Could academics be the culprit?

#26
#26
volzonemat said:
Clearly, our recruiting isn't where it needs to be. Let's take a look at base recruiting rankings:

247
2017: #17
2018: #21

From my understanding, there are academics requirements placed by NCAA and SEC, however UTK has additional requirements on top of that. Could the administration be potentially handicapping the football program in terms of recruiting? I keep reading that UTK consistently has record setting admissions to the school, obviously the football academics are less stringent than general student body.... however you also have to consider that academic side of this university has way too much pull on the athletic side. I am all for academics, but we are not Stanford /Duke, we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools. Perhaps there are some competitive disadvantage causing the somewhat downward trend on recruiting rankings?
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You might be similar to Alabama and Auburn, but not UGA. They are in the same tier as Vandy and Fl.
 
#29
#29
BowlBrother85 said:
Do you really think there are many students with "top grades" who choose to go to out of state schools like the ones you mentioned? Kentucky? Alabama? I doubt that is a very prevalent situation.... I mean, I have a nephew at UNC-Chapel Hill and a friend of mine has a son at Purdue but the schools you mentioned do not have reputations much above Tennessee's (if at all).
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I don’t think, hell I know. One guy I do business with is a UT grad but his son visited both bama and UT and chose Bama. AFTER BEING RAISED A UT FAN HIS ENTIRE LIFE! He said the environment was much better. Another friend had a daughter who had full academic scholarship at both UT and MTSU. She chose MT cause “UT doesn’t offer anything more than MT”. Another has a daughter who had a 4.3 GPA she selected bama. Money wasn’t an object. Guys our state land grant university has been run by idiots and not focusing on the initial mission, which is increasing the education level within our state, that it should. The entire experience is part of that. Hell, I’m not saying play for a NC every yr but be competitive. This has been a cluck**** for 10 yrs now. That has consequences. JMO.
 
#30
#30
wmcovol said:
I don’t think, hell I know. One guy I do business with is a UT grad but his son visited both bama and UT and chose Bama. AFTER BEING RAISED A UT FAN HIS ENTIRE LIFE! He said the environment was much better. Another friend had a daughter who had full academic scholarship at both UT and MTSU. She chose MT cause “UT doesn’t offer anything more than MT”. Another has a daughter who had a 4.3 GPA she selected bama. Money wasn’t an object. Guys our state land grant university has been run by idiots and not focusing on the initial mission, which is increasing the education level within our state, that it should. The entire experience is part of that. Hell, I’m not saying play for a NC every yr but be competitive. This has been a cluck**** for 10 yrs now. That has consequences. JMO.
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Sorry, that is just not my experience and I don't believe it to be the norm,
 
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#32
#32
BowlBrother85 said:
Sorry, that is just not my experience and I don't believe it to be the norm,
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The son of one of the partners in my office chose Alabama over UT due to the amount of academic scholarship money he was given. UT was a cheap assand Bama gave him enough to offset the out of state tuition difference
 
#33
#33
ZippyMorocco said:
2018 University rankings

#8. UF
#13. UGA
#24. A&M
#46. USC
#52. Auburn & UT
#61. Bama & Mizzou
#70. LSU
#75. UK
#78. Ark & Ole Miss
#97. MSU
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Maybe we need smarter players. 3x can’t line up right for punts and am amazed at missed basic assignment blocking, especially when “less talented” lines (recreuiting tank) can figure it out.
 
#35
#35
wmcovol said:
I know several students who have elected to take scholly offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Kentucky, even instate at MTSu over UTK. Many schools will cover the out of state tuition cost and then some for students with excellent grades and test scores. As I've stated here before, UT isn't the top choice of a lot to Tennessee high school grads. A lot of our best and brightest leave the state.
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Northeast students are flocking from the state to schools like S Carolina and Bama because of significant financial aid and these are the only two sec schools I see getting aggressive in northeast as far as exposure. I think the thought is to raise standards by compensating high level out of state students while keeping in state the same.
 
#37
#37
Alabama and Florida are two SEC schools I can say with 100% certainty that I will never, ever, ever have to worry about our son attending - even if they offer him a full ride.

As for MTSU - We lived there for almost 2 years while working at MTSU. MTSU doesn't hold a candle to UTK on any level. Much to the administrations chagrin, it was not uncommon at all to see a sizable portion of the student body walking around campus in Tennessee gear. We've been in academia for awhile, MTSU is the only place we ever saw something like that happen. I find it hard to believe that anyone truly comparing the two schools didn't see UTK offering more.
 
#38
#38
TNnative said:
So you are saying we need majors like advanced video games engineering, underwater basket weaving, or personal hygiene management to offset the "competitive disadvantage"?
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College curriculums already loaded with "garbage" courses along with undeclared, liberal arts, general studies, etc. Not that many Joshua Dobbs-types out there.
 
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#39
#39
When choosing where to go to college in the early 90s, I didn’t choose UT. I had very high ACT and SAT scores along with a high GPA. I had a full scholarship offer to UT along with several other schools. After visiting 6 schools I chose Tennessee Tech.

Football obviously had nothing to do with it. I still attended almost every home UT game and several away ones. At that time UT students just had to register for “tickets” to the game, and when you got to the stadium you would slide your ID through this little scanner. I just used a friend’s ID that worked on Saturdays.

UT just wasn’t close to Tennessee Tech in academics or job placement in my major at the time. I could have gone out of state, but I didn’t really have any desire to. I enjoy traveling, but Tennessee is home.
 
#40
#40
wmcovol said:
She chose MT cause “UT doesn’t offer anything more than MT”.
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I understand selecting MTSU over UT if a certain area of study happens to offer superior opportunities in Murfreesboro, or if you like the proximity to Nashville/home, or if there are financial issues that make MTSU a more alluring prospect (which likely aren't applicable in this situation given the full-ride) There are definitely reasons to select MTSU over UT, although there aren't many reasons to do so.

But if someone told me with a straight face that "UT doesn't offer anything more than MTSU," I'd pull her scholarship from both schools immediately. This girl is as dumb as a brick, and I guarantee you that there are smarter kids out there far more worthy of that full-ride scholarship.
 
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#42
#42
volzonemat said:
we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools. Perhaps there are some competitive disadvantage causing the somewhat downward trend on recruiting rankings?
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We are similar to Alabama and Auburn in terms of academics. Georgia is more stringent. Academics in the SEC probably goes like this:

1. Vanderbilt
2. Georgia/Florida
3. Everyone else
 
#43
#43
05_never_again said:
We are similar to Alabama and Auburn in terms of academics. Georgia is more stringent. Academics in the SEC probably goes like this:

1. Vanderbilt
2. Georgia/Florida
3. Everyone else
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In hate to publicly admit this in this forum, but in 1974 I chose Vanderbilt over UT. I had been a die hard Vol fan my whole life but it was a simple case of academics. My parents could afford the tuition; my grades and scores, while decent, weren’t good enough for any help.

I am still a die hard Vol fan and that will never change. My dad was a 1950 grad (GI bill) and I saw my first game in 1966.

None of my three adult kids attended either. University of Nevada Reno, Southern Illinois, and DePaul.
 
#44
#44
volzonemat said:
Clearly, our recruiting isn't where it needs to be. Let's take a look at base recruiting rankings:

247
2017: #17
2018: #21

From my understanding, there are academics requirements placed by NCAA and SEC, however UTK has additional requirements on top of that. Could the administration be potentially handicapping the football program in terms of recruiting? I keep reading that UTK consistently has record setting admissions to the school, obviously the football academics are less stringent than general student body.... however you also have to consider that academic side of this university has way too much pull on the athletic side. I am all for academics, but we are not Stanford /Duke, we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools. Perhaps there are some competitive disadvantage causing the somewhat downward trend on recruiting rankings?
Click to expand...
I read somewhere that UT has a math requirement that our SEC competitors do not have. I don't know if that's true or if it has an impact.
 
#45
#45
illinoisvolfan1 said:
In hate to publicly admit this in this forum, but in 1974 I chose Vanderbilt over UT. I had been a die hard Vol fan my whole life but it was a simple case of academics. My parents could afford the tuition; my grades and scores, while decent, weren’t good enough for any help.

I am still a die hard Vol fan and that will never change. My dad was a 1950 grad (GI bill) and I saw my first game in 1966.

None of my three adult kids attended either. University of Nevada Reno, Southern Illinois, and DePaul.
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lol - I'd never feel bad about that. My brother-in-law made the same choice. Grew up a Tennessee fan (and still is) but went to Vandy. There are a ton of Tennessee fans at Vandy anyway.
 
#46
#46
MAUSERWERKE said:
I read somewhere that UT has a math requirement that our SEC competitors do not have. I don't know if that's true or if it has an impact.
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The SEC had that for transfers but I've never heard that UT had one. Where did you read that?
 
#47
#47
volzonemat said:
Clearly, our recruiting isn't where it needs to be. Let's take a look at base recruiting rankings:

247
2017: #17
2018: #21

From my understanding, there are academics requirements placed by NCAA and SEC, however UTK has additional requirements on top of that. Could the administration be potentially handicapping the football program in terms of recruiting? I keep reading that UTK consistently has record setting admissions to the school, obviously the football academics are less stringent than general student body.... however you also have to consider that academic side of this university has way too much pull on the athletic side. I am all for academics, but we are not Stanford /Duke, we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools. Perhaps there are some competitive disadvantage causing the somewhat downward trend on recruiting rankings?
Click to expand...


Yes they can. Back in the late 90's (or early 2k's) The University (the new president and faculty) changed the academic standards/requirements for enrollment. While I am all 100% for academics and want every player/student to graduate and be successful, this change GREATLY impacted the student athletes we were able to recruit. The days of a tudor and 2.0 GPA were gone. My Dad and I were talking about this very topic this weekend. Since that change we have been on a downhill slide.
 
#49
#49
volzonemat said:
Clearly, our recruiting isn't where it needs to be. Let's take a look at base recruiting rankings:

247
2017: #17
2018: #21

From my understanding, there are academics requirements placed by NCAA and SEC, however UTK has additional requirements on top of that. Could the administration be potentially handicapping the football program in terms of recruiting? I keep reading that UTK consistently has record setting admissions to the school, obviously the football academics are less stringent than general student body.... however you also have to consider that academic side of this university has way too much pull on the athletic side. I am all for academics, but we are not Stanford /Duke, we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools. Perhaps there are some competitive disadvantage causing the somewhat downward trend on recruiting rankings?
Click to expand...

No....
 
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