Todays signings confirm Josh Heupel has us pointed in the right direction

#77
#77
At the risk of jeopardizing my pending promotion to NegaVol Level II, I would like to say that I am very impressed, if not stunned, with what Coach Heupel and his staff have done with the 2026 signing class. This is the type of class that, if it pans out, will do great things at UT one day.

Now...take all them high-dollar thoroughbred horses you just bought and go win a race. SEC, Natty, State of Tennessee, Bristol, Daytona...I don't care.

Just turn 'em loose and let 'em run.

Go Vols.

Intentional Edit: I haven't changed my mind about Banks, Martinez, or the S&C. Here's their chance to prove me wrong.
 
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#78
#78
I am as critical as I need to be when it comes to Tennessee football. The Vandy loss is a nightmare that won't soon be forgotten. But what Heupel and staff did today was impressive. Held onto every player that was committed and flipped at least 3 from other schools, including one from Ohio State. Not bad at all. It doesn't guarantee anything but it bodes well for this staff and the players they targeted. I will give credit where it's due and today this staff deserves a lot of credit. GBO
 
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#79
#79
Volbrando said:
Vandy just embarrassed us with portal players
HS classes are good if they are developed, play, contribute, and don't transfer... otherwise many are building new teams every year now
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Short sighted ideology brother. Some do. The elite of the elite recruit top classes, not just in the portal. There is a reason Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss despite their on field success this year. Long term sustainability is unknown still when it comes to the portal. No pipelines and connections can be built. Portal players typically are moving to play. Let me show you. This is last years top portal classes.

1764803863612.png

Most of these top portal teams are also top recruiting teams. Other than Ole Miss it is clear the portal doesn't equate to immediate success at a 100% rate.

How did this top portal class help Florida, Florida State, or Colorado?

My suggestion would be to remember, although things are changing, recruiting elite talent out of HS is still as important as ever.

The key words for recruiting with the portal in play are going to be consistency, retention, and reloading.


1) We must consistently have a top 5-10 recruiting class. - Consistency

2) We must retain top talent and keep them from entering the portal (our retention numbers are good this year, one of the lowest of people transferring out if all signs continue how they are) - Retention

3) We must reload holes on the team with portal talent to help fill roles that might not be developing at the rate we had hoped. - Reloading


So enjoy the good recruiting class and try not to find negativity on a day that is look good for Rocky Top.
 
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#80
#80
wmcovol said:
Louisiana’s oil industry is more tied to offshore (yes they have surface oil fields) but offshore is very limited right now. New Orleans is a fraction of the city it was when I lived there. Economically the state is a disaster. LSU does have some major billionaire donors but nothing like Tx & Aggies. I’d put them in the middle of the SEC. I do think this coaching change & money involved with it (rumored to cost almost $200 million) is gonna have a big impact there.
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Not all LSU fans live in Louisiana or make their money in offshore rigs.

Houston has a particularly large alumni chapter.
 
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#82
#82
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
We'll disagree there and I've had crow before (mostly Old Crow but I digress) and might again.

I believe Coach Heupel will make some hard decisions about staff and I believe he'll begin to be a more forceful practice coach and sideline coach. I'd be willing to bet he has some heart to heart talks with his Dad and other mentors soon and gets good advice for his future.

If we see 7-5 next year, the seat is very warm and another 7-5 might finish him in 2027.

I just don't believe he's a 7-5 coach at UT. Like I said, I've got my shot glass..... er..... fork ready for crow, if needed.
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The hard decisions he'll have to make will be forced upon him. He's shown he doesn't like to change. If White isn't forcing significant changes, he's not doing his job. Are you ok with him going 7-5? It's his 6th year. When should he compete for championships? I'm frightened to think some of our fans would tolerate that. Think about what 7-5 would look like... A home loss to first year coach (Kiffin) to LSU? Losing at home to AL, and being 2-4 against them? Losing to Ga Tech the second game of the year? A loss to Texas at home? Lose to a first year coach (our ex OC) at home to Auburn? That's 5 loses right there. Maybe he wins a couple of those. So he loses to Vandy again? Kentucky? Lose to SC or ARK?
 
#86
#86
kcvols1 said:
Not all LSU fans live in Louisiana or make their money in offshore rigs.

Houston has a particularly large alumni chapter.
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I know. I lived in BR. I was addressing the earlier comment. Working in Houston doesn’t mean you’re an oil billionaire either.

Biggest booster is the Raisin Canes owner.
 
#87
#87
wmcovol said:
I know. I lived in BR. I was addressing the earlier comment. Working in Houston doesn’t mean you’re an oil billionaire either.

Biggest booster is the Raisin Canes owner.
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They are opening the first one of those here about 5 miles from me in about 2 weeks....Thanks for letting me know, I'll stay away from there.
 
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#88
#88
DaddyChad said:
Well while we’re in here bitching, Heupel is quietly putting together the best recruiting class in a couple of decades and a top five national class.
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Just goes to show you how little this message board and the derogatory comments from the idiot masses mean to him. He’s working, competing and trying to
Bring a Natty to Tennessee.

This class wouldn’t have happened if we fired Tim banks after last Saturday’s debacle.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, worst fanbase in the country. Go Vols!
 
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#90
#90
Hairy Vols said:
Short sighted ideology brother. Some do. The elite of the elite recruit top classes, not just in the portal. There is a reason Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss despite their on field success this year. Long term sustainability is unknown still when it comes to the portal. No pipelines and connections can be built. Portal players typically are moving to play. Let me show you. This is last years top portal classes.

View attachment 795451

Most of these top portal teams are also top recruiting teams. Other than Ole Miss it is clear the portal doesn't equate to immediate success at a 100% rate.

How did this top portal class help Florida, Florida State, or Colorado?

My suggestion would be to remember, although things are changing, recruiting elite talent out of HS is still as important as ever.

The key words for recruiting with the portal in play are going to be consistency, retention, and reloading.


1) We must consistently have a top 5-10 recruiting class. - Consistency

2) We must retain top talent and keep them from entering the portal (our retention numbers are good this year, one of the lowest of people transferring out if all signs continue how they are) - Retention

3) We must reload holes on the team with portal talent to help fill roles that might not be developing at the rate we had hoped. - Reloading


So enjoy the good recruiting class and try not to find negativity on a day that is look good for Rocky Top.
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Thanks for a common sense post based on reality. This is how the top schools are doing it. Recruit hard and coach up and retain as many as possible. Hit the portal to hit your weak spots and build depth where it’s thin with experience that can help and make an impact. GBO
 
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#96
#96
SayUWantAreVOLution said:
Economically, most SEC states are disasters honestly but that has nothing to do with how the SEC donors operate.

I think LSU, especially given the Governor jumping in, got "the right people" involved in canning Kelly and getting Kiffin. Those wealthy people aren't hurting and haven't hurt as badly from economic issues as most folks in LA.

Will they stay involved as much? I have no idea. Some of them probably will be in private boxes at every game and some probably just owed the Governor a favor or two.

I don't worry for LSU. They have a lot of talent nearby and find a way, within the rules and outside the rules, to win in bball and football quite a bit.
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We might see "booster fatigue" spread at some point. We here posted yesterday that Oregon's NIL was $900 million. I don't believe that, but that's what was posted. People might get tired of that.
 
#97
#97
EastTNVol6240 said:
Give or take one. Take a screen shot. Schedule is tough next year. Maybe Vandy wins 5-6. I’d say we will be at 7-8. And just like clockwork you’ll be here telling me “year 6 was always a bridge year”.
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We went 8-4 with the youngest team in the SEC. We're gonna return most of our offensive starters and make a bunch of upgrades through the portal on defense. And we just pulled in a top 5 recruiting class.
 
#98
#98
Firebirdparts said:
We might see "booster fatigue" spread at some point. We here posted yesterday that Oregon's NIL was $900 million. I don't believe that, but that's what was posted. People might get tired of that.
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I'm doubtful of that though $90M from Phil Knight, worth $30+B, is possible because he's extremely committed to a Natty there.

$900M is perhaps the total he's given the university including the academic side and sports side over his lifetime. He's been generous to Oregon.
 
#99
#99
Carp said:
We went 8-4 with the youngest team in the SEC. We're gonna return most of our offensive starters and make a bunch of upgrades through the portal on defense. And we just pulled in a top 5 recruiting class.
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Our schedule is much harder next year with the added SEC. The recruiting class is great no doubt, but how many of those true freshmen do you expect to immediately contribute? Likely 0, a few if you’re lucky.

Our success next year depends heavily on filling defensive holes with portal players. If you go into next season expecting 9-10 wins you’re likely gonna be disappointed.
 
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