Roster Management

#1
james_govols

james_govols

To live is to be haunted.
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Jul 28, 2013
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#1
I still can't believe Heupel had this kid behind Turrentine last year and let him walk while giving Boo Carter more NIL money.

Then you play Merk in front of GMac all year knowing that Merk can't compete at this level and will transfer out.

Now no one knows what GMac is capable of. Remember the Milton/Hooker deal? Well Milton practiced better but Hooker ended up being better in game.

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Now there's lots of of NIL tied up in Faizon and GMac and probably not enough for a high quality portal QB without hindering the needed defensive portal additions.
 
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#2
#2
They didn’t play GMac due to his size. Was discussed with GMac and his family before the season.

Issue with the portal is 1)money and 2)getting people to want to come here. They offered Branch more money than Georgia but he never had interest in coming here. It’s not just about being the highest bidder. Also some positions there’s just not a lot of SEC starter quality there in portal
 
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#4
#4
DaddyChad said:
They didn’t play GMac due to his size. Was discussed with GMac and his family before the season.

Issue with the portal is 1)money and 2)getting people to want to come here. They offered Branch more money than Georgia but he never had interest in coming here. It’s not just about being the highest bidder. Also some positions there’s just not a lot of SEC starter quality there in portal
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They did play GMac this year though....behind Merklinger.
 
#5
#5
james_govols said:
I still can't believe Heupel had this kid behind Turrentine last year and let him walk while giving Boo Carter more NIL money.

Then you play Merk in front of GMac all year knowing that Merk can't compete at this level and will transfer out.

Now no one knows what GMac is capable of. Remember the Milton/Hooker deal? Well Milton practiced better but Hooker ended up being better in game.

View attachment 802521

Now there's lots of of NIL tied up in Faizon and GMac and probably not enough for a high quality portal QB without hindering the needed defensive portal additions.
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I suspect you've beaten a dead horse with this series of topics on who you believe should receive what and playing time. It's nice to have a large donor booster on the board and evaluator.
 
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#6
#6
BreatheUT said:
I suspect you've beaten a dead horse with this series of topics on who you believe should receive what and playing time. It's nice to have a large donor booster on the board and evaluator.
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It's a message board meant for discussion. If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to not click the thread.

I am not a large donor booster although I do donate a decent amount.

Do you see no issue with the Merk and GMac situation?
 
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#8
#8
james_govols said:
It's a message board meant for discussion. If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to not click the thread.

I am not a large donor booster although I do donate a decent amount.

Do you see no issue with the Merk and GMac situation?
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Apparently neither one were going to get significant playing time this year. There was nothing wrong with giving Merk an honest opportunity to prove himself. In his time over the season he proved he couldn't move the football but even Ty Simpson looked like that in spot duty.
 
#12
#12
Next year is going to be a rough year. 9 conference games, new QB, installing new defense, etc.

Best thing we can do is just go in and expect it to be a retooling year.

That being said, I want us to determine who our QB is for the next 2-3 years and make that person the starter to learn the system so hopefully they will master the offense at the same time the defense starts to show top 10-20 stats.

We are not going to be successful long-term with the rent-a-QB strategy.
 
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#16
#16
FranklinVFL said:
Next year is going to be a rough year. 9 conference games, new QB, installing new defense, etc.

Best thing we can do is just go in and expect it to be a retooling year.

That being said, I want us to determine who our QB is for the next 2-3 years and make that person the starter to learn the system so hopefully they will master the offense at the same time the defense starts to show top 10-20 stats.

We are not going to be successful long-term with the rent-a-QB strategy.
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I am afraid those days are gone. Look at Beck at the U. I really believe we are in the rent-a-team era. Used to only have to worry about having a good coach who could recruit and develop, but now it’s all about who you can buy and keep.
 
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#21
#21
adam.vol said:
I think he is referring to Jakobe Thomas leaving because he wasn’t a priority to the defensive coaches. Our safeties were a huge liability this year.
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I agree, that was a huge loss and should have been kept unless he was just determined to leave, but he wasn’t there to play for them this year.
 
#22
#22
TJSVOLS said:
I agree, that was a huge loss and should have been kept unless he was just determined to leave, but he wasn’t there to play for them this year.
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Last year in 2025 he was on the team until the Spring portal. He was very much on the team last year and clearly wanted to give our organization to make it work, else he would not have waited to enter the portal in April.

I don’t know how any of you are concluding that anyone who waited until April to leave was determined to leave. Logic tells me that he was determined to get a fair deal for himself and it never budged.
 
#23
#23
adam.vol said:
Last year in 2025 he was on the team until the Spring portal. He was very much on the team last year and clearly wanted to give our organization to make it work, else he would not have waited to enter the portal in April.

I don’t know how any of you are concluding that anyone who waited until April to leave was determined to leave. Logic tells me that he was determined to get a fair deal for himself and it never budged.
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Maybe you should go back and read what I said again.
 
#25
#25
BreatheUT said:
Apparently neither one were going to get significant playing time this year. There was nothing wrong with giving Merk an honest opportunity to prove himself. In his time over the season he proved he couldn't move the football but even Ty Simpson looked like that in spot duty.
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Months ago, Austin Price said Merklinger would not be at Tennessee in January.

The coaches already knew he couldn't play at this level.

Yet, they still wasted snaps on him while a paid QB sat on the bench.

In this era, you can't have a decent chunk of your NIL sitting on the bench. Now, Tennessee will have Faizon and GMac on the bench with the possibility of having to make a mediocre transfer portal addition at QB.

The era of letting kids physically mature is over. Brent or Austin (can't remember which) has alluded to the fact that GMac didn't put forth the effort to gain weight that he should have.

He is doing better now.
 
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