The Value of Rodney Garner

#1
amstelman

amstelman

Lets Go Brandon! (#8)
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#1
I am not the true "avid" fan that many are , but I've been a casual fan since I attended UT beginning in '72. The one coordinator name that has alwaya been often a part of discussions is Rodney Garner. I seem to recall that he was a VOL years ago and an invaluable recruiter. Then he defected to UGA at some point and I see Auburn in his resume'.

My questions are... Is Rodney Garner an underrated value to Tennessee? Is he still a recruiting powerhouse?

Thanks for the education!
 
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#2
#2
Rodney Garner is a value Coach anywhere he is. We are fortunate to get him back to UT.
He carries his weight and kids love and understand what he can do for them as a developer, teacher and Coach.
He can recruit and he is a no nonsense Coach.
We are blessed to have him.
When we were able to land him back here I was extremely excited to have him back and some of you young pups will see why in the future if you have not already figured it out already.
He carries a presence of an EF Hutton and we should do everything in our power to ensure he retires here.
You will not find another one that understands how to get through to kids, his coaching Skillset is one that many will search for years to obtain.
What's more is that he can recruit.

THE DL Whisperer
 
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#4
#4
Jax_Vol said:
Back in the mid-late 90's, Rodney was outstanding. Especially in the Georgia area. He was the primary recruiter for Deon Grant, Cosey Coleman, and Jamal Lewis. The level of talent we had back in the late 90's was quite high.

No idea on how he is doing these days.
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When we lost Rodney we lost GA, Donnan went after the biggest recruiter we had to close the state. Richt knew his value and kept him and kept us out mostly.
 
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#6
#6
Rodney Garner will go down as one of the greatest recruiters and D Line coaches anywhere. Many refer to him as the best D-Line coach and talent developer in the country. I remember well when Georgia stole him from us, and I knew exactly what it would mean over the years to our program. If I remember correctly - and it was on this forum I believe, RG has recruited more First Round D-Line draftpicks than ANY other entire program in the nation, including Bama, Ga, Tex, USC, ND or anywhere else. Quite an accomplishment.
 
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#7
#7
HiltonHeadVol said:
Rodney Garner will go down as one of the greatest recruiters and D Line coaches anywhere. Many refer to him as the best D-Line coach and talent developer in the country. I remember well when Georgia stole him from us, and I knew exactly what it would mean over the years to our program. If I remember correctly - and it was on this forum I believe, RG has recruited more First Round D-Line draftpicks than ANY other entire program in the nation, including Bama, Ga, Tex, USC, ND or anywhere else. Quite an accomplishment.
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That is why it is a little crazy that Nolan did not sign with us.
 
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#9
#9
Where’s @de1conley in a thread like this. No where to be found with something positive to say about UT. He’s too busy bashing the school over in the Recruiting thread. Or maybe he’s cutting the next 5* stud’s fade getting ready for a visit to Alabubba so he can brag about himself. 💈🪒✂️
 
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#11
#11
Sudden Impact said:
Rodney Garner is a value Coach anywhere he is. We are fortunate to get him back to UT.
He carries his weight and kids love and understand what he can do for them as a developer, teacher and Coach.
He can recruit and he is a no nonsense Coach.
We are blessed to have him.
When we were able to land him back here I was extremely excited to have him back and some of you young pups will see why in the future if you have not already figured it out already.
He carries a presence of an EF Hutton and we should do everything in our power to ensure he retires here.
You will not find another one that understands how to get through to kids, his coaching Skillset is one that many will search for years to obtain.
What's more is that he can recruit.

THE DL Whisperer
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I bet you lost 85% of the posters with that EF Hutton remark. LOL
 
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#13
#13
spyfish007 said:
That is why it is a little crazy that Nolan did not sign with us.
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I think that Nolen signed where his father wanted him to sign, period. The delay I feel was due to Nolen having second thoughts and his father pushed the buttons and he ended up inking with aTm . . . that's just my opinion.

GBO
 
#14
#14
one way to look at it. Garner came on board right when Pruitt was being let go. K.Steele was acting coach whom I recall actually hired Garner. D.White then hired Heupel. As is customary head coaches prefer to hire their own staff and then each coordinator will put in a few words for the positional coaches. Whether or not Banks had a prior connection with Gardner I'm not sure but I'm quite sure Gardner's reputation is well known in CFB circles. We Vol fans have a lot to be thankful for and the difference between Gardner and former DLine coach Rocker is that Gardner definitely can recruit and I think he's responsible for Tyre West signing today.
 
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#17
#17
Nolen didn't sign with us because aTm is 2nd in the nation in NIL money so until our boosters step up we will bringing up the rear.
 
#18
#18
spyfish007 said:
That is why it is a little crazy that Nolan did not sign with us.
Click to expand...
Unless Nolan's family moves to Texas, I think it's possible that we may see Walter back here in a couple of years. A&M had a huge haul of DTs today, some other 5 stars as well...
 
#19
#19
EtowahVol said:
Nolen didn't sign with us because aTm is 2nd in the nation in NIL money so until our boosters step up we will bringing up the rear.
Click to expand...

Lol!

Tennessee has eleven billionaires.

Alabama has zero.

If NIL comes down to money, we'll be beating bama like a drum...as will A&M
 
#22
#22
Recall when Rodney Garner went to GA from Tennessee, then to AU; before the days of Vol Nation & other social media. Rumor was that Garner was a great recruiter but lousy coach The narrative certainly has changed (or did he pick up coaching expertise during the past 20 years?)
 
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