Marcus Tatum up to 270 & ready to compete

#1
kamoshika

kamoshika

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#1
“I’m always trying to compete,” said Tatum, who plans to wear jersey No. 68 for the Vols. “I would never settle for just redshirting. But then, if I do get redshirted, I’m not going to sit there and cry about it. I’m just going to keep working and just get better and get a free year of education and a free year of working out, and just get a whole year of learning a system with no worries or a game or anything.”

...Tatum said he has high hopes for what he and his new teammates will be able to accomplish over the next few years, starting this season.

“I’ve noticed that all of these kids (in Tennessee’s 2016 signing class) have come from successful high schools, just like I have, so none of us like losing,” Tatum said. “I never lose. I don’t lose. I just don’t, so coming into college, I don’t see why anybody’s mindset would change."
Heavier Tatum ready to 'compete' with Vols
 
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#2
#2
The coaches are really high on this kid. We're going to need him in the rotation next year.
 
#3
#3
"It’s just a lot of talent — and it’s just the right talent. It’s not just a bunch of random kids that just got recruited. You can tell it’s a strategically put-together class, and you can tell where each person fits in, why and things like that. I think it’s a pretty well-put-together situation.”
 
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#5
#5
HoptownVol said:
The coaches are really high on this kid. We're going to need him in the rotation next year.
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I hope they can stick to the plan, and not burn RS on O linemen like Tatum. That year of growth and developing makes a difference. However, we have seen O line guys go down and freshmen pressed into service.

Good to hear he is progressing. Seems like a high quality player and young man.
 
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#7
#7
HoptownVol said:
The coaches are really high on this kid. We're going to need him in the rotation next year.
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If he is in the rotation we will be in trouble. Very few freshman o lineman are ready for SEC play. We are finally at a point where we can redshirt lineman and let them grow into real SEC linemen.
This is a good thing!!
We are getting ready to play big boy football again.
 
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#8
#8
Rare to see a kid with the maturity and vision to both own his ego and embrace the big picture. Maybe it's my Vol bias, but it sure seems like Butch has a unique knack for finding the scarcely genuine alphas.
 
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#10
#10
I hope we get to the point with our offensive lineman that we can red shirt every freshman that comes in.
 
#15
#15
ainge10heisman said:
I'll take an offer list that's full of big boys over those 3 stars any day.
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If he had had more weight on him he would have been a solid 4 star on every service. He needs a year in the weight room, hence the lower ranking. All the other tools are there for success.
 
#17
#17
I understand the redshirt, and I don't disagree, we could do that. But when young men with incredible attitudes and physical abilities come in. It might be good to give him snaps this year as a back up if he puts on some weight over the summer time. Let him get in there and learn under live fire with games that are over by the start of the 4th quarter. That experience would be priceless going into his sophomore year. Having a 4 year OF lineman of his caliber would be special.
 
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#20
#20
Biopsyman said:
I hope not.. We should be trying to recruit 1st starter at every position
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There are some positions where true Frosh can contribute immediately: RB, WR, & CB are the easiest positions to transition from HS to D1 & be an impact player from day one.

OLine is simply not one of those positions.

IMHO, if the Vols are starting big ugliest as first year players, there is a big problem. Huge gains are made in technique and in the S&C program that separate a HS SR from an SEC OL stud.

QB is another position that benefits in leaps & bounds from a RS year.
 
#21
#21
Biopsyman said:
I hope not.. We should be trying to recruit 1st starter at every position
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That would mean we failed on all of the sophs, jrs and srs at the position, which would be a disaster. Better to recruit top shelf talent, let it develop, and then play.
 
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#22
#22
ReadCT said:
There are some positions where true Frosh can contribute immediately: RB, WR, & CB are the easiest positions to transition from HS to D1 & be an impact player from day one.

OLine is simply not one of those positions.

IMHO, if the Vols are starting big ugliest as first year players, there is a big problem. Huge gains are made in technique and in the S&C program that separate a HS SR from an SEC OL stud.

QB is another position that benefits in leaps & bounds from a RS year.
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Not true.. A lot of dominate HS OL start as freshman.
 
#23
#23
Biopsyman said:
Not true.. A lot of dominate HS OL start as freshman.
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I'd quibble with the use of "a lot". Your transcendent talents like Laramy Tunsil and Cam Robinson? Sure. Tatum has a load of potential, but he's not primed for SEC level play ATP...of course I'd have said that about Jones and Hall last year...and they represented. If there was a pressing need for these kids immediately then I could buy into pushing a Tatum or Ryan Johnson into service for experience if nothing else. But Butch has finally established a pecking order that allows the luxury of physically/mentally developing promising talent without haste. It should bear fruit with Richmond and Boulware this season and Niehaus,Tatum and Johnson next. Building to consistency will only be a good thing IMO.
 
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#24
#24
butchna said:
I'd quibble with the use of "a lot". Your transcendent talents like Laramy Tunsil and Cam Robinson? Sure. Tatum has a load of potential, but he's not primed for SEC level play ATP...of course I'd have said that about Jones and Hall last year...and they represented. If there was a pressing need for these kids immediately then I could buy into pushing a Tatum or Ryan Johnson into service for experience if nothing else. But Butch has finally established a pecking order that allows the luxury of physically/mentally developing promising talent without haste. It should bear fruit with Richmond and Boulware this season and Niehaus,Tatum and Johnson next. Building to consistency will only be a good thing IMO.
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Just win
 
#25
#25
VolFreakJosh said:
Hell this kid has a better positive attitude than half of us on Volnation.
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Which also means he has a worse negative attitude (aka, a highly undeveloped neg att). I betcha he's not one of the ones over there in the other thread complaining about the 9/1 game 1 change date.
 
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