'21 Class Includes Only 2 TN Players - #15 and #21 In-State

[TennesseeTarheel]

We can always give the out-of-staters directions to the nearest Stuckey's.

 

[Indianrick]

NOOOOOOOO

 

[jbradley1382]

But it can't be this bad.

Tennessee has never been a hotbed for athletic talent. I would be more worried if we only signed kids from Tennessee. We do need to be landing the top level talent though. I’m just not sure it’s that high in the ‘21 cycle

 

[IndianaVol]

Would be interested in seeing where the state of Tennessee ranks in terms of talent at different positions versus other states...like is Tennessee more rich in talent than say a Florida or Alabama this year.

Guess what I'm saying is if the top players in the state don't fit our system and aren't as good as the top talent in other states we are landing, then why recruit them?

I believe Pruitt gets it as far as build the culture, builld the system, build the team, and WIN...do that and the top guys, instate or out, will want to play for you.

 

[SmokyRiverDog]

Seems the in-state prospects hesitated for whatever reason, and UT moved on to bigger and better things when they did.

 

[Bennessee01]

17 of 19 recruits for the 2021 class are from out of state. The 2 commits in-state boys are ranked #15 and #21 within TN.

Should this be of concern? Any reason why we're not attracting in-state talent?

Are you in a basement?

 

[MontyPython]

Are you in a basement?

Yes. But, honestly it's alot cooler down here in the summer.

 

[BarrythesnoUT]

17 of 19 recruits for the 2021 class are from out of state. The 2 commits in-state boys are ranked #15 and #21 within TN.

Should this be of concern? Any reason why we're not attracting in-state talent?

Because it's a down year in-state and most TN players aren't as good as the ones we are getting from out of state. So no, this shouldn't be of any concern.

 

[BarrythesnoUT]

.

 

[BarrythesnoUT]

Thank you.

I'm excited as everyone else to see Pruitt and company absolutely crushing it. They are recruiting on a level to eventually compete for an SEC and NC title, and it wasn't my intent to come off as being negative.

I do think the question raised is valid, and I don't buy the arguments that the '21 class is weak in TN. So what?

I'll throw out my own theory:

(1) Some of the in-state guys just weren't a match for the type of players Pruitt prioritizes - very tall and fast DBs, OL guys on the heavier end of the spectrum, non prima donna personalities, etc.

(2) For reasons that are unclear, quite a few of the in-state guys with UT offers simply haven't signed yet, but will, including:

#7 Quenton Barnes
#8 Javon Nelson
#9 William Griffin
#10 Dietrich Pennington

(3) For other reasons and #1 above, it would appear we will not get the #1 through #6 top-ranked players (per Rivals), including Hudson Wolfe.

I recognize there are a huge number of variables that go into recruiting, but considering UT's success to date with this class, it raises the question why.

No, you're wrong on this. The '21 class is top-heavy, but not deep at all. Outside of a couple of guys at the top (Colson, Wolfe, and Pennington), we aren't really going hard after anyone else. This class is pretty weak by recent TN standards.

 

[Hank Bukowski]

17 of 19 recruits for the 2021 class are from out of state. The 2 commits in-state boys are ranked #15 and #21 within TN.

Should this be of concern? Any reason why we're not attracting in-state talent?

My guess is that Pruitt & Co. want to change the in-state recruiting model from where we hope we can get one or two of them to where all of them hope to get an offer to play football at the University of Tennessee. That is, from where we are chasing them to where they are chasing us. This will take time and a few winning seasons, of course.

 

[Pride85]

Dang man. He just asked if it was a concern.

It wasn't just aimed at the post made by him. I have tried to be good when it comes to the negative barrage, but a post like this gets idk after awhile. Free speech and great interaction go both ways. In reality, what difference does it make if the class has 2 or 20 players from the great state of Tennessee if it is the #1 rated class in the SEC? So many of the miserable minority whine about stars and class rankings. When that is abolished, then some other reason to worry and fret about is raised.