The CheckerBoard

If we landed every commit we have, and looking back at the past few years rankings and athlete rating I estimate low to mid twenties nationally, and 6th in the SEC. This post is of course hypothetical, but fun to take a stab at where everyones opinions differ.

if it ended today we wouldn't be very happy, and that's putting it nicely

I agree about the value of rankings. I have seen teams with high 30's to low 40's end up at the top in Win columns when it is all said and done. I have always been interested in the way people observe or interperet this subject. It is all a guessing game at this point, but fun none the less.

Being in someone's top five would be pretty irrelevant if recruiting ended today because we do not lead for any of those guys.

Is it me living in a fantasy land to think that there is alot of positive buzz around UT considering the timing of the staff change? Or is it wishful thinking? Myself, I am in no way expecting miracles from CBJ and staff, but I do think they are farther ahead of the curve than Derek Stooley was. He still landed a decent roster, just did not land all the right players for our system. Oh well....I guess being an optimist is not as popular as a pesimist these days..

I understand exactly, and I guess I kind of got off track slightly with the "ending today" thing lol. You are right tho, most people do not want to admit the truth sometimes. +1

Barton's story was referring to Tennessee being "not hot" because the Vols didn't have any momentum at the time. He didn't mean that UT's class was doomed or that the Vols had no chance of landing any highly ranked prospects between now and signing day.

"ifs" really don't mean anything.

Tennessee always seems to close strong with some nice surprises so I am hopeful it will happen again this year. I'm also optimistic that some of these kids want to play right away and the vols give thme that opportunity more than some of the top tier teams. Who wants to be a four star recruit for a team that has already got a comittment from a five star at the same postion, except maybe on the o-line or d-line?

Of course all situations are different, but for example: I spent 20 yrs in a very succesfull business and had no reason to leave except to have more time with my family. A business opportunity was offered to me that I had "0" knowledge or experience in, and did not even know it existed. So it left me with a HUGE decision for my family and I. "If" I leave, I am taking a chance on making a huge mistake, but If I don't ("if" again) I may be making the largest mistake of my life. What do you do? You weigh the options, risk vs reward, and go with what feels right. Granted, sometimes the safe route is best. In this case I said "what "if" this turns out to be great for my career and family? I chose the what "if", and it has been the best 9 years of my life, and I am in better shape after nine years than I was after the prior 20 yrs....So do I use this logic you ask? Absolutely!!!!!! The most successful people in history had visions and asked the same question....what "If". I would hate to know life without the mystery of "if" lol.....Takeit as you will, make light of it if you must, thats ok.....like I said in my first reply....I can agree to disagree.... The same applies to almost any sports teams....go after the "sure thing" and more times than not, you come up empty. The greatest sports stories are those of the players not ranked, or ranked lower in high school or college. They under achieve, work their butts off and are much more successful and appreciative of what they have achieved. So to finish this up.....There is absolutely nothing wrong with having big time recruits, as a matter of fact we need some. But reality is we can be successful with a predominantly 3 star class who wants to win, and is willing to work and earn success. So yes, in this case, "If" is possible! But only if you are willing to work for it....IMHO again