How about CJP recruiting!

#26
#26
A lot of clueless dumb people think Tennessee can automatically be like Alabama,Georgia and Clemson:rolleyes: They're just delusional morons in my opinion:mad: It will take awhile to get to where everyone wants the Tennessee football program to be;)

Much truth here. The big thing that those who are saying these things are flat out ignoring the sugnificance of last years record. It was the worst in school history. That is extremely significant. It belittles your program and shows its going in the wrong direction. Think about it, out of what 120 some D1 teams, TN was one of only 2 teams to never lose more than 7 games. Thats huge. It has a very negative effect on what you can sell to elite recruits to get them here.

Some other dumb people want to bring up Auburn as a good comparison. They went 3-9 in 2012 and then 12-2 in 2913. But they seem to forget that in 2009 they went 8-5 with a bowl win, 2010 14-0 with a natty and 8-5 with a bowl win in 2011. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson havent suffered anything like UT has in recent years. How someone cannot look at the fact that we haventbplayed a game yet, have tturned over the ENTIRE staff and still getting the recruits we are is beyond baffling.
 
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#27
#27
C'mon man...Pruitt is coming from the biggest cheaters in recruiting from Alabama..He should have plenty of "recruiting tactics" up his sleeve to land a top 10 class.

Which cheating team did he used to work for has had coaches on the level of Dooley and Jones? There is literally no way to compare any of Pruitts previous situations to the one he is now. And lets not forget, this is his very first HC job.
 
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#28
#28
#29
#29
Much truth here. The big thing that those who are saying these things are flat out ignoring the sugnificance of last years record. It was the worst in school history. That is extremely significant. It belittles your program and shows its going in the wrong direction. Think about it, out of what 120 some D1 teams, TN was one of only 2 teams to never lose more than 7 games. Thats huge. It has a very negative effect on what you can sell to elite recruits to get them here.

Some other dumb people want to bring up Auburn as a good comparison. They went 3-9 in 2012 and then 12-2 in 2913. But they seem to forget that in 2009 they went 8-5 with a bowl win, 2010 14-0 with a natty and 8-5 with a bowl win in 2011. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson havent suffered anything like UT has in recent years. How someone cannot look at the fact that we haventbplayed a game yet, have tturned over the ENTIRE staff and still getting the recruits we are is beyond baffling.
Only takes one season to change a narrative and back to back recruiting classes to replenish a program. College football players have a 3 year turnaround time. Our “worst season” ever in the history of ever was ONE worse than the 3 year stretch from Dooley’s second season to Butch’s first. Then you had a 3 year upswing with 3 bowl wins (meh them if you like, they were 10 game winners from the Big 10 that we annihilated). Right coach with the right process with the resources that have always been available is greatness waiting to happen. Hating Pruitt as a rival recruiter who tended to eat our lunch prepared me for the results that are already coming in.
 
#30
#30
Ranked # 12 in recruit average ( Rivals) which is a better gauge than than total ranking points. Vols have 20 recruits now while many others have less commitments. Vols need to go after the 4&5 stars with their remaining commitments to finish in the top ten.

Ok then whats the sales pitch to get these elite recruits?
 
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#32
#32
Which cheating team did he used to work for has had coaches on the level of Dooley and Jones? There is literally no way to compare any of Pruitts previous situations to the one he is now. And lets not forget, this is his very first HC job.
No one he followed was going to set his path. He learned from Saban and I’m sure picked up useful lessons from Fisher and Richt, but this guy’s not a drone. And every HC was a first time HC ONCE.
 
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#34
#34
Ok then whats the sales pitch to get these elite recruits?

I'm not a recruiter. All I can do is hope for a strong finish but we do not have a top ten class at this time and as another poster stated we are only # 6 in the SEC. The Pruitt recruiting is over-hyped at this time. We are still losing the recruiting battle to Alabama, Georgia and other SEC teams ranked ahead of us.
 
#35
#35
Ranked # 12 in recruit average ( Rivals) which is a better gauge than than total ranking points. Vols have 20 recruits now while many others have less commitments. Vols need to go after the 4&5 stars with their remaining commitments to finish in the top ten.
2 of the remaining targets highest on our board are 5*'s, and we're in good shape with both.
 
#37
#37
Much truth here. The big thing that those who are saying these things are flat out ignoring the sugnificance of last years record. It was the worst in school history. That is extremely significant. It belittles your program and shows its going in the wrong direction. Think about it, out of what 120 some D1 teams, TN was one of only 2 teams to never lose more than 7 games. Thats huge. It has a very negative effect on what you can sell to elite recruits to get them here.

Some other dumb people want to bring up Auburn as a good comparison. They went 3-9 in 2012 and then 12-2 in 2913. But they seem to forget that in 2009 they went 8-5 with a bowl win, 2010 14-0 with a natty and 8-5 with a bowl win in 2011. Alabama, Georgia and Clemson havent suffered anything like UT has in recent years. How someone cannot look at the fact that we haventbplayed a game yet, have tturned over the ENTIRE staff and still getting the recruits we are is beyond baffling.

TLDR

We hear this every year, man. Tennessee recruits itself
 
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#38
#38
I'm not a recruiter. All I can do is hope for a strong finish but we do not have a top ten class at this time and as another poster stated we are only # 6 in the SEC. The Pruitt recruiting is over-hyped at this time. We are still losing the recruiting battle to Alabama, Georgia and other SEC teams ranked ahead of us.
Lol.
 
#40
#40
While I think he could have said it more tactfully, VolForLife83 does have a point. In order to compete for championships, we're going to have to compete with the best.

I say let this season play out and see what Pruitt has up his sleeve. I'm sure Pruitt, one of the best recruiters at Alabama, knows what he's doing recruiting-wise more than any of us.
 
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#42
#42
I'm not a recruiter. All I can do is hope for a strong finish but we do not have a top ten class at this time and as another poster stated we are only # 6 in the SEC. The Pruitt recruiting is over-hyped at this time. We are still losing the recruiting battle to Alabama, Georgia and other SEC teams ranked ahead of us.

What team that is beating us in the SEC, had their worst season in school histpry last year? At some point you and anyone else talking about recruiting not being great are going to have to recognize how significant last years season was.
 
#43
#43
What team that is beating us in the SEC, had their worst season in school histpry last year? At some point you and anyone else talking about recruiting not being great are going to have to recognize how significant last years season was.

Hopefully we can exorcise last year's demons this season.
 
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#44
#44
What team that is beating us in the SEC, had their worst season in school histpry last year? At some point you and anyone else talking about recruiting not being great are going to have to recognize how significant last years season was.

I'm saying the original post in this thread is over-hyped and misleading. We have not significantly regressed or improved in recruiting compared to the previous coaching regime when considering last year's record which is a good thing. We are still losing the recruiting to other conference foes. Just stating facts and I still hope Pruitt can turn around the program and we improve like Georgia has the last 2/3 years.
 
#45
#45
I'm saying the original post in this thread is over-hyped and misleading. We have not significantly regressed or improved in recruiting compared to the previous coaching regime when considering last year's record which is a good thing. We are still losing the recruiting to other conference foes.

Looking at 247 recruiting rankings at this moment, we are #10. Thats a top 10 class. Yes we are losing the battles with some SEC programs. But look at the ones who are actually beating us. You refrenced Alabama and Georgia? I mean come on man, seriously? TAMU, LSU? The recruiting is nowhere near misleading and overhyped. Why? Just like you said, and I have been saying, given last years record this class is stellar.
 
#46
#46
Tennessee recruits itself. We hear this every year. But please elaborate which year did we go winless in SEC play again?

Figures you would say TLDR. Facts tend to do that.
It is what it is. When this class is said and done, it won't be nothing special. The 12 3*s is what's boosting us. We may finish inside the top 25, which is on par with the rest of our classes. Dooleys first class was 7th nationally and only 4th best in the SEC. UF, BAMA, and Auburn finished ahead of us. All put a hurting on us. LSU finished right behind us. Funny thing is, years later, that class had that LSU team beat if not for that penalty. Now, I know we MIGHT have better coaches. But we have to recruiter better than middle of the road in the SEC to beat these teams. They have great coaches too, ya know? We can't even get our top instate talent. We only got 2 of the 11 4*s in tennessee. Ga, LSU, aTm etc are not having a hard time keeping their guys instate. aTm and LSU aren't playing at high levels. Sure it could be worse, but historically, we're avg about like usual. We have to recruit better. Especially with talent on the rise in Tennessee. So no, I'm not impressed with Pruitts recruiting, regardless of last season. Everyone before him has done the same or better. We've been middle and bottom feeders for too long. Sure, we haven't had the best coaches, but it starts with having better talent than your conference foes
 
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#47
#47
Looking at 247 recruiting rankings at this moment, we are #10. Thats a top 10 class. Yes we are losing the battles with some SEC programs. But look at the ones who are actually beating us. You refrenced Alabama and Georgia? I mean come on man, seriously? TAMU, LSU? The recruiting is nowhere near misleading and overhyped. Why? Just like you said, and I have been saying, given last years record this class is stellar.

I'm only confirming what many others have posted in this thread. The original post is misleading and we are only # 10 because we have signed more recruits. Once the other schools catch up to us in the number of recruits, the Vol's ranking will go down significantly unless the remaining commitments for the Vol's are 4 or 5 stars. Based on the team rankings today will are more likely to finish around # 20 than in the top ten.
 
#48
#48
Both sides of the argument seem to make valid points.

Pro-Pruitt posters are correct that UT hasn't been great in these recruits' lifetimes, that coming off of a 4-8 record is a hard sell for an elite player who wants to win a championship and who is looking at Bama, Clemson, or Georgia. That it will take some time and on-field success to build recruiting momentum.

Anti-Pruitt posters (not literally anti-Pruitt, just just not enthralled with his recruiting so far) fairly point out that his first full class (not counting last year's 22nd national/8th SEC class) is in danger of falling out of the top 10 and being middle of the pack in the SEC. That for a group of coaches known for recruiting prowess and with extensive connections in the south, they are really not doing better and maybe even not doing as well as Dooley or Jones did. That UT possesses the facilities, traditions, and opportunity to play early to match any school.

I guess I fall somewhat in the middle of these two poles. It's too early to panic, but too early to feel great that he is assembling what he has to date. My real concern is that I view Pruitt as so similar in philosophy and approach to Muschamp, Smart, and Saban that I don't think he can outcoach them with inferior talent. The defenses, primarily, and to some extent the offenses will be too similar to do that. So, in my mind, Pruitt has to get equal talent. It would have been interesting to see what a motivated Mike Leach could have done with top 15 talent against the SEC big boys. Might not have worked, but it would have stood a better chance because it is so dissimilar...kind of like Spurrier bringing his Fun and Gun to the SEC in 1990 perhaps. But that pirate ship has sailed, and we have Pruitt. Most of us believe that he needs to get some signature upsets early to create a buzz to improve UT's talent over what he is able to get right now. He needs Fulmer type success in recruiting. Fulmer had the following classes (93-99 ESPN/Tom Lemming, 2000-2008 from 247 composite):

1993- 3rd
1994- 1st
1995- 8th
1996- 7th
1997- 1st
1998- 10th
1999- somewhere 10-20?(can’t find a number)
2000- 1st
2001- 4th
2002- 3rd
2003-10th
2004- 11th
2005- 4th
2006- 29th
2007- 4th
2008- 33rd
and had a top 10 preliminary class for 2009 when he was fired

It can be done. Let's do our part to help him every legal way that we can!
 
#49
#49
Some of u guys absolutely amaze me. Yes, UT is 6th in the SEC, but more importantly, UT is 2nd in the East behind Georgia. Georgia won the SEC last year and was an overtime away from being National Champs. Georgia can also pull a top 5 recruiting class by taking everyone of their recruits from metro Atlanta. Like BOT said, Pruitt has a top 10 class after the worst season in UT history which makes this even more impressive. I, also think the 20 recruits UT has right now, will be ranked higher after the high school football season is over than it is right now. Why ? Because Maurer, Keyton, Beasley, McBride and Harrison (probably many more recruits) will make huge jumps during the season. In fact, I'm taking all bets that Keyton will be a 5-star, if he stays healthy all year.
 
#50
#50
Both sides of the argument seem to make valid points.

Pro-Pruitt posters are correct that UT hasn't been great in these recruits' lifetimes, that coming off of a 4-8 record is a hard sell for an elite player who wants to win a championship and who is looking at Bama, Clemson, or Georgia. That it will take some time and on-field success to build recruiting momentum.

Anti-Pruitt posters (not literally anti-Pruitt, just just not enthralled with his recruiting so far) fairly point out that his first full class (not counting last year's 22nd national/8th SEC class) is in danger of falling out of the top 10 and being middle of the pack in the SEC. That for a group of coaches known for recruiting prowess and with extensive connections in the south, they are really not doing better and maybe even not doing as well as Dooley or Jones did. That UT possesses the facilities, traditions, and opportunity to play early to match any school.

I guess I fall somewhat in the middle of these two poles. It's too early to panic, but too early to feel great that he is assembling what he has to date. My real concern is that I view Pruitt as so similar in philosophy and approach to Muschamp, Smart, and Saban that I don't think he can outcoach them with inferior talent. The defenses, primarily, and to some extent the offenses will be too similar to do that. So, in my mind, Pruitt has to get equal talent. It would have been interesting to see what a motivated Mike Leach could have done with top 15 talent against the SEC big boys. Might not have worked, but it would have stood a better chance because it is so dissimilar...kind of like Spurrier bringing his Fun and Gun to the SEC in 1990 perhaps. But that pirate ship has sailed, and we have Pruitt. Most of us believe that he needs to get some signature upsets early to create a buzz to improve UT's talent over what he is able to get right now. He needs Fulmer type success in recruiting. Fulmer had the following classes (93-99 ESPN/Tom Lemming, 2000-2008 from 247 composite):

1993- 3rd
1994- 1st
1995- 8th
1996- 7th
1997- 1st
1998- 10th
1999- somewhere 10-20?(can’t find a number)
2000- 1st
2001- 4th
2002- 3rd
2003-10th
2004- 11th
2005- 4th
2006- 29th
2007- 4th
2008- 33rd
and had a top 10 preliminary class for 2009 when he was fired

It can be done. Let's do our part to help him every legal way that we can!
That's all I'm saying lol. Well said btw
 
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