that didn't take long

[advancedrescue27]

We've never had a problem getting good players, It's been Coaching thats been the problem...The right coach in place which I think we have now can make a HUGE difference....We'll have to wait and see on that comment but lets hope I'm right.

He may be the coach we’ve needed, but one thing I’ve learned is from UT football is to never, ever, feel this way until it’s shown over atleast a few season. I’ve been burned too many times to jump into the optimism.
On the flip side I’m not going to be negative towards the new coach because he doesn’t deserve it yet. I guess I’m finally just like whatever when I think about football this season.

 

[VOLnMiami]

He may be the coach we’ve needed, but one thing I’ve learned is from UT football is to never, ever, feel this way until it’s shown over atleast a few season. I’ve been burned too many times to jump into the optimism.
On the flip side I’m not going to be negative towards the new coach because he doesn’t deserve it yet. I guess I’m finally just like whatever when I think about football this season.

Too many fans are gun shy right now and the younger fans have never really experienced a good UT football team...Not gonna happen overnight and I hope we give coach a chance and not try to run him off before he has had a chance to get it going for us...You know when we lose that first game the torches and pitchforks crowd will come out.

 

[BeardedVol]

We've never had a problem getting good players, It's been Coaching thats been the problem...The right coach in place which I think we have now can make a HUGE difference....We'll have to wait and see on that comment but lets hope I'm right.

Even with a good coach, you still need top talent if you want to crawl out of the miasma that is the middle of the SEC, and we are getting ready to bring two teams in that will immediately be competing for the top tier.

At the moment we aren't getting enough talent to compete well enough to get to and stay, at the top of the middle of the conference.
Ranking Tennessee's last 10 recruiting classes
Tennessee 2021 Football Commits

 

[BeardedVol]

Too many fans are gun shy right now and the younger fans have never really experienced a good UT football team...Not gonna happen overnight and I hope we give coach a chance and not try to run him off before he has had a chance to get it going for us...You know when we lose that first game the torches and pitchforks crowd will come out.

Name one time that there were serious calls for a coach's head after their first loss?

Every single moron we've hired as HC was given a fair shake, and they all failed, numerous times and often in spectacular fashion, before they were finally terminated with golden parachutes except for Pruitt who was so dumb that he couldn't even cheat properly.

 

[VOLnMiami]

Even with a good coach, you still need top talent if you want to crawl out of the miasma that is the middle of the SEC, and we are getting ready to bring two teams in that will immediately be competing for the top tier.

At the moment we aren't getting enough talent to compete well enough to get to and stay, at the top of the middle of the conference.
Ranking Tennessee's last 10 recruiting classes
Tennessee 2021 Football Commits

Totally understand and right now your not going to...Coaching changes and impending NCAA violations will shoot that in the bud...Only after CJH shows that he can get it done with what he's got will the top recruits start looking our way again.

 

[VOLnMiami]

Name one time that there were serious calls for a coach's head after their first loss?

Every single moron we've hired as HC was given a fair shake, and they all failed, numerous times and often in spectacular fashion, before they were finally terminated with golden parachutes except for Pruitt who was so dumb that he couldn't even cheat properly.

I was being sarcastic...Relax nancy.

 

[BeardedVol]

Totally understand and right now your not going to...Coaching changes and impending NCAA violations will shoot that in the bud...Only after CJH shows that he can get it done with what he's got will the top recruits start looking our way again.

Regardless of Heupel's ability, players have ceilings in terms of ability. Even if he gets the most out of his players, with our current recruiting levels, we are just getting to a point where we are the best of the 3rd tier SEC teams.

Recruiting has to go up significantly for Tennessee to compete at a top level in the SEC, and there's no way around it.

 

[VOLnMiami]

Regardless of Heupel's ability, players have ceilings in terms of ability. Even if he gets the most out of his players, with our current recruiting levels, we are just getting to a point where we are the best of the 3rd tier SEC teams.

Recruiting has to go up significantly for Tennessee to compete at a top level in the SEC, and there's no way around it.

I believe thats why UT is giving him a much longer leash than the other guys we hired...No top players are going to look at us until we show we can compete.

 

[BigOrangeAl 1979]

Tennessee was going to be a middle pack to lower tier team even without Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC now with them headed this way that officially confirms our status. Hope everyone loves 7-5 and 8-4 championship seasons cause that will be the ceiling for us going forward. The real sad thing is we haven’t even been able to consistently go 8-4 or 7-5 the last ten plus years. Oklahoma and Texas coming to the SEC is truly terrible news for UT that will push us to the bottom of the league and if our administration don’t get up off their ass and commit this program to winning then we will stay at the bottom.

 

[VOLnMiami]

Tennessee was going to be a middle pack to lower tier team even without Oklahoma and Texas joining the SEC now with them headed this way that officially confirms our status. Hope everyone loves 7-5 and 8-4 championship seasons cause that will be the ceiling for us going forward. The real sad thing is we haven’t even been able to consistently go 8-4 or 7-5 the last ten plus years. Oklahoma and Texas coming to the SEC is truly terrible news for UT that will push us to the bottom of the league and if our administration don’t get up off their ass and commit this program to winning then we will stay at the bottom.

 

[LWSVOL]

We've never had a problem getting good players, It's been Coaching thats been the problem...The right coach in place which I think we have now can make a HUGE difference....We'll have to wait and see on that comment but lets hope I'm right.

I do hope you're right. I believe many have over valued our players the last 15 years or so. and not near enough of the players you need to compete. Since 2000, the player quality no where close to what was brought in during the 90s. Not close. Can't all be about coaching. NFL finds players, even those coached poorly..

 

[lukeneyland]

Well then moving to the SEC wont help because that path will get a LOT harder. You cant tell a recruit that they have a good chance or beating Texas, Bama, Auburn, LSU, TAMU, UF and Georgia all in the same year. LOL

No it probably won’t. Long term it’ll probably help them though

 

[lukeneyland]

. No that’s exactly true

Tennessee fans from 15-30 years ago have not just magically become Alabama fans. That’s not how it works it was a dumb statement

 

[Chemvol]

Change of heart? Texas A&M President Kathy Banks, AD Ross Bjork issue statements about SEC future

It's nice to see some cooler heads prevailed although it's not as though A&M had much in the way of realistic options.

 

[TheFlash1971]

Hopefully this will be the start of building something special with Heupel. Trying to stay positive. This cannot get any worse. Dooley stunk, Butch Jones 0-8 in conference play, Jeremy Pruitt ( had no idea what the hell he was doing) .
I would take a coach that can get us to the playoffs once every four years . Probably not going to happen but that’s what I wish for.

 

[wmcovol]

Looks like Sankey slapped slapped their wrist and told them to be supportive

Either A&M realized they didn’t protect themselves or they got some $. I’m betting the former.

 

[airvols]

All I know is there is an announcement about every other week in the mid-state area of another division one player going to our competitors. I’ve heard Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Auburn but no Tennessee selected. WHO IN THE HECK IS RESPONSIBE FOR RECRUITING THE MID-STATE?

 

[LWSVOL]

All I know is there is an announcement about every other week in the mid-state area of another division one player going to our competitors. I’ve heard Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Notre Dame, Auburn but no Tennessee selected. WHO IN THE HECK IS RESPONSIBE FOR RECRUITING THE MID-STATE?

doesn't matter. Until Tennessee finishes investigating themselves and something comes down, recruiting is going to be very tough..

 

[PruittEra]

It's not about being afraid, it's about adding two more teams to the SEC, who already recruit heavily in the SEC states, but previously had the drawback of being in the Big12.

You can't win in the SEC if you can't consistently recruit at a high level, and adding Texas and Oklahoma, will make it harder for us to woo those players that are good enough to start for teams like Alabama/Georgia/Florida, but would still be 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart in spite of the talent.

It's a net loss for UT in terms of finding a path back to relevance in the conference.

I agree with you mostly but they will also help offset Bama, GA, LSU and FL in recruiting. It might level the playing field a little. We still have a massive way to go but this may actually help us in the end. We have the town, traditions, facilities and stadium to compete with anyone in recruiting. What we need is stability in the form of coaching and administration. It could all change with the right people in place. Before Saban Alabama struggled for several years. One coach changed it all quickly. Look at how good florida was under Meyer and how quick that changed when he left.

 

[TNnative]

Fulmer was fired so we are good now…

Hopefully. With all the dysfunction over the years, once Phil was given that made up job helping the president? I feared two things needed to happen before we would be good. Phil being hired. And Phil being fired. OK, OK Or "stepping down with "honors".

 

[Brave Volunteer]

doesn't matter. Until Tennessee finishes investigating themselves and something comes down, recruiting is going to be very tough..

LWS, why are we not calling the NCAA's bluff here and just tell them to go kick rocks? They no longer have any power! I would tell them TODAY that we are going to exonerate ourselves and if you don't like it we'll take it to the supreme court, which I KNOW they don't want to do!

 

[LWSVOL]

LWS, why are we not calling the NCAA's bluff here and just tell them to go kick rocks? They no longer have any power! I would tell them TODAY that we are going to exonerate ourselves and if you don't like it we'll take it to the supreme court, which I KNOW they don't want to do!

IF the NCAA collapses, Tennessee will still face sanctions from the SEC. We are not going to skate on these violations.

All the NCAA losing power does is place the power at the conference level. the conference will assess stricter punishment than the NCAA would have.

The issue with Tennessee doing anything as far as the NCAA or SEC is concerned is that they are still investigating things. Until they finish with whatever they are still looking at, they won't be saying anything to anyone. Who knows what they continue to find..

 

[orange_glory]

IF the NCAA collapses, Tennessee will still face sanctions from the SEC. We are not going to skate on these violations.

All the NCAA losing power does is place the power at the conference level. the conference will assess stricter punishment than the NCAA would have.

The issue with Tennessee doing anything as far as the NCAA or SEC is concerned is that they are still investigating things. Until they finish with whatever they are still looking at, they won't be saying anything to anyone. Who knows what they continue to find..

And the Lawyers get richer and richer

 

[BeardedVol]

I agree with you mostly but they will also help offset Bama, GA, LSU and FL in recruiting. It might level the playing field a little. We still have a massive way to go but this may actually help us in the end. We have the town, traditions, facilities and stadium to compete with anyone in recruiting. What we need is stability in the form of coaching and administration. It could all change with the right people in place. Before Saban Alabama struggled for several years. One coach changed it all quickly. Look at how good florida was under Meyer and how quick that changed when he left.

Unfortunately, those teams already have the pick of the top talent from their state. Georgia and Florida produce so much that they couldn't take all of the top players from their state every year even if they wanted to; Tennessee is not in that position.

As far as tradition and facilities go, Texas and Oklahoma have plenty of both, and the reality of modern CFB, is that players don't care about what a team did 20+ years ago. They are looking to go to a school, with a coaching staff that gives them the best chance of getting into the NFL. Florida and Georgia have never stopped sending players to the NFL, regardless of the HC. In the last decade Tennessee didn't send anyone to the draft 3/10 years.