Knowles/Portal changes etc.

[TennesseeTarheel]

It sounds like Knowles is a force multiplier. Good begets good. More power to him. Go Vols!

 

[Batman1948]

I'm not sure we'll see another steal like Chambliss again. The prices this year will be insane for qbs.

The dude has more athletic ability than probably most players in the country. Those guys are out there but someone has to take a chance on them. I love to watch him scramble when the play breaks down. My hope is that Brandon has some of that ability in him

 

[CAVPUT]

I'm all for fixing the defense. That need is more than obvious. Im excited to see what kind of stabilty and growth Knowles and Co can bring, and fast.

I saw Hubbs mention in the WR that he expects Heup to be in talks with Sam Leavitt.

My question is do you really think anyone will pony up the $3-4 mil that will be required to grab him or another starting Qb from the TP? We all know Heup's O depends on a solid Qb to succeed, so it seems just as important as fixing the D to me.

Leavitt would be a huge, huge gamble due to that injury. If Heupel throws that kind of money down a hole knowing the amount of portal help this roster needs and Leavitt does not pan out, that might be the final nail in his coffin.

Maybe we can find the money to rebuild AND pay for a top QB, but at this point, I just don't see how you can bet the farm and your job on Leavitt. I certainly wouldn't.

 

[VOLfrombama]

Leavitt would be a huge, huge gamble due to that injury. If Heupel throws that kind of money down a hole knowing the amount of portal help this roster needs and Leavitt does not pan out, that might be the final nail in his coffin.

Maybe we can find the money to rebuild AND pay for a top QB, but at this point, I just don't see how you can bet the farm and your job on Leavitt. I certainly wouldn't.

AP said last night they’re talking to Leavitt for sure. It kinda feels like they are willing to pony up for top portal talent, especially when you look at the visitor list.

 

[CAVPUT]

The dude has more athletic ability than probably most players in the country. Those guys are out there but someone has to take a chance on them. I love to watch him scramble when the play breaks down. My hope is that Brandon has some of that ability in him

Leave it UT to bring in a guy who's injured and lame. You know it's coming. Bet Leavitt doesn't last the season wherever he ends up.

 

[CAVPUT]

AP said last night they’re talking to Leavitt for sure. It kinda feels like they are willing to pony up for top portal talent, especially when you look at the visitor list.

I'll say this. If Heupel signs Leavitt and he doesn't last the season, I'd make sure Heupel doesn't either. You throw that kind of money at a guy with that injury, your neck needs to be on the line for doing so.

 

[VOLfrombama]

I'll say this. If Heupel signs Leavitt and he doesn't last the season, I'd make sure Heupel doesn't either. You throw that kind of money at a guy with that injury, your neck needs to be on the line for doing so.

I think it depends on the JA decision too, which should happen next week supposedly

 

[MarcoVol]

I'll say this. If Heupel signs Leavitt and he doesn't last the season, I'd make sure Heupel doesn't either. You throw that kind of money at a guy with that injury, your neck needs to be on the line for doing so.

 

[JCVol00]

I'll say this. If Heupel signs Leavitt and he doesn't last the season, I'd make sure Heupel doesn't either. You throw that kind of money at a guy with that injury, your neck needs to be on the line for doing so.

 

[Weezer]

Cavput has a flair for the dramatic. But he's not that far off. If next season is a repeat of this season or worse, Heupel's seat will be warm for the '27 season. Probation ends before the '28 season, so if it looks like a change is needed, the powers that be won't hesitate to make a change if he struggles in '27. Heupel needs to right the ship, and now is the time to figure it out and do so. DW raised prices promising a better product that we've yet to truly see. Yes, we're better off than pre-Heupel, but we're still not where fans want to be. And that includes the big boosters pouring money into the coffers expecting better results.

FTR, I'm still very hopeful Heupel succeeds here. But I do think this portal class will give us a good idea of where we are headed. He needs to nail it.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

 

[MarcoVol]

Cavput has a flair for the dramatic. But he's not that far off. If next season is a repeat of this season or worse, Heupel's seat will be warm for the '27 season. Probation ends before the '28 season, so if it looks like a change is needed, the powers that be won't hesitate to make a change if he struggles in '27. Heupel needs to right the ship, and now is the time to figure it out and do so. DW raised prices promising a better product that we've yet to truly see. Yes, we're better off than pre-Heupel, but we're still not where fans want to be. And that includes the big boosters pouring money into the coffers expecting better results.

FTR, I'm still very hopeful Heupel succeeds here. But I do think this portal class will give us a good idea of where we are headed. He needs to nail it.

All that’s great and has nothing to do with what he posted.

 

[Orange_Crush]

All that’s great and has nothing to do with what he posted.

I think the problem is that you forgot to LOL the best post-- the "leave it to UT (this staff) to..." assumption that will not play out. At all.

Leave it UT to bring in a guy who's injured and lame. You know it's coming. Bet Leavitt doesn't last the season wherever he ends up.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

AP said last night they’re talking to Leavitt for sure. It kinda feels like they are willing to pony up for top portal talent, especially when you look at the visitor list.

Our relying on injured players making a return isn’t too good lately. We need somebody that can take in spring practice on the freakin field not on the sideline on crutches. GBO

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Well this drill needs to be ran 24-7 at practice. GBO

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Our relying on injured players making a return isn’t too good lately. We need somebody that can take in spring practice on the freakin field not on the sideline on crutches. GBO

Word the agreement to hedge against losing $$ if he has not recovered or does not play because of a previous injury. Pay of playing, not for sitting on the bench to save himself for the draft. We saw what happened last year. Paid out a lot of money to watch players not play.

 

[Devo182]

AP said last night they’re talking to Leavitt for sure. It kinda feels like they are willing to pony up for top portal talent, especially when you look at the visitor list.

Nice.

Been heavy on Leavitt since seeing him in 2024. He could be transcendent in this offense.

 

[Exiled]

I'll say this. If Heupel signs Leavitt and he doesn't last the season, I'd make sure Heupel doesn't either. You throw that kind of money at a guy with that injury, your neck needs to be on the line for doing so.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

This thread is a bit all over the place as it captures a few different aspects, but not organized perfectly. Just sharing some observations from long conversations with friends inside the department and the collective:

This will be the first year where player value is represented in market price with established values for players calculated before they enter team negotiations. I don’t have the time to elaborate, but this will be more about players generating alpha over perceived market value. This is 10x more sophisticated than it was last year. The key will be identifying players whose value is above perceived market value based on a formula that weights talent, body type, measurable and established performance. Unfortunately I believe we are behind other programs in deep analytics. Not surprisingly, Vandy and Indiana used analytics to identify players whose value was greater than market, with a focus on a metric that leans more on experience and proof than speculation. Our coaches have been above excellent at eye test evaluations on talent, and our transfers typically perform above their paper grades. We are not good at identifying high value players against market. That has to change quickly. Knowles understands analytics and will be quick to share recommendations on how we can improve.

One huge advantage of the Knowles hire— he’s not a jerk. He’s an excellent teacher, patient detail guy, but he doesn’t chase off people. He mentors them. You already can see this in the coaches who are following him. This will be true of past players too. Don’t judge a former PSU player based on PSU’s 25 record. They were building an A+ talent asset, and had some exceptional young and developed talent. Like Franklin or not, he is exceptional at spotting undervalued defensive talent and developing them quickly. He was such a believer in Knowles, that he gave full control to him. We’re going to get some good PSU, potentially OSU and other players that believe Knowles and team can grow their stock for the draft.

Our incoming Freshman class grades off the charts on high alpha over stars/player rating. Many guys are true positional game-changers. Many on staff believe this class is the best in the country regardless of rank. Our portal game, money game, analytics game needs to take a big jump fast.

I’d look for Knowles to move very quickly on four or five guys at safety, Leo, interior DL, corner to stabilize things.

On O, Heupel and his team are good at grading players, but we have a ceiling on budget that has been passed by the superpowers, and the bidding this year will be both sophisticated and aggressive. Right now some of the same boosters who banked Ament’s signing are being recruited to be ready if we need a big gun, but can’t bid effectively.

As Larry mentioned, we have to fit our needs inside our budget unless new money comes in.

It will be interesting to see how we fare in this new landscape.

Teams like Indiana and Vandy are going to be up and down big time though...Indiana has been unbelievable LUCKY with injuries...they have zero depth. There is nobody behind those transfers.

And now as other teams start doingbwgat they are doing, getting those players will become much harder.

I still believe long term that the formula for success will have to be a mixture....doing what Vandy and Indiana did is going to become harder and harder....and like I said depth will always be literally non-existent...and misfire on one QB and stop being lucky and have a few injuries and you are looking at a 6-6 or worse season....like FSU did after their 13-0 season.

I know I'm not elucidating my thoughts that well about our philosophy, but I think y'all should be able to understand what I mean.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

I still don't understand what Leavitt has done to warrant $4m+. He's proven to be a solid QB and has some playoff experience, but he hasn't been elite. I guess with the options in the portal, the top guys are always going to get overpaid just because of all the teams desperate to find a capable guy.

I don’t get it for any of these guys tbat have been brought up...I'm especially glad Sorsby was off the table...his deep ball and recognition SUCKS. IMO it would have been Nico all over again for absolutely budget killing ridiculous money.

 

[MissionRidgeVol]

I don’t get it for any of these guys tbat have been brought up...I'm especially glad Sorsby was off the table...his deep ball and recognition SUCKS. IMO it would have been Nico all over again for absolutely budget killing ridiculous money.

Never understood Sorsby. Very overrated. Of course Satterfield was his coach....