TN: Increasingly Fertile Recruiting Grounds

#26
#26
Excellent post! Thanks for digging up this data.

Glad we have a coach that is building strong relationships with the high schools in the state and taking advantage.
 
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#27
#27
SIAP: I think we have always been a good state to recruit from. It's unfortunate that our 3 previous coaches either ignored the talent or went out of their way to NOT recruit in state.
 
#28
#28
82_VOL_83 said:
SIAP: I think we have always been a good state to recruit from. It's unfortunate that our 3 previous coaches either ignored the talent or went out of their way to NOT recruit in state.
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Well, the data suggests that we had (at least from 2008-2012) a mediocre state to recruit from. 18-20 doesn't sound that bad - it is, after all, in the top half! However, when you consider that there are many states with negligible populations, or that don't have a strong emphasis on HS football (Wyoming, Alaska, Rhode Island, the Dakota's, etc) then you start to see that we are not looking quite so good.

We have had the talent to form a solid foundation if properly recruited. However, it is not until very recently that our state has produced the talent needed to provide the foundation for a championship caliber team. Now we have that. And, we have the coaching staff to make good on that potential.
 
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#29
#29
This is such a great post, this is really interesting stuff. Hopefully the state can continue to trend in the right direction.
 
#30
#30
turambar85 said:
Well, the data suggests that we had (at least from 2008-2012) a mediocre state to recruit from. 18-20 doesn't sound that bad - it is, after all, in the top half! However, when you consider that there are many states with negligible populations, or that don't have a strong emphasis on HS football (Wyoming, Alaska, Rhode Island, the Dakota's, etc) then you start to see that we are not looking quite so good.

We have had the talent to form a solid foundation if properly recruited. However, it is not until very recently that our state has produced the talent needed to provide the foundation for a championship caliber team. Now we have that. And, we have the coaching staff to make good on that potential.
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You are absolutely correct, however, we have always had several good kids that were consistently overlooked by the staff. Randall Cobb comes to mind immediately. Chad Pennington another. Sure there are several more just don't come up with names right now.
 
#31
#31
turambar85 said:
To celebrate my 1,000th post, I thought that I would bring up some info. that I came across after a conversation with a friend of mine.

I was at Barleys and talking about the improvements in TN's recruiting. It seemed as if we went from a middle of the pack state (and a bottom of the pack SEC state) to having close to a top-tier collection of talent. To verify this I did a bit of looking around.

To begin with, I found this list from Athlon, which ranked states by the number of players that they produced who ranked in the top 200 each year. Recruiting: Ranking the Most Talented States in the Country | AthlonSports.com.

From 2008-2012 Tennessee was tied for 18th in the country with roughly 2.4 top 200 prospects per year. However, even within this period, we improved as time went on. From 2008-2010 we averaged 1.7 per year. From 2011-2012 we averaged 3.3 per year. Taking our 2008-10 average and stretching it over 5 years, it would have been good for 22nd in the country. Taking our 2011-12 average and stretching it over five years puts us just below 16th in the country.

I then went to 247 and looked at the top 200 prospects that our state produced (or is producing) from 2013-2017.

In 2013 we had 4 top 200 players: Ramsey, Herron, Carr, and Elder.

In 2014 we had 5: Malone, Hurd, Kelly Jr., Bars, and Barnett.

In 2015 we have 7: Richmond, Phillips, Jefferson, Jones, McGraw, Jennings, and Jackson Harris.

In 2016 we have 5: Williams, Gooden, Bituli, Vaughn, and Oden.

In 2017 they have only ranked the top 116, and we have 6 (all in the top 90). If we assume that the bottom part of the list is roughly the same as the top, we will have roughly 10 top 200 recruits in 2017. At present, those in the top 200 are: Gray, Chandler, Higgins, Stokes, Stevens, and Smith.

Assuming that we have 10 in 2017, that gives TN 31 in 5 year period (compared to 12 in the previous 5 years). 31 would have, in the Athlon rankings, put us at 8th, 1 below Pennsylvania. Not to mention, only 6 states (from 2008-12) had at least 10 top 200 recruits in any given year, and only 5 did it more than once.

Tennessee is definitely improving when it comes to the quality of players that it produces. We went from a top 18-22 state from 2008-2012, to a top 7-8 state from 2013-2017. And, three of our best years are the last three that I considered. Not only is Tennessee *not* looking to be an outlier when it comes to SEC states, our state is on its way to becoming a national recruiting power.
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Excellent research my friend.
 
#32
#32
82_VOL_83 said:
You are absolutely correct, however, we have always had several good kids that were consistently overlooked by the staff. Randall Cobb comes to mind immediately. Chad Pennington another. Sure there are several more just don't come up with names right now.
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Bruceton & Ole Miss NFL all pro LB Patrick Willis who begged to be a Vol ring any bells? Watched a Goodpasture WR start for the USC Trojans and go to the NFL.
 
#33
#33
Great post, we still need to lock these guys up. Memphis will always be tough but we gotta get Phillips, Amadi and Martin!!!
 
#36
#36
OrangeSummit said:
this has been a trend that has been on the uptick for quite some time now. Really two decades. The fact is, half of the talent goes elsewhere. Randall Cobb to Kentucky, Victor Ellis to Alabama, etc, etc. Tennessee has been producing top-flight talent for years, they just dispersed and go to different out of state schools.
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Victor and Cobb are different cases than what was mentioned. Victor was one of the classiest athletes I knew, but neither he nor Cobb were considered "big time" recruits coming out of high school the way a Gerald Riggs (for example) was. Victor was a 3 star who signed for DuBose and developed into a great linebacker (before he was screwed by Francione his senior year) while Cobb was a 2 star. A similar diamond in the rough was Willis at Ole Miss. That's not to belittle them or underestimate them on the field at all; just to point out that they weren't considered "can't lose" prospects coming out of high school.
 
#37
#37
OrangeSummit said:
this has been a trend that has been on the uptick for quite some time now. Really two decades. The fact is, half of the talent goes elsewhere. Randall Cobb to Kentucky, Victor Ellis to Alabama, etc, etc. Tennessee has been producing top-flight talent for years, they just dispersed and go to different out of state schools.
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Fwiw Cobb wasn't even ranked highly at all by any recruiting services. Not like UT fought to keep him.
 
#38
#38
I think also having ex-Titans staying in town and helping out on high school campuses plays a part in the uptick of prospects from middle Tennessee.
 
#39
#39
Remy said:
Bruceton & Ole Miss NFL all pro LB Patrick Willis who begged to be a Vol ring any bells? Watched a Goodpasture WR start for the USC Trojans and go to the NFL.
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Didn't Golden Tate of recent NFL glory come out of a Hendersonville private school & went to Notre Dame? Marshall County produced a youngster a few years back still in the NFL that became a Bammer All American LB, ever hear of Donta Hightower? Tennessee as a state produces talent, the issue is we let a lot of kids leave. Happy to see CBJ putting a fence at the state borders these days.
 
#40
#40
You have to look at this a little deeper. It has more to do with business than anything else. The state makes it really attractive for businesses to relocate there. Couple that aspect with no state income tax and you have your receipe for the increase in population. It seems like every time we travel back to see family and friends in middle TN another huge warehouse, Amazon for example, or massive office building has been built. Tennessee is a great place to live and I will always miss it.
 
#41
#41
iKrager said:
Great post. I noticed the trend that you're referring to and I can agree, Tennessee is becoming a state that actually produced athletes, and not just football players, basketball players too. I think the resources and facilities are becoming better and better around the state.
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Has less to do with facilities and resources and more about changing demographics.
 
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