JUCO players Dooley's secret weapon?

#1

johnnyknoxville

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#1
I hadn't thought about this till about 37 seconds ago but getting JUCO players like we have seems like a great option.

Most can play immediately have 1 or 2 solid years under their belt have bulked up and grown up a bit more than these incoming freshman and already have a pretty good expectation of what they will need to bring to the classroom to stay on the squad.

I would probably choose a 3 star JUCO over a 4 star freshman any day.

Was Dooley big into getting JUCO boyz to LA TECH or is this his plan to bring our school back into the mix of things in the SEC a bit sooner than any of us thought.

I was looking at maybe 3 to 5 years but I wouldn't hesitate being back in the hunt of things by 2011.
 
#2
#2
I think they help to build depth early on. Since they have had time to develop a bit more physically and mentally, many can start almost immediately. Some freshman need some time in the weightroom to develop physically and may need time to adjust to college life.
 
#3
#3
I hadn't thought about this till about 37 seconds ago but getting JUCO players like we have seems like a great option.

Most can play immediately have 1 or 2 solid years under their belt have bulked up and grown up a bit more than these incoming freshman and already have a pretty good expectation of what they will need to bring to the classroom to stay on the squad.

I would probably choose a 3 star JUCO over a 4 star freshman any day.

Was Dooley big into getting JUCO boyz to LA TECH or is this his plan to bring our school back into the mix of things in the SEC a bit sooner than any of us thought.

I was looking at maybe 3 to 5 years but I wouldn't hesitate being back in the hunt of things by 2011.

I agree with you.Juco guys would be a good option considering we need to build our depth.
 
#4
#4
thats a good point. i say we go after as much as we can to stableize this free fall we have been in. i think alot of people are going to be surprized at the upgrade of coaching we will have. loosing monte hurts but he wasint so great this past season. our former coaches we great recruiters but not great X and O people. dooley is going to be able to coach them up.
 
#5
#5
It was our M-O back in the late 80's/early 90's. That worked out pretty well.
 
#6
#6
Pickens was on 104.5 the zone today and he said JUCO players was a big boost in their talent.
 
#7
#7
if you want some players that can step onto the field and really make a difference immediately...then yes juco can really help
 
#8
#8
I have always been a fan of Juco's. I agree they are more prepared to contribute immediately. On average they seem to get rated lower for whatever reason, so a 3 star juco is like a 4 star freshman in the short term. Some Vol greats that were jucos Dale Carter, Chuck Smith, Chris Mims, and Gibril Wilson.
 
#9
#9
I have always been a fan of Juco's. I agree they are more prepared to contribute immediately. On average they seem to get rated lower for whatever reason, so a 3 star juco is like a 4 star freshman in the short term. Some Vol greats that were jucos Dale Carter, Chuck Smith, Chris Mims, and Gibril Wilson.

impressive list
 
#10
#10
We need bodies at this point and bodies more likely to contribute--the sooner the better. JUCO is the route to go in this instance so I'm all for it. There are some quality JUCO's out there and bringing them in definitely gives instant depth/experience which helps out big time with our depleted numbers.
 
#13
#13
I think we have 3 or 4 juco commits this year. Probably have 2 or 3 more possibles left 3 and 4 star guys that are on TN radar. I was looking at the jcfootball website list of prospects and there are stlll some great guys out there.
 
#14
#14
I have often wondered why we at UT didn't go more of the JUCO route, seeing as we are "cursed" with having to search the world over for recruits.

I don't guess you can build a program by making JUCO's the staple of your recruiting, but considering where we are right now, I say fill the OLine with studd JUCO's.
 
#16
#16
I hadn't thought about this till about 37 seconds ago but getting JUCO players like we have seems like a great option.

Most can play immediately have 1 or 2 solid years under their belt have bulked up and grown up a bit more than these incoming freshman and already have a pretty good expectation of what they will need to bring to the classroom to stay on the squad.

I would probably choose a 3 star JUCO over a 4 star freshman any day.

Was Dooley big into getting JUCO boyz to LA TECH or is this his plan to bring our school back into the mix of things in the SEC a bit sooner than any of us thought.

I was looking at maybe 3 to 5 years but I wouldn't hesitate being back in the hunt of things by 2011.

37 Seconds, exactly?
 
#17
#17
Notable UT JUCO's since 2002...

2002
Mondre Dickerson 5* DT

2004
Jesse Mahelona 5* DT
Albert Toeaina 5* OL

2007
Nevin McKenzie 4* S (Later played LB)
DeAngelo Willingham 4* CB
Kenny O'Neal 4* WR (Bust)

2008
Stephaun Raines 2* S (Commited in 2006)
Gerald Williams 1* LB (Comitted in 2007)

All information per Scout...
 
#18
#18
It appears like Dooley is big JC guy...


Have you looked at the depth chart? The Jr. and Sr. class is short on talent, shorter on results thus far in their careers, and Kiffin ran several of them off as well. It is common sense Dooley would look to sign several JUCOs.
 
#19
#19
If you want a good example of how quickly strategically targeted JUCO players can help turn a program around, take a look at Kansas State during Bill Snyder's heyday. Long one of the true doormats of college football, Snyder built that program into a national power by recruiting as many as 10-12 JUCO players per year.
 
#20
#20
JUCOs can help, especially when depth is a concern, but you don't want to depend on them to be the cornerstone of your program. High school talent will always be the lifeblood of a program.
 
#21
#21
I think Dooley's looking at all of the JUCOs because we are so short in quality players in the junior and senior classes right now. You really don't want to run your program based on JUCOs, but when you're in a situation like Tennessee is in right now, bringing in some two-year players is a nice stopgap to keep the team competitive while you develop the freshmen. It's also a nice way to finish off the team when there's just a hole or two, like we've done so many times before.

Dooley is going to do what he can to try to win right away, which means plugging the holes with JUCO talent if and when he can. I don't think it will be a long-term trend.

Snyder did what he did at Kansas State because he really didn't have a choice. Manhattan, Kansas isn't a destination that high school hotshots are ever going to aspire to. But 20-year-old men who have been riding JUCO buses for two seasons have a different perspective on things.
 
#22
#22
It was our M-O back in the late 80's/early 90's. That worked out pretty well.

Yes, I thought we used to use JC's very effectively during Major's tenure and early in Phil's. Once Phil got the recruiting machine up and running we didn't seem to need that source any longer. Given our challenge of less in state talent and trying to recruit against other in state schools where kids have a natural affiliation, I think used wisely, JC's could always have a place here to fill out depth and find the occasional star.
 
#23
#23
We have indeed relied on JUCO players in the past quite a bit. I say it is something to look at heavily right this moment, but it will be something we will have to be careful about also. With the limits now in effect on how many recruits we can sign in each class, we will never reach our limit of total scholarship players if we don't wean out the JUCO route and/or start redshirting several good high school players each year. Does anyone know how many scholarship players we currently have? And if so, does this include the eight EE's we currently have?
 
#24
#24
I think the main concern with JUCO players is technique. At least that is what I would be concerned with. Having been in a college system for a year or two may have instilled some less than desireable traits, and habbits with their technique, whatever position they may play.
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