WR Malachi Wideman no longer part of program

#6
#6
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#9
#9
People who are predicting and sincerely believing that we win 8 or more are kidding themselves. Yeah, this particular guy or several others that transferred may not be all stars, but we've lost a LOT of depth and even some starters off a 3 win team to the portal. This is going to be quite a rebuild.
 
#12
#12
Watching our baseball team has made me realize how far the football team has to go. Its far.
Really? That's what watching the baseball team made you realize? Not counting last year's short season... it has been only 3 seasons since UT was a bottom feeder in the SEC. They were a .500 team most years overall but not competitive in the SEC. VItello was hired in the summer of 2017. His 2018 year he went 29-27 with a 12-18 SEC record. The next year he improved dramatically to 40-21 with a 14-16 SEC record. Last year they were 15-2 before Covid cancelled the competitive portion of the schedule. This year they're in the World Series.

If anything... it proves how "close" a program with UT's resources is to being relevant and then competing at a high level. You have to have the right coach. You have to have a roster that can be developed.
 
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#13
#13
What did you see coming? Were there red flags with him?
He didn't seem to be developing. Great athlete but no impact this spring and very little last fall.

Planet is right that you hate to see that kind of freakish athleticism go... but he was buried on the depth chart by guys with football skills.

Are you old enough to remember "Spotted Ape"? Kenny O'Neal was just an incredibly fast WR. I think he was a JUCO 4/5* guy. He was pretty much a bust at UT. Couldn't learn to run routes or catch the ball consistently.
 
#17
#17
Watching our baseball team has made me realize how far the football team has to go. Its far.
Yeah, it's a build, for sure, but remember seeing early signs that we had the right baseball coach...hope the same w/ JH. The thing which concerns me is how many folks we've lost, which certainly can impact our early success. It's imperative to show, in Y1, that we've got our stuff together (though not looking for miracles)...must show that this is a quicker turn around than another 3-5 year Dooley, Jones, Pruitt experiment. Outside of maybe the ''w's" we'd like, need to show some excitement on offense to show where we're going...not sure how we're going to do that with our roster so decimated.
 
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#19
#19
Really? That's what watching the baseball team made you realize? Not counting last year's short season... it has been only 3 seasons since UT was a bottom feeder in the SEC. They were a .500 team most years overall but not competitive in the SEC. VItello was hired in the summer of 2017. His 2018 year he went 29-27 with a 12-18 SEC record. The next year he improved dramatically to 40-21 with a 14-16 SEC record. Last year they were 15-2 before Covid cancelled the competitive portion of the schedule. This year they're in the World Series.

If anything... it proves how "close" a program with UT's resources is to being relevant and then competing at a high level. You have to have the right coach. You have to have a roster that can be developed.
This^^^. The success of Tony V makes me feel confident that the football program will eventually find their footing again too. When you make the right hire, things change in a hurry. And when it comes to facilities and tradition, Tennessee baseball is below average among the SEC. It's all about making the right hire.
 
#20
#20
People who are predicting and sincerely believing that we win 8 or more are kidding themselves. Yeah, this particular guy or several others that transferred may not be all stars, but we've lost a LOT of depth and even some starters off a 3 win team to the portal. This is going to be quite a rebuild.
Have you looked at our 21 schedule. We should win 5 games just for showing up. We traded Auburn, and Tex a&m for some terrible teams.
 
#21
#21
People who are predicting and sincerely believing that we win 8 or more are kidding themselves. Yeah, this particular guy or several others that transferred may not be all stars, but we've lost a LOT of depth and even some starters off a 3 win team to the portal. This is going to be quite a rebuild.
I'm not predicting 8 wins, but 3 wins in an all SEC schedule from a team that seemed to quit on the coach is not equivalent to a 3 win team in a typical year either. It's more equivalent to a team that would have had 3 SEC wins and 3 OOC wins in a normal season. We lost a lot but some of what we "lost" was bad.
If the new staff stops the bleeding and we get back to six wins in year one, I'll probably feel pretty good, depending on the details.
 
#22
#22
I am wondering if he just didn’t gel with the new offense. I am sure that CJH has a particular skill set he requires for his WRs.
 
#23
#23
I am wondering if he just didn’t gel with the new offense. I am sure that CJH has a particular skill set he requires for his WRs.
Just a somewhat educated guess/speculation. MW didn't really appear to be developing very quickly under the old staff either. Someone with his physical ability almost always gets on the field early and becomes a factor as a Soph at the latest.

There could be any of a number of reasons for him to want or need a change. But I don't think his lack of competing for PT under either staff can be ignored.

I'm not discounting the possibility that Heupel's system doesn't fit him either.
 

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