ThreatLevelOrange
Wish that I was on ol’ Rocky Top
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2011
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Many fans are frustrated that 'Bama, USC, Texas, etc can come in out of left field and "steal" someone that we thought was solid. Recruiting is a science, but an inexact one. Our highest rated classes of the past 10 years were busts, and left us in the hole we're trying climb out of. CDD's approach is to evaluate in-person, let the recruit take their time, and commit without the hot sauce. As a result, our players are more likely to hold to their commitment, qualify, and stay put once they get here.
Compare this to the stellar class that USC is putting together. It looks like the his last couple classes, when he got Seantrel Henderson, Dillon Baxter, and Markeith Ambles. All 5* recruits that had no impact whatsoever. And that's like his 2009 class here. We ended up with easy-come, easy-go recruits like Jackson, Brown, Richardson, and Myles. The hot sauce works...but only for so long. The players that remain (Schofield?, Gordon, Teague, King, Mitchell-Thornton, Z Rogers) are not difference makers.
His 2010 recruiting class got us exactly zero DTs. We received commitments (and decommitments) from Brandon Willis, Calvin Smith, and JC Copeland. And we also pinned our hopes on John Brown, who couldn't qualify.
Kiffin cleaned out a lot of dead wood when he arrived here, but the attrition he introduced added at least another year onto our rebuilding plan. Kiffin's got it rolling, but keep your eye on the transfer/dismissal rate. He can't replace them as easily, with the scholarship reductions. CDD is selling UT regardless of whether he is the coach. The fact that we can sign 3 straight top-12 classes coming off losing records 3 of the past 4 years is amazing.
k:
Compare this to the stellar class that USC is putting together. It looks like the his last couple classes, when he got Seantrel Henderson, Dillon Baxter, and Markeith Ambles. All 5* recruits that had no impact whatsoever. And that's like his 2009 class here. We ended up with easy-come, easy-go recruits like Jackson, Brown, Richardson, and Myles. The hot sauce works...but only for so long. The players that remain (Schofield?, Gordon, Teague, King, Mitchell-Thornton, Z Rogers) are not difference makers.
His 2010 recruiting class got us exactly zero DTs. We received commitments (and decommitments) from Brandon Willis, Calvin Smith, and JC Copeland. And we also pinned our hopes on John Brown, who couldn't qualify.
Kiffin cleaned out a lot of dead wood when he arrived here, but the attrition he introduced added at least another year onto our rebuilding plan. Kiffin's got it rolling, but keep your eye on the transfer/dismissal rate. He can't replace them as easily, with the scholarship reductions. CDD is selling UT regardless of whether he is the coach. The fact that we can sign 3 straight top-12 classes coming off losing records 3 of the past 4 years is amazing.
k:
