Rivals: Is Pruitt recruiting better than Butch?

#26
#26
Frozevol said:
Most of these responses - he’ll even the article - are basing their assessment of what happened after Jones showed he couldn’t coach. The man did recruit well. Pruitt has recruited extremely well for 2021, but before that was fair to good compared to the SEC foes. IMO we gotta wait until 2022 to make a fair comparison.
Click to expand...
I think Butch sucked at developing players, and also recruited guys based on path of least resistance with their offer list. Both of those contributed to the attrocious performance in comparison to the recruiting rankings IMO.
 
#29
#29
DiderotsGhost said:
Obviously, Pruitt is much better at player development, but he's also much better at talent evaluation. I think Butch was too often swayed by the recruiting rankings and took high-rated kids who often didn't have the right attributes to succeed. Whereas, with Pruitt, it's pretty obvious he doesn't give a damn what the recruiting rankings say about a player. I think this staff is top-notch when it comes to talent evaluation.
Click to expand...
Butch was very much a star-chaser with some individual offensive players (Jalen Hurd, Josh Malone, Marquez North, Marquez Callaway). Given what Butch's offense was, it's obvious why those players caught his eye, Hurd and Malone in particular. They were very highly rated in-state players, and one of the big critiques of Dooley's staff was that he didn't recruit the state well. All were poor fits in his spread offense.

Ironically, the QB he had the most success with (Dobbs) was not all that highly rated and was a great fit for his system. He also picked Kamara up off the scrap heap (yes, he was a highly-touted Alabama commit at one time but the JUCO route is always more uncertain) and John Kelly was not a highly-rated recruit that was productive here.

It's still kind of head-scratching why so many highly-rated defensive players didn't pan out. Injuries yes, but some were flat-out busts.
 
#32
#32
Jaws said:
Helluva last few weeks for Pruitt and UT, I can’t do anything but tip my cap when a team goes on a run like this. They deserve credit for generating some serious buzz when everyone else is relatively silent.

It is still early though, and there will be so much shuffling, especially this year. For example, Bama is currently 56th in recruiting, everyone knows that will change. And with Bama, everyone’s current commit list is fair game, including UF and UT’s. Oklahoma is 47th, that will change. Auburn 48th, they’ll end up top 10. Florida State is 40th, they suck in general but they won’t finish 40th and will get some dudes in the end. Even teams like LSU, Georgia, Texas and Oregon all are hovering in the high teens to low 20’s. They’ll all crank it up at some point and start getting players.

So UT fans are rightly pleased with the very impressive hot streak they are currently seeing, but should be somewhat tempered because there is so much ground to cover between now and ESD.
Click to expand...

While I agree with you and said so in other forums, I like our curent position better than any other SEC team and would not want to trade with anyone! We will have to fend off the bagmen from other SEC schools and at least show promise, which I think we will this fall.

I really believe we will beat Florida this year! It's been a long time but we now have the mental edge! Confidence is showing with recruiting and how we finished last year. These players have finally bought in to Pruitt's philosphy. We coming and the recruits know it!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jaws
#33
#33
Ten_Titans said:
When Pruitt got here, he said we have to go get the same players Bama and Georgia fight over. He's done that to some extent.

While Butch Jones had two top 5 classes, how many players did he bring in that were being highly recruited by all the top schools? Not very many.
Click to expand...
More than you would think. Butch's recruiting, while being overrated, was by far the coaching skill he was best at. And he actually was a pretty good recruiter.

When you look at why those classes didn't ultimately pan out, I think you have to consider a couple things. 1) Butch's best recruiting classes were good, but overrated in the sense that there was quantity over quality and 2) a ton of those guys got hurt and/or left the program.

I think that most, maybe not all, but most of those highly-rated guys Butch got were being actively recruited by other top programs. The guys with good family names maybe not (Dillon Bates and Khalil McKenzie), but the others were.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Frozevol
#35
#35
Pruitt is better at recognizing general potential and specific fit for his system, and follows that up with strong player development. Jones could attract some highly rated players, but they were not always a good fit for his system, he was not that good at judging potential and there wasn't much development, along with poor utilization (see Kamara). Jones was a pretty good salesman, but that was about it. He was fortunate to have the ideal QB (Dobbs) for his system for a couple of years, but after Dobbs left Jones couldn't make it work. Also, his offense was not a good fit for the SEC, too much finesse instead of a power offense.
 
#38
#38
Based on independent evaluations before college (recruiting services) -- about the same or worse early on, but Jones trended down, whereas Pruit is trending up.

The reason is better evaluation, development and retention. Pruit and staff appear to have better evaluations than the recruiting services, so comparing those scores seems unhelpful.
 
#39
#39
Behr said:
Valuable information right here. Thanks for your concerns.
Click to expand...

Only thing I’m concerned about is whether or not we’ll play college football this year. But you’re welcome.
 
#40
#40
GoVols15 said:
While I agree with you and said so in other forums, I like our curent position better than any other SEC team and would not want to trade with anyone! We will have to fend off the bagmen from other SEC schools and at least show promise, which I think we will this fall.

I really believe we will beat Florida this year! It's been a long time but we now have the mental edge! Confidence is showing with recruiting and how we finished last year. These players have finally bought in to Pruitt's philosphy. We coming and the recruits know it!
Click to expand...

I agree with the first paragraph, UT is in great position and should be happy with where they currently are.

The cheer and good feelings in the first paragraph lead you astray in the second one. Momentum in May doesn’t equal beating Florida in September, it never has. It’s way too early to tell and this year will probably be harder to predict than any, because of no spring and the general unknowns with college football, such as will there even be fans at the stadium, or 50% fans, etc.

On paper, i think Florida and Tennessee will both be improved over the teams they fielded last year. Way too many unknowns to predict a winner right now. Congrats on the recruiting run.
 
#44
#44
An emphatic YES!! I think it still may be a little premature, b/c over the next several years this will become even more apparent. Butch recruited some good players no doubt, but always left several positions hanging from a talent level POV. I feel Pruitt already has a more complete team and even more so after this recruiting cycle. Nevermind, Butch's inability to develop his recruits either. I think the main question is do you have more confidence in this staff vs. Butch and Co? I know I do!
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolsSince78
#45
#45
Not even close in my opinion. Jones signed a lot of highly rated “legacy” and instate guys but very poor in OL & LB, two very critical areas. Take guys like Warrior, Bates, KMac, TKjr, etc out of his classes and we’d seen what the future looked like. All we’re legacy guys and 4 or 5 star guys. None played 5* although Warrior had a nice senior season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolsSince78
#46
#46
VFL 24/7 said:
Rivals.com - Fact or Fiction: Jeremy Pruitt is recruiting better than Butch Jones

My personal take: Yes
Butch had some good classes, however those classes were never developed to their potential. Pruitt has already shown player development since he has been here (Darrell Taylor) is a good example. This staff is one of the best in the country at developing players, and I believe our pain will be ending way sooner than later. Its time folks, its time to strap up and get ready for the resurgence of one of the all-time greatest programs. If people thought we were annoying the last 10 years, just wait until we actually have a product on the field worth be annoying about. What are your thoughts on this matter and predictions for this recruiting class and the future of Tennessee football?
Click to expand...
Rivals! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
GTFO
BJ for JP? I think you get the picture! 😂😂😂
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tennesseefan2019
#48
#48
SmilezDavis said:
Average player ratings have been similar with the exception of the 2019 class which was quite a bit higher, so Pruitt does get the edge. However, the biggest difference is development, as you said. The 2014 and 2015 classes each had players who we thought would be game changers, but Jones and crew couldn't get the most out of them. I think Kyle Phillips and Nigel Warrior are even better examples than Taylor. Phillips had one year under Pruitt and looked better than ever. Jones and crew didn't know what to do with him. Warrior had his struggles, but he was one of our best defenders by the end of last season.
Click to expand...
I don’t think I yelled at the tv more, other than JG, than Nigel Warrior lol
I do agree with you though..
 
#50
#50
The difference in my opinion is Butch signed overrated players and never developed them with a few exceptions. CJP signs underrated players and develops them into very good to great players.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TennesseeTarheel
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top