Why Do Tennessee Kids

#1
rexvol

rexvol

The Minister of Defense
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Apr 29, 2006
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#1
Not want to play for the Vols? It seems like the top flight kids in state all want to go elswhere. The ones we do land, we have to fight tooth and nail for. Texas, UF, Bama, Georgia, LSU, are examples of state kids having a desire to stay in state. why is that not the cause here?
 
#2
#2
It happens everywhere, but I think you just notice it more in Tennessee when a kid goes outside the state since players in shorter supply.
 
#3
#3
rexvol said:
Not want to play for the Vols? It seems like the top flight kids in state all want to go elswhere. The ones we do land, we have to fight tooth and nail for. Texas, UF, Bama, Georgia, are examples of state kids having a desire to stay in state. why is that not the cause here?
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Because the exception is so much more rare. You are acting like we haven't gotten some kids from other states when working against those schools.


Creer from Texas.
Morley from Florida.
Berry from Georgia.
Jones from Oklahoma.

I could go on and on. We have gotten in-state kids, but no school dominates their state, not even USC (which I think has gotten the closest).
 
#4
#4
I think it is simply a result of us not having a team that was really exciting to watch for the last 5 years... These days more than ever its all about who is great right now. We just haven't been here lately....
 
#5
#5
Cause they think those schools have the big talent, and that's who they want to be associated with. (And I don't know why they'd wanna go to GA.)

They'll be headed back to Knoxville soon.

(I'm posting with orange colored glasses, I know.)
 
#6
#6
BemisVol said:
I think it is simply a result of us not having a team that was really exciting to watch for the last 5 years... These days more than ever its all about who is great right now. We just haven't been here lately....
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I would have to agree. Lets hope CLK puts an exciting product on the field, if that happens i think it will become alot easier to cherry pick TN.
 
#8
#8
UT's been an average program since 1999. That's why.

Now that there's some new energy and swagger in the program, recruits are taking a harder look at UT. Kiffin might rake in Brown, Teague, King, Rogers, and Gordon on NSD. That's a pretty strong job of locking down the state's top players.
 
#9
#9
Not being very relevent for 10 years can do that to a program.
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#11
#11
because TN is a divided state with so many neighbors. Players usually like what they grow up watching and many places are just closer to them than UT. Most of the time I don't consider a player from Memphis an in-state prospect since we're in an uphill battle.
 
#12
#12
Just something I've noticed over the years is that kids everywhere want to"get the hell out of Dodge". It's just that a sports player has a better chance than most and go to where he thinks it is heaven. Joined service for same reason basically. Learned later that this is God's Country and you can't blast this old man out of this holler.
 
#13
#13
rexvol said:
Not want to play for the Vols? It seems like the top flight kids in state all want to go elswhere. The ones we do land, we have to fight tooth and nail for. Texas, UF, Bama, Georgia, LSU, are examples of state kids having a desire to stay in state. why is that not the cause here?
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Because they want to explore other places, would be what I would say.
 
#14
#14
Once we start winning again, Tennessee kids will be flocking back to Knoxville.

Just look at the top Georgia kids in the 1990's. A lot them ended up wearing orange instead of red and black.
 
#16
#16
Some of it is just simple geography. Tennessee is a long, narrow state, and Knoxville is a long way from most of it. What are there, five or six SEC schools that are closer to Memphis than UTK?
 
#17
#17
Why did 80% of our roster leave their home states? Better situation, like the coaches better, early play time. Alot of different variables go in to a players decision more than just who they were a fan of growing up.
 
#18
#18
States like FL, can't hold the amount of high profile kids they turn out.

Tennessee doesn't not produce near as many, so when 4 or 5 top guys leave, it is a bigger deal.
 
#20
#20
utvolpj said:
because TN is a divided state with so many neighbors. Players usually like what they grow up watching and many places are just closer to them than UT. Most of the time I don't consider a player from Memphis an in-state prospect since we're in an uphill battle.
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I think your on to something there pj. Long state, bordering so many states. The geographics are closer for those kids from memphis to end up at miss, miss st, bama, arkansas than at ut. Thin talent across the state, this state just isn't as densely populated and i like it that way by the way. No state will ever keep 100% of their home grown talent. We got the right guy to get more talent out of memphis now in ed orgeron. I expect we do better there from now on. There were some people around that city that didn't like phillip very much and recruited negatively against him there.
 
#23
#23
kids just want to see what else is out there for them.it wouldnt matter if we had won three championships in a row.i cant blame them for heading to the beach.sun&girls,sun&girls,sun and girls in no particular order.
 
#24
#24
With all of what is shaping up to be a crazy last week of recruiting, I have been comtemplating something and wanted to see what you all thought. Why is it that we no longer have a lock on the entire state when it comes to recruiting? My answer:

THE TENNESSEE TITANS

Prior to 1996, if memory serves correctly, it was pretty hard to screw up on a great in-state prospect. The whole state, minus the city of Memphis (who even still boasted its fair share of fans) bled UT orange. Then the Titans came to Memphis in 1997. They stayed in the Liberty Bowl long enough to make fans out of the Memphis area kids, then moved to Middle Tennessee after two years. UT's statewide appeal has been dwindling ever since.

Now it seems that the only area UT has on lock-down is East Tennessee. Most normal kids grown up having "their team", and West and Middle Tennessee kids now have the Titans. The media further distances them from the fanfare of UT because of this--leaving them with little or no sense of connection.

What do you guys think?


P.S. I realize that I didn't mention Vandy. Nobody ever cared about them.
 
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