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Will Everyone Be Okay/Can This Be a Good Class

  • If we go 0/4 on Bell, Green, Lawson and North.

    It's a very real scenario that Green goes to Michigan, Bell goes to Bama, Lawson goes to Auburn, and North goes to UNC.

    Will you guys be able to look at this class and call it sufficient if that happens and we fill those spots with 3* guys, or will everyone consider that a major mark against Butch Jones & staff going into his first season?

    Moreover, who would we have to backfill those spots with in order for everyone to be okay and not freak out?

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by Denver Vol on 1/8/2013 at 10:22 AM

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • Depends, do we get Lawson?

    volfan28 ●

  • volfan28 said...

    Depends, do we get Lawson?

    Edited... No.

    "People think I'm the greatest damn coach in the world, but Neyland taught me everything I know" -Bear Bryant

    Denver Vol

  • It will sting and if Dooley was still here and we went 0-3 I would be a lot more frustrated than if we do that now

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    AtomicCityVol ●

  • If this happens (and you're right, it very well could), I don't think you could call this a "good" class by Tennessee's normal recruiting standards. But I also wouldn't call it a failed class and I wouldn't say Butch can't recruit. It would be tough to compete in the SEC if this is what our recruiting looked like year after year, but this is just one class and there are some good players here who will contribute.

    If we don't finish the 2014 class in the top 15, then I will hit the panic button. For now, I would be ok with this. Not happy, but ok given the circumstances..

    smasher423

  • Denver Vol said...

    If we go 0/3 on Bell, Green, and North.

    It's a very real scenario that Green goes to Michigan, Bell goes to Bama, and North goes to UNC.

    Will you guys be able to look at this class and call it sufficient if that happens and we fill those spots with 3* guys, or will everyone consider that a major mark against Butch Jones & staff going into his first season?

    Moreover, who would we have to backfill those spots with in order for everyone to be okay and not freak out?

    bell we can think dooley?howerver if coach jones would have went to his last game when everone
    thought he was going i think we had a much better chance then we do now.but just being hired and tons of other problems need taken care of he gets a pass from me.

    green i believe we have done all we can for his service .he even said he would have the toughest
    time saying no to coach grahm.

    lawson coming on so late with him...hiring his recruiter from abur-tiger isnt enough to pull him to this side..a+ for trying..it is what its going to be.

    2014 i think when we shine on the recruiting trail i know we all would love to see a better turn out
    but i think jones can coach what we got and win more game's then dooley and kiffin
    so im giving them a pass...but its not over till its over for the 2013 class
    go vols

    vols4life1969 ●

  • Denver Vol said...

    Edited... No.

    Here's how I see myself reacting on NSD in that scenario.

    1. Break keyboard over knee, Bo Jackson style. Keys fly over cubicle wall as profanity rains.

    2. Lay head quietly on desk for approximately 20 minutes.

    3. Stare at cubicle wall for approximately 20 minutes.

    4. Turn to computer to post thoughts on the checkerboard before realizing I don't have a keyboard.

    5. Grab a pen and paper and write down these thoughts:

    Butch is screwed. His only chance to be successful at Tennessee is to win a significant number of games in his first year. He doesn't have the resume to convince recruits that everything will be ok if he doesn't. How are we going to win without a pass rush or anyone that can cover an SEC WR? How are we going to punish teams for loading the box to stop our run game? How are we going to convert 3rd and short without a physical runner? I hate it for Butch.. he seems like a good coach. But unless he finds a way to win 7 or 8 games, the 2014 class won't be close to what it could be and I don't see us winning more than 6.

    This post has been edited 2 times, most recently by volfan28 on 1/8/2013 at 10:43 AM

    volfan28 ●

  • volfan28 said...

    Here's how I see myself reacting on NSD in that scenario.

    1. Break keyboard over knee, Bo Jackson style. Keys fly over cubicle wall as profanity rains.

    2. Lay head quietly on desk for approximately 20 minutes.

    3. Stare at cubicle wall for approximately 20 minutes.

    4. Turn to computer to post thoughts on the checkerboard before realizing I don't have a keyboard.

    5. Grab a pen and paper and write down these thoughts:

    Butch is screwed. His only chance to be successful at Tennessee i to win a significant number of games in his first year. He doesn't have the resume to convince recruits that everything will be ok if he doesn't. How are we going to win without a pass rush or anyone that can cover an SEC WR? How are we going to punish teams for loading the box to stop our run game? How are we going to convert 3rd and short without a physical runner? I hate it for Butch.. he seems like a good coach. But unless he finds a way to win 7 or 8 games, the 2014 class won't be close to what it could be and I don't see us winning more than 6.

    This is fairly accurate for me to. I'd be fairly upset if we didn't land any of those 4.

    hdrizzle21

  • Take it for what it's worth, but CBJ has successfully launched Tennessee to the #26 recruiting class as far as Rivals is concerned. If I'm correct we were in the mid 40's with Dooley. Give the man a chance. I definitely don't think we will go 0-fer on the big name recruits either.

    As said in other threads, a 3* recruit can be huge if he is coached right. I have yet to see anything that would lead me to believe CBJ can't coach a 3* guy at a 5* level.

    indyvolfan92 ●

  • 0 wins / 4 losses.... never a good thing...

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    GoneCoastalVol

  • I think North is the only one we get out of those four. Although the class may not even end up on par with Dooley's classes, I don't think it will significantly set this rebuilding project back 2-3 years as some have posted in different threads. For the first time in a while, we will have a solid RS freshman class that can somewhat off-set the deficiencies of this class if we don't finish strong. Of course, after the Jenkins flip......it gives one hope.....I'm anxious to see what CBJ can pull off.

    stan t

  • stan t said...

    I think North is the only one we get out of those four. Although the class may not even end up on par with Dooley's classes, I don't think it will significantly set this rebuilding project back 2-3 years as some have posted in different threads. For the first time in a while, we will have a solid RS freshman class that can somewhat off-set the deficiencies of this class if we don't finish strong. Of course, after the Jenkins flip......it gives one hope.....I'm anxious to see what CBJ can pull off.

    I agree.

    This post was edited by tpav on 1/8/2013 at 11:05 AM

    tpav

  • volfan28 said...

    Here's how I see myself reacting on NSD in that scenario.

    1. Break keyboard over knee, Bo Jackson style. Keys fly over cubicle wall as profanity rains.

    2. Lay head quietly on desk for approximately 20 minutes.

    3. Stare at cubicle wall for approximately 20 minutes.

    4. Turn to computer to post thoughts on the checkerboard before realizing I don't have a keyboard.

    5. Grab a pen and paper and write down these thoughts:

    Butch is screwed. His only chance to be successful at Tennessee is to win a significant number of games in his first year. He doesn't have the resume to convince recruits that everything will be ok if he doesn't. How are we going to win without a pass rush or anyone that can cover an SEC WR? How are we going to punish teams for loading the box to stop our run game? How are we going to convert 3rd and short without a physical runner? I hate it for Butch.. he seems like a good coach. But unless he finds a way to win 7 or 8 games, the 2014 class won't be close to what it could be and I don't see us winning more than 6.

    I understand your concerns, but I don't think Butch is doomed from the start if this class strikes out on those guys. Good coaching with a less talented team may not win you an extra 3-4 games, but it might get 1. And in the others, it might put an unexpected scare in some more talented teams.

    Vandy is a perfect example. As much as I despise the guy, Franklin has coached up that team. He didn't win 9 games because he got good recruits. His recruits aren't making an impact yet. He's getting good recruits because he showed he can win games and compete in ones he wasn't expected to.

    If Butch is a good coach, it will be evident on the field whether we win 8 games or not. Recruits don't have a "win threshold" he needs to hit. He just needs to give them hope. Let's see how the fall plays out first. You could save a few bucks on a new keyboard.

    smasher423

  • indyvolfan92 said...

    Take it for what it's worth, but CBJ has successfully launched Tennessee to the #26 recruiting class as far as Rivals is concerned. If I'm correct we were in the mid 40's with Dooley. Give the man a chance. I definitely don't think we will go 0-fer on the big name recruits either.

    As said in other threads, a 3* recruit can be huge if he is coached right. I have yet to see anything that would lead me to believe CBJ can't coach a 3* guy at a 5* level.

    I am with This. I do think that, during the latter half of the 2012 football season, the Dooley staff lightened up on recruiting to concentrate more on winning games. It is understandable. It did not ultimately work. And it likely set CBJ's staff back a bit with 2013 recruits. That stated -- I don't think CBJ whiffs on all four. I think one or two of the four will sign (North and Lawson?). The screw-up at the beginning with Bell (and another UA title) is hard to overcome. Is Green, despite his high ranking, the best back for UT's new system? I think 2014 is far more indicative of CBJs recruiting prowess than 2013. And unfortunately, I think he is going going to have to win a few games before the 5-star's start lining up. The good news is, I think there is enough talent in 2013 to win a few games and get some recruits for 2014. And strangely, for the first time in a longtime, I don't feel like that is wishful thinking.

    This post was edited by DCVOL on 1/8/2013 at 11:17 AM

    DCVOL ●

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    Dougs Rug Vol

  • DCVOL said...

    I am with This. I do think that, during the latter half of the 2012 football season, the Dooley staff lightened up on recruiting to concentrate more on winning games. It is understandable. It did not ultimately work. And it likely set CBJ's staff back a bit with 2013 recruits. That stated -- I don't think CBJ whiffs on all four. I think one or two of the four will sign (North and Lawson?). The screw-up at the beginning with Bell (and another UA title) is hard to overcome. Is Green, despite his high ranking, the best back for UT's new system? I think 2014 is far more indicative of CBJs recruiting prowess than 2013. And unfortunately, I think he is going going to have to win a few games before the 5-star's start lining up. The good news is, I think there is enough talent in 2013 to win a few games and get some recruits for 2014. And strangely, for the first time in a longtime, I don't feel like that is wishful thinking.

    Very good points.

    I think signing Vic Wharton for next years class is a very good sign if we are looking forward. I agree with Volfan28 and Hdrizzle that Butch not having a strong brand and most likely coaching a mediocre team next year may make things difficult, but it seems as though the staff is capable of pulling some elite talent, and given a full year they may surprise some people. Already, CBJ took a kid form Clemson and Vandy, if he can keep Carr I think he has definitely earned himself the benefit of the doubt as far as recruiting goes.

    bavw

  • smasher423 said...

    I understand your concerns, but I don't think Butch is doomed from the start if this class strikes out on those guys. Good coaching with a less talented team may not win you an extra 3-4 games, but it might get 1. And in the others, it might put an unexpected scare in some more talented teams.

    Vandy is a perfect example. As much as I despise the guy, Franklin has coached up that team. He didn't win 9 games because he got good recruits. His recruits aren't making an impact yet. He's getting good recruits because he showed he can win games and compete in ones he wasn't expected to.

    If Butch is a good coach, it will be evident on the field whether we win 8 games or not. Recruits don't have a "win threshold" he needs to hit. He just needs to give them hope. Let's see how the fall plays out first. You could save a few bucks on a new keyboard.

    I completely agree with everything you just said. +1

    My concern is that in 6 years as a HC, Butch has never beat a team that has better players than him. Therfore, I have no reason to believe he'll be able to do so at UT. Not saying he can't or he won't... we'll see. I'd just feel uncomfortable about our future if he doesn't sign some impact players to fill our desperate needs at DE, DB, WR, and RB... not to mention our desperate need for impact LBs. 2013 could be AJ and Curt's last season... I feel ok about MLB because of Bynum and Vereen but idk what we're gonna do at OLB..

    volfan28 ●

  • DCVOL said...

    The good news is, I think there is enough talent in 2013 to win a few games and get some recruits for 2014.

    I think this^^^^ is what people are forgetting. If we have to win games in 2013 to get recruits in 2014 (which is a fair statement), then do we really think that this recruiting class is the deciding factor in how that plays out?

    Even with losing Bray, Hunter, and CP, the 2013 team will still have a lot of talent. Not Bama levels of talent, but certainly enough that 4-5 SEC wins is not a big stretch.

    smasher423

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    Tithulta

  • smasher423 said...

    I think this^^^^ is what people are forgetting. If we have to win games in 2013 to get recruits in 2014 (which is a fair statement), then do we really think that this recruiting class is the deciding factor in how that plays out?

    Even with losing Bray, Hunter, and CP, the 2013 team will still have a lot of talent. Not Bama levels of talent, but certainly enough that 4-5 SEC wins is not a big stretch.

    There are a lot of unknown variables next year. New QB, new O, new D, I hope you are right but I don't think we play 4-5 SEC teams with less known elements coming back.

    bavw

  • Here's the deal. We finally have an actual football coach with the reigns and everyone is micro managing all he does (which is what we do as Freaks...I mean Fans). I include myself in that statement. The bottom line is I truly believe we will be a MUCH better TEAM than last year. Yes we have lost our best players however guys will step up and this coach WILL coach them up.

    Dooley had some decent recruiting classes but he is not the coach em up guy. CBJ will take our worst players and make them competitors, conversely he will take our best players and make them better.

    The sky is not falling in fact the sky already fell over the last THREE YEARS! We are on the way up! So get on board and support this staff and our players.

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