?..hard to imagine. I also get lost in Greek methodology as well but i enjoy reading about it..time lines piecing them together is a trip.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

Yeah and Jayson Swain didn't mention them either today as far as I heard.

Yeah good sign they didn't seem stressed. Between them, Ainge and Swain...they definitely seem more worried about the WR's than anything. Ainge went into pretty good detail about all 3, from fundamentals and how they ran the offense and...I'm starting to think the QB's "struggles" are being overblown a bit.

Actually Swain did talk about QB's. George has best tools, just young and skinny.

Aguilar out played Merk and it took a while to see Merk complete a pass.

Ran the ball really well, but didn't take any shots. Lots of screens and short passes.

 

[mrMet]

I don't think his seat is really even warm at 7-5. There isn't much he can do to get on a hot seat after this season. If he does it in back to back seasons and it's effecting recruiting too, I think he'll ease up into a pressure cooker. . .

I’m not saying it’s full on warm at 7-5, I’m saying it’ll start to warm up. Pressure will be immense heading into 26

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

Actually Swain did talk about QB's. George has best tools, just young and skinny.

Aguilar out played Merk and it took a while to see Merk complete a pass.

Ran the ball really well, but didn't take any shots. Lots of screens and short passes.

Also, listen to Swain is a chore...had to put the podcast on x2 speed because he takes EONS to get the thoughts out of his head.

 

[jave36]

i am glad our opponents are good. i like watching good football games

50 other college football games every weekend, I can find plenty of good games. I want all our opponents to stink so we win every game by double digits and it's over by halftime.

 

[DD4ME]

Not sure what you think you know, but if he came in and got worse, would be the only reason he isn’t going to be a good starter for us, because again that ND OL was one of the tops in the country and he played almost every snap for them. So either you have no clue what you are talking about or somehow someway he came here and has gotten progressively worse. So which is it?

Lol he came here due to depth and competition there. So their OL being amazing doesn't negate what @KingVFL is saying.

 

[DD4ME]

Not a Debbie downer, but I ain't seeing national title team either. Hope they prove me wrong.

 

[Orange.]

That was a great catch by Brazzell. The ball was high and behind him.

 

[Orange.]

7-5 people still don’t believe in Heupel

Trolls or effectively trolls (no difference in behavior but the latter want to bore you about all the unacted upon positivity in their "heart.") No distinction in behavior or effect.

 

[SugarCC]

Adam Sparks is always on the case

I want the kid to obey the law, and uphold his obligations and responsibilities. I dont ever want to see our boys and girls defendants in a court of law, no matter how minimal the charge. I want them to be upstanding citizens, and good men and women. And, I certainly never want to see them in cuffs and mugshot. This goes for Ruby, too.

With that said, make him run Neyland till he pukes. Although I meant what I said, this is really no big deal, and shouldn't be made into one...yet, I'm sure the Knoxville media has someone holding their beer as we speak. Make him run and do burpees until he checks his glove box for his insurance card each and every time he drives; if nothing else, it's a headache he and the team doesn't need, especially now.

 

[SpringBokVol]

I think pre season polls are stupid.

If you are going to have them just for something to talk about, fine. But then reseed after week 2.

It’s just bogus for a top 10 preseason team to be there for no reason and then have an early loss that doesn’t effect them.

If you are 20 or beyond and you lose early you are done. Good luck climbing.

For example, when UT beats UGA week 3 they will still be ranked ahead of us the following week.

 

[DD4ME]

I will say Heupel doesn't seem to have the swagger he did last pre-season. Could mean nothing but he came across very positive to me this time last year.

 

[Rishvol]

I like the idea of adjunct professor - or maybe working at a museum or library so I don’t have to deal with people.

And then I’ll volunteer as an asst coach for my grandkids’ sports teams.

That would be the life!

2 best jobs I've ever had. Working in a library in HS putting up books and working in a museum. If I could I'd go work in a museum again in a heartbeat

 

[KingVFL]

Honest assessments of the qbs? Think GMac can work his way into pt this year?

(people aren't going to love this but)

I don't think we're in a good place right now.

Aguilar will start game one, but talent wise he just doesn't have it. He'll probably be okay if we can scheme around him but he's really not a top tier QB in the SEC. There's a reason he transferred to a weak UCLA program.

Merklinger isn't playing with much confidence right now. He's got a good throwing motion and is a decent athlete but it's just not coming together for him. I think in a year or two he could be a *fine* starter for a low-end SEC or middle of the pack ACC program but he's just not a program cornerstone type guy.

George looks the part. He's by far the most natural QB of the bunch with far and away the most talent. If things go south with Joey, I hope we throw George out there and just see what he can do. He's way too skinny to physically survive the SEC grind week in and week out right now. I hope our OL can hold up if he's out there but the kid has a lot of natural talent. Really glad we took him over Deuce Knight last year. Will be fun with him and Faizon competing next year.

 

[Jackcrevol]

2 best jobs I've ever had. Working in a library in HS putting up books and working in a museum. If I could I'd go work in a museum again in a heartbeat

Sort of archaic dont you think? Dont you feel like a dinosaur?

 

[Volbucky]

(people aren't going to love this but)

I don't think we're in a good place right now.

Aguilar will start game one, but talent wise he just doesn't have it. He'll probably be okay if we can scheme around him but he's really not a top tier QB in the SEC. There's a reason he transferred to a weak UCLA program.

Merklinger isn't playing with much confidence right now. He's got a good throwing motion and is a decent athlete but it's just not coming together for him. I think in a year or two he could be a *fine* starter for a low-end SEC or middle of the pack ACC program but he's just not a program cornerstone type guy.

George looks the part. He's by far the most natural QB of the bunch with far and away the most talent. If things go south with Joey, I hope we throw George out there and just see what he can do. He's way too skinny to physically survive the SEC grind week in and week out right now. I hope our OL can hold up if he's out there but the kid has a lot of natural talent. Really glad we took him over Deuce Knight last year. Will be fun with him and Faizon competing next year.

Well that’s depressing

 

[Rishvol]

Sort of archaic dont you think? Dont you feel like a dinosaur?

What's a dinosaur? (Someone will get the joke)

 

[KingVFL]

Well that’s depressing

I hope I'm wrong. We have really talented team that I think with above average QB play can get us to 9-3 and good QB play to 10-2. Just no way to say that losing Nico in the spring was anything but devastating for 2025. Maybe long-term a benefit but not right now.

 

[DD4ME]

Their bikes are all electric motorized contraptions. Little tools don't even have to pedal.


No offense to anyone with kids with electric motorized bikes. They are just the most saddest things I have seen in a while. The struggle and benefit that came from having to pedal a bike was just a part of childhood that appears to be lost at this point. Makes me sads.

Skateboards too