Do players care?

#26
#26
This reflects my thoughts on paying players. Here is your base per game (x), you grade out every game from great (y1), good (y2), satisfactory (y3) you get paid more accordingly. Play < satisfactory (-z1), bad (-z2), awful (-z3).

Then we will see people give their best. This should go for coaches as well.

Next problem is who should grade them.
NIL cannot be performance based so that won't work unless the NCAA folds up and a new pro league with incentive based contracts is developed.

MANY people on VN have said they won't follow a pro league even if it's named the Vols if the players aren't part of the school.

There's a HUGE can of worms with going pro including forcing eligibility to end after 5 years won't be legally possible as employees so you might have 30yo men playing, forcing school attendance will likely be removed by the player's union which will negotiate the pay grades you think you can control, etc.
 
#28
#28
NIL cannot be performance based so that won't work unless the NCAA folds up and a new pro league with incentive based contracts is developed.

MANY people on VN have said they won't follow a pro league even if it's named the Vols if the players aren't part of the school.

There's a HUGE can of worms with going pro including forcing eligibility to end after 5 years won't be legally possible as employees so you might have 30yo men playing, forcing school attendance will likely be removed by the player's union which will negotiate the pay grades you think you can control, etc.
Why could a sponsor of a NIL not implement it?
 
#34
#34
I would be willing to bet most if not all the players care. I know some fans think oh bowl games are meaningless blah, blah, blah. Bowl games matter.
 
#35
#35
NIL cannot be performance based so that won't work unless the NCAA folds up and a new pro league with incentive based contracts is developed.

MANY people on VN have said they won't follow a pro league even if it's named the Vols if the players aren't part of the school.

There's a HUGE can of worms with going pro including forcing eligibility to end after 5 years won't be legally possible as employees so you might have 30yo men playing, forcing school attendance will likely be removed by the player's union which will negotiate the pay grades you think you can control, etc.

NCAA 37u leagues are going to epic.
 
#37
#37
I would be willing to bet most if not all the players care. I know some fans think oh bowl games are meaningless blah, blah, blah. Bowl games matter.
As evidenced by the increasing number of players who "hold out" of them to prepare for the NFL draft?

Come on, BOT, you're a class act. You see what we all see.

What's your O/U on the number of Vols who won't play in the bowl game for that very reason? Bearing in mind that they can always use the excuse of (a) recovering from nagging minor injuries, or (b) getting ready for the 2026 season (right before they hit the portal).
 
#39
#39
the high level kids (the ones we want) don't care about wins and losses as much but they definitely care about playing time and padding their stat line and raising their national profile.

WRs don't care about winning as much as they care about how many times the ball is thrown their way. Running backs care about touches, linebackers care about sacks.

that's what gets you paid, not the number of wins your team had.

do you think Travis Hunter gave a crap how many games Colorado won when they raised his banner in the rafters and called him the best player they ever had? no he did not. he cared about getting paid in the NFL and he got there by playing on a bad team that gave him the opportunity to show off.

if the playing time and padding stats leads to wins, that's just a biproduct to them. if the padding stats doesn't lead to wins, no big deal. you don't get paid for winning.
 
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#40
#40
I’m sure the seniors care about the rest of season but what about the other players? Are they making their way to transfer portal?
meh. I don't think you make it to this level without being a competitor. And for most of these dudes, their whole identities are tied up in how they play football. So yes, I'd say they care.

'Course, you're competing in a league full of elite competitors who care. When margins are this thin, losing your edge at all could mean losses.
 
#41
#41
Tell us you’ve never competed without telling us you’ve never competed. No athlete wants to lose no matter the circumstance.
of course nobody "wants" to lose. just like nobody "wants" to drive a Pinto.

But if you're making your name and earning that cash on a team that isn't winning it's no big thing. they'll drive the hell out of that Pinto.
 
#42
#42
Probably, but I also remember the UT/UK years ago when they beat us with a WR at QB. That UT team had several individuals who didn't care, and it showed
As bad as they looked that day, I’ve always thought they had a flu outbreak among the team
 
#43
#43
Do they care?

Let's talk about James Pearce last year. Do you think he was slapping the sign and actually giving his all for Tennessee?
 
#45
#45
As bad as they looked that day, I’ve always thought they had a flu outbreak among the team

Who knows for sure. I just remember how unusually bad Tyler Bray was that day. Less than 50% completion and a few turnovers.
 
#46
#46
maybe now that the seasons over maybe heupel will loosen up and call a fake punt for once in his life
 
#47
#47
Some do, some don't and this is a challenge for a coach at any level. Staying locked in through an entire season is a real thing that coaches deal with. Body language is a telltale sign when players have "quit or quit caring".

Even with my kiddos I coach and preach team, team, team. If there are days you don't want to do it for you and your team, do it for your team, or it's selfish.
 
#48
#48
S
I heard from a reliable source that most of the team know those that have left have regretted it. Some have got more money, some more PT but very few have moved to a better program or situation.
Squirrel White is a head scratcher this year. Yeah I know all our fans say he jumped and fell down too much, but he caught 60+ passes two years ago. He caught 35 last year with one arm.

So he goes to FSU and all summer the FSU coaches say he's healthy and they're itching to get him in the field. Malzahn even said he was spending a lot of time working on situations to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.

He has 5 receptions this year. The grass was definitely not greener for him.
 
#49
#49
He's the poster child for today's game of college football. Portal, NIL, money and the school, game and fans are secondary....if that high.
Has Boo stated he is entering the transfer portal? Or is this the poster child for a typical message bosrd silliness that is posted based on other message board rumor and innuendo?
 
#50
#50
We'll find out in the next few weeks. If they don't, then we don't have the right culture within the program.
I don’t think a programs culture matters much anymore. It’s all about the money grab now. Money trumps culture now
 

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