Here's an interesting question for the group to think about. Do you think Tennessee football will ever get back to being the powerhouse it once was?

#126
#126
LWSVOL said:
future fans will be extremely fortunate if they ever since a period like 1989-2003 again. I definitely won't still be here..

that period was the best in UT football history from a won-loss standpoint and putting talent in the NFL.. and only garnered 1 NC and 4 SEC titles

JMO
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Majors built a heck of a program didn't he!
 
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#127
#127
Tennessee Vols Fan!!!! said:
Thoughts?
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I doubt we will achieve the greatness of the 90s teams until we hire a coach with a successful record at a Power 5 level school. All coaching hires since Kiffen have been inadequate to achieve that level of success, and we'll never know if Kiffen could have if he'd stayed as he was young and less capable than he is now.
 
#135
#135
LTVol said:
I doubt we will achieve the greatness of the 90s teams until we hire a coach with a successful record at a Power 5 level school. All coaching hires since Kiffen have been inadequate to achieve that level of success, and we'll never know if Kiffen could have if he'd stayed as he was young and less capable than he is now.
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Like Fulmer and Urban Meyer?
 
#136
#136
LTVol said:
I doubt we will achieve the greatness of the 90s teams until we hire a coach with a successful record at a Power 5 level school. All coaching hires since Kiffen have been inadequate to achieve that level of success, and we'll never know if Kiffen could have if he'd stayed as he was young and less capable than he is now.
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Who would you hire now if you were AD? We've got a guy who has proven he can coach an offense. If he gets a top-notch defensive coordinator, he could be very successful once the clouds clear from the program. There are no sure-fire winners that the Vols could have hired from another power-5 school in the last 4 years--none. Most have limited upside. We don't know about Heupel yet, but he has potential. We at least upgraded with the latest hire.
 
#137
#137
I think Tenn can be good again, as in their 100 year winning percentages. Anything more than that will depend on what coaches are at the other SEC schools. Fuller was coaching when football was big but not near as competitive as now. Most every SEC school now desires a good program and they look to hire the best coach available. Ok made a come back but also before college football took over TV and money. They also didn’t have 12 other programs in their conference with fanatical fans. Ok made it, Pitt didn’t.
 
#140
#140
If the question is, will Tennessee sustain playoff caliber years over the course of a decade like in the late 80s-90s? Then that's unlikely. Averaging 9-10 is not at all impossible, and with a competent hire we could have been there at many points in the last decade. We were just rudderless at the top for so long that we couldn't stop stepping on our own dick long enough to do so. Even if you just assume we lose to Florida, Georgia, and Alabama every year, then there are really only two or three other programs in the west that have those types of resources and program health so getting to 9 wins most years shouldn't be out of the question as long as Tennessee doesn't continue to waste the resources it has.



That being said, the program is not nearly healthy enough to expect that yet
 
#141
#141
Tennessee Vols Fan!!!! said:
Definitely never seen the same original sarcasm from Vol fans in my life.
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What else do we say when someone asks the same question for about the hundredth time? It will happen when we get lucky like Bama did with Saban. Remember that they wandered in the wilderness for 10 years before Saban fell in their lap. Or at least we’ll make progress when we stop hiring inbred morons like Dickey, Jones and Pruitt. Too early to tell about Heupel. Next question?
 
#142
#142
A: Yes, as soon as we play running QBs only.

CJH could be the guy to bring us into the 21st Century (if 20 years too late).
 
#144
#144
brockytop said:
No. Tennessee and Nebraska are programs of the past.
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Nebraska's problems are different than UT. Football is no longer played in a way that suits the strengths of Midwestern states. Nebraska, Michigan, really Ohio State is the exception. Those states are losing population to places like Tennessee. The issue at Tennessee is more self-inflicted combined with a primary rival employing the greatest college football coach of all time. The amount of talented football players within 4 hours of Knoxville is better than it has ever been.
 
#145
#145
BigOrangeAl 1979 said:
No I don’t see it happening we are a relic of the past. We just need to get consistent winning seasons again and bowl games even 7 straight winning seasons of 8-4 or 9-3 type years would be a big step above of how terrible we have been since 2008. I used to laugh at Ole Miss fans for their long now 57 years and counting SEC title drought well I don’t anymore cause we are quickly headed toward a 40 year and longer drought it’s already at 23 years now and counting. Frankly I don’t see us winning another SEC or national title in my lifetime and I’m still just 42.
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I have watched Tennessee sports for over 50 years now. It has taken me a while to figure it out completely, but we have had a lack of proper leadership at the top. We probably have a good AD now, who has a good relationship with the football head coach.

I think it is overlooked, but I think the fire to win starts with feeling like you are appreciated, and that you are at a place where there is a winning attitude everywhere you look. Maybe our new AD is not the person we need, but the signs seem to point to it.

Having said all that, all we can do is let it play out. If we have picked the right person for the job, there is no reason why Tennessee cannot compete at the highest levels.

Is Heupel the right coach for the job? I really do not know. Most of my lifetime, the winners usually had really good defenses, and maybe a good offense too. However, a lot of people are breaking that mold a bit now. So, we will see.
 
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#146
#146
We will probably be a powerhouse again. I certainly don't know when but things tend to run in cycles and I would expect UT to cycle up again.
 
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#147
#147
Bama was a hot bag of crap before Saban got there. Tennessee can come back, just need the right guy.
 
#148
#148
JRich said:
What constitutes a powerhouse in the modern era where there is no parity? Who are the current powerhouses? Clemson, Bama, Ohio State, Georgia. Why are they powerhouses? Good coaching and all, or most, of the top HS players at all positions go to these 4 programs. Will UT ever achieve the combination of this level of recruiting and coaching and run a "clean" program? No, not in near future.

My expectations for UT are what Brian Kelly has been able to do at ND. I do believe that UT can achieve this level of success. Although ND does recruit well, they don't have the embarrassment of riches like the the four teams mentioned. They are consistently in the top 25 and occasionally in the top 10 or 5, with an opportunity to play for a championship. ND develops 3 and 4 star players into 5 star players, especially on the line of scrimmage.

The problem, UT has to go through both Georgia and Bama every year. It will be much harder for them than ND. Those two teams have to see a decline in talent and UT will have to maintain competitiveness with UF.
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I wouldn’t lump Georgia into a powerhouse nor one of the teams with “Good coaching.”

Kirby magically recruits at a frequent national championship level without the title to support it. In his career at Georgia, he’s lost games to Butch Jones, Derek Mason, Will Muschamp, and Jim McElwain.

He’s also lost to GA Tech, barely squeaked by KY a few times, barely squeaked by Nichol’s State, and even with this 5* talent across the board has had some abysmal offenses under him.

His inability to coach is just masked by the fact that somehow a huge chunk of the best HS players in the country would rather go play for him and not win a Natty, than play for a school that will.
 
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#149
#149
What I'm afraid whats going to happen is that College sports as a whole is going to change over the next 5-10 years because of rule changes and the NIL rulings to come. The whole landscape of amateur sports will be something that will not be just as simple as good coaches recruiting good players. It COULD become a pay to play deal and you start getting into State schools vs Private. Teams and or conferences leaving the NCAA, good or bad and the abilities of certain entities getting their hands in the pockets of everyone in one way or another.

If the rules basically stay the same ....yes, with the rules and other possible changes.....who knows. I'm not sure anyone could tell you what college sports will look like and what schools would flourish and who will fade away. I think after it's all said and done the days of one or two leading the way every year will be a thing of the past and parity due to economics will be the case. Money and sponsors will decide more than good recruiters and school's will in the end. Time will tell.
 
#150
#150
LTVol said:
I doubt we will achieve the greatness of the 90s teams until we hire a coach with a successful record at a Power 5 level school. All coaching hires since Kiffen have been inadequate to achieve that level of success, and we'll never know if Kiffen could have if he'd stayed as he was young and less capable than he is now.
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I get what you’re saying but.... those teams in the 90s were coached by a guy with no Power 5 head coaching experience.
 
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