Serious question about DW

[vavolfan6]

Danny White inherited a mess of a football program and hired an under the radar candidate in Heupel who immediately turned around our football program. He has also found ways to extend both Barnes and Tony V when he was here. He has made a seemingly good hire in Women's basketball as well.

We are one, if not the only school with top 25 men's football, basketball, baseball and women's softball and basketball. We have finished top 10 of the Director's cup and all 20 varsity sports teams reached the postseason.

In addition to that Neyland has received upgrades to the gameday environment and there are more upgrades in the works. Everything is rolling. I trust Danny will find a competent baseball coach and think it is foolish to blame him for Tony choosing to take a once in a lifetime opportunity in the MLB.

 

[CDB]

They actually lost population in 2021 and 2022 - losing 379K in 2021.

All states should be growing due to births and every state except for Vermont, West Virginia and Mississippi have a positive percentage growth each year.

There are trends for growth and California's growth trend implies people were leaving. There were trending well over 300k each year, then the growth rate began to drop ... 244K then to 188K then to 99K then to 147 then to 84K then to -379K, then -151K, then 56K and last year added 233K.

A state with close to 40 million people should be adding a lot of people just due to natural growth.

Edited to add 2020 was the Covid year, that accounts for the 84K. But most states started to rise again in 2021 - California plummeted.

Checked on Tennessee's growth because I was curious - Tennessee actually had its largest growth ever in 2020 when everyone else was seeing a decline in their growth rate.

California’s birth rate is at an all time low. They are having less children per person. You left out the death rate which pretty much makes it a wash.

California’s population is on the increase the last few years.

What I’m saying is, it is not the cesspool it is made out to be. Does it have its problems? Sure. But, it can have a wonderful quality of life, especially for a single man with a decent income.

It’s so good out there and there is so much money that even bad politics have a hard time messing it up.

 

[kiddiedoc]

I wasn’t responding to these numbers. I was responding to your “significance” quote which was a generalized sentence. I have zero delusions about Vol sports.

So, how would you define "significance?" Let's try TV viewership:

NCAA Volleyball Championship: 1.3-1.7M
NCAA Baseball Championship: 2.2-2.8M
NCAA Football Championship: 24-26M
NCAA Final Four/ Championship: 12-14M

Additionally, for regular season games, volleyball actually  surpassed baseball in many markets.

 

[tennesseeduke]

This is not a pile on post about DW. This is a serious question. Why do so many people feel like he is the best AD we have ever had? I’m not saying he is or isn’t just wondering why so many feel this way.

Since he took over, basically every sport we have is thriving massively. UT is at the top of all sports awards with him at the helm!

 

[kiddiedoc]

*Disclaimer: I LOVE Tennessee baseball. Just giving a dose of reality. DW is in charge of running the mega-business that is UT athletics. It's asinine to suggest that he should have offered TV millions of dollars more or diverted money from the Lady Vols. Either would be terrible business moves.

 

[tennesseeduke]

That’s not a world I live in. He’s a single dude with a net worth of…something tells me he’ll be okay and if he wins a World Series…

Yes and he doesn’t have to recruit players who want money!

 

[vol66]

Yes and he doesn’t have to recruit players who want money!

He won’t “recruit” at all. He also will be coaching players that make more than he does. Lots more. I wish him the best!

 

[tennesseeduke]

He won’t “recruit” at all. He also will be coaching players that make more than he does. Lots more. I wish him the best!

Exactly!!!

 

[NighthawkVol]

This is not a pile on post about DW. This is a serious question. Why do so many people feel like he is the best AD we have ever had? I’m not saying he is or isn’t just wondering why so many feel this way.

Probably has something to do with the fact that our athletic department sucked before he took over and is now one of the top 5-10 in America.

 

[tennesseeduke]

Probably has something to do with the fact that our athletic department sucked before he took over and is now one of the top 5-10 in America.

Top 5!

 

[VolFan_stuck_in_the_901]

He won’t “recruit” at all. He also will be coaching players that make more than he does. Lots more. I wish him the best!

And knowing Tony he'll adjust his approach and do everything in his power to be successful in the big leagues.... and I'm not convinced that he'll come straight back to the college game if he fails in his first big league managerial stint

 

[vol66]

And knowing Tony he'll adjust his approach and do everything in his power to be successful in the big leagues.... and I'm not convinced that he'll come straight back to the college game if he fails in his first big league managerial stint

I don’t disagree at all. It’s a different animal, he knows that and is embracing it, I wish he would’ve stayed but he’s not an idiot, once in a lifetime opportunity. Go get it!

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

Here are the candidates (since 1963)
- DW
- Phil Fulmer
- John Currie
- Dave Hart
- Mike Hamilton
- Doug Dickey
- Bob Woodruff

It’s either DW or Dickey. And considering Pat worked for Joan Cronan most of her career, I’m not sure it’s really much of a competition.

Well if we are being honest, Joan worked for Pat if anything.

 

[Volnuck]

This is not a pile on post about DW. This is a serious question. Why do so many people feel like he is the best AD we have ever had? I’m not saying he is or isn’t just wondering why so many feel this way.

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

 

[joevols89]

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

Umm

 

[Rocky Top T]

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

Tony and Rick Barnes were Not hired by DW. How do you not know that??? Do you follow Tennessee at all?

 

[Rocky Top T]

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

Barnes and Tony are our best coaches, neither was hired by DW. DW let our best coach in Knoxville leave

 

[TheMookieMonster]

Umm

Who wants to tell them?

 

[Rocky Top T]

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

The worst post I've seen. You don't even know who hired the coaches

 

[volfan102455]

He won’t “recruit” at all. He also will be coaching players that make more than he does. Lots more. I wish him the best!

That is a plus - he doesn't have to worry about NIL money and such - someone else makes those decisions. Maybe the thought of concentrating on coaching was what made this worth it.

I seriously don't know how the college coaches deal with all of the craziness of NIL and the parents.

 

[volfan102455]

So, how would you define "significance?" Let's try TV viewership:

NCAA Volleyball Championship: 1.3-1.7M
NCAA Baseball Championship: 2.2-2.8M
NCAA Football Championship: 24-26M
NCAA Final Four/ Championship: 12-14M

Additionally, for regular season games, volleyball actually  surpassed baseball in many markets.

Volleyball is a growing sport at all levels. When I was young, it was just something we played in gym class. (I am aging myself)

I like baseball and softball but will admit that if you don't just like it, it is generally not full of action like some of the other sports are so some find it boring.

I like watching 5 to 10 years olds play more than anything - it can be comical.

 

[vol66]

That is a plus - he doesn't have to worry about NIL money and such - someone else makes those decisions. Maybe the thought of concentrating on coaching was what made this worth it.

I seriously don't know how the college coaches deal with all of the craziness of NIL and the parents.

Totally fair and I agree. The challenge at the next level is different. They’re aren’t many noobs, he’s the noob and he’s gonna have to earn it, no doubt about it. Gonna be an adjustment but I ain’t gonna count him out, wish him nothing but the best.

 

[Chitlin&theDude]

Danny White inherited a mess of a football program and hired an under the radar candidate in Heupel who immediately turned around our football program. He has also found ways to extend both Barnes and Tony V when he was here. He has made a seemingly good hire in Women's basketball as well.

We are one, if not the only school with top 25 men's football, basketball, baseball and women's softball and basketball. We have finished top 10 of the Director's cup and all 20 varsity sports teams reached the postseason.

In addition to that Neyland has received upgrades to the gameday environment and there are more upgrades in the works. Everything is rolling. I trust Danny will find a competent baseball coach and think it is foolish to blame him for Tony choosing to take a once in a lifetime opportunity in the MLB.

A voice of reason

 

[taylorvol]

Again, this shows how delusional some of y'all are.

2024 Revenue:
Football $149M
Basketball $27.4M
LV Basketball $4M
All other sports $16M (baseball approx $4M)

So, do you think baseball's $4M is closer to $149M, $27.4M, or whatever volleyball generates?

Baseball was closer to $9M in 2024. Baseball is 3rd in Rev with LV Basketball 4th.

 

[taylorvol]

Heupel, Barnes, Vitelo, Kim Caldwell (still to be determined ), have all been “great hires”. They were all hired by Danny White At Tennessee.

Tony V. - Natty
Heupel - playoff
Barnes - Has our basket all program at its highest level of winning in history.
Kim Caldwell - got to the tournament in her first year (more to come).

This is my best guess at why it is seen as the best. Our overall athletics department is in great physical and monetary shape. Hope those few thoughts as to why people like him.

Neither Barnes nor Vitello were hired by DW.