current 2027 recruiting class and tennessee's strategy

#1
UTFranklinVol

UTFranklinVol

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#1
so it's still a few months from signing day but looking at the recruiting class right now, outside of DGG decision, the class looks weak. 16 commits and the vast majority 3 star or less and there aren't a lot of uncommitted players in the 247 sports top 250.

Is this a tell or a sign that Huepel plans to go the route of pulling most of the 2027 class out of the portal? is he going to invest most of Tennessee's NIL money in more proven players with some age? I kind of hope he plans on hitting the portal hard (like Coach Barnes did this year).

what are your thoughts?
 
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#2
#2
UTFranklinVol said:
so it's still a few months from signing day but looking at the recruiting class right now, outside of DGG decision, the class looks weak. 16 commits and the vast majority 3 star or less and there aren't a lot of uncommitted players in the 247 sports top 250.

Is this a tell or a sign that Huepel plans to go the route of pulling most of the 2027 class out of the portal? is he going to invest most of Tennessee's NIL money in more proven players with some age? I kind of hope he plans on hitting the portal hard (like Coach Barnes did this year).

what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
I'm not concerned and as you point out, CJH has probably amended his personnel approach just as Barnes has.

5* recruits aside, HS recruiting has largely become a waste of time and effort under the current NIL and free-transfer rules. I think every team out there - including our Vols - will look at Indiana's success and try to emulate it.

Why invest millions of $$$ to develop unproven 18 year-old High School kids only to watch them flock to the portal to cash out when they finally become prospective starters? Look at all the talented kids that were huge recruiting wins for us previously that literally just walked out the door on us this year. SMH.

Sad but true, the new reality: Pillage the existing rosters of other schools and add immediate, proven starters who are 22 and 23 year-old men with years of college ball experience instead.

The tallest piles of cash win these days. Loyalty is out the door.

College ball is now NFL Jr. and those coaches who can accept this new reality are the ones who will succeed.

Hate to say it but the days of watching HS recruits grow and develop in our program are gone.
 
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#4
#4
I’m assuming some of the probation limitations will be lifted and UT will finally get busy in the portal. Since only about 1/4 to 1/3 of a recruit I g class ever pans out, this is the way.
 
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#5
#5
Most High School kids unless they’re ready to contribute from Day 1, aren’t coming to sit on the bench and wait their turn while they can easily transfer somewhere else for more playing time & money.

The Transfer Portal is basically free agency and you can invest in players that can contribute immediately.

The days of kids staying three-four years at the same school are completely done at this point.
 
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#7
#7
It also seems likely they are recruiting guys that they think may have high upside who can't command high NIL money now. If they don't pan out, you've lost little and you fill from the portal. If they do become significant contributors, you got them in the program cheap and you have money to pay them based on their past performance.
 
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#8
#8
Over half will be in the transfer portal in 2 years based on how college football is now
 
#9
#9
LAVol1 said:
It also seems likely they are recruiting guys that they think may have high upside who can't command high NIL money now. If they don't pan out, you've lost little and you fill from the portal. If they do become significant contributors, you got them in the program cheap and you have money to pay them based on their past performance.
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Great point! Do you think HS recruits are making their commitments quicker now since they know coaches can go to the portal and fill the spot with a proven player? Seems to me, pre-portal, some HS recruits milked the process for all the attention they could get.
 
#10
#10
UTFranklinVol said:
so it's still a few months from signing day but looking at the recruiting class right now, outside of DGG decision, the class looks weak. 16 commits and the vast majority 3 star or less and there aren't a lot of uncommitted players in the 247 sports top 250.

Is this a tell or a sign that Huepel plans to go the route of pulling most of the 2027 class out of the portal? is he going to invest most of Tennessee's NIL money in more proven players with some age? I kind of hope he plans on hitting the portal hard (like Coach Barnes did this year).

what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

Most of the NIL money will be used for retention of roster players. Portal will be next but that might depend on how much DGG pulls.. Lot of players on this roster, young one's, they like and will have to pay to keep.
 
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#11
#11
MontyPython said:
I'm not concerned and as you point out, CJH has probably amended his personnel approach just as Barnes has.

5* recruits aside, HS recruiting has largely become a waste of time and effort under the current NIL and free-transfer rules. I think every team out there - including our Vols - will look at Indiana's success and try to emulate it.

Why invest millions of $$$ to develop unproven 18 year-old High School kids only to watch them flock to the portal to cash out when they finally become prospective starters? Look at all the talented kids that were huge recruiting wins for us previously that literally just walked out the door on us this year. SMH.

Sad but true, the new reality: Pillage the existing rosters of other schools and add immediate, proven starters who are 22 and 23 year-old men with years of college ball experience instead.

The tallest piles of cash win these days. Loyalty is out the door.

College ball is now NFL Jr. and those coaches who can accept this new reality are the ones who will succeed.

Hate to say it but the days of watching HS recruits grow and develop in our program are gone.
Click to expand...

Chaz Coleman is an example of a very expensive portal player that is going to end up not here. Doens't matter if portal or a recruit, its all a crap shoot as far as will they pan out? you just never know.. Nico? Boo? Jakobe Thomas?? and the examples across college ball are huge.. many players have cost a lot and not panned out..
 
#13
#13
I am happy for commitments we have that the staff evaluate as valuable. But the Vols flat out need more 4/5* players if we are going to get back to the top of the SEC. Heupel is in year 6 and we still have a talent gap. Probably need to accept the fact that he is a solid recruiter, but not elite. Get him some help in that area. We seem to bounce back and forth between a very good offense paired with a weak/mediocre defense one season and the opposite the next season without putting quality units together on the same team. Granted, we have had some valid bad luck with talent busts, headcases and injuries. Bringing Knowles and Owings onboard looks like a huge plus for the program. Maybe a top-notch GM should be hired to coordinate recruiting and the roster management. On a side note, I still don't understand why we were not able to capitalize in a bigger way on the 2022 Orange Bowl/Top 10 season.
 
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#14
#14
vol_smoothie said:
I am happy for commitments we have that the staff evaluate as valuable. But the Vols flat out need more 4/5* players if we are going to get back to the top of the SEC. Heupel is in year 6 and we still have a talent gap. Probably need to accept the fact that he is a solid recruiter, but not elite. Get him some help in that area. We seem to bounce back and forth between a very good offense paired with a weak/mediocre defense one season and the opposite the next season without putting quality units together on the same team. Granted, we have had some valid bad luck with talent busts, headcases and injuries. Bringing Knowles and Owings onboard looks like a huge plus for the program. Maybe a top-notch GM should be hired to coordinate recruiting and the roster management. On a side note, I still don't understand why we were not able to capitalize in a bigger way on the 2022 Orange Bowl/Top 10 season.
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Define "talent" in college-level terms. A 4* or 5* HS boy recruit that doesn't pan out? How about an experienced 3* that played for 4 years in college already and is physically and mentally a man? Hand-picked based on his proven ability to fit in your program based on years of film study.

Indiana won the Nattie outright with the following roster:

Recruiting Rating
Players​
5-star
0​
4-star
6​
3-star
53​
2-star
0​
Unranked/Not Rated
19​
Total
78​

Percentages of the roster​

  • 5-star: 0.0%
  • 4-star: 7.7%
  • 3-star: 67.9%
  • Unranked: 24.4%

Notable context​

  • Indiana had no 5-star recruits on the roster.
  • Only 6 players were former 4-stars.
  • The overwhelming majority of contributors were 3-star recruits or unranked players. (Yahoo Sports)
  • Indiana's roster ranked just No. 72 nationally in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite, the lowest-talent roster ever to win the modern national championship. (CBS Sports)
 
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#16
#16
UTFranklinVol said:
so it's still a few months from signing day but looking at the recruiting class right now, outside of DGG decision, the class looks weak. 16 commits and the vast majority 3 star or less and there aren't a lot of uncommitted players in the 247 sports top 250.

Is this a tell or a sign that Huepel plans to go the route of pulling most of the 2027 class out of the portal? is he going to invest most of Tennessee's NIL money in more proven players with some age? I kind of hope he plans on hitting the portal hard (like Coach Barnes did this year).

what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
It's been discussed that Tennessee decided it had too much money sitting on the sidelines the last couple years. No more paying freshmen good money just to sit and watch on Saturdays.
Save the cash for DGG type DUDES and the portal.
 
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#17
#17
LWSVOL said:
Chaz Coleman is an example of a very expensive portal player that is going to end up not here. Doens't matter if portal or a recruit, its all a crap shoot as far as will they pan out? you just never know.. Nico? Boo? Jakobe Thomas?? and the examples across college ball are huge.. many players have cost a lot and not panned out..
Click to expand...
It was a choice not to pay Jakobe Thomas. Bad choice!!!!
 
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#20
#20
Freshman year is pretty much like a farm league now. Come in, get a few snaps on film, prepare for the best deal in the 2nd recruiting season to determine your actual destination. In some cases the decision and reset will be done 3 or 4 times.
 
#21
#21
Voltopia said:
My only thought is that there's very little reason to following recruiting anymore.
Click to expand...
it's still fun. but the days of fax machine and suspense are long gone. to me was fun to watch build rosters, and see folks get better.

Now its like NFL mini, full on free agency. With owners having zero authority over their teams other than saying 'don't, or you won't play'. In Chaz's case, had TN not renegotiated his NIL agreement the kid would be bankrolling for nothing.

Tennessee gets flak for the pre madonnas its recruited, and some of that is fair. But Ill give credit for having the savvy to see that coming down the pike.
 
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#22
#22
UTFranklinVol said:
so it's still a few months from signing day but looking at the recruiting class right now, outside of DGG decision, the class looks weak. 16 commits and the vast majority 3 star or less and there aren't a lot of uncommitted players in the 247 sports top 250.

Is this a tell or a sign that Huepel plans to go the route of pulling most of the 2027 class out of the portal? is he going to invest most of Tennessee's NIL money in more proven players with some age? I kind of hope he plans on hitting the portal hard (like Coach Barnes did this year).

what are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Tennessee needs to be shooting to land highly ranked blue chips and end with a top 15ish class. That still leaves a lot of funds for a strong transfer portal class. The days of wanting a top-5 class are dumb. That's just wasted NIL since most of the guys won't play as freshmen and then will leave after their one year on the bench. The idea should be to land strategic blue-chip talent and then fill in with elite transfers
 
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