London Vol
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- Sep 27, 2015
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Firstly, and most importantly I am saddened to hear of the tornado yesterday and hope you are all safe and were not affected.
1st NATIONAL SIGNING DAY ON WEDNESDAY
So, we wait with “baited breath” for news regarding our next crop of signees. Now I have no inside information on what’s going to happen but it will be very interesting to see what the outcome is with Justin Williams, CJ Smith, Tyre West, Jared Verse to name a few, and also where Walter Nolen, Jeffrey M`ba, Ty Simpson, and Zachary Evans, end up.
Even if we miss on a number of our targets, College Football has changed immeasurably in the last 12 months and good evaluation and recruitment from the Transfer Portal maybe just as important as High School and JUCO recruiting. For instance, this year there are three 5 *, seventeen 4 * and countless 3 * players in the Portal, so keep a keen eye on what Tennessee are doing here as well.
However, I believe three bigger signings, more than any of the above, is whether Hendon Hooker, Cedric Tillman and Cade Mays come back in 2022. Now I understand all have not committed to returning or leaving and are looking at their NFL grade predictions. But if we strike lucky and they return I would regard these as 5 * signings. Just pause a moment and think that, before the season started Hooker was 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart, Tillman was an afterthought as a wide receiver and Mays was the leader of the Offensive Line.
SIGNING PITCH BY JOSH HEUPEL
As things have changed both at Tennessee and in College Football, here is a suggestion how Josh Heupel could sell the Vols to a hypothetical Elite 5 * Defensive Lineman:
Player: Why would I come to a mid-range team instead of Alabama or Georgia where I would compete for a National Championship?
Josh Heupel: Four reasons a) Whilst I will not deny there has been some lean years at Tennessee, last season we outstripped people’s expectations and we were only a couple of plays from finishing 9-3 and a New Year 6 Bowl game. In short, the gap is smaller than you think. b) The nucleus of lasts years team are still here (hopefully) and we are only a few pieces away from making that step and you are one of those pieces. c) Ok both of the teams you mention are in the playoffs this year but are Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Clemson, Texas, USC etc? So, there is no guarantee that Alabama or Georgia will be next year. d) if things do not work out for you here you can still transfer to your destination of choice without sitting a year and all that with one years playing time on your resume.
Player: My aim is to get to the NFL and the bigger the team the bigger exposure it is for me.
Josh Heupel: You are correct you need exposure but you do not get exposure whilst you are buried on the depth chart at Alabama or Georgia for the next couple of years. Here at Tennessee, by playing straight away, you will get huge TV exposure and you will even have a good chance of getting national recognition when the Freshman awards come around. Just look how many “blue chip” players have entered the Transfer Portal this year, often because they just couldn’t get playing time. Another big reason why you should come here to enhance your NFL prospects is Rodney Garner. You are highly rated for many reasons but one is that during High School you were a “mans body playing in a boys body football league”. What I mean is that you need to the coached properly to fully maximize all that potential and just look at Coach Garners record both here and for the last 20 seasons, see how many Defensive Lineman he has sent to the NFL ……...impressive hey!
Player: I have been offered $xxx,xxx in NIL endorsements so why should I turn that down?
Josh Heupel: There are 3 moments when you get money playing football 1) when you sign for a University. 2) When you are drafted in the NFL 3) When you sign your 2nd contract in the NFL which is 4 to 5 years later. Now the really important one of the above is the second one, the Rookie Contract. This is because that contract is based on how high you get drafted and if you are a high pick (which you should be with all your talent and the right coaching and national exposure) then that contract will be multi-million and dwarf any NIL endorsements you might get now. The problem with concentrating on No3 is that you and your body will need to play 7 to 8 years of football by then and many things can go wrong, but if you do get there, that contract will look after itself anyway. So don’t be seduced by the “short term” money, see the bigger picture and make the decision which enhances your chances of the highest possible Draft pick.
Player: Where do I sign Coach Heupel?
FLORIDA
Last week it was Oklahoma and this week its Florida that are imploding (I would also watch LSU with Coach Kelly’s newly acquired southern accent). Losing coaches can normally be disrupting but with the one-time transfer rule it can now be massive.
SANTAS LIST
I had genuinely resigned myself to the fact that Georgia was actually going to win it all this year. But fortunately Kirby Smart continues to play Stetson Bennett instead of JT Daniels (did he not see first-hand what they both did last year?) and now they have lost to Alabama they have a much harder path to glory as they will now need to beat both Michigan and Alabama (sorry Cincinnati) and a walk-on QB is not likely to get that done So Santa please continue to allow Smart to delude himself and play Bennett for the rest of the season.
I always enjoy your comments and observations
GO VOLS
1st NATIONAL SIGNING DAY ON WEDNESDAY
So, we wait with “baited breath” for news regarding our next crop of signees. Now I have no inside information on what’s going to happen but it will be very interesting to see what the outcome is with Justin Williams, CJ Smith, Tyre West, Jared Verse to name a few, and also where Walter Nolen, Jeffrey M`ba, Ty Simpson, and Zachary Evans, end up.
Even if we miss on a number of our targets, College Football has changed immeasurably in the last 12 months and good evaluation and recruitment from the Transfer Portal maybe just as important as High School and JUCO recruiting. For instance, this year there are three 5 *, seventeen 4 * and countless 3 * players in the Portal, so keep a keen eye on what Tennessee are doing here as well.
However, I believe three bigger signings, more than any of the above, is whether Hendon Hooker, Cedric Tillman and Cade Mays come back in 2022. Now I understand all have not committed to returning or leaving and are looking at their NFL grade predictions. But if we strike lucky and they return I would regard these as 5 * signings. Just pause a moment and think that, before the season started Hooker was 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart, Tillman was an afterthought as a wide receiver and Mays was the leader of the Offensive Line.
SIGNING PITCH BY JOSH HEUPEL
As things have changed both at Tennessee and in College Football, here is a suggestion how Josh Heupel could sell the Vols to a hypothetical Elite 5 * Defensive Lineman:
Player: Why would I come to a mid-range team instead of Alabama or Georgia where I would compete for a National Championship?
Josh Heupel: Four reasons a) Whilst I will not deny there has been some lean years at Tennessee, last season we outstripped people’s expectations and we were only a couple of plays from finishing 9-3 and a New Year 6 Bowl game. In short, the gap is smaller than you think. b) The nucleus of lasts years team are still here (hopefully) and we are only a few pieces away from making that step and you are one of those pieces. c) Ok both of the teams you mention are in the playoffs this year but are Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Clemson, Texas, USC etc? So, there is no guarantee that Alabama or Georgia will be next year. d) if things do not work out for you here you can still transfer to your destination of choice without sitting a year and all that with one years playing time on your resume.
Player: My aim is to get to the NFL and the bigger the team the bigger exposure it is for me.
Josh Heupel: You are correct you need exposure but you do not get exposure whilst you are buried on the depth chart at Alabama or Georgia for the next couple of years. Here at Tennessee, by playing straight away, you will get huge TV exposure and you will even have a good chance of getting national recognition when the Freshman awards come around. Just look how many “blue chip” players have entered the Transfer Portal this year, often because they just couldn’t get playing time. Another big reason why you should come here to enhance your NFL prospects is Rodney Garner. You are highly rated for many reasons but one is that during High School you were a “mans body playing in a boys body football league”. What I mean is that you need to the coached properly to fully maximize all that potential and just look at Coach Garners record both here and for the last 20 seasons, see how many Defensive Lineman he has sent to the NFL ……...impressive hey!
Player: I have been offered $xxx,xxx in NIL endorsements so why should I turn that down?
Josh Heupel: There are 3 moments when you get money playing football 1) when you sign for a University. 2) When you are drafted in the NFL 3) When you sign your 2nd contract in the NFL which is 4 to 5 years later. Now the really important one of the above is the second one, the Rookie Contract. This is because that contract is based on how high you get drafted and if you are a high pick (which you should be with all your talent and the right coaching and national exposure) then that contract will be multi-million and dwarf any NIL endorsements you might get now. The problem with concentrating on No3 is that you and your body will need to play 7 to 8 years of football by then and many things can go wrong, but if you do get there, that contract will look after itself anyway. So don’t be seduced by the “short term” money, see the bigger picture and make the decision which enhances your chances of the highest possible Draft pick.
Player: Where do I sign Coach Heupel?
FLORIDA
Last week it was Oklahoma and this week its Florida that are imploding (I would also watch LSU with Coach Kelly’s newly acquired southern accent). Losing coaches can normally be disrupting but with the one-time transfer rule it can now be massive.
SANTAS LIST
I had genuinely resigned myself to the fact that Georgia was actually going to win it all this year. But fortunately Kirby Smart continues to play Stetson Bennett instead of JT Daniels (did he not see first-hand what they both did last year?) and now they have lost to Alabama they have a much harder path to glory as they will now need to beat both Michigan and Alabama (sorry Cincinnati) and a walk-on QB is not likely to get that done So Santa please continue to allow Smart to delude himself and play Bennett for the rest of the season.
I always enjoy your comments and observations
GO VOLS
