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I'm gonna say my piece and be done...

  • Ok, for those of you who are going full red over not getting Green, (I know there's not many of you here, but still) and those of you who think that Tennessee should be getting top 5 classes just by being Tennessee; you guys are delusional.

    Look, the recruits in this year's class were 3 years old in 1998. These kids don't know about the 90s, and they don't know about our tradition. All they know is the program that's been in shambles since Fulmer left, a program that's gotten virtually no national attention in 5 years. The quote from that 2014 CB says it all: "I personally don't know anything about Tennessee." Be real guys: this is a program that has endured four losing seasons in five years, and that has had four coaches since December of 2008. It is completely unreasonable to expect top-5 recruiting in our situation; even if we are Tennessee. We all need to realize that the days of 5* recruits lining up and banging on our door are over. We are not the Tennessee of old. Butch is gonna have to win some games and work like heck to get 5* guys and top 5 classes. It's not gonna happen like magic. It pains me to say, but none of the recruits nowadays care about the power T or the checkerboard end zones; they care about being part of a winning program, and we're not a winning program right now. Until we start winning some games, we're gonna have to deal with recruiting classes that are ranked in the 20s, that's just the way it is guys.

    With that said: anyone who claims that Butch has failed on the recruiting trail either isn't paying attention, is a troll, or is just straight up stupid. The effort that he and his staff are putting in is nothing short of incredible. Bellamy, Lawson, Bell, Levenberry, Foreman, Jenkins, Ford and Sutton are all examples of recruits that were either not interested in Tennessee at all or were very slightly interested before Jones arrived, but now are either committed or are heavily considering us due to Jones' efforts. Not to mention the fact that he kept us in serious contention for the #1 running back in the country despite the coaching change, and that he could land us the best receiver in North Carolina. Also, he has gotten off to a wonderful start to 2014 by getting Wharton's commitment and getting hot on the trails of guys like Creamer, Hurd, Chubb, Paulk, etc.

    My message in this post is this: it could be that the 2013 class ends up a wash and we miss out on a lot of our top targets; but that is absolutely NOT to be taken as an indictment of Jones' recruiting ability. Be patient guys, the top 5 classes are coming. Like other posters have said in other threads, Butch is developing a reputation of being a relentless, intense, detail-oriented recruiting madman. So what we need to do is be patient and stop throwing 11-year old hissy fit meltdowns every time a big prospect picks somewhere over UT.

    I choose to hope and believe. Patience is a virtue my friends.

    Go Vols

    signature image signature image signature image

    "What did he do? All he did was score!" - John Ward

    Fear_Smokey ●

  • Wish more of the members/posters here were as level-headed and reasonable as you. Well said. +1.

    kj4ixe

  • Well said +1.

    rainman10 ●

  • Preach to the quire! Completely agree. Some fans have absolutely 0 patience.

    Vols8

  • Fear_Smokey said...

    Ok, for those of you who are going full red over not getting Green, (I know there's not many of you here, but still) and those of you who think that Tennessee should be getting top 5 classes just by being Tennessee; you guys are delusional.

    Look, the recruits in this year's class were 3 years old in 1998. These kids don't know about the 90s, and they don't know about our tradition. All they know is the program that's been in shambles since Fulmer left, a program that's gotten virtually no national attention in 5 years. The quote from that 2014 CB says it all: 'I personally don't know anything about Tennessee.' Be real guys: this is a program that has endured four losing seasons in five years, and that has had four coaches since December of 2008. It is completely unreasonable to expect top-5 recruiting in our situation; even if we are Tennessee. We all need to realize that the days of 5* recruits lining up and banging on our door are over. We are not the Tennessee of old. Butch is gonna have to win some games and work like heck to get 5* guys and top 5 classes. It's not gonna happen like magic. It pains me to say, but none of the recruits nowadays care about the power T or the checkerboard end zones; they care about being part of a winning program, and we're not a winning program right now. Until we start winning some games, we're gonna have to deal with recruiting classes that are ranked in the 20s, that's just the way it is guys.

    With that said: anyone who claims that Butch has failed on the recruiting trail either isn't paying attention, is a troll, or is just straight up stupid. The effort that he and his staff are putting in is nothing short of incredible. Bellamy, Lawson, Bell, Levenberry, Foreman, Jenkins, Ford and Sutton are all examples of recruits that were either not interested in Tennessee at all or were very slightly interested before Jones arrived, but now are either committed or are heavily considering us due to Jones' efforts. Not to mention the fact that he kept us in serious contention for the #1 running back in the country despite the coaching change, and that he could land us the best receiver in North Carolina. Also, he has gotten off to a wonderful start to 2014 by getting Wharton's commitment and getting hot on the trails of guys like Creamer, Hurd, Chubb, Paulk, etc.

    My message in this post is this: it could be that the 2013 class ends up a wash and we miss out on a lot of our top targets; but that is absolutely NOT to be taken as an indictment of Jones' recruiting ability. Be patient guys, the top 5 classes are coming. Like other posters have said in other threads, Butch is developing a reputation of being a relentless, intense, detail-oriented recruiting madman. So what we need to do is be patient and stop throwing 11-year old hissy fit meltdowns every time a big prospect picks somewhere over UT.

    I choose to hope and believe. Patience is a virtue my friends.

    Go Vols

    nicely done sir... nicely done.

    Go Vols!

    signature image signature image signature image

    There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. - Winston Churchill

    TinyC

  • Fear_Smokey said...

    Ok, for those of you who are going full red over not getting Green, (I know there's not many of you here, but still) and those of you who think that Tennessee should be getting top 5 classes just by being Tennessee; you guys are delusional.

    Look, the recruits in this year's class were 3 years old in 1998. These kids don't know about the 90s, and they don't know about our tradition. All they know is the program that's been in shambles since Fulmer left, a program that's gotten virtually no national attention in 5 years. The quote from that 2014 CB says it all: "I personally don't know anything about Tennessee." Be real guys: this is a program that has endured four losing seasons in five years, and that has had four coaches since December of 2008. It is completely unreasonable to expect top-5 recruiting in our situation; even if we are Tennessee. We all need to realize that the days of 5* recruits lining up and banging on our door are over. We are not the Tennessee of old. Butch is gonna have to win some games and work like heck to get 5* guys and top 5 classes. It's not gonna happen like magic. It pains me to say, but none of the recruits nowadays care about the power T or the checkerboard end zones; they care about being part of a winning program, and we're not a winning program right now. Until we start winning some games, we're gonna have to deal with recruiting classes that are ranked in the 20s, that's just the way it is guys.

    With that said: anyone who claims that Butch has failed on the recruiting trail either isn't paying attention, is a troll, or is just straight up stupid. The effort that he and his staff are putting in is nothing short of incredible. Bellamy, Lawson, Bell, Levenberry, Foreman, Jenkins, Ford and Sutton are all examples of recruits that were either not interested in Tennessee at all or were very slightly interested before Jones arrived, but now are either committed or are heavily considering us due to Jones' efforts. Not to mention the fact that he kept us in serious contention for the #1 running back in the country despite the coaching change, and that he could land us the best receiver in North Carolina. Also, he has gotten off to a wonderful start to 2014 by getting Wharton's commitment and getting hot on the trails of guys like Creamer, Hurd, Chubb, Paulk, etc.

    My message in this post is this: it could be that the 2013 class ends up a wash and we miss out on a lot of our top targets; but that is absolutely NOT to be taken as an indictment of Jones' recruiting ability. Be patient guys, the top 5 classes are coming. Like other posters have said in other threads, Butch is developing a reputation of being a relentless, intense, detail-oriented recruiting madman. So what we need to do is be patient and stop throwing 11-year old hissy fit meltdowns every time a big prospect picks somewhere over UT.

    I choose to hope and believe. Patience is a virtue my friends.

    Go Vols

    Defeatist attitude and the willingness to accept mediocrity on and off the field has led us to where we are today. Too many people were willing to give Dooley the benefit of the doubt and now you are just advocating more of the same. How about this let him show us something before we stop questioning him?

    Both Dooley and Kiffin did more on the recruiting trail when hired than Jones has so far and there is no denying it.

    GoVols2011

  • Hopefully effort equals results very soon and we finish strong.

    signature image signature image signature image

    OrangeVol79 ●

  • I am not ready to claim Butch will bring top 5 classes here until I see it. I read the exact same kind of posts about Dooley, and we all know how that turned out. I do know there seems to be a big difference in how Butch is going about his business, and that is very encouraging. Bottom line is Im done putting blind faith behind a coach after being duped by Dooley.

    BigOrangeBeer

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    #RiseToTheTop #RoadTo7 "Give him six"

    MiddleTNVol

  • If we can manage a recruiting class that ranks 15-18 this year- that would be great. And shoot for a top 10 next year.

    signature image signature image signature image

    OrangeVol79 ●

  • I like your optimism. That said, the loss of green hits deep. He should have been a vol. We are much closer than ann arbor, in the sec and have less depth. We had more to sell and did notnget it done. We need to close with three of the following- Lawson, Bellamy, north and bell. If not, this best staff in America is a farce since it can't recruit.

    pathfinder ●

  • GoVols2011 said...

    Defeatist attitude and the willingness to accept mediocrity on and off the field has led us to where we are today. Too many people were willing to give Dooley the benefit of the doubt and now you are just advocating more of the same. How about this let him show us something before we stop questioning him?

    Both Dooley and Kiffin did more on the recruiting trail when hired than Jones has so far and there is no denying it.

    2011, I'm not saying we should build a statue of the guy, I'm saying that negative chicken littles like you need to give it more than two months before making definitive claims about his coaching and recruiting ability.

    signature image signature image signature image

    "What did he do? All he did was score!" - John Ward

    Fear_Smokey ●

  • Well written, logical post. I think you did a good job putting into words what a lot of us have been thinking. Thanks!

    signature image signature image signature image

    UTFPMD ●

  • I agree with you.

    Amershamvol

  • Fear_Smokey said...

    2011, I'm not saying we should build a statue of the guy, I'm saying that negative chicken littles like you need to give it more than two months before making definitive claims about his coaching and recruiting ability.

    You making definative claims he will bring top 5 classes after 2 month is ok though?

    BigOrangeBeer

  • Fear_Smokey said...

    2011, I'm not saying we should build a statue of the guy, I'm saying that negative chicken littles like you need to give it more than two months before making definitive claims about his coaching and recruiting ability.

    Agreed!! Geeez!
    We were still a known name when LK took over!
    I still think Dooley was/is a decent recruiter! I just think he rested on the assumption that kids should just come to UT without being recruirted real hard by us.
    We have been terrible now for a period of time that these kids know it! Why would you come to a school that gets beat every year by UF, UA, UG,LSU, etc,,,,,,
    Why????
    So,,, for CBJ to even get these kids to look our way is saying something! Not saying he's taking recruiting to a whole new level,,, but, respectable none the less! JMO

    GO BIG ORANGE!

    BigOrangePete

  • Fear_Smokey said...

    2011, I'm not saying we should build a statue of the guy, I'm saying that negative chicken littles like you need to give it more than two months before making definitive claims about his coaching and recruiting ability.

    You are the only one making claims all I have said is let him show us he can do the job before you start with this "nobody is allowed to question him" crap

    You are right you can't take anything away from Green saying no to Jones but you can take something away from the fact Jones is taking commitments from volleyball players with only 2 years of eligibility left at a position of need.

    My point is we don't know if Jones can get the job done so stop with the bashing those who aren't falling at his feet in awe.

    You act like we can't expect anything from Jones this year but the last 2 coaches we have had proved you can and should expect to make a splash in their first year recruiting.

    If we sign Lawson I will shut up but till Jones and staff show me something I will continue to question his decision to bring most of his staff from Cincy here.

    Down vote away.

    GoVols2011

  • Nice post FS. +1 GO VOLS!

    BUTCH IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. GO VOLS!

    OrangeNCarolina

  • GoVols2011 said...

    Defeatist attitude and the willingness to accept mediocrity on and off the field has led us to where we are today. Too many people were willing to give Dooley the benefit of the doubt and now you are just advocating more of the same. How about this let him show us something before we stop questioning him?

    Both Dooley and Kiffin did more on the recruiting trail when hired than Jones has so far and there is no denying it.

    I don't remember this fanbase accepting mediocrity with Battle, Majors, Fulmer or Dooley but that's my opinion and I guess I'm part of the problem.

    wataugavol ●

  • wataugavol said...

    I don't remember this fanbase accepting mediocrity with Battle, Majors, Fulmer or Dooley but that's my opinion and I guess I'm part of the problem.

    Not going to get into an argument but 95% of the posters on this board and fans of UT were in favor of giving Dooley more time up till Mizzou and Vandy game of this year. That is the definition of accepting mediocrity and endorsing more of it. Now we are rinsing and repeating.

    GoVols2011

  • BigOrangeBeer said...

    You making definative claims he will bring top 5 classes after 2 month is ok though?

    I think he said CBJ was going to WORK like heck to get 5* recruits and top 5 classes. That doesn't qualify as a definative claim IMO. I translate it as this: CBJ is a proven winner, albeit it the Big East, but he does know how to win. He has definitely worked very hard in the short time he has been here. Once we start winning some games, the hard work will pay off. It's that simple. I will tell you this, if we are impatient this drought will never end. Bringing up Dooley does nothing now. That has nothing to do with anything as far as being patient with CBJ now. It's s new start. So, we are all along for this ride now, you can't get off of it. I had a college football coach that has nothing to do with UT tell me today that CBJ is the real deal and would be successful. This is someone I trust. So, there is where my faith lies. CBJ will fix this. Go Vols!

    acetylcholine ●

  • Thank you for saying your piece and being rational about it. I thoroughly enjoy GV247, hence why I pay for the subscription. I also enjoy reading others' thoughts and opinions, whether I agree with them or not. What frustrates me is when people EMOTIONALLY write things. Now I get it; we are emotionally involved in our passion and support of Tennessee athletics, primarily football. But do we need to whine and not look at the facts?? I was watching THE Sports Source (A. I only say THE because they make that such a big deal and B. I am not the biggest fan of the host, but enjoy most of the guests) and they brought some interesting points on recruiting. I knew that previous coaches burned some bridges, but did not realize as to what extent! We had NO relationship with ANY high school coaches in the state; not even a form of some sort that all coaches send to high school coaches in case they do have a DI prospect! The head coach of Bell's said that UT never really contacted them much, therefore he and many other coaches had not relationship, therefore had no respect, therefore did not want to see their athletes go here. WOW. And now we are questioning as to WHEN we start blaming Graham??!!! As they say on ESPN... "Come on man!!!" Again, I get it. I am just as frustrated, but I am not going to get so emotionally involved that it controls my mood, how I treat those around me, how I tithe, and how I am going to support these young men and individuals! I expect them to "Give their(my) all for Tennessee" and I will do the same as a fan! I am proud to be a fan, whether we are 0-6 or 6-0 and I am HIGHLY impressed with what Jones has done. Some say he hasn't done anything in the amount of time that Kiffin and Dooley did, but their predecessor(s) hadn't run the program further into the ground either. I say well done CBJ and Co. and am excited about where the program is going! GBO!!!

    schlepper79

  • And yes, I realize that I contradicted myself and EMOTIONALLY wrote all of this out, but needed to vent a little.... GBO and I continue to look forward to read everyone's thoughts and opinions!! vols

    schlepper79

  • This post is for members of GoVols247 only. Join now! 7-Day Free Trial
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    "What did he do? All he did was score!" - John Ward

    Fear_Smokey ●

  • GoVols2011 said...

    You are the only one making claims all I have said is let him show us he can do the job before you start with this "nobody is allowed to question him" crap

    You are right you can't take anything away from Green saying no to Jones but you can take something away from the fact Jones is taking commitments from volleyball players with only 2 years of eligibility left at a position of need.

    My point is we don't know if Jones can get the job done so stop with the bashing those who aren't falling at his feet in awe.

    You act like we can't expect anything from Jones this year but the last 2 coaches we have had proved you can and should expect to make a splash in their first year recruiting.

    If we sign Lawson I will shut up but till Jones and staff show me something I will continue to question his decision to bring most of his staff from Cincy here.

    Down vote away.

    Where I respectfully disagree with you is that the last 2 coaches proved you can and should make a splash that first year. Those 2 first year coaches were TWO and THREE years removed from an SEC Championship game! Now we are 5 years removed from it.... BIG difference in my opinion. Not going to downvote you thought, just respectfully diasagree with that comment.

    This post was edited by schlepper79 on 1/27/2013 at 12:42 PM

    schlepper79

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