The CheckerBoard

I think most people feel the same way you do. I wouldn't blink an eye if the bottom 1/2 of this class decomitted. Don't want to lose Sutton though.

Completely agree. That suggests either Dooley got guys who truly were coming for the university, not the staff, or that Dooley signed a lot of guys who feel this is their best chance to actually play in the SEC and they're holding on to that opportunity.

I think the answer is probably a mix of the two.

I'll be honest. I'm on the fence of this opinion. I totally agree that from an evaluated talent standpoint, evaluated being the key word, we probably wouldn't suffer too much if we lost a good portion of these recruits. On the other hand, the fact that we've been "coachless" for almost 2 weeks and have yet to lose a recruit tells me 2 things: 1) we have some fantastic recruiters on staff and I hope the new coach retains the 3-4 key guys that are holding this together (my personal top 4 would be Graham, Pittman, Conklin and Staley) and 2) the commits want to play for Tennessee and we really need those types of players right now as much as pure talent. Additionally, Dooley apparently did one thing right and that's sell the program, not the coaching staff.

I guess I would lean more towards disagreeing with you but it's completely fair to say what you are saying.

I agree with a lot of this. There are only a handful of guys that I really don't want to lose. That would be JRM, Sanders, Sutton, Harris, Bradley, Carr, and Campbell. I'd probably throw Ferguson in there too just because recruiting another good quarterback at this point is going to be tough. Of all those guys, two to three are shakey, but a good coach will probably solidify their commitment unless they bring in some kind of scheme change that doesn't fit.

The rest are fine and there are probably some gems in there, but no individual loss would upset me.

I'm just excited for the recruiting flurry after the new coaching staff comes in. Can they repair things with Vonn Bell, Todd Kelley, the Berry twins? Excite an elite RB like Derrick Green enough to come be our feature back? Can they keep the Hutchinson relationship strong and land Toby Johnson? Can they close the deal on the UT leans like Reeve Koehler and Marquez North? Can they pull any big surprises like Dooley did with Da'Rick (maybe MacKenzie Alexander or Tahaan Goodman)?

I'm not saying trash the class and start over, but it seems like there is a lot of upside for where this class can finish if the right coach picks it up.