2021 Recruit Class Rating Plummets Dangerously

[Old Geezer]

Tennessee can turn the recruiting around quickly if our coaching begins to produce promising results. The first class facilities, rabid fanbase, stadium and tradition sell themselves. On-field production and player development have lagged far behind our recruiting rankings this past decade. We have done less with more. Dramatically less. Pruitt's incompetence caused the culture to fall apart and the recruits fled to salvage their dreams. If recruits see Tennessee on the rise with exciting football where they can shine, they will come.

 

[Chattanooga Butchslappers]

Missouri does fine with class rankings in the 30's.

Not saying that it would be okay if that was the norm, but there's really nothing Heup can do about it.

The only thing we should be worried about is whether or not Heup can coach. If he can coach we are fine.

Amen!
If he can coach them up we’ll be okay. I’m about tired of seeing 4&5* busts or being misused on the field.

I still think, if we can stop the bleeding and then get past NCAA issues, that TN halfway recruits itself.

If Heup is a good coach and at least a decent recruiter we’ll be fine long term. We’ve just got to keep our heads above water for the next 2-3 years.

 

[zeppelin128]

That was last year. With one of the worst QBs we have had in a long time. Also with a different coaching staff. If we had the same team coming back, you would have a leg to stand on. It’s completely different this year.

Also they didn’t manhandle us as much as we gifted them the game on a silver platter. They didn’t just line up and trash us.

That game was pretty simple last year. Two pick 6's in like a minute and we completely gave up.

 

[rsm]

It’s June

thank you

 

[mickey1969]

This one isn’t HIS class.[/QUOTE Cornbread's commits are the most of the ones bailing out or getting into trouble & getting thrown out (read their comments when they leave) !!! Josh will have to show some progress before he can overcome the disaster that was Jeremy Pruitt !!! He, like the others is MY coach until he demonstrates that he CAN"T coach. For the record I liked Lane & Butch until they left; Doofus & Cornbread not so much. I like this hire if Tim Banks can produce a defense that is not totally embarrassing !!!

 

[Jxn Vol]

At least we have baseball to look forward to.

 

[Carp]

At one time, if I remember correctly, this recruit class was ranked 2, 3.

Now, on 247, after removing the rating points from Kaidon Salter and Isaiah Washington it has fallen all the way to #36.

There are now only 15 recruits left in that defection strapped class.

This is the kind of class a Bowling Green or Vanderbilt would aspire to.

Huge pressure on Heupel to bring in a top class this year. You CANNOT have two weak classes in a row. That will destroy you 3, 4, 5 years down the road.

IMHO we need a loaded top 5-10 class to overcome the 2021 debacle.

Don't get caught up on rankings. Several times recently, we've finished below .500 with top 12 recruiting classes. Focus on finding guys that fit and coaching up the ones already here. Get the program back on track and the blue chips will beat down the door to get on board.

 

[Carp]

If we get a class in thr teens, I'll be impressed. If we end up in the 20s, it'll be an OK result. Anything in the 30s or lower and I'll have concerns about the recruiting.

I think we'll have a class in the teens. Having a full year to recruit should help with that. Especially if the offense is as good as advertised.

 

[HalfullVol]

some may not like this

however, unless you're top tier from a coaching/development perspective, top rated classes don't matter - we've had that recruiting ranking here being in the top20 for many years.

we are beginning again with top 20 talent and we will see how that new group of coaches pulls this together.

I'm more postive than some and believe the coaching/development and scheme will be beneficial and make a positive difference in W/L colummn.

This will work out and you'll be very happy over the next 24-36 months and glad we moved as a football program in this direction

Go Vols !!

 

[Rickyvol77]

We are Colorado or Minnesota and Nebraska now. Tennessee football will never be elite again we will never see the success we had in the 90’s again I’ve made peace with that and begrudgingly have accepted that we will never be back. The recruits and high school kids today look at us as a garbage program and the laughingstock of the SEC a even bigger laughingstock when you think about it because we have a huge stadium and alot of resources yet we still suck and have for a decade plus now.

You are literally the most obvious Bama troll on the FB board

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

That game was pretty simple last year. Two pick 6's in like a minute and we completely gave up.

And rightfully so. I think the team knew just as much as the fans did that JG wasn't ever going to win squat.

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Let's hope the coaching and development by this new staff along with minimal injury out paces the loss we are experiencing in talent and depth right now.

 

[CAVPUT]

Fans need to accept how UT is perceived today. We're Nebraska in football....La Tech and ODU in women's basketball. A one time "big name" in SEC/college football but no more. A "has been" under the threat of NCAA sanction. I'm not saying we can't be a player for titles again, but it's not happening anytime soon and maybe not again in my lifetime. Heupel has the biggest recovery job in the history of UT athletics. I'd argue it's almost as bad as SMU.

I think fans need to just chill on recruiting ratings and hope Heupel can find under the radar talent that fits what he wants to do and combine it with juco/transfers to put an entertaining product on the field. I'd look to what UAB(think it was UAB) did after they shut down their football program then restarted it. Being the SEC, I don't see any way our program can return from the depths that quickly, but I'd be happy with entertaining and competitive for the next 4-5 years. I have no expectations in regard to records/bowls. I'm going to live for each saturday opportunity and ignore bowls and recruiting rankings.

One thing that would certainly help would be a bit of a break from the schedule makers. I'm an old timer, but I'm ready to see bama rotate off and on our schedule instead of playing them every year. I also want our out of conference schedule to be much, much softer. Playing OU and the other big boys over the next 5 years needs to end. We need to schedule teams we can compete with right now. Hopefully, we can return to the talent level where facing those type opponents is back to being the norm, but for now, this program needs what amounts to a standing 8 count from the schedule makers. We're simply not able to put up a fight against that level of opposition.

Heupel and this fan base needs a break. We need help from the admin. This is going to be a long, hard road. No sense in making the entire damned thing uphill every step of the way. JMO. Flame away.

 

[LWSVOL]

At one time, if I remember correctly, this recruit class was ranked 2, 3.

Now, on 247, after removing the rating points from Kaidon Salter and Isaiah Washington it has fallen all the way to #36.

There are now only 15 recruits left in that defection strapped class.

This is the kind of class a Bowling Green or Vanderbilt would aspire to.

Huge pressure on Heupel to bring in a top class this year. You CANNOT have two weak classes in a row. That will destroy you 3, 4, 5 years down the road.

IMHO we need a loaded top 5-10 class to overcome the 2021 debacle.

getting killed on the recruiting trail by the sanction stuff. the unknown sanctions and continued investigation are being pounded into recruits and even transfers, the kid going to Carolina yesterday that was the deal breaker. Thinking top 10 class is very unrealistic. Not sure how good they can do in the rankings but no where close to top 10.. Those wishing the 9 transfers being significant help, most are depth getting some reps. Only a couple expected to provide big time help, QB and LB.

 

[Eastknox865]

If Heupel can’t recruit at a big time level he won’t make it at Tennessee or we just take the upper decks off Neyland and say we are East Vandy and fully accept mediocrity forever with our football program and 5-7 and 7-5 seasons at best.

That's been our record for most seasons over the last 20 years

 

[TJVol95]

thank you

Welcome

 

[Illinoisvolfan2]

I always try to keep a positive outlook. With enough time I think JH can get us going. Time will tell.

 

[hUTch2002]

You would probably be talking about the 247 Composite Team Rankings. That is what most fans use, anyway. Two of Butch Jones's signing classes definitely did finish ahead of Dabo Swinney's classes at Clemson :

2014

Tennessee's class finished #7 (Derek Barnett, Jalen Hurd, Josh Malone)
Clemson's class finished #16

2015

Tennessee's class finished #4 (Kyle Phillips, Drew Richmond, Shy Tuttle, Darrell Taylor)
Clemson's class finished #9

Now, it has to be said that the majority of the players in the 2015 Tennessee class either did not pan out, or they transferred early into their careers at Tennessee, such as - Kahlil McKenzie, Preston Williams and Venzell Boulware. Clearly, Dabo Swinney and his staff have been far superior to any of Tennessee's staffs with player development... but your post didn't talk about development, you just asked about recruiting.

Clemson didn’t have any top 5 classes under Dabo until 2020 or 2021. I forget which but believe it’s 2021. Player development is every bit as important as recruiting. Pruitt couldn’t develop worth a darn.

 

[Volunteer Boy]

At one time, if I remember correctly, this recruit class was ranked 2, 3.

Now, on 247, after removing the rating points from Kaidon Salter and Isaiah Washington it has fallen all the way to #36.

There are now only 15 recruits left in that defection strapped class.

This is the kind of class a Bowling Green or Vanderbilt would aspire to.

Huge pressure on Heupel to bring in a top class this year. You CANNOT have two weak classes in a row. That will destroy you 3, 4, 5 years down the road.

IMHO we need a loaded top 5-10 class to overcome the 2021 debacle.

NCAA

 

[peaygolf]

Wisconsin does it with rankings from #26 to mid 40's.

 

[LittleVol]

When we get manhandled by Kentucky again this season some of the fans will want him fired which is ridiculous. We have a delusional fan base the next four to five years are going to be rough no matter who we hired short of Hugh Freeze or Kiffin. Thanks again Fulmer and Pruitt.

The sad part is that you REALLY believe this.
That Kentucky is going to manhandle Tennessee haha!

Kentucky doesn't do that to anyone, but they're suddenly going to do it to us?

 

[LittleVol]

Not trying to troll you at all, but I think your post hits at a valid point. At where we are now shouldn't we give up the delusion of being an "elite" program? We haven't been relevant in a generation, and everyone around us is getting better while we get worse. What is the line of delineation that separates us from being lumped in with Nebraska, Colorado, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, and other former "elite" programs? Or should we continue to expect things to come back around based on our past and think "if we just get ____ next year, we will be back?"

The fact that we lost the worst QB and Head Coach in UT history....

Thats more than enough just to start.

No one's talking about us "being back". There's a huge gap between that and 3-7.

Don't give any points to that hyperbole of his post.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

The one thing TN has going in recruiting is that HS kids want to play in the SEC. No, we are not going to get the recruits AL,GA, FL want right now but there are plenty of good players out there that do not get offers from those schools but who want to play in the SEC and TN is well positioned to get them. This has to be the base for recruiting for now. The program can be built on this group until our play on the field gets us in the mix for the top ranked ones. It can work.

And don't forget the portal is going to be a big factor in the next few years.

 

[DERELICK_MY_VOLS]

I mean we’ve been getting our teeth kicked down our throats with players in recruiting class rankings of: 2013 #25, 2014 #7, 2015 #4, 2016 #14, 2017 #17, 2018 #21, 2019 #13, & ADIOS 2020 #10 by the upper hand echelon of the SEC.

Then we’ve losing and/or competing down to the final few seconds against programs with WAY less star power but solid/average coaching.

So this leads me to the following conclusion. Fulmer hired a guy that hopped from program after program after program with star power galore…and a pretty damn good defensive foundation established. Many were fooled…many were fingers crossed (myself included)…many had no faith because of the reasons listed above.

Now we have a HC with a track record of taking QB’s with great/solid skill sets and making them play above their level. Jason White (the exception 1 season after he won the Heisman), Rhett Bomar, Paul Thompson, Sam Bradford, Landry Jones, Trevor Knight, Drew Lock, McKenzie Milton, and Dillon Gabriel. Now you factor in his solid track record of prolific high powered offenses everywhere he’s been…with a complete offensive staff that has helped him achieve this.

It is for this reason I truly believe in my heart that he will build the best offensive team in the East side of the SEC. This is the only side of the ball we have the most depth and talent on at the moment too…and he knows it. This is where he will make up for missed out opportunities in recruiting…a high powered fun to watch exciting brand of football.

 

[MontyPython]

Patience needed on recruiting.

R - E - L - A -X

Kids need to see what Huepel is all about. Pretty safe bet he'll have the team lighting up the scoreboard on offense. This should be a big draw for O-recruits.

Defense on the other hand, heh, gonna be ugly this year with 55-49 type scores.

Give the man a couple cycles to prove himself.