NighthawkVol
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I didn't do one of these after the Oklahoma game. Too much toxicity in here from all of the woodwork creepers showing up. Funny how that happens after a loss. But I thought I'd post some general observations about where we are. I'll start with the big one.
Josh Heupel is building a program. That's not the same thing as building a team. It's easy to get caught up in the short term (I do it too). But long term, this is about building a program. Recruiting is gradually improving each year as we get further removed from the Era of Dysfunction of 2008-2020. The committed class is the best of the Heupel era. The 2025 class (current freshmen) is the 2nd best. I believe we have one more season of dealing with NCAA sanctions, so those extra non-contacts and non-recruiting weekends we're having to deal with will only be around for one more year. One would expect that will help recruiting further, along with the Adidas deal.
Building a program isn't instantaneous, even if Heupel gave us that impression in 2022. That was a fun year with the benefit of some talented guys who'd been through a lot and broke through. But the nothingness of the recruiting classes from 2018-2021 caught up with us. Most of those guys transferred out when Pruitt was fired and the NCAA came calling (if they hadn't already) and it left a talent void. The staff has done a good job of masking it with the portal and with better classes since then, but that's a lot to overcome in the SEC. Even in spite of that, we're an upper level SEC program...a very good one. But not an elite one. That's the next step and it's the most difficult one.
This will be a good roster in 2026. QB will be the big question. I don't like the idea of rolling with a true freshman, even one as talented as Faizon. GMac needs to be ready. But if we plug needs (Safety, Star, DL) in the portal as we should, and young guys develop as they should, that will be a talented roster. We'll be in contention for a CFP spot again. Then, I think 2027 will be a big year.
Guys like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Kirby Smart gave everyone the illusion that program-building is instantaneous. But those guys took over MUCH better rosters and weren't dealing with the NCAA handicaps. A better comparison is Dabo Swinney, who, to be fair, wasn't doing it in the SEC, but rather, a much softer ACC. Nonetheless, it took until Dabo's 8th season before they were truly a national championship contender. They lost the NC game that year to Alabama, then won it all the next year. Before that, there was a term people used to describe a program that seemed to have talent, but always failed to meet expectations..."Clemsoning." Y'all remember that? Eventually, Dabo built the program up to make people forget about that term. But it took time. 8 years. Heupel just completed his 5th.
That's the goal here...to get to elite with a sustainable, well-built program. And I think we have the coach to do it, using a similar formula. Like Dabo, Heupel isn't signing a top 3 class every year. This staff is evaluating for a certain fit and culture. And they're good at it. Heupel isn't relying on stopgap measures, flipping the roster every year via the portal. They don't get portal guys just to get portal guys. Consequently, their hit rate in the portal has been very high...especially on guys who weren't considered "elite" portal transfers. They evaluate. They find the right fit. And they find talent where others may not see it.
Herbstreit is right...we have the right guy. He's highly competitive, a great offensive mind, relates to players, is a fantastic leader, and is highly respected. He wants to be at Tennessee. And he does it the right way. Those of us who are patient will be rewarded soon enough.
Some other thoughts, some of which I've addressed in other discussions:
-It's funny how some transfers, when they happen, you think they'll be a big deal (then end up not being a big deal) and others you think won't be a big deal (then end up being a big deal). When Nico transferred, obviously, we thought, "well there goes the season." Turns out, it was a good thing and we upgraded with Aguilar. When Christian Harrison transferred, I thought it sucked for depth purposes, but it wasn't a huge loss. Man, was I wrong. Harrison would've been huge this year. He's played very well for Cincinnati. But given how Boo flopped this year, Harrison could've been the Star we needed (he was very good last year), allowing McMurray to stay at outside CB (where he was good last year as a backup), and that would have improved both of those positions.
Similarly, I don't think we understood how big of a loss Will Brooks would be. Not only did he make crucial plays and put himself in the right position, but he put others in the right position too. He was a huge loss.
-Preseason expectations are always wrong. Every year, it seems a perceived weakness ends up being a strength. This year it was QB and WR. Last year it was the secondary. And every year, it seems like a perceived strength ends up a weakness. This year, it was the defense as a whole. Last year, it was Nico and the WRs. Maybe we should keep this in mind when we see how our coaches approach the portal...they know what they have and what they need better than we (or the media) do.
Also, schedules never end up what you think they'll be. Last year, Oklahoma was thought to be a huge game. They finished 6-6. This year, Florida hasn't been nearly what folks expected. Mississippi State is probably a little better. Oklahoma, when Mateer was healthy, was definitely better than expected.
Point being, preseason expectations won't stop being a thing. But I'll keep taking them with a huge grain of salt.
-I'm over the idea that the rest of the season doesn't matter because the CFP is not a realistic possibility. If we beat Florida in the Swamp, I'll be over the moon. I don't care how bad they are. I don't care if they've quit. I hate them and we haven't won down there since 2003. We need to get that monkey off our backs. We won't get another chance for 4 years. It's time. Likewise, I'll celebrate beating Vanderbilt. This is the best Vandy team of my lifetime. I live in Nashville. Pavia and Lea have run their mouths. I wanna stomp them.
This is still college football. It's special. Every Saturday is special. And Tennessee Vols college football is even specialer. I'm going to enjoy every minute until the season is over.
Josh Heupel is building a program. That's not the same thing as building a team. It's easy to get caught up in the short term (I do it too). But long term, this is about building a program. Recruiting is gradually improving each year as we get further removed from the Era of Dysfunction of 2008-2020. The committed class is the best of the Heupel era. The 2025 class (current freshmen) is the 2nd best. I believe we have one more season of dealing with NCAA sanctions, so those extra non-contacts and non-recruiting weekends we're having to deal with will only be around for one more year. One would expect that will help recruiting further, along with the Adidas deal.
Building a program isn't instantaneous, even if Heupel gave us that impression in 2022. That was a fun year with the benefit of some talented guys who'd been through a lot and broke through. But the nothingness of the recruiting classes from 2018-2021 caught up with us. Most of those guys transferred out when Pruitt was fired and the NCAA came calling (if they hadn't already) and it left a talent void. The staff has done a good job of masking it with the portal and with better classes since then, but that's a lot to overcome in the SEC. Even in spite of that, we're an upper level SEC program...a very good one. But not an elite one. That's the next step and it's the most difficult one.
This will be a good roster in 2026. QB will be the big question. I don't like the idea of rolling with a true freshman, even one as talented as Faizon. GMac needs to be ready. But if we plug needs (Safety, Star, DL) in the portal as we should, and young guys develop as they should, that will be a talented roster. We'll be in contention for a CFP spot again. Then, I think 2027 will be a big year.
Guys like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, and Kirby Smart gave everyone the illusion that program-building is instantaneous. But those guys took over MUCH better rosters and weren't dealing with the NCAA handicaps. A better comparison is Dabo Swinney, who, to be fair, wasn't doing it in the SEC, but rather, a much softer ACC. Nonetheless, it took until Dabo's 8th season before they were truly a national championship contender. They lost the NC game that year to Alabama, then won it all the next year. Before that, there was a term people used to describe a program that seemed to have talent, but always failed to meet expectations..."Clemsoning." Y'all remember that? Eventually, Dabo built the program up to make people forget about that term. But it took time. 8 years. Heupel just completed his 5th.
That's the goal here...to get to elite with a sustainable, well-built program. And I think we have the coach to do it, using a similar formula. Like Dabo, Heupel isn't signing a top 3 class every year. This staff is evaluating for a certain fit and culture. And they're good at it. Heupel isn't relying on stopgap measures, flipping the roster every year via the portal. They don't get portal guys just to get portal guys. Consequently, their hit rate in the portal has been very high...especially on guys who weren't considered "elite" portal transfers. They evaluate. They find the right fit. And they find talent where others may not see it.
Herbstreit is right...we have the right guy. He's highly competitive, a great offensive mind, relates to players, is a fantastic leader, and is highly respected. He wants to be at Tennessee. And he does it the right way. Those of us who are patient will be rewarded soon enough.
Some other thoughts, some of which I've addressed in other discussions:
-It's funny how some transfers, when they happen, you think they'll be a big deal (then end up not being a big deal) and others you think won't be a big deal (then end up being a big deal). When Nico transferred, obviously, we thought, "well there goes the season." Turns out, it was a good thing and we upgraded with Aguilar. When Christian Harrison transferred, I thought it sucked for depth purposes, but it wasn't a huge loss. Man, was I wrong. Harrison would've been huge this year. He's played very well for Cincinnati. But given how Boo flopped this year, Harrison could've been the Star we needed (he was very good last year), allowing McMurray to stay at outside CB (where he was good last year as a backup), and that would have improved both of those positions.
Similarly, I don't think we understood how big of a loss Will Brooks would be. Not only did he make crucial plays and put himself in the right position, but he put others in the right position too. He was a huge loss.
-Preseason expectations are always wrong. Every year, it seems a perceived weakness ends up being a strength. This year it was QB and WR. Last year it was the secondary. And every year, it seems like a perceived strength ends up a weakness. This year, it was the defense as a whole. Last year, it was Nico and the WRs. Maybe we should keep this in mind when we see how our coaches approach the portal...they know what they have and what they need better than we (or the media) do.
Also, schedules never end up what you think they'll be. Last year, Oklahoma was thought to be a huge game. They finished 6-6. This year, Florida hasn't been nearly what folks expected. Mississippi State is probably a little better. Oklahoma, when Mateer was healthy, was definitely better than expected.
Point being, preseason expectations won't stop being a thing. But I'll keep taking them with a huge grain of salt.
-I'm over the idea that the rest of the season doesn't matter because the CFP is not a realistic possibility. If we beat Florida in the Swamp, I'll be over the moon. I don't care how bad they are. I don't care if they've quit. I hate them and we haven't won down there since 2003. We need to get that monkey off our backs. We won't get another chance for 4 years. It's time. Likewise, I'll celebrate beating Vanderbilt. This is the best Vandy team of my lifetime. I live in Nashville. Pavia and Lea have run their mouths. I wanna stomp them.
This is still college football. It's special. Every Saturday is special. And Tennessee Vols college football is even specialer. I'm going to enjoy every minute until the season is over.
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