Running back domination

#28
#28
sjt18 said:
You are mostly right. BB and Oku were probably victims of Kiffin's move. Both might still be at UT and might even be productive had he stayed. OTOH, UT probably would have had the book thrown at them by the NCAA.

Neal was a guy that DD scrambled to get in those last couple of weeks. He needed a RB. He seems to be a little bit of a disappointment.

I think Lane shows some flashes of being a very good RB. He has quicks and isn't afraid to get physical too. He needs decent blocking and a little time.
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I think Neal would be great if he could hang on to the ball.
 
#29
#29
hndog609 said:
Eh, those lists are tricky.
BB was #1 overall player, not just RB in '09.
Oku was the #1 APB and #97 player in the nation in '09.
R Neal was the #9 RB in the nation in '10 and #151 player.
Lane came in at #23 RB and 4* in spite of injury.

The first two are simply head cases. Neal can't hang onto the football & gets benched and Lane is still a Fr.

It's just not as simple as making some star list.
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fyp. :hi:
 
#30
#30
sjt18 said:
Yeah cause BB won the job at KSU over those lowly 3* RB's and has been ripping the Big 12 to shreds... Oh, wait...

I tend to agree with the premise of the OP though. I argue against stars being the absolute standard for recruit talent. However if there is a position where they seem to mean more than others it would be RB IMO.
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Go watch BB his freshman highlights and say that....he was running people over and looked like a complete back in the making. If he was still here I believe we wouldn't be worried about a dominant run game. He was also a great receiving back.
 
#31
#31
FittyElevem said:
I think Neal would be great if he could hang on to the ball.
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I haven't seen any signs of that. He might have it in him but he doesn't seem to be physical at all. He hasn't shown the ability to read holes and make cuts behind or at the LOS.

He looks like a WR running the football.
 
#32
#32
Probably the fact we keep switching our Strength / Conditioning coaches every year doesn't help with our offseason training. If we can get some consistency there that should help develop the freshman stars we have now like Marlin Lane and yes, Devrin Young.
 
#33
#33
It is not a coincidence that the two best backs in the SEC look like they could step in and contribute as middle linebackers. We've got to start getting in on some of these big physical backs, and then turn them into monsters with a cohesive S&C program.
 
#35
#35
sjt18 said:
I haven't seen any signs of that. He might have it in him but he doesn't seem to be physical at all. He hasn't shown the ability to read holes and make cuts behind or at the LOS.

He looks like a WR running the football.
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He's used to bouncing it outside and running past everyone. He was fast enough to do that in high school.
 
#36
#36
I think Lane is a great back already. The reason I think our running game isn't dominate is because our backs can't trust our line. Obviously our line isn't the best right now and with the next couple of years will improve drastically. Let's just hope that some chemistry can be built and UT can rise to the top in the east again.
 
#37
#37
The problem with the RB position is it is hard to find a diamond in the rough year after year. To be consistently great at the RB position (consistently being the key word) you have to at least target and recruit the top 10-15 backs in the country every year. Sounds like simple logic, but it doesn't seem like the staff seriously targeted the best backs in this upcomimg class.
 
#39
#39
bigl3327 said:
The problem with the RB position is it is hard to find a diamond in the rough year after year. To be consistently great at the RB position (consistently being the key word) you have to at least target and recruit the top 10-15 backs in the country every year. Sounds like simple logic, but it doesn't seem like the staff seriously targeted the best backs in this upcomimg class.
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From what I see of y'alls recruiting, it appears to be like we were during most of the last decade (pre-Saban); getting decent, but not spectacular players. I know coaching is important, but if you don't have the horses, you can't win the race.
 
#40
#40
HEY, I don't care what anybody says about Bryce Brown.. I watched him play at Tennessee and the kid had PLENTY of talent. I don't know why he decided to transfer but I'm sure the year off has a lot to do with him not doing well at Kansas State... He may not be a workout warrior.. Who knows? But I do know that kid had talent.
 
#41
#41
BAMAby2 said:
From what I see of y'alls recruiting, it appears to be like we were during most of the last decade (pre-Saban); getting decent, but not spectacular players. I know coaching is important, but if you don't have the horses, you can't win the race.
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It's true. We're on the rise. Tell your buddies because it won't be long until our rivalry is back the way it should be.
 
#42
#42
bigl3327 said:
The problem with the RB position is it is hard to find a diamond in the rough year after year. To be consistently great at the RB position (consistently being the key word) you have to at least target and recruit the top 10-15 backs in the country every year. Sounds like simple logic, but it doesn't seem like the staff seriously targeted the best backs in this upcomimg class.
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The question is.. why would one of the best backs in the country consider Tennessee right now? That should change over the next couple of years. If it doesn't.. we'll likely be looking for a new coach. But I think it will.
 
#43
#43
I think BB would be a top 3 back in the SEC with TR and ML right now had he stayed. The kid showed great potential his year here.
 
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#44
#44
volfan_28 said:
The question is.. why would one of the best backs in the country consider Tennessee right now? That should change over the next couple of years. If it doesn't.. we'll likely be looking for a new coach. But I think it will.
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New football facility,Stability in one of the most storied programs in the country,Neyland stadium,the hottest girls in the SEC,Chance to have significant playing time on one of the biggest stages in the country,Lots of TV time The hottest girls in the SEC :).. I could go on
 
#45
#45
Vols033 said:
I got curious and decided to look at all of these big huge bruising tailbacks i see around the SEC this year and wonder if any of them could've been diamonds in the rough on the recruiting trail. The results I found were not promising.

LSU- Spencer Ware 5 star
Michael Ford 4 star

Bama- Trent Richardson 5 star
Eddie Lacy 4 star
Jalston Fowler 4 star

USCj- Marcus Lattimore 5 star

UGA- Isaiah Crowell 5 star
Richard Samuel 5 star

Miss St- Vic Ballard 3 star

Auburn- Michael Dyer 5 star

All of these guys except for Ballard were big time recruits, all of them except Crowell have had multiple seasons in a strength and conditioning program, and all of these backfields have ran well for most of the year. This conference is a running backs league, and we simply don't have one. Tauren has heart, but he's just not good enough. Behind him we have true freshmen who are inexperienced and just not ready. No wonder we can't run the football. We need an immediate talent upgrade at the running back position, or we'll continue to watch a team that has to air it out to move the ball.
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Richard Samuel might have been a 5 star, but he is far from a dominant back. He was moved to LB, and they had to move him back due to the loss of Ealey and King. They didn't have anyone else until Crowell got there and he has stepped in as the starter. Samuel should be removed from your list.
 
#46
#46
Bryce Brown was an amazing player while here. Had he stayed, AND kept his head together, we wouldn't be having this discussion. But he did neither. Lane will be good. Give him some more time to grow and learn. Plus an O-line that does something in the running game.
 
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