Dust10
A Drain.
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In all the discussion about numbers leading up to and on signing day regarding Butch Jones' 2014 class, the biggest number is eight. The number eight represents the number of prospects Jones & Co. landed from the Midstate area. It's said to be the largest signing number from middle Tennessee since Doug Dickey's days in the 1960s.
The fact is that Tennessee's recruiting haul in the Midstate not only landed the Vols some really good prospects, it's also continuing a return to orange in the State Capitol region. Jones, Thigpen and other staff members have made the area the in-state priority. They have spoken at seemingly every possible event. They've hosted former player get-togethers. They've made caravan stops. They been on any and every radio show. The bottom line is they have worked Nashville, a necessity after years of neglect not just by the football program but by the athletic department. It was only three years ago that Tennessee didn't do a Nashville caravan stop. And the stop in Murfresboro featured two assistant basketball coaches and a football graduate assistant. The Vols' disappearing act didn't go unnoticed and the recruiting battles over the years only got harder for Tennessee.
"Best Recruiter Effort: Tommy Thigpen, Tennessee. Thig basically signed his own recruiting class, reeling in an absurd 18 signees for the Vols. It seemed like there was not a month that went by where Thigpen was not reeling in a commitment. His efforts led to Tennessee getting four positional groups (TE, ATH, LB, DB) ranked in the top five by 247Sports."
-247
Really good article on UT's resurgence in Middle TN over on VQ. Here's some of it...
There were also some quotes from Thigpen talking about how important it was that UT got a foothold in Ensworth, MBA and Brentwood. The future is bright in Middle TN with this staff.
Has anyone posted the Finebaum/Franklin interview?
Finebaum takes him to task for taking Vandy's recruits and it gets kind of heated. Can't stand either of them but it's an interesting exchange.
Starts around the 26:00 mark.
Paul Finebaum Hr. 3 - ESPN
Franklin did nothing wrong by taking those players with him. I don't like Franklin, but Finebaum is the worst. He sounds no different than the butthurt Vandy fans. Franklin owes a fiduciary duty to Penn State as their coach to bring in the best players he can find. Finnebaum's arguing that some stupid "code" should forced him to sit on his hands and stay away from those recruits is equivalent to telling him he should have blown off his job duties at Penn State. It's a ridiculous argument for Finnebaum to make.
Agree.Like how so many of the new recruits played on championship caliber teams,come in with that winning attitude already ingrained in them! :thumbsup:
Really good article on UT's resurgence in Middle TN over on VQ. Here's some of it...
There were also some quotes from Thigpen talking about how important it was that UT got a foothold in Ensworth, MBA and Brentwood. The future is bright in Middle TN with this staff.
Fact is, the Midstate has become such a fertile recruiting ground that for the state institution to continue to ignore it or put forth the half-a** effort that previous regimes had, would not only be complete negligence but utter stupidity as well...and it's only going to get stronger.
Nashville area schools are beginning to produce elite athletes on a regular basis and Butch & Co. has recognized that and made it a priority. That strategy paid off with an elite WR, pretty damn good DT, and a DB that took the recruiting class as his own personal mission to improve and (arguably just as important) unite the team...just to name a few.
It's this kind of attention to detail that will lay the foundation for the resurgence of the program, and hopefully its return to our rightful place among the SEC elite.
I can't wait to see what the future holds for team #118 and beyond...
can someone post the video from the other day i think it was last years highlights?
I hate to side with Franklin on anything but I agree. Finebaum came off as a real jackass in that interview, not Franklin. Now I remember why I don't listen to his radio show, he's awful.