What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?

#1

Dadof2Vols

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#1
As I read quotes from recruit after recruit, I hear them say NICO is in my ear all the time which led me to ask the question:

What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?

Is it last year’s offensive turnaround? The coaching staff? Spyre/NIL? Student Peer Recruiter Nico? UT & Knoxville?

I think the excitement around NICO is getting recruits interested, the coaching staff being genuine people that are building relationships with the players are reeling them toward Tennessee/Knoxville and then Spyre is landing the fish into the boat. I put it at something like 40% NICO, 30% coaching staff, 20% UT/Knoxville, 10% NIL opportunity.

I don’t believe it is just NIL as some have suggested.
 
#2
#2
As I read quotes from recruit after recruit, I hear them say NICO is in my ear all the time which led me to ask the question:

What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?

Is it last year’s offensive turnaround? The coaching staff? Spyre/NIL? Student Peer Recruiter Nico? UT & Knoxville?

I think the excitement around NICO is getting recruits interested, the coaching staff being genuine people that are building relationships with the players are reeling them toward Tennessee/Knoxville and then Spyre is landing the fish into the boat. I put it at something like 40% NICO, 30% coaching staff, 20% UT/Knoxville, 10% NIL opportunity.

I don’t believe it is just NIL as some have suggested.
It is definitely not just NIL, though that helps.

I think there is a huge culture change across athletics at UT going on right now. I think the baseball team helps. I think success in basketball helps. It's attention, painting Tennessee as a place for winners. Then you've got a coaching staff that flipped things around more than expected on short notice last year, and add on that they too are all winners- you've got a great thing brewing. Tennessee is in good shape.
 
#4
#4
As I read quotes from recruit after recruit, I hear them say NICO is in my ear all the time which led me to ask the question:

What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?
Is it last year’s offensive turnaround? The coaching staff? Spyre/NIL? Student Peer Recruiter Nico? UT & Knoxville?
I think the excitement around NICO is getting recruits interested, the coaching staff being genuine people that are building relationships with the players are reeling them toward Tennessee/Knoxville and then Spyre is landing the fish into the boat. I put it at something like 40% NICO, 30% coaching staff, 20% UT/Knoxville, 10% NIL opportunity.
I don’t believe it is just NIL as some have suggested.

It's all the things you mentioned combined. We have a coaching staff that is player orientated, topnotch facilities, a deep pocket and aggressive collective. I also think one other perspective is at work. Despite kids being of the post Tennessee relevance generation, they know that the UT is exactly what Tim Tebow said we are, a sleeping giant. The prospect of being a factor of that giant stirring awake and defiantly roaring is a legacy creating reality.
 
#5
#5
I think that Nico is working on, and showing, his Leadership skills and trying to build good relationships with many of our top recruits so I'd say he's having some positive effects on some of our recruits.

I also believe that Nico is proving to many recruits that he, and our coaches, are VERY serious about building a footVOL Team that can compete for and WIN both a SEC and a National Championship.

From all the things I've read it seems like our coaches are having the biggest effects on our recruits.

Not only their total devotion to teaching and training the kid to become as good a footVOL player as they can become but also to teaching them to become a really good, well educated man in every aspect.

These kids are going to learn early on how to respect the money they earn, to spend it intelligently and how to keep their money safe and invest it wisely so that their future, and their future families future, will be in very good shape.

The parents are going to feel really good about turning their kids over to our coaches and the UT staff and professors and enjoy watching their kids be molded into great young men.

I have to applaud the hard, and great, work that our coaches and support staff are putting in!

Keep bringing in those great recruits!!!

VFL...GBO!!!
 
#6
#6
As I read quotes from recruit after recruit, I hear them say NICO is in my ear all the time which led me to ask the question:

What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?

Is it last year’s offensive turnaround? The coaching staff? Spyre/NIL? Student Peer Recruiter Nico? UT & Knoxville?

I think the excitement around NICO is getting recruits interested, the coaching staff being genuine people that are building relationships with the players are reeling them toward Tennessee/Knoxville and then Spyre is landing the fish into the boat. I put it at something like 40% NICO, 30% coaching staff, 20% UT/Knoxville, 10% NIL opportunity.

I don’t believe it is just NIL as some have suggested.
Coaches and our current players.
 
#9
#9
Probably about the same as for when most people are considering jobs. In descending order of importance:

1) Financials (e.g., NIL)
2) Potential for upward mobility (Instruction, exposure, program quality, NFL chances)
3) Mentorship (the coaching staff's ability to deliver on the above; also, keep kids on the path)
4) Work culture (feels like family, feels like home, everyone is chill, etc.)
5) Cachet/company name recognition (school branding)
.
.
6) That cool guy that also just got hired, and wants you to work there too (peer recruiting).
 
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#10
#10
Danny White honestly has been the biggest thing. Hired a coach that has been successful so far. Got a lot of people that were pretty divided on the same page and pulling in the same direction now. There has been a lot going on in the background to get politicians and the NIL on the same page as well. He’s just set Heupel up to be very successful and to have a lot to sell recruits on.
 
#11
#11
NIL is a big factor though maybe not quite like you might think. NIL gets guys to look. UT has always had a lot to offer. But you have to get a guy to visit and listen. Before you did that through wins or "buzz" or with home state advantage. NIL is just a thing that allows Spyre to get a kid to look along with the other reasons a program gets a chance with elite talent.

The deals themselves will matter to varying extents. But the value of getting a 5* who might not have given you the time of day to look at what UT offers outside of NIL is priceless.
 
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#12
#12
I opened this thread thinking for certain the biggest impact on recruiting was Steve from Lexington's 953 calls every week into Knox. sports talk radio asking the same questions over and over. I stand corrected. NIL is a bigger deal than Steve.
 
#13
#13
In my opinion, here's the breakdown with an analogy to a car dealership:

Guy on the street with the spinner sign (Nico) - 20% getting recruits attention
Brand you are actually interested in (UT/Knoxville) - 10%
Floor sales guy (Coaches) - 40%
Finance Bank (NIL) - 20%
Dealer (AD) - 10%

Maybe not the best analogy, but best I could think of 'real world' application.
To me the coaches are the biggest part because they are the guys that make the sell after the recruit is interested and on-site.
 
#15
#15
As I read quotes from recruit after recruit, I hear them say NICO is in my ear all the time which led me to ask the question:

What is having the biggest effect on ’23 recruiting?

Is it last year’s offensive turnaround? The coaching staff? Spyre/NIL? Student Peer Recruiter Nico? UT & Knoxville?

I think the excitement around NICO is getting recruits interested, the coaching staff being genuine people that are building relationships with the players are reeling them toward Tennessee/Knoxville and then Spyre is landing the fish into the boat. I put it at something like 40% NICO, 30% coaching staff, 20% UT/Knoxville, 10% NIL opportunity.

I don’t believe it is just NIL as some have suggested.
Without NIL we probably wouldn’t have nico so I’d say go a little more on NIL and a little less on nico
 
#17
#17
Yeah, I was thinking more along the lines of about 40% NIL 25% Nico 25% Coaching staff & 10% Knoville itself. JMO

I’m thinking 20% / 39%/ 41% .. I can live with that . If coach and $ are anywhere close , then we are in business . I think sooner or later the run away cost of NIL’s will be managed ( the market always corrects itself ) and it will be more important that the coach(s) maintain a high( er) % . Just my two pennys worth though , take it for what it’s worth . 😉
 
#20
#20
I wouldn't rule out the change in culture. Recruits see the significant positive changes in all aspects of the program. The players and coaches are both selling the program. Also having an effective NIL program is another selling point.
 
#23
#23
These kids are going to learn early on how to respect the money they earn said:
Good luck with that one. Either they brought that trait with them or it's highly unlikely they'll acquire it. My experience says that has to be learned at an early age or it is never learned. It has nothing to do with race but everything to do with upbringing.
 
#24
#24
Spyre is more than 50%. Not all of course, but you guys are kidding yourself if you think it's not the biggest factor. You think recruits all just starting loving A&M out of nowhere last year? Hell naw. They played the NIL game better than anyone. This year UT is giving them competition though! That is not to say White and Heupel aren't doing a good job, but our collective is deep pocketed and slinging it, and that's what is setting us apart. Money talks, bull**** walks.
 
#25
#25
It is definitely not just NIL, though that helps.

I think there is a huge culture change across athletics at UT going on right now. I think the baseball team helps. I think success in basketball helps. It's attention, painting Tennessee as a place for winners. Then you've got a coaching staff that flipped things around more than expected on short notice last year, and add on that they too are all winners- you've got a great thing brewing. Tennessee is in good shape.

Bingo.
 

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