Recruiting States

#1
B

BigTXVolFan

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#1
As a proud Texas citizen something has caught my eye in this years recruiting. It seems this staff although boasting strong Texas ties while coaching at LA Tech they have seemed to skip over Texas as a whole this year. I realize fans of the Vols can point out the talent rich areas of Florida, the Carolinas, and our strong showing in Georgia, however I was hoping someone "in the know" could enlighten me as to why after previous successes (LA Tech, keeping E. Loften) this staff has left most of Texas untouched. Is the talent pool in the South East that much better this year, or the competition for the players in states like Texas, Oklahoma that much stiffer?

I also notice we have not been as highly thought of by recruits from Louisiana which is surprising with Dooley's history there.

What gives with the recruiting philosophy of this staff?
 
#2
#2
i believe they are primarily recruiting within a 6 hr radius of knoxville. They are focusing more on talent within the southeast as opposed to recruiting nationally. And i dont think its because of the competition in states like Texas because we have more than enough competition trying to recruit in the southeast.
 
#3
#3
Resources. It costs more in time and money to recruit west of the Mississippi.

I am sure if a top recruit wanted UT to recruit him then they would give the attention but the needs are closer to home right now. They need to build and rebuild relationships in the primary recruiting areas. That is a big task due to Fulmer and Kiffin.

After they have some solid pipelines closer in, they may widen their net.
 
#4
#4
I completely agree with the comment about more then enough competition in the SouthEast for recruits which is what surprised me a little as to why we were only in that 6 hr radius. I realize families having the opportunity to watch their sons play is a huge selling tool so it makes sense. I also wondered if the failures of B.Brown, D. Oku, and our hardships getting E.Loften in have turned the staff off of that area and gotten them to stay in their backyard and go head to head with the rest of the SEC.

I just think we could be missing the boat on some talent out there wanting to compete in the conference that has won the last few National Championships. I mean if you feel your the best no matter what part of the country your in you should want to play against the best...
 
#5
#5
d-mo was from texas, gerald jones was from oklahoma city. i think if we just pick up the top prospects in tennessee, continue the raid of georgia we've been pretty good at the last couple years, and snag some from surrounding states ie: florida, alabama, s carolina. we should find plenty of talent to fill out good recruiting classes. once we get the program back to being in the top10 year in and year out, then i think we can go and start plucking guys from the midwest and west coast.
 
#6
#6
I just so glad that 6 hour distance from Knoxville wasn't in effect when we got Tyler Bray. I have read that our staff is primarily recruiting using the 6hr rule, but there are exceptions(Arnett from Michigan).
 
#7
#7
BillBattlevol said:
I just so glad that 6 hour distance from Knoxville wasn't in effect when we got Tyler Bray. I have read that our staff is primarily recruiting using the 6hr rule, but there are exceptions(Arnett from Michigan).
Click to expand...

It certainly isn't strict. We're recruiting a number of players from Florida, for instance. But I think we're looking at trying to get 80% from within that six hour radius.
 
#10
#10
Texas players have and always will look at Texas and Oklahoma, probably before most other schools. The staff could have easily thought it would be a waste of resources while there are plenty of talent-rich states with their own conference (GA, FL, AL, LA, and SC). Moreover, like it was previously stated, Texas players seem to choose a school somewhat early. It will take time to scout and recruit those players while building a relationship with them.
 
#13
#13
Have we ever pulled 4+ high profile kids out of Florida in a single recruiting season? I can't recall if we have. Fulmer used to always talk about building a pipeline to Florida, but it never got off the drafting table.

With what we have been able to do in Florida and Georgia in one year - I am very encouraged about the future. If we can get 12-15+ kids annually from GA/FL then I will be very tickled.
 
#15
#15
LynxVol said:
Texas players have and always will look at Texas and Oklahoma, probably before most other schools. The staff could have easily thought it would be a waste of resources while there are plenty of talent-rich states with their own conference (GA, FL, AL, LA, and SC). Moreover, like it was previously stated, Texas players seem to choose a school somewhat early. It will take time to scout and recruit those players while building a relationship with them.
Click to expand...

This was one reason I was hoping the SEC would expand and Texas A&M would join the SEC West. It's a mute point now, but maybe in the future.
 
#17
#17
VolunteerJam said:
Have we ever pulled 4+ high profile kids out of Florida in a single recruiting season? I can't recall if we have. Fulmer used to always talk about building a pipeline to Florida, but it never got off the drafting table.

With what we have been able to do in Florida and Georgia in one year - I am very encouraged about the future. If we can get 12-15+ kids annually from GA/FL then I will be very tickled.
Click to expand...

It's probably worth noting that the FL schools as a whole are down right now compared to the Fulmer era. The fact that FL State is the big draw down there right now shows greater opportunity for us down there than in the past. The door has cracked open, and Dooley is wisely being opportunistic. If we can keep our foot in the door for a while it could pay off big in the future.
 
#18
#18
there is a reason that just about every program in the nation heads to fla seeking recruits
 
#19
#19
our history with kids from the midwest staying at UT for their entire college career isn't very good...we've had some good ones stay but many highly touted players that didn't...we've had much more success in california with kids staying put once they get here.
 
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