Face Reality Folks

Here is the concern I have, Pruitt may have had a real chance to sell a lot of blue chips on a rebuild 20-25 years ago, but with kids nowadays? I am not so sure.

We are about to get beat like a circus monkey at least 3 games in a row, I fear we'll have trouble keeping the kids we have committed, much less reeling in some of the big fish we are chasing. These top kids are going to be hesitant to come take the kind of beating JG took tonight (I admire the hell out of that kid by the way). Kids with the option to go play at Ohio State, Clemson, Bama, or Georgia are going to go rather than be beat to death and used up in college.

I am worried that Pruitt, though he may be a good coach, has no idea how to rehabilitate a program in as bad a shape as ours. The wheels looked like they were coming off down there on the sideline tonight. When Georgia beats us 59-20, Auburn 42-6, and Bama 63-0, will Pruitt stop at kicking a dry erase board then? Will more players quit mid-game?

I think it's clear Pruitt can coach from his past stops but he always had raw materials to work with, he doesn't now and the danger of the real hard*** leadership style is that you can push people too far, particularly in the absence of success and be shot in Vietnam by your own troops like that guy from Animal House. If we don't land the big fish Pruitt is shooting for in recruiting, we will be empty handed and too behind the game to even get the kind of underrated 3 stars that guys like Stoops, Holgersen, and Mullen build their team around through development so that they are really good players by the time they are redshirt juniors and seniors.

That's the reality of the type of rebuild our team needs but I think we are instead opting for the high risk/high reward blue chip shortcut and that route might be closed in the next month and what then?
Agree with most everything you said, however, while Pruitt was a good " Assistant" coach, that doesn't automatically translate into being a good Head coach. I know it's early and the verdict is still out, however, with each game I am becoming more concerned we are looking at Butch Jr.
 
Agree with most everything you said, however, while Pruitt was a good " Assistant" coach, that doesn't automatically translate into being a good Head coach. I know it's early and the verdict is still out, however, with each game I am becoming more concerned we are looking at Butch Jr.
I agree we don't have enough information one way or another to say whether Pruitt will be a good HC, however, I do think that what a lot of our fans have to realize is that even if he is this great coach, and he may be, he has a good pedigree, his rebuild may never get off the ground because of the way he is going about it. I saw a team last night that was stubbornly trying to do what Bama or Georgia might do but without the players to do it with. Pruitt can't take these kind of beatings from teams like Florida and be here long enough for "his guys" to mature, further for the reasons I mention above, he may not even get his guys, then what? His tenure could literally be smothered in the crib without us really ever even knowing if he can coach (given decent players). He really needed to beat either WV or Florida to give some hope, or at least be competitive with them before we hit the GA-AUB-BAMA gauntlet (****-you SEC office!). Those games are going to be massacres, what will be left of our team's psyche the Sunday after Bama? I'm not sure if we could beat Sakerlina, Mizzou, Kentucky, or Vandy straight up even if we brought our A game this year based on what I've seen but with a beaten down team like we are going to have, some or all of those games good be blowouts too. If we get to the end of the season 3-9, with 7-9 multi-touchdown losses, I don't know if Pruitt survives Year 1, I really don't.
 
I agree we don't have enough information one way or another to say whether Pruitt will be a good HC, however, I do think that what a lot of our fans have to realize is that even if he is this great coach, and he may be, he has a good pedigree, his rebuild may never get off the ground because of the way he is going about it. I saw a team last night that was stubbornly trying to do what Bama or Georgia might do but without the players to do it with. Pruitt can't take these kind of beatings from teams like Florida and be here long enough for "his guys" to mature, further for the reasons I mention above, he may not even get his guys, then what? His tenure could literally be smothered in the crib without us really ever even knowing if he can coach (given decent players). He really needed to beat either WV or Florida to give some hope, or at least be competitive with them before we hit the GA-AUB-BAMA gauntlet (****-you SEC office!). Those games are going to be massacres, what will be left of our team's psyche the Sunday after Bama? I'm not sure if we could beat Sakerlina, Mizzou, Kentucky, or Vandy straight up even if we brought our A game this year based on what I've seen but with a beaten down team like we are going to have, some or all of those games good be blowouts too. If we get to the end of the season 3-9, with 7-9 multi-touchdown losses, I don't know if Pruitt survives Year 1, I really don't.
Totally agree. The next issue is will hPruitt be able to recruit and keep the recruits already verbally committed after putting up a 3-9 season? I guess we'll see what I kind of salesman he is because without better players, we are going to continue down a black hole. I'm still having a hard time realizing we haven't won an SEC game in almost 23 months now. UGHH!
 
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Im like all fans. Tired of rebuilding seasons....had them over 10 years now. Wish UT would have been willing to hand the money in at the beginning and hired a real coach instead of shopping at the dollar store. Kiffin bash him at least had us excited for a time before he bolted. Dooley, well we all know, butch was an used car salesman.. Not knocking our coach but want him to succeed. Im gonna give him the benefit but it just sucks as a fan to see our once proud program sink so low. It all starts at the top and boosters, they made this crap fest.
 
Keep hiring bad coaches you get bad results.

Maybe it's not fair to call Pruitt a bad coach yet, but how often does a first time HC, OC, DC work in the SEC? Not often.

We're probably staring at a 3-9 season.

Helton calls plays like he has Bama talent.

These players somehow seem even slower and weaker than last year.

Can you name a good coach who was serious about being hired at U T?
Gundy used us to leverage a raise and an extension
Willie Taggart and Charlie STRONG turned out to be not as good as advertised
Who then????? Was really interested
 
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They need to drop the OU series, Nebraska, etc and schedule more OVc and southern con teams. Quit trying to act like you’re a power but don’t want to invest to compete. Hiring any of the 3finalists was a joke.
 
I agree. The teams of the 90's that won, and competed day in and day out are not coming. It's a tough sell to top recruits to come to a crappy program. The overall lack of recruiting from the past three coaching staffs has trickled to the next hire and things are stagnant.
 
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This most likely will be the worst team in Tennessee history. Considering it is mostly made up of players from the actual worst team in Tennessee history and toss in a brand new never been a college HC before reinforces that hypothesis. 3 wins. Its coming. This team cannot beat anyone in the SEC and will get manhandled by Kensucky and Vandy.
You should have hired Saban, Myer, Stoops, Dabo etc. What where you thinking?? Hiring a coordinator?

Regards,

Kirby Smart
 
We aren't ever getting back to the glory days. We ain't finding a lucky rabbits foot and begin playing better. Recruits aren't gonna come. We might as well accept the way things are. I will always be a Vol fan for life but dont expect magic.

Oh no the sky is falling. Our fan base is a soft as our OL. Bunch of crying babies after a loss.

I thought or OL would be much improved this year, but it's painfully obvious, they are terrible. Until we get decent OL play, we will lose a lot of ball games. Just a fact.
 
They need to drop the OU series, Nebraska, etc and schedule more OVc and southern con teams. Quit trying to act like you’re a power but don’t want to invest to compete. Hiring any of the 3finalists was a joke.
Who would you invest in? Are the big dog head coaches leaving to come here for a few more dollars when they all make $7 million plus already? Just to take over this mess? Look at Frost and Kelly. They have to fix a broken mess just as Pruitt does. No big name coach is coming here. Get over yo self.
 
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