My Biggest Source of Optimism on Pruitt ...

#1

DiderotsGhost

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#1
... is stuff like this:

Nation's #1 OLB Calls Pruitt "Outside Linebacker Master"

This is from Sav'ell Smalls, ranked as the #4 recruit in the country by 247. The full quote:

“Coach Pruitt is here, he’s the head coach, and he’s the outside linebacker master,” Smalls said. “He knows everything about defense, he’s a defensive guru and he really develops pass rushers like no other. That’s a big plus being the head coach — and Tennessee up and coming.”

Doesn't even sound like we'd be in the running for this kid without Pruitt. This isn't the first time we've heard this from a recruit. Haynes King, one of our QB targets, also spoke in pretty glowing terms about Chaney and Weinke on developing QBs. I think King would've already committed to Texas A&M if he didn't like Chaney and Weinke so much.

After the Dooley and Butch disasters, I think I have a much higher level of skepticism than before, but it's starting to become a common theme to hear recruits talk about our coaches being the best at developing guys at certain positions. That's very good to hear, particularly when you consider that player development was one of Butch's major weaknesses.
 
#3
#3
Love Pruitt. Love this staff.
I love what this means for the future.
We will need that expertise with our young DL and LBs this year. If they develop into legit pass rusher and run stoppers, I may have undersestimated our win total this year.
 
#5
#5
Sav'ell Smalls? Was he born under the flashing blue light in an aisle @KMart??!!
 
#9
#9
What about Butch's "Swag" tho, according to DR? ;)

JK. Yes, this is making a difference with these defensive guys. With Cheney the offensive studs should feel good too. It'd be nice in more ways than one if Bama's D would start dropping off. It would be a nice narrative to hear "Bama aint been the same since JP left". Not that CNS' defensive pedigree is in question, but still.
 
#10
#10
A high school football player, a highly recruited one mind you , says "Pruitt is a good LB/defense coach", and that's really your greatest source of optimism? :confused:

He called him a defensive guru: a Master of creating monster OLBs...which is what he is.

You never heard that form any of our other coaches the past 15 years.
 
#11
#11
It’s definitely good press and something to be excited about, but it’s just a hill of beans if we don’t sign a few elite guys like him at every level.

I’m more encouraged by the fact that we upgraded staff members when the opportunity presented itself, and the AD appears not afraid to pay the money to do so. We played ourselves right off the stage when we decided to start investing in buildings more than people.
 
#12
#12
It’s definitely good press and something to be excited about, but it’s just a hill of beans if we don’t sign a few elite guys like him at every level.

I’m more encouraged by the fact that we upgraded staff members when the opportunity presented itself, and the AD appears not afraid to pay the money to do so. We played ourselves right off the stage when we decided to start investing in buildings more than people.

Elite players Like Q Crouch and Henry To'oto' o? Both at one point 5 stars and still just as good if not better when they got those rankings. There is a ton to be excited about! Including the coaching additions you mentioned.
 
#13
#13
Elite players Like Q Crouch and Henry To'oto' o? Both at one point 5 stars and still just as good if not better when they got those rankings. There is a ton to be excited about! Including the coaching additions you mentioned.

Those are wonderful but I mentioned we need them at every level like DL, RB, and QB, too. I think we have DBs, OL, and LBs that can be real difference makers. It’s possible and we’re trending the right way.
 
#14
#14
Tossed into the recruiting thread just like my post yesterday in 3...2...1...
 
#15
#15
A high school football player, a highly recruited one mind you , says "Pruitt is a good LB/defense coach", and that's really your greatest source of optimism? :confused:

As someone who has a wealth of experience evaluating people, absolutely.

If you think "recruits" are automatically dumb just because they are 16 / 17 years old, you're wrong. The ones that are smart are looking at what coaches will develop them. The ones that want to be developed seem to be increasingly saying great things about our staff. I haven't heard anyone say these things about our staff in years.

This isn't to say all recruits are this savvy, but I'd much rather hear "I'm interested in Tennessee, because the coaches are the best at developing players" than "I'm interested in Tennessee because it has a great atmosphere." Nothing wrong with the latter, but it doesn't tell us anything; whereas the former statement does.
 
#16
#16
You can't buy pub like that. And who's to say his visit doesn't get him thinking more seriously about being a Vol? Gives me feel goods.
 
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#17
#17
Thank you Fulmer for a lot of things including understating that Defense wins championships.

Thank you Pruitt for committing to Tennessee and understanding that just because they’re your friends doesent exclude them from being let go.

Stir those echos. They’re waiting to make their presence known.
 
#18
#18
In July of 2013 UT was ranked #1 in recruiting....great times! Including a ban on the city of Athens because Nick Saban spoke at the CoC.

I love this staff but until it happens on the field...
 
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#19
#19
love this staff but until it happens on the field...

I believe it's definitely going to happen. We now have coaches that positively know how to develop players and an administration, with the right AD, that understands the economics of football. Will it happen this year? Probably not, but we will see improvement. In another two to three years, I am confident we will be able to compete with anybody in the country.
 
#20
#20
My biggest sign of hope is how quickly he realized he made a big mistake and pulled the plug on Helton. A lot of coaches would have gone down in flames with him.

Of course, my biggest reservation when we first hired him was him paying Helton a fortune.
 
#22
#22
It takes time to figure out what you have talent wise, also he will continue to cut or upgrade staff as it warrants, and he is recruiting big dawg recruits and we will continue to lose some battles with the bummers, dawgs, and Clemson etc until we have winning seasons and go bowling but that should start trending up with this season. Pruitt is doing it the right way and give him two more good recruiting cycles and we will be in the top four mix of sec.
 
#23
#23
He called him a defensive guru: a Master of creating monster OLBs...which is what he is.

You never heard that form any of our other coaches the past 15 years.
While I am for one certainly not happy with where our 2020 class currently stands, I have to say that it's not even debatable that the above is true. Just imagine reading about a recruit calling Jones a master of any position, or for that matter anything at all to do with teaching the game of football - such contortion the human mind cannot achieve.
 
#24
#24
Those are wonderful but I mentioned we need them at every level like DL, RB, and QB, too. I think we have DBs, OL, and LBs that can be real difference makers. It’s possible and we’re trending the right way.

DL is the only position we could drastically upgrade. We already have Bailey committed at QB & King on the hook, we also signed Eric Grey last cycle. I believe Solomon was a hopeful Plug and Play, for this year, in the coaches eyes. I want to see where we finish, before I start saying we need drastic upgrades at D-line, QB AND RB. JMO
 
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