In our own back yard

#26
#26
PMC2726 said:
I see your point, but Cal didn't leave for cash (Memphis offered him more, plus a private plane courtesy of Fred Smith). Cal left for glory/ego (or for the same reason you leave to coach at Notre Dame) -- as much as Memphians love basketball, it still doesn't compare to Kentucky. Kentucky is the bench-mark for state pride in a basketball program. They are nuts. He wanted to be a part of that. Memphis wins a national championship, everyone calls it a fluke. Kentucky wins it and he's a hero for bringing back the blue to glory.
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This is pertaining to football. I would respond, but I'm not sure what you are getting at.
 
#27
#27
RichRollin said:
OK, perhaps that is a bad example. Take Texas for instance. Look at all the players on Texas roster from Texas. Look how far some of them travel and how many good programs they pass up to get to Austin. 6 hours isn't that far IMO. Look, I'm not saying we need to get all of these kids.... I'm just not buying the whole "Memphis is too far" mess.

As for Va Tech, they have done VERY well in the Hampton/Va Beach area. Also Highland Springs which is across the state.

Tyrod Taylor - Yahoo! Sports
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Texas is a completely different animal and much different than UT. The divisions in TN are quite real.

and sure VT got Tyrod but missed on guys like Harvin/Mayo/Hunter/etc. They aren't pulling the big names
 
#28
#28
GahLee said:
And it is still over 6 hours in a car.

Just cause Mmephis is in Tennessee doesn't make it our backyard.
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Uhhh..."Just cause Mmephis is in Tennessee doesn't make it our backyard" may be an accurate statement to you, but that is an objective phrase and the boundaries of what constitutes someone's "backyard" is open to various interpretation. It's similar to how Mexico is in the United State's "backyard", despite the fact their different countries.

I don't care one way or another, but I can tell from seeing you post in every thread that being overtly negative about everything is what gets you excited, and...well....that's hysterically sad.
 
#31
#31
manfromtn said:
I was just saying that with the "no talent in TN" we hear all the time, it truly made me wonder how many of those Nashville players actually signed with Vandy(the hometown school) because they werent wanted in Knoxville. I know we have a pretty good player or two from Nashville on our team now, but you know as well as I do that athletically speaking, UK and Vandy players aren't really SEC caliber most of the time. The Knoxville one is skewed and we all know it. Reveiz was a great player for us this year and we couldn't have done it without him, but if it weren't for his dad being a Vol great, he probably wouldn't have had as good a chance to shine. I am not taking anything away from Nick, but there are many more area players that "play" for Tennessee that would not see the field at most of the other top-tier SEC schools.
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That's cool. I'm not saying that we should have all of these guys. But I think each yr you have a handful of REALLY good players statewide. Gotta have them.

My main arguement is that some act as if a kid from Tenn just CAN'T be good. There are some really good players from this state. Not as many as UF and UGA, but some good ones. Also, some of the other schools with better recruiting bases are coming here for 1-2 players per yr. If UGA or Bama comes here for a player, we need to keep him. Being 6 hrs away from Memphis just doesn't cut it for me.
 
#32
#32
GahLee said:
A 6 hour drive is not your backyard.
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Nonetheless, it's still in-state. We need to pull that talent. Besides, there are plenty of fans who make a drive each Saturday in the fall from Memphis to Knoxville because they love Tennessee. I don't know why we shouldn't try to instill that same devotion into the young athletes, just because they're "6 hours away."
 
#33
#33
I'm new to posting on the board. I'm from the West Tenn area and there is a lot of talent over here. Look at the Foster kid from Henning, TN. that plays for the steelers. His brother also playde D-1 football and is on a NFL roster. We love the VOLS in the West too. The point is that there is a lot of talent here and these kids grow up VOL fans. It's a no brainer, TENN needs to build a better relationship in Memphis. Just because it's not a 2-4 hour drive does not mean that it doesn't matter.
 
#34
#34
utvolpj said:
Texas is a completely different animal and much different than UT. The divisions in TN are quite real.

and sure VT got Tyrod but missed on guys like Harvin/Mayo/Hunter/etc. They aren't pulling the big names
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The "divisions in Tenneessee".. Not quite sure what you mean by that. Not being smart, just don't get it. I can assure you kids don't even blink an eye to drive 6 hrs to play for the longhorns. And they pass up some pretty good INSTATE programs to do so.
 
#35
#35
When GVX posted its top prospects in TN, I remember seeing 6-8 that were takes. That's not exactly brimming with talent.
 
#36
#36
RichRollin said:
The "divisions in Tenneessee".. Not quite sure what you mean by that. Not being smart, just don't get it. I can assure you kids don't even blink an eye to drive 6 hrs to play for the longhorns. And they pass up some pretty good INSTATE programs to do so.
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ever heard of East, middle and west TN? The 3 are much different and to act like TN is just one big happy family is misleading. TX is much different in that respect. Also if we start fielding teams made up of TN players we will not be competing for the SEC anytime soon. Who are these impact players from Memphis/West TN that we're missing out on?
 
#37
#37
navyvolunteer said:
I'm new to posting on the board. I'm from the West Tenn area and there is a lot of talent over here. Look at the Foster kid from Henning, TN. that plays for the steelers. His brother also playde D-1 football and is on a NFL roster. We love the VOLS in the West too. The point is that there is a lot of talent here and these kids grow up VOL fans. It's a no brainer, TENN needs to build a better relationship in Memphis. Just because it's not a 2-4 hour drive does not mean that it doesn't matter.
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no one really questioned if we have players able to play D1 football in TN...our problem is lack of elite talent...we just don't produce a large number of 4* and 5* players...there are more elite players from one high school in miami than the state of TN produces each year...more in the city of atlanta than we produce in the entire state, thus our need to recruit mostly out of state to be successful
 
#38
#38
I stopped reading as soon as I realized the poster was calling Memphis our back yard.
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Well one of the fastest children in the nation goes East High School (not star gazing East High School may have 2 4* on the same football team) which is Memphis, also in the state of Tenneessee! Woodale High School is has a running back that being recruited by Alabama I think Saban knows talent. People Memphis is very important to in UT recruiting now the Coaches don't want to pimp out their football players is a plus.Memphis is in the state of Tenneessee!
 
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#39
#39
I also live in West Tennessee. There is a lot of talent in Memphis but I am not sure there is a lot of love between UT and Memphis. Historically, there has been very few players come out of Memphis and very little recruiting for football in general. There are about 8 or 9 high schools in Memphis that produce outstanding athletes . There are some character issues associated with Memphis also that I will stay away from. I could make a lot of personal remarks about players in Memphis but I will let those remarks alone. Yes, I live 1 hour from Memphis and it is a good 6 to 8 hour drive to Knoxville. Not so sure Dooley would want many many players out of Memphis to be perfectly honest. I said that the nicest way I knew how.
 
#40
#40
I understand we don't have all the 4 and 5 star kids, but we do have talent. What about the kicker from LSU? he's from Memphis, right? The WR at GA is from Mephis, i know we tried to recruit him, but if we had a better foundation in Memphis maybe it would have helped. It would also help in basketball also. It would help in all sports, IMO. I'm in the military and nothing is better then rubbing Tennessee in someone's face from Cali or Lou or from anywhere else in the country. I don't care if it is women's polo. I like being on top in all sports.
 
#41
#41
DOn't get me wrong. there are kids from the Memphis area with issue's and I'm not saying fill the roster with those kids. Just the the one or two that other SEC schools come in and get.
 
#42
#42
Another byproduct of signing Memphis players is keeping them away from Alabama. I hadn't seen that mentioned and wanted to bring it up.

The metro areas we need to consistently hit the hardest (IMO) are Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte, and Cincinnati (250 miles from Knoxville and could be an untapped goldmine for Tennessee if we could get a foothold).
 
#43
#43
utvolpj said:
really hard to consider Memphis our "backyard" when they are closer to about 5-6 other SEC schools than UT
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Wrong!

manfromtn said:
How far is Miami from Gainesville in a car? As far as 5 or 6 SEC schools being closer, that is a stretch, albeit not much.
Ole Miss 1 1/2 Hrs
MSU 3 hrs
Bama 4 hrs
Arkansas 5 Hrs
Auburn 6 Hrs
UT 6 hrs
LSU 6 hrs
UK 6 1/2 hrs

My point wasn't the distance as much as it is IN Tennessee. That still means something to some of these kids. Regardless, I think CDD puts more focus on the #1 in those cities anyway as he should. Nashville and Knoxville being in the top 10 still makes me shake my head.
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This proves it, there are only 2 schools significantly closer to Memphis and its ole miss ans msu. Most kids here consider Tennessee the home team and we just need to do a better job here. Fulmer crapped on memphis and kiffin didnt help, only signing two TN guys.
 
#44
#44
Memphis is in the state of Tennessee by GEOGRAPHY ONLY! The people in Memphis, specifically sports people, do not see themselves as Tennessee people. There is basically no connection between the campus in Knoxville and high school sports in Memphis. It is, and will continue to be, rare for UT to convince Memphis kids to come to school in Knoxville.
 
#45
#45
navyvolunteer said:
I'm new to posting on the board. I'm from the West Tenn area and there is a lot of talent over here. Look at the Foster kid from Henning, TN. that plays for the steelers. His brother also playde D-1 football and is on a NFL roster. We love the VOLS in the West too. The point is that there is a lot of talent here and these kids grow up VOL fans. It's a no brainer, TENN needs to build a better relationship in Memphis. Just because it's not a 2-4 hour drive does not mean that it doesn't matter.
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Exactly! New to the board but already smarter than pj.
 
#46
#46
VolunteerJam said:
Another byproduct of signing Memphis players is keeping them away from Alabama. I hadn't seen that mentioned and wanted to bring it up.

The metro areas we need to consistently hit the hardest (IMO) are Atlanta, Memphis, Nashville, Charlotte, and Cincinnati (250 miles from Knoxville and could be an untapped goldmine for Tennessee if we could get a foothold).
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You are right on the button about Cincy. With Kelly gone from UC, many quality kids around Cincy will jump at the opportunity to play at a top SEC program if OSU has not chosen them or they don't like the Bucks. Ohio nearly doubles TN in population and boys grow up with football on their minds like in TX. The Vols used to recruit Ohio pretty well, but not much of late.
 
#47
#47
In Tennessee, we can get a plethora of OL annually that can play at a high level in the SEC. I don't care if they are 3* or not. History has proven that we can make a living in the trenches getting these guys. And, most of them reside in rural areas and these guys are DIE-HARD Vol fans from birth (most of them anyway).

When Tennessee mainly falls short is with great skill position players. They are out there. But, usually don't have the grades, go elsewhere, or there just aren't enough to go round. Most of these kids are inner city/metro kids. I think it is great that there is a concerted effort in both Memphis and Nashville with after school tutoring programs to help these kids get on and stay on track all through HS. This may not reap benefits this year. But it will in future years.
 
#48
#48
utvolpj said:
ever heard of East, middle and west TN? The 3 are much different and to act like TN is just one big happy family is misleading. TX is much different in that respect. Also if we start fielding teams made up of TN players we will not be competing for the SEC anytime soon. Who are these impact players from Memphis/West TN that we're missing out on?
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Keiwone Malone, Brandon Ivory, Jones brothers all at bama

Marlon Brown, Long brothers at Georgia

Justin Maclin, Jasper at LSU

Ferlando Bohanna at MSU

O.C. Brown at Southern Miss

This is just what I can think of of the top of my head we lost recently. If you go back three or four years its more. All these guys are 3 and 4 stars and would contribute or start. This is also not to mention the other guys close to Memphis we need to get. Ill get a deeper list if you need it.
 
#49
#49
bamasucks76 said:
Keiwone Malone, Brandon Ivory, Jones brothers all at bama

Marlon Brown, Long brothers at Georgia

Justin Maclin, Jasper at LSU

Ferlando Bohanna at MSU

O.C. Brown at Southern Miss

This is just what I can think of of the top of my head we lost recently. If you go back three or four years its more. All these guys are 3 and 4 stars and would contribute or start. This is also not to mention the other guys close to Memphis we need to get. Ill get a deeper list if you need it.
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And if you think that most of those guys you just listed felt a connection with UT and were big UT athletics fans growing up then you are sadly mistaken. And, btw, we did not lose O.C. Brown. He was not pursued by UT coaches because he was not SEC caliber.
 
#50
#50
Memphis isn't really our "back yard"..........its like owning 1000 acres and it being on the outskirts......we do need to focus more attention there
 
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