Coaches speak confidentially about Tennessee football ($The Athletic$)

#1
GAVol

GAVol

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#1
Pretty fascinating stuff...

One of the coaches, amid laughs on the rumor of cash handouts in fast-food bags, said he has heard of one SEC program that gives cash “teasers” (as in, more is coming) to visiting recruits in parking ticket envelopes on their car windshields; that another has boosters designated as “governors” of each county in the school’s talent-rich home state to make sure inducements are finding young prospects before everyone is in on them; that another has used a casino in player procurement, while a successful program outside the SEC has used a church; and that an SEC head coach has interviewed one of his assistants for a job and all but insisted that he skirt NCAA rules when necessary on the recruiting trail.
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Tennessee football confidential: Coaches on 'irresistible' job, Pruitt, cheating
 
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#2
#2
In the SEC, you are always breaking the NCAA's speed limit. If you keep yourself under control, then you'll be fine...

And then there is Squidbilly Pruitt...

90


One hundred miles per hour and not a damn worry in the world.
 
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#8
#8
The good news is it sounds like all five of the coaches interviewed would take the UT job if offered.
We can, and will be good again. In the mean time, good luck to the administration getting this straightened out.
 
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#9
#9
Cartervol said:
His biggest mistake is thinking he could do what he did at Bama here.
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Saban kept him from upsetting the apple cart. The process there is protected John Wooden-style. Saban knows everything his coaches are up to and anyone whose personal methods might potentially mess things up is closely-watched. I have no doubt he kept his eye on Pruitt like the Chinese watch one of their citizens on the internet.

Left to his own devices, and lacking any real oversight from the man who hired him, Pruitt wallowed in his own lack of intelligence and discipline.
 
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#10
#10
T.N. Buckingham said:
Saban kept him from upsetting the apple cart. The process there is protected John Wooden-style. Saban knows everything his coaches are up to and anyone whose personal methods might potentially mess things up is closely-watched. I have no doubt he kept his eye on Pruitt like the Chinese watch one of their citizens on the internet.

Left to his own devices, and lacking any real oversight from the man who hired him, Pruitt wallowed in his own lack of intelligence and discipline.
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Seems to be the pattern with Bama assistants. I wouldn't hire anymore of them ever. You can't duplicate what they do down there.. Most places don't have everyone in the whole state pulling one direction. Must be nice.
 
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#11
#11
Cartervol said:
Seems to be the pattern with Bama assistants. I wouldn't hire anymore of them ever. You can't duplicate what they do down there.. Most places don't have everyone in the whole state pulling one direction. Must be nice.
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The longer they've been with Saban, the worse of a hire they are for someone else.

People around this conference and throughout this country have fallen into the trap over and over again. Saban is a unique case of a successful micro-manager with an uncanny ability to change with the evolution of the game. When you work for such a unique individual over the long haul, you limit your own development. We saw it here with Sunseri, Dooley, and Pruitt. Seemingly qualified to do their jobs on paper. But lacking real development as coaches with an ability to act competently once acting on their own accord.
 
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#15
#15
If you cheat, better do it while winning. You can't cheat and lose to Ga State & BYU and then go 3-7 the next season. If you cheat and slaughter UGA in Athens and Bama in Tuscaloosa, oh well everybody does it, so what we don't go bowling, we put 7 guys into the NFL's first round.
 
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#16
#16
T.N. Buckingham said:
The longer they've been with Saban, the worse of a hire they are for someone else.

People around this conference and throughout this country have fallen into the trap over and over again. Saban is a unique case of a successful micro-manager with an uncanny ability to change with the evolution of the game. When you work for such a unique individual over the long haul, you limit your own development. We saw it here with Sunseri, Dooley, and Pruitt. Seemingly qualified to do their jobs on paper. But lacking real development as coaches with an ability to act competently once acting on their own accord.
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I remember saying something very similar three years ago when we hired him. You will never out-Bama Bama by hiring one of their retreads. Nobody ever has. The history backs it up.

The fact is this was a lazy hire by a lazy AD...and will damage us for years to come.
 
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#20
#20
'Boro-vol said:
I remember saying something very similar three years ago when we hired him. You will never out-Bama Bama by hiring one of their retreads. Nobody ever has. The history backs it up.

The fact is this was a lazy hire by a lazy AD...and will damage us for years to come.
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The Saban Tree has a strong trunk. But the branches are extremely weak.

Contrast that with the Neyland Grove. Not only does it have a strong trunk but it also has equally strong branches and several hardy trees surrounding it started by those tied to General Neyland.

Different management styles at work there. But Neyland set his staff up like an Army command and each branch leader of Neyland's command was fully capable of taking over an entire operation once integrated into the program.

That means a school could hire a Warmath, a Dodd, a Graves, and a Majors and get the kind of quality program Neyland built at Tennessee. He and his pupils developed great coaches as well as great players.

You don't see that out of coaches who have spent the majority of their time on Saban's staff. The level of leadership, maturity, and situational awareness is completely lacking in those saplings.

The only people who appear to have less intelligence than your average Saban staff member are those boosters/athletic directors that keep hiring these squidbilly morons.
 
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#22
#22
Been happening forever and you have to be very blatent or unpopular to get caught

Knew a bball player (not at UT) who used to come back to his dorm after every game and there was an envelope with cash just sitting in his mailbox.
 
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#24
#24
I used to work with an ex-LB from an SEC team. Heard all kind of stories. This guy was not first string by any means and said it was nothing to get a $500 handshake after a game that he may have made a big tackle on special teams or something. Said the 1st string big names were driving Cadillacs and families had whatever they needed/wanted.
 
#25
#25
utvolpj said:
Been happening forever and you have to be very blatent or unpopular to get caught

Knew a bball player (not at UT) who used to come back to his dorm after every game and there was an envelope with cash just sitting in his mailbox.
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I knew a WR that got envelopes with cash after big games. I saw him with what I guess was around $1,000 cash after UT upset another SEC team and he got to treat himself and his pals.
 
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