This article explains why UT football has been in decline...and it's not due to coaching

[rdk4121]

Tennessee has a very good recruiting base. There's always several solid recruits from middle and west Tennessee, and usually at least couple from east Tennessee, and there's zero in state recruiting presence other than us. Not only that, but there's plenty of talent in Virginia, North and South Carolina as well, where there isn't a whole lot of competition. Obviously Clemson, and I guess UNC (but only for the last two years). UVA, VT, and USCe don't have the same combination of facilities, recruiting budget we have, and tradition. Plus we still pull plenty of kids from Georgia, Alabama, even Florida. We've had kids from Texas and Cali come here as well.

There's zero reason we can't routinely bring in top 10 classes. Butch brought in at least a couple in his time here. Pruitt brought in two top 15 classes, one of which was 10th. All the talent in the world doesn't mean much if you can't coach them or develop them.

 

[Catbone]

We get top 10-15 classes all the time and perform like we're getting the 100th ranked class. Sounds like coaching to me.

Boom roasted

 

[Creekcat]

You can have all the rocket scientists in the world build you a rocket, but if you don't have someone that knows how to fly that rocket when it launches, all their work went for nothing.

 

[landscapingvol]

The main point is the fact that I think Volnation in general has expectations that are wayyy too high. UT football program will never be able to replicate the success of the late 90's and early 2000. The landscape at that time enabled our program to rise to the top for almost a decade. It is a different time now, different landscape with revenue sharing (especially going forward). The expectation of hiring a coach and expecting to compete for a national championship in 3 years is just NOT FEASIBLE. That expectation is not realistic, and if we continue to have those expectations, we will be changing coaches every 4 years which has been what has been happening. For our program to be successful, we need a stable atmosphere and a coach who stays long term to be able to build culture and this takes a longer amount of time.

The point he is making isn’t a “fact” in terms of its presumption as our demise. No one expects UT to be competing for a NC every three years. That is complete nonsense, but we do expect to be competitive against UK and our rivals by year three.

 

[Rynovol]

Our recruiting rankings don't equal our actual rankings. The ungodly large divide between the two is why you have to fire CJP.

It is that simple. We've had the players every season to be competitive, but the results on the field don't measure up.

 

[ksgovols]

This article makes me really concerned about the state of sports journalism in our society. This is an extremely poor thought out premise.

Every one of this guy's articles lately has been crap. Are there people that pay for this garbage?

 

[MaTaLa]

 

[RDU VOL#14]

If you look at who our main rivals and recruiting rivals are over the past decade and a half and you see the stability of those programs and then you look at our stability it will tell you all that you need to know. Clemson w/ Dabo, UGA with Richt and Kirby, obviously Bama w/ Saban, UF has bookended 2 bad coaches w/ a HOF coach and a very good coach, even UK has a more established identity and continuity of program than us. We’ve had Kiffin, Dooley, Butch and now Pruitt in the span of 11 seasons. Before that we had 2 coaches in 31 years. We were essentially the Pittsburgh Steelers of the SEC and now we’re the Browns (even though they’re playing well now). As I said in another thread...THIS PLACE SELLS ITSELF. Dooley recruited, Butch recruited, Pruitt recruited, but unless you’ve got a group on the sideline ready to win we’re just gonna keep going down this path. We’ve got to stop beating ourselves.

 

[gasguy98]

Don't remember the exact year...maybe around 2007 we played Clemson in a bowl game they won rather decisively. I vividly remember the announcers talking about the coach at the time, one of the Bowdens I think, using as a rally cry that none of the Clemson players were as highly recruited as the Tennessee players were.

The point is that in this day and age the coach has to be the "hot and sexy" thing to land some of the better players and actually use them. In the waning Fulmer days we were still getting elite recruits and losing to supposed inferior teams. We were just not the hot new girl in the senior class anymore.

At some point we have to produce something on the field that is "hot and sexy" and we will get our fair share of the talent needed to win big.

And that starts with a "hot and sexy" head coach, not a bald hick that can't beat GA State.

 

[Power T-Rev]

Nah. Its definitely coaching

 

[GoVols64]

Tennessee football: ESPN’s SEC rights a further blow to Vols’ recruiting edge

This article hits the nail in the head about UT's football program decline. We no longer have a recruiting advantage anymore due to more revenue sharing. For those complaining about coaching being the issue, I would say there are bigger things in play.

I fundamentally disagree with the authors assertion. While I agree it is harder or more competitive to get top talent what it really does is create parity. With parity team execution, scheme and chemistry win games. It amplifies coaching shortfalls in recruiting, scheming and leadership.

 

[OrangeTsar]

You don't have to argue with the premise of the article. If I am reading this right, it basically says:

1. UT was winning with better recruits before money more or less equalized recruiting spending. This would ALSO mean that UT was NOT winning back then due to better coaching, just better players.

2. UT is currently not winning at the same level because everyone else has access to those players. This ALSO means that the while players coming may not be quite as good, we are not coaching them up now, maybe no more than we did 20 years ago.

All this does for me is confirm what most already know: Good teams have a coach who gets the most out of the players. Regardless of the player talent level, good teams are competitive in most games. We have not been for some time. I will let you draw your own conclusion, but most on here already have, and it is not the players fault UT has not been competitive for most of the last 15 years.

Yes. The very premise that revenue sharing sort of levels the playing field in recruiting SHOULD result in a more balanced Conference top to bottom. But the real world evidence is that the “rich” are even farther ahead of the rest of the league. Saban and Bama wouldn’t be running away with Championship after Championship if the recruiting wars had evened out.

 

[VolInNW]

Thanks! and

OK....couldn't resist

 

[bpalmer28]

I’m sorry. Money is not the problem.

Problem #1 is bad coaches as evidenced by the fact that except for Kiffin no one is doing a damn thing anywhere else. And, the most noteworthy thing Kiffin has done is get fired from USC. Even Ron Zook went on to take Illinois to the Rose Bowl

Problem #2, all the in-state schools where Tennessee had poached recruits are all better now than in the 90’s. Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Ole Miss and Miss State, and LSU. And while the State of Florida is what it is as a recruiting hotbed, there are more large sharks in that body of water than before. Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, etc., make it harder beyond recruiting against just the in-state Florida schools.

That’s what has happened.

No more Ray Goof, Gerry DiNardo, Mike Debose, Tommy West, and Brad Scott to recruit against

Thing is I don’t expect us to consistently compete with those teams. I just want to beat Kentucky, SC, Vandy, and Missouri every year and occasionally make a run. Basically average 8-9 wins

 

[99gator]

I should have added to my previous post....

Problem #3- you run a horrible offense that no skill position player would ever want to play in. Those guys would more likely choose to play in the offenses at Ole Miss and Miss State right now than Tennessee

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Some of the writers have zero ability to think logically.

"The Vols were one of three SEC schools to have a recruiting budget of over $2 million in 2019, and they were behind the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs."

So if recruiting budget is the primary factor in on the field success and UT is over $2 million a year along with UGA and Bama, the Tennessee on field production should be nearly the same as those and better than UF & LSU who spend less?

Bingo! The articles facts completely contradict the point it’s trying to get across. Bad evaluation factors in some but I put the biggest blame on lack of development and coaching. Has this guy watched our two blue chip corners or our two 5* tackles play this year? Development and X’s and O’s Is our biggest issue, not the mega deal with ESPN.
GBO!!

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Per rivals over the past three years UT has averaged a #15 ranked recruiting class and Florida has averaged a #12 recruiting class. Both Mullen and Pruitt were hired in 2017 so these are their classes. Florida is playing in Atlanta for a playoff spot. We are playing tomorrow to see who the worst team in the SEC is going to be. Tell me again how it is not about coaching.

It’s not coaching, it’s those pesky fans on Twitter.
GBO!!

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Every one of this guy's articles lately has been crap. Are there people that pay for this garbage?

People have become extremely lazy over the last 8 months. My guess is he rolled off the couch last minute, quickly threw this garbage together before deadline, hit the send button, got back to channel surfing.
GBO!!

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

The Vols struggles didn't begin until global warming started.

Pruitt is one of the greatest minds in college football history but the fact that CO2 levels in Knoxville have increased by .003 percent in the last 30 years from emissions have really had the Vols behind the 8 ball.

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Every one of this guy's articles lately has been crap. Are there people that pay for this garbage?

People have become extremely lazy over the last 8 months. My guess is he rolled off the couch last minute, quickly threw this garbage together before deadline, hit the send button, got back to channel surfing.
GBO!!

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

Tennessee football: ESPN’s SEC rights a further blow to Vols’ recruiting edge

This article hits the nail in the head about UT's football program decline. We no longer have a recruiting advantage anymore due to more revenue sharing. For those complaining about coaching being the issue, I would say there are bigger things in play.

Seriously...I tend to agree..there are bigger issues than Pruitt right now and here is an illustration of one of the biggest issues :

 

[AndyMizunogolfer]

So hang on our budget is only behind AL and UGA yet that is the reason for our downfall? GA ST, BYU must have that recruiting advantage over us huh? This writer is grasping at something to write obviously. I am not going to say that some terrible recruiting hasn't happened over the past 10-12 years. Although blaming it on the budget is ridiculous. UT's issue is what you need for a HC compared to what they are willing to go after in a HC. We need to be done worrying about hiring a HC who is squeaky clean. We need a "buy here pay here" used car salesman. Stock up on some burner phones, pre paid credit cards, and bags full of money for players.

 

[VolArmy74]

The main point is the fact that I think Volnation in general has expectations that are wayyy too high. UT football program will never be able to replicate the success of the late 90's and early 2000. The landscape at that time enabled our program to rise to the top for almost a decade. It is a different time now, different landscape with revenue sharing (especially going forward). The expectation of hiring a coach and expecting to compete for a national championship in 3 years is just NOT FEASIBLE. That expectation is not realistic, and if we continue to have those expectations, we will be changing coaches every 4 years which has been what has been happening. For our program to be successful, we need a stable atmosphere and a coach who stays long term to be able to build culture and this takes a longer amount of time.

Our program didn't "rise to the top for a decade". Our program won more football games than any football program in the country between 1928 and 2004. Over 70 years of high level success. Every person who coached here at least 4 years since Neyland in the 20s, before Butch had a 10+ win season and a top 5 national finish.

 

[VOL6479]

There are a lot of things that contribute to UT being down over the last 2 decades but all it takes right now is to watch this team play. It's just a bad product on the field, not their facilities being on par with other schools.

This team has no identity on what it tries to do or attempts to be good at.

This all goes back to coaching

 

[VolunteerVandiver]

Tennessee football: ESPN’s SEC rights a further blow to Vols’ recruiting edge

This article hits the nail in the head about UT's football program decline. We no longer have a recruiting advantage anymore due to more revenue sharing. For those complaining about coaching being the issue, I would say there are bigger things in play.

Lol. What? Tennessee recruits plenty well enough to win. The issue has been that the coaching sucks. There are no bigger things in play, save the inept administration that keeps hiring these bozos.