The CheckerBoard

Good comparison.I think CBJ is gonna get it done. +1.

Wouldn't it really start with out coaching the SEC? Most recruits want to see the W's before they commit and in order to get the wins we will need to out coach some teams, JMO.

Great stuff . Im all in . Refill the kool-aid ,lower the orange glasses. But seriously it does sound like us. now if only CBJ can duplicate Stoops results.

Well, sure, i suppose. But in these league, where you essentially have a coaching HOF at half the schools, that's asking a LOT.. Let's face it, this is not a league where coaches who are weak x and o guys survive. So the ability to "out coach" another team is really limited. The bottom line is the teams that win, have the most talent. By and large, you dont outscheme people in the SEC, you beat them because you have better players. You think bama beats people on "scheme"? nope. Their players are better, bigger, stronger and faster, so they just line up and beat you. Same thing we used to do. Look at Texas A&M - how successful is that "scheme" without Manziel? How successful is Auburn's scheme without Cam Newton? - we found out last year, not very good. And it's not like CBJ has a scheme that is exclusive to him and no one has an answer for it on offense or defense. If that were true, he would never have had a losing season. But he has. Why? Cause his players werent that good.

great players make great coaches. it begins and ends with getting better recruits. and getting better players to buy in to our program is where CBJ has to excel, even in the face of less than optimal results on the field.

I agree completely. I think it takes a certain type of coach and staff to take a big, traditional program like UT at this point in its history, and concoct a turnaround. Stoops did it at Oklahoma, Tressel did it at OSU, and on and on. What do those coaches have? The ability to recruit, even under difficult historical circumstances. Can CBJ do that? I dont know. I think getting a class that was ranked in the top 25 this year was certainly acceptable given the time constraints, but next year will be a much better barometer. What i dont know, and what i think everyone is fretting over is, just how successful do we have to be on the field next year to improve our recruiting stature? 7 wins? 8 wins? 6 wins? Again, i dont know. What i do know is that irrespective of how many wins we have, CBJ needs to find a way to sell recruits on the idea that this program is the place to be. I dont know how he does it, but that's why he is getting paid 3 million a year and im not. If he cant find a way to get us at or near the top 10 in recruiting, then we are not going to see better results on the field, which will likely lead to the same downward vicious cycle we saw with Dooley.

Frosty, my point was not to suggest that we will win the National Championship in 2014. I understand the personnel losses that we will incur after this season; our OL, DL, and LBs in 2014 are going to be extremely young and inexperienced. I agree with your assessment here; it's going to take a while before we are playing at an LSU or Bama or Georgia level. My point was to suggest that if we can get 7 wins or, by some miracle 8 in 2013, I think it will significantly expedite our rebirth. My reasoning for that is, like DownTheField said, there are a number of big-time recruits that have wanted to or want to come to Tennessee, but were or are afraid to because of our lack of winning. (see, Vonn Bell, Jalen Hurd, Gabe Wright, etc) If we can show enough progress in 2013 (winning 7 or 8 games, at least getting to a bowl) then our 2014 class could explode; if you don't believe me, look at what Ole Miss did on Signing Day this season. Tennessee, if we win enough games in 2013, could end up being the Ole Miss of the 2014 recruiting class. If that happens, then we start to get some momentum behind us.

Are we gonna go 12-0 in 2014? No way. No chance. BUT, who's to say that a team in it's second season under a competent coaching staff (with an offense that, albeit weak at OL, is going to have as many talented skill players as any other team in the country; as well as a defense that, while inexperienced, will overall be well talented and above all...FAST) can't at least make a bowl game? Again, progress...two bowls in row (something we would have scoffed at 10 years ago) would be marked progress in my opinion. Subsequently, add another good to great 2015 recruiting class, and then we're rolling again.

Again: I do not think we will win the NC in 2014...at all. I'm just suggesting that we don't have to sit here and say "well, this is at least a 4,5,6 year rebuild blah blah blah..." because it doesn't necessarily have to be. I choose to remain positive. I think 2015 is going to be the big year. 2013 though, IMO,will lay the foundation for that.

it sounds like we are all on the same page, or at least reading the same book. I do think there is an "it" factor that some coaches have that can be a variable when it comes to achieving success. I.e., there are some coaches who can recruit at an elite level even against a backdrop of limited success. Coaches who can "sell snowballs to eskimoes" for lack of a better analogy. People like Saban, Urban Meyer, who could go to any school with any record and recruit and do well.

Im not sure CBJ is one of those coaches, but he might need to be if we cant at least get to 7 wins next year. IF we can get to 7, which i think would be a successful season, then we will i think really get a true determination of what CBJ will be here with next year's class. With a 7 win season, he should be able to sell recruits on the fact that our program is advancing and we are on the rise, and if he is the recruiter we need him to be, that means getting a class in the top 10. Top 20 classes, even top 15 classes in this league just mean you are treading water. If we get to a 7 win season, no reason for us not to make headway in the recruiting wars and start passing our SEC competition. I think that's a reasonable expectation for us given our tradition and facilities and what we are paying CBJ and his staff. Agree?

I agree with this post because the recruits want to see the progress. We had ALL the talent in the world this past year to have beaten EVERYONE on our schedule except for bama. In every other loss i say we were out-coached and by November we imploded on MZZou and esp. Vandy.
I would add that IF the recruits see marked improvement on the coaching front, along with scheme, player development and effort + those relationships with the coaches, we will get several big fish, even if we only win 6 or 7 games. The W's are vital, but there is so much more the recruits "see" and if bUTch is the real deal, then the recruits will smell his cookin from miles around and want to be part of it.
GBO