'20 TN DE/LB Tyler Baron (UT SIGNEE)

We really need to get Baron and Tucker. Cooper Mays- not even sure he is a take for us tbh, esp if we hit on some of our top OL targets.
According to several recruiting analysts Cooper is highly valued because he is a true center and not a guard that you have to try to make into a center like most kids.
 
I like Tucker and Baron for sure, mayes needs to get at 290 to 300 before I consider him a take. We just have so many options this next class with Alot ot guys already over the 300 mark right now. No more undersized linemen on the TN VOLS lines. Period.
I saw somewhere he was up to like 295 a month or two ago... so.... he's already there...

People keep writing him off for one or another reason.... but he's an excellent lineman and a for sure take for this staff.... star gazers :rolleyes: .... He's the #4 Center in the whole class and he's very underrated atm
 
I saw somewhere he was up to like 295 a month or two ago... so.... he's already there...

People keep writing him off for one or another reason.... but he's an excellent lineman and a for sure take for this staff.... star gazers :rolleyes: .... He's the #4 Center in the whole class and he's very underrated atm[/QUOTE

So with guys Ratledge, Thomas, Tucker, Henderson, Rogers, Morris, Curry, do you pass on one of them to take Cooper? Not until I see more from him. Y’all say star gazer like recruiting rankings don’t directly correlate to on-field success. 🤔
 
I saw somewhere he was up to like 295 a month or two ago... so.... he's already there...

People keep writing him off for one or another reason.... but he's an excellent lineman and a for sure take for this staff.... star gazers :rolleyes: .... He's the #4 Center in the whole class and he's very underrated atm
Last time I seen something on him he was 270.
 
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Fine, roll with those 285lb. linemen. Worked really well under Butch

Butch's offense called for smaller Olineman. Which is one reason we saw Butch's offense suck while he was here. CJP knows what you need to win in this conference and what type of players to recruit. I promise you he doesn't need recruiting advice from any message board Coaching Guru's, he's got this! This isn't directed at you but I've been on VN for many,many years and one thing has always amazed me. So many posters over the years seem to know more than the men making 6-7 figures and who have done this for decades. I will say some of the players Butch recruited or how he used some players truly boggled my mind. But he's had stuff work at smaller schools and in lower tier conferences. He was so stubborn and never did figure out that the SEC is a line of scrimmage league first. You aren't going to win with 275 LB Olineman at every position on the OL. You may can get away with a guy 285, but has to be physical and plays bigger than his size, plus have 300+ LB guys around him. And he did the same thing on defense. Had smaller DLine guys who were still slow and smaller DB's. If you have DB's who are 5'8, they better be able to jump out of the gym, play much more physical than his size and be able to tackle. Butch was too damn stubborn to change and do what it took to win consistently. He owes Dobb's the longevity he got here. And any coach who didn't see what you have in Kamara and run your offense around him has no business being a HC at a school like TN.

But to see posters constantly question who or why he recruits a certain player absolutely amazes me. The man knows what real talent looks like, how to spot them and how to develop them. He's coached at one of the best HS programs in the country and under a Hall of Fame type HS Headcoach in Propst. Propst lacked morals but the man can flat out coach HS football. He's also grown up learning from his Dad, who was a HS Headcoach. He's coached under the greatest college football coach any of us have ever seen and is truly the best college football coach in history. Saban said CJP was one of the best Coach's he's ever had and was given more responsibilities and freedom than any coach he's ever had. He had CJP running more of the defense and trusted him to do other parts of the day to day than any coach he's had. I read an article where Saban was talking about how much trust he had in CJP and that allowed him more responsibilities. Which in turn helped him learn more of the ins and outs of being a College HC besides just the on the field aspect. Throw in coaching for Jimbo during their NC year. Not one fan ever needs to question why he offered or accepted the commitment of a certain player. Some fans thing running a football league, playing football on PS4 or XBOX or watching some film makes them expert's on evaluating talent. It's actually pretty funny, because those particular ones truly believe they know more than the guys getting paid to do it. Then actually question why he did what he did and in their minds believe they should offer advice on their 5 minutes of watching a players film. Rest assured, if he accepts the commitment of a player then believe he See's something these amateur film watcher's didn't see.

Some have questioned why he didn't recruit some higher ranked TN recruits. If he didn't then he either didn't see them as a fit for what he wants to do or doesn't have them as highly rated. Wish those fans would just support his decisions and not knock him or these kids if they weren't as highly rated. He knows how to spot good, great and elite talent.
 
I’m not saying he’s not a good prospect nor that we shouldn’t be recruiting him. All I’m saying is that I can see at least 6-7 OL in this class that are already SEC size and quite frankly are just better. And I wouldn’t give this kid the spot over one of them. If we end up with him I’ll be perfectly content. If he can put on some good weight I’m sure he can play C for us. Would I rather take my chances on converting a guy who’s already 6’4 310? Yes.
 
Butch's offense called for smaller Olineman. Which is one reason we saw Butch's offense suck while he was here. CJP knows what you need to win in this conference and what type of players to recruit. I promise you he doesn't need recruiting advice from any message board Coaching Guru's, he's got this! This isn't directed at you but I've been on VN for many,many years and one thing has always amazed me. 1 So many posters over the years seem to know more than the men making 6-7 figures and who have done this for decades. I will say some of the players Butch recruited or how he used some players truly boggled my mind. But he's had stuff work at smaller schools and in lower tier conferences. He was so stubborn and never did figure out that the SEC is a line of scrimmage league first. You aren't going to win with 275 LB Olineman at every position on the OL. You may can get away with a guy 285, but has to be physical and plays bigger than his size, plus have 300+ LB guys around him. And he did the same thing on defense. Had smaller DLine guys who were still slow and smaller DB's. If you have DB's who are 5'8, they better be able to jump out of the gym, play much more physical than his size and be able to tackle. Butch was too damn stubborn to change and do what it took to win consistently. He owes Dobb's the longevity he got here. And any coach who didn't see what you have in Kamara and run your offense around him has no business being a HC at a school like TN.

But to see posters constantly question who or why he recruits a certain player absolutely amazes me. The man knows what real talent looks like, how to spot them and how to develop them. He's coached at one of the best HS programs in the country and under a Hall of Fame type HS Headcoach in Propst. Propst lacked morals but the man can flat out coach HS football. He's also grown up learning from his Dad, who was a HS Headcoach. 2 He's coached under the greatest college football coach any of us have ever seen and is truly the best college football coach in history. Saban said CJP was one of the best Coach's he's ever had and was given more responsibilities and freedom than any coach he's ever had. He had CJP running more of the defense and trusted him to do other parts of the day to day than any coach he's had. I read an article where Saban was talking about how much trust he had in CJP and that allowed him more responsibilities. Which in turn helped him learn more of the ins and outs of being a College HC besides just the on the field aspect. Throw in coaching for Jimbo during their NC year. Not one fan ever needs to question why he offered or accepted the commitment of a certain player. Some fans thing running a football league, playing football on PS4 or XBOX or watching some film makes them expert's on evaluating talent. It's actually pretty funny, because those particular ones truly believe they know more than the guys getting paid to do it. Then actually question why he did what he did and in their minds believe they should offer advice on their 5 minutes of watching a players film. Rest assured, if he accepts the commitment of a player then believe he See's something these amateur film watcher's didn't see.

Some have questioned why he didn't recruit some higher ranked TN recruits. If he didn't then he either didn't see them as a fit for what he wants to do or doesn't have them as highly rated. Wish those fans would just support his decisions and not knock him or these kids if they weren't as highly rated. He knows how to spot good, great and elite talent.

1
I'd wager there are a fair amount of people that post here that would have done a better job as HC than Butch Jones. His press conferences were abominable and embarrassing... he regularly wasted talent... he mismanaged the end of games regularly (I don't know how many times I had foreign objects in my hands ready to launch them at the screen waiting for him to call a timeout that never came)... he clearly had no grasp of what an effective SEC offense was supposed to look like, was stubborn about implementing things that didn't work, and if he hadn't pulled a rabbit out of his hat with Dobbs, would have been fired without his ridiculous severance package several years earlier.

I honestly believe that I would have done a better job. I said it... I'd have:
- Managed games properly and consistently
- Wouldn't have embarrassed the university in pressers
- Made sure my playmakers got touches on the ball consistently
- Hired an OC that I respected with an SEC track-record and let him run his offense without interference.... so long as he was getting our playmakers the ball.

There are people here on this forum that would have done more with the talent Tennessee had. I do respect him as a recruiting closer, albeit cut in the Kirby Smart-style sleazy used car salesman cloth. I respect how Pruitt recruits... straight-forward, no ********... this is how it is. We have elite coaches here, and we need an infusion of talent at a bunch of positions... if you can beat out a senior, you'll play as a freshman, if you don't, you won't... Attrition will soon be a thing of the past.

As far as coaching... it's too early to tell with Pruitt... I've seen him make several dumb calls on defense, but they were excusable and out of desperation trying to make plays (and he held himself accountable for them, kudos!)... Our roster talent was depleted last year, so it's a bad year to pass judgement, especially with how poorly the offensive line performed... but I'm not completely sold on him due to the Charlotte, Missouri, and especially the Vandy game... I'm giving him a pass for West Virginia and Florida... can't let your team quit though... ever... I believe he'll get things turned around and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, I'm just not gonna anoint him the savior of Tennessee football until I see a football team on the field that's worth watching on Saturdays

2
(I'm not trying to undermine your point here, lol, but I'm half-serious) He never coached under Dabo Sweeney... before everything's all said and done, he may be right there with Saban on championships. Not because he's far and above a better coach, but because he goes about it in the right way... the difference between them is night and day... Dabo will keep his assistants until death do them part, because they respect him... he lets them have a family life, doesn't interfere with their work, just encourages, supports, and guides gameplans and general direction...

Saban operates out of fear and discipline... he overworks his coaches, takes accountability over the top, and rails people until they make the "safe percentage" call every time to avoid getting embarrassed by an untouchable angry little person. Everybody's interested in what makes him so successful, but nobody wants to work for him... and his coach attrition is soon to catch up with him. They're so talented it won't show up next year, or maybe the year after... but he'd win a championship every single year if it came down to sheer roster talent. I'm not really dogging Saban, just pointing out that he's an ******* to work for and really... Butch Jones could probably make it to the CFP with that roster...
 
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Butch's offense called for smaller Olineman. Which is one reason we saw Butch's offense suck while he was here. CJP knows what you need to win in this conference and what type of players to recruit. I promise you he doesn't need recruiting advice from any message board Coaching Guru's, he's got this! This isn't directed at you but I've been on VN for many,many years and one thing has always amazed me. So many posters over the years seem to know more than the men making 6-7 figures and who have done this for decades. I will say some of the players Butch recruited or how he used some players truly boggled my mind. But he's had stuff work at smaller schools and in lower tier conferences. He was so stubborn and never did figure out that the SEC is a line of scrimmage league first. You aren't going to win with 275 LB Olineman at every position on the OL. You may can get away with a guy 285, but has to be physical and plays bigger than his size, plus have 300+ LB guys around him. And he did the same thing on defense. Had smaller DLine guys who were still slow and smaller DB's. If you have DB's who are 5'8, they better be able to jump out of the gym, play much more physical than his size and be able to tackle. Butch was too damn stubborn to change and do what it took to win consistently. He owes Dobb's the longevity he got here. And any coach who didn't see what you have in Kamara and run your offense around him has no business being a HC at a school like TN.

But to see posters constantly question who or why he recruits a certain player absolutely amazes me. The man knows what real talent looks like, how to spot them and how to develop them. He's coached at one of the best HS programs in the country and under a Hall of Fame type HS Headcoach in Propst. Propst lacked morals but the man can flat out coach HS football. He's also grown up learning from his Dad, who was a HS Headcoach. He's coached under the greatest college football coach any of us have ever seen and is truly the best college football coach in history. Saban said CJP was one of the best Coach's he's ever had and was given more responsibilities and freedom than any coach he's ever had. He had CJP running more of the defense and trusted him to do other parts of the day to day than any coach he's had. I read an article where Saban was talking about how much trust he had in CJP and that allowed him more responsibilities. Which in turn helped him learn more of the ins and outs of being a College HC besides just the on the field aspect. Throw in coaching for Jimbo during their NC year. Not one fan ever needs to question why he offered or accepted the commitment of a certain player. Some fans thing running a football league, playing football on PS4 or XBOX or watching some film makes them expert's on evaluating talent. It's actually pretty funny, because those particular ones truly believe they know more than the guys getting paid to do it. Then actually question why he did what he did and in their minds believe they should offer advice on their 5 minutes of watching a players film. Rest assured, if he accepts the commitment of a player then believe he See's something these amateur film watcher's didn't see.

Some have questioned why he didn't recruit some higher ranked TN recruits. If he didn't then he either didn't see them as a fit for what he wants to do or doesn't have them as highly rated. Wish those fans would just support his decisions and not knock him or these kids if they weren't as highly rated. He knows how to spot good, great and elite talent.
Preach. I knew when he let Means sign on the early signing day that he saw something in him. Then at a presser the other day said he was 210 4.4 guy that was a freak of nature. I never doubted the man but damn alot ot peeps questioned that one recruit over all the others we got just because he was the lowest ranked per "the services ". I value a Real coach over those guys any day of the year.
 
Fine, roll with those 285lb. linemen. Worked really well under Butch
Justin Rogers & Tate Ratledge are in if they want. That’s 2 spots spoken for.

3 OL spots left for the ‘20 class.

Omari Thomas
Mitchell Mayes
Marcus Henderson
Chris Mayes
Bryn Tucker

Only so many spots.....
 
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Justin Rogers & Tate Ratledge are in if they want. That’s 2 spots spoken for.

3 OL spots left for the ‘20 class.

Omari Thomas
Mitchell Mayes
Marcus Henderson
Chris Mayes
Bryn Tucker

Only so many spots.....
Rogers is probably a DL.
 
Justin Rogers & Tate Ratledge are in if they want. That’s 2 spots spoken for.

3 OL spots left for the ‘20 class.

Omari Thomas
Mitchell Mayes
Marcus Henderson
Chris Mayes
Bryn Tucker

Only so many spots.....
Wray
 
Justin Rogers & Tate Ratledge are in if they want. That’s 2 spots spoken for.

3 OL spots left for the ‘20 class.

Omari Thomas
Mitchell Mayes
Marcus Henderson
Chris Mayes
Bryn Tucker

Only so many spots.....

wonder if we'll take 5, or just 4?

needs at de, dl, lb, wr, and hb are pressing. prob need a te too
 
wonder if we'll take 5, or just 4?

needs at de, dl, lb, wr, and hb are pressing. prob need a te too
Based off of their strategy last year I think they would take 5. They would then be able to move one of these players to DT after they got them on campus.
 

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