Volosaurus rex
Doctorate in Volology
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Stephen Hargis, columnist for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, wrote an excellent article entitled, "Home Improvement: Jones repairing relationships with TN high schools," in Rocky Top Tennessee, pp. 47-50 (see Rocky Top Tennessee 2013 available on newsstands, going fast online - Rocky Top Talk). Although much of the content is, undoubtedly, old news for hardcore recruitniks, Hargis quantifies the level of discontent with which area high school coaches regarded Derek Dooley and his staff. He also made a number of telling observations regarding the recruitment of Vonn Bell and Jalen Hurd.
According to Bell's father, Tennessee was "dead in the water" when Butch assumed the reins for our program. He also said that "UT would've locked him up as a junior if they had recruited him at all." Unfortunately, Butch simply did not have enough time to overcome the advantages that Alabama and Ohio State had established in terms of relationships with Bell.
Bell's high school coach, Mark Mariakis, had glowing praise for Butch Jones and equally poignant criticism for Dooley's neglect of his program as a recruiting hotbed. In remarks eerily similar to Mike Tomlin's ringing endorsement of Coach Jones, Mariakis said that he is so impressed with Butch Jones, his staff and the direction that our program is headed, that he "wouldn't hesitate to send [his] own child" to play at UT.
Hargis provides an equally harsh indictment of Dooley's "recruitment" of Jalen Hurd. Jalen's high school coach, Anthony Crabtree, said that he never met Dooley and only spoke to him once, when he called Dooley to inquire as to whether Tennessee had any interest in recruiting Hurd. He found it mindboggling that we had a five-star running back instate, one that was being recruited heavily by Alabama, Ohio State and virtually every major program in the country, but Tennessee had demonstrated no overt interest in him.
According to Bell's father, Tennessee was "dead in the water" when Butch assumed the reins for our program. He also said that "UT would've locked him up as a junior if they had recruited him at all." Unfortunately, Butch simply did not have enough time to overcome the advantages that Alabama and Ohio State had established in terms of relationships with Bell.
Bell's high school coach, Mark Mariakis, had glowing praise for Butch Jones and equally poignant criticism for Dooley's neglect of his program as a recruiting hotbed. In remarks eerily similar to Mike Tomlin's ringing endorsement of Coach Jones, Mariakis said that he is so impressed with Butch Jones, his staff and the direction that our program is headed, that he "wouldn't hesitate to send [his] own child" to play at UT.
Hargis provides an equally harsh indictment of Dooley's "recruitment" of Jalen Hurd. Jalen's high school coach, Anthony Crabtree, said that he never met Dooley and only spoke to him once, when he called Dooley to inquire as to whether Tennessee had any interest in recruiting Hurd. He found it mindboggling that we had a five-star running back instate, one that was being recruited heavily by Alabama, Ohio State and virtually every major program in the country, but Tennessee had demonstrated no overt interest in him.
