Opposing coach puts Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee rebuild into perspective: 'It's going to take five years to get it done'

#76
#76
PMC2726 said:
Here we go with the 5 year talk. I swear it's almost like the UTAD pulls this talking point out of the closet and dusts it off when it hires every new football coach. The 5 year talk is nothing more than an excuse for not winning. It's nothing more than an attempt at keeping the season ticker holders coming back every year after we annually lose to Ga, UF, and Bama (and Vandy, and Mizzu, and even UK). It's nothing more than an excuse to give a staff, that is getting paid MILLIONS TO COACH FOOTBALL, more time to figure out how to win. And it's a dishonest/outdated attempt at showing recruits that the coach who recruited them will certainly be there through their entire career.

I like Pruitt, and I like his meat and potatoes approach.... but there's no buzz, no excitement there. And I know he can coach. But once Pruitt can no longer offer immediate playing time to recruits, I'm not sure what his or TN's allure will be? Help me out here..... A round of paintball? our facilities? our athletic director who won the championship 20 years ago? Knoxville?

In my humble opinion, if a coach hasn't created the recruiting buzz and shown major signs of turning the program around on the field by the end of year 3, he should be gone. Hell the buzz should be on day 1. What's the worst that happens if we fire a coach after year 3? We lose a recruiting class that wasn't going to be coached up to it's potential anyway? We lose out on a team that has the potential, but no guarantee, to go 7-5 or 8-4 and make a crap bowl game the next year? We pay a coach a few extra years not to be here (which we would do anyway after 5 years)? We show the country that expect nothing less than excellence?

With that said, I'll do as I've done throughout my entire life -- put on my orange, support my team, and hope that the future looks bright.
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The problems with this roster aren't excuses. They're real. We've got miles to go on both lines of scrimmage. The problem of development AND depth won't be fixed in a couple of years.

IMO, last year was his first real recruiting class. When those kids graduate, we'll know what we have in a coach/program. The sooner this roster is flipped the better. I expect steady growth from game to game and year to year. A new coaching staff and 2-3 years will not place us at UGA/BAMA levels no matter how much whining fans complain. It's reality...period.
 
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#77
#77
Jack Burton said:
5 years is right. Doesn’t mean 5 years of .500 play though. Expect continuous improvement but at a gradual pace.

2019: 6 or 7 wins
2020: 7 or 8 wins (we should drop the Oklahoma game)
2021: 9 or 10 wins
2022: 10+

Stability and patience are key.
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Some sanity...finally. A reasonable post with reasonable expectations. This idea that we can and should be running with Bama, UGA and Clemson by year 2 or 3 is just asinine.
 
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#78
#78
05_never_again said:
We all knew that was a risk from the very beginning though. Pruitt had only ever played or coached defense and also had never been a head coach prior to taking the job. His success or failure here will likely hinge on if he finds the right guy to run the offense. I expect defense and recruiting over time to be fine given he's performed well in those areas at lower levels.

Also, I don't really see how he "lucked" into Chaney either. Helton left to take a HC job and rumor had it he was on the way out regardless, then we threw a bunch of money at Chaney and enticed him to leave Georgia.
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Oh, I don't disagree with the statement. I only thought it was Will because of his use of the familiar, not because of what that last statement actually said about Pruitt. I think whoever made the statement, whether Muschamp or someone else, has has been a new HC before and knows full well the how hard it is to not over-manage your coordinators. Which is another reason I thought the statement came from a HC. JP may be right because in most cases I do think the quotes are from asst. coaches. But they get these quotes when they are visiting campuses during the offseason, so they are going to get some contact at least occasionally with HCes, so I am sure they will ask them for OTR quotes, and I imagine here and there they will get an answer from a HC. I think it may be especially tough for CJP because as good of a DC as he was, he was on the offensive side of the ball at the HS level, so he probably knows pretty well what he wants out of his offense. I believe he will be m with Chaney.
 
#79
#79
CAVPUT said:
Then UT and the admin get what they damned well deserve. We didn't get to this point in 2-3 years, and we sure as hell won't get out of it that quickly either. I don't know if Pruitt is the answer, but even Saban would need to flip this roster in order to challenge in the east. Pruitt and Saban are coaches not magicians/miracle workers.
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Dude he just signed the 12th ranked class with a 5-7 record...not to mention 3 5 star players and the top Two offensive tackles in their class. That right there shoes me he infact can recruit. Get a grip it's not even the summer yet. There is 8 months to NSD. This team will improve this year. You can't really judge Pruitt's first year solely based off of most of the roster was Butch Jones players who he recruited and lacked a real strength and conditioning staff for roughly two years.
 
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#80
#80
Special Ed said:
If the "quoter" can't put a name to the source, then the quote ain't.
Every phrase ever uttered since the dawn of man could be said to be a quote from Anonymous.
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Ed, you probably loved our OC search earlier this year, then!
 
#81
#81
KeyVol14 said:
Dude he just signed the 12th ranked class with a 5-7 record...not to mention 3 5 star players and the top Two offensive tackles in their class. That right there shoes me he infact can recruit. Get a grip it's not even the summer yet. There is 8 months to NSD. This team will improve this year. You can't really judge Pruitt's first year solely based off of most of the roster was Butch Jones players who he recruited and lacked a real strength and conditioning staff for roughly two years.
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Uh...I'm confused. I didn't complain about his ability to recruit. I'm saying it will take more than one or two classes to turn the corner. Even the best recruiting classes take time to mature and develop. Not sure where we are differing on opinions here.
 
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#82
#82
KeyVol14 said:
Dude he just signed the 12th ranked class with a 5-7 record...not to mention 3 5 star players and the top Two offensive tackles in their class. That right there shoes me he infact can recruit. Get a grip it's not even the summer yet. There is 8 months to NSD. This team will improve this year. You can't really judge Pruitt's first year solely based off of most of the roster was Butch Jones players who he recruited and lacked a real strength and conditioning staff for roughly two years.
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Lol what are you talking about?
 
#85
#85
Woodlawn VOL said:
If one can't put their name with it, it means NOTHING! Not worth the paper and time you prepared on this thread. Wuss arse can't put your name with it shouldn't even get a mention. Pure hogwash. GBO!
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They do this in the same preseason magazine every year and have for many years. I bet we probably have had some coaches past and present who have been quoted .
 
#86
#86
I love it when people say we should have high expectations. Its like people have forgot tge last 10 years of TN football.
 
#89
#89
sjt18 said:
The unfortunate thing is that as reasonable as your post sounds... it isn't. Recruiting requires a coach to prove himself. If Pruitt is still struggling in the 6-8 win range after 3 years, the recruits will simply stop listening. Fans will get disillusioned. He'll lose the momentum needed to finish the job. He may not have to win the East... but he'll need to be in the conversation during the season at some point during the first 3 years.

The thrashings by the top tier teams also have to end both for continued fan support and recruiting.
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If Tennessee had a nationally relevant in-state rival (a la Bama's auburn) the "okey dokey gonna take a while have to support the lads" attitude of the fans might not be enough to keep all those collapsing seats in Neyland filled. I think a greater sense of immediate pressure would be great for the athletic department when it comes to football success.
 
#91
#91
CAVPUT said:
Then UT and the admin get what they damned well deserve. We didn't get to this point in 2-3 years, and we sure as hell won't get out of it that quickly either. I don't know if Pruitt is the answer, but even Saban would need to flip this roster in order to challenge in the east. Pruitt and Saban are coaches not magicians/miracle workers.
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And every time they keep a coach two years longer than they should... you'll get to see this repeating pattern. However if UT ever gets out of this rut... You will see a coach come in and get results within 3 years. That's what it takes to keep recruits believing that you're turning the corner.
 
#93
#93
PEPPERJAX said:
I remember when UT fired Wade Houston and Rick Pitino said something along the lines of “Wade was doing a really nice job too.”
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Wade Houston was their recruiter. He never had much input to the game plan or on floor coaching at Louisville. he was ill prepared to become a head basketball coach when he was hired by Tennessee.
 
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#94
#94
dduncan4163 said:
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/t...g-coach-lindys-2019-college-football-preview/

Here are the anonymous comments regarding Tennessee from the latest 2019 Lindy’s Sports Southeastern Conference football preview magazine:


On the future of the program:
“Tennessee needs a talent upgrade. … It’s going to take five years to get it done. I think Jeremy Pruitt will get it done because he’s a good enough coach and recruiter to get it done. But it will take that long. The reason is, there’s other people in the league already getting it done. And they have no margin for error because they play Alabama, Georgia and Florida every year.”​

On last season’s finish:
“The question is, why did they finish so poorly last year? They played like crap down the stretch against Missouri and Vanderbilt. They’ve lost three in a row to Vanderbilt — that’s unacceptable.”​

On the hire of Jim Chaney:

“Jeremy lucked out getting rid of Tyson Helton and hiring Jim Chaney. I think he’s the best, most proven offensive coordinator in the league. I think Jim is outstanding. If Jeremy will leave him alone, Jim will be fine.”​


Who does this sound like? I say Stoops
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Don't know who it sounds like. But what they or he says sounds very on point and interesting. As to 5 years, may be a little optimistic in my opinion. The way this person talks about "others being there already" does not mention others like us wanting to get back there. (like Fla., Fla St., Mich., USCalif. and so on. We are not the only long time bell weather program scrambling right now.
 
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#95
#95
CAVPUT said:
5 years sounds about right. Only thing I disagree with is that Pruitt lucked into Chaney.
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I think if Pruitt can’t get to 9 wins by the end of 2020 Fulmer might say F it it’s not working out...I’ll be VERY surprised if Pruitt stays 5 years...
 
#98
#98
diehardvolsfan said:
I think if Pruitt can’t get to 9 wins by the end of 2020 Fulmer might say F it it’s not working out...I’ll be VERY surprised if Pruitt stays 5 years...
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You do realize Fulmer comes from an era of stability in programs, right? How often did UT change coaches back in the 80s and 90s?
 
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#100
#100
hog88 said:
I expect 7-8 wins this year. No 25+ point blowouts and a curb stomping of Vandy. I'm not unreasonable.
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I think 9-10 wins a season will be the best that Coach Pruitt will do at Tennessee until 2023 and it will be hard to leap over Georgia and Florida.

2019 8-4 or 9-3
2020 9-3
2021 9-3 or 10-2
2022 9-3 or 10-2
2023 9-3 or 10-2
 
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