Could academics be the culprit?

[volzonemat]

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?

 

[KeyVol14]

We had two consecutive top 5 classes man, the only reason the next few were lower is because they realized Butch couldn’t coach

 

[StoneColdStunner]

No

 

[GAVol]

we are more similar to Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, but our academics are clearly better than those schools

Tennessee is probably very similar to Alabama and Auburn. UGA usually gets ranked higher.

 

[OrangeByBirth]

The issue is that the "great recruiter" was not a great recruiter (or even adequate recruiter).
The dumpster fire and fuming mass of feces left in his wake slowed recruiting although Pruitt tried. Being a late hire did not help. 2019 should be significantly improved.

 

[FLVOL_79]

If academics is getting in the way of a football player making it to a public school...they have bigger problems..

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

I tell you what I don’t want. A program and culture that cares more about sports than academics. That’s not doing the kids justice, most of whom won’t go to the next level anyways.

 

[Grudenator]

The culprit of the stupidity of some of our fans? Yes.

 

[ZippyMorocco]

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?

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

 

[bmaultbay]

The issue is that the "great recruiter" was not a great recruiter (or even adequate recruiter).
The dumpster fire and fuming mass of feces left in his wake slowed recruiting although Pruitt tried. Being a late hire did not help. 2019 should be significantly improved.

I hope you're right.

 

[BowlBrother85]

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?

One of the positive developments under Butch Jones (which he still deserves credit for) was the academic progress of the football team. We were facing the possibility of sanctions in 2013 due to a low APR. The most recent data, released in May, has the team's APR at 972 which is up from 931 in 2011 (we were dead last in the SEC).

Player development, excessive attrition, keeping committed players on board (Tee Higgins, Cade Mays, Adrian Martinez, Jaycee Horn) is much more to explain... our academic standing is better than it has ever been - and getting better.

 

[MurphyVol]

Stanford somehow gets it done.

 

[zeppelin128]

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

The surprises me about UK. For some reason I always thought they were ranked higher in the conference.

 

[photovol]

Academics?

Some fans think our coaching staff only went to the 3rd grade

 

[OrangeTsar]

The last few years, we have PLAYED like Vanderbilt. Let's not start using their normal excuse as well

 

[photovol]

The last few years, we have PLAYED like Vanderbilt. Let's not start using their normal excuse as well

Played like Vanderbilt? You serious?

 

[wmcovol]

Tennessee is probably very similar to Alabama and Auburn. UGA usually gets ranked higher.

Ga is higher cause they take almost all of the top students in Ga under their Hope plan. Tennessee's is different and a lot of top students in Tennessee now elect to go elsewhere.

 

[44DivePlay]

Stanford somehow gets it done.

And we somehow got Cordarelle to qualify. He is great kid but don’t think academics are holding us back.

That being said it’s easier (Lower ACT) to get into Carson-Newman than UT

 

[GAVol]

Ga is higher cause they take almost all of the top students in Ga under their Hope plan. Tennessee's is different and a lot of top students in Tennessee now elect to go elsewhere.

So they stay home in GA for lower tuition, but leave Tennessee and pay out of state tuition?

HOPE has had an impact, but I'm not sure you can attribute it all to that in a state with 40% more people.

 

[lifeVol]

The issue is that the "great recruiter" was not a great recruiter (or even adequate recruiter).
The dumpster fire and fuming mass of feces left in his wake slowed recruiting although Pruitt tried. Being a late hire did not help. 2019 should be significantly improved.

Butch didn't know s**t about recruiting a proper talent mix, or how to coach the ones he got.

 

[wmcovol]

So they stay home in GA for lower tuition, but leave Tennessee and pay out of state tuition?

HOPE has had an impact, but I'm not sure you can attribute it all to that in a state with 40% more people.

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.

 

[TNfan#2]

So they stay home in GA for lower tuition, but leave Tennessee and pay out of state tuition?

HOPE has had an impact, but I'm not sure you can attribute it all to that in a state with 40% more people.

Or for a lot of middle of the road or lower players that are good enough to go to college but that aren't expecting to go to the NFL, or for the players that actually do really care about their education and simply see football as a way to avoid drowning in student debt, they might not care to play for a Group of 5 or FCS team.

If you're a student down in Hamilton or Bradley County for example, UTC may not be as elite of a program as UT, but it's closer to home, can potentially be somewhat cheaper by thousands of dollars, and they have started making the playoffs a lot lately and winning games after taking advantage of not having Appalachian State standing in their way.

 

[BowlBrother85]

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.

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).

 

[TNnative]

So you are saying we need majors like advanced video games engineering, underwater basket weaving, or personal hygiene management to offset the "competitive disadvantage"?

 

[MSCE09]

I have an emotional investment in Tennessee football but I have a real investment in Tennessee academics.