The CheckerBoard

Briefs well. Hope it comes true

I know the Kelly's as well and it's not that simple. Todd really loves UT and is a VFL, but he has to look at his future just like Bell did. But honestly I think not signing Bell helped us with Kelly. Now you can go in and tell him he's the next big thing back there, he could be the next EB. Bama is the other school that will be with us all the way down to whenever he signs. His sister goes there, Todd Sr and Saban have a pretty good relationship already and it would be a winning situation for him to be in. But when push comes to shove I think his heart will win out, but what do I know? That's my 411 guys!

i have to say i cringe a bit when I hear prospects like Bell and Kelly, who are evidently big UT fans, have "to look at their future.." in determining whether playing at UT is best for them, as if somehow playing at UT would offer less exposure than at OSU or Alabama. I presume that when people say these recruits have to be concerned "about their future", what we are really talking about is their NFL prospects. i think we are well beyond the days when you had to play for a big school to get noticed. Now, no matter where you are, from the biggest stage of DI football, to the hole in the wall back country DIII school, if you can play, the NFL scouts will find you. NFL rosters are littered with, not just SEC also rans, but practically every level of college football. So I've never understood the concern by recruits about going to a certain school as a way of increasing NFL prospects. Look at the draft prognostications this year, a number of small school guys.

Heck, look at us. 5-7 last year and we may have 4 players taken in the first two rounds of the draft. Von Bell will have no more chance of getting drafted at OSU than he would have at UT. In fact, i might be able to make an argument that his prospects would be better HERE. He has less competition, and therefore will likely garner earlier playing time, ergo, more exposure. Same for Kelly. Concerned about your future? Making it to the NFL? Then come to UT. Especially if you have Orange in your heart.

Now, if it's a scheme thing, okay, i get it. If you are a drop back pro style pocket passer, you probably dont want to go to Oregon. But i dont think scheme fit is/was an issue with Bell or Kelly.

True, but it's not just about finding the place to give your talent the right exposure. It's also about development. Saban doesn't just send 5 star players to the NFL. He's developing 3 stars in to NFL players, too. Players want to see that a school is going to make them better, not just get them noticed, even if that means not playing right away.

Okay. Lets look at Vonn Bell. If Saban is the defensive "savant", why didnt Bell go there? Intead he chose OSU. Their DB coach is Kerry Coombs. Coombs has been at OSU for 2 years. Guess where he was the 5 years before that? Cincinnati. Yep, where he was on the staff of Brian Kelly and then Butch Jones. So instead of coming to UT, to play for Coach Jones, he went to OSU, to play under Jones former DB coach. Are you saying that Coombs is going to develop him more than our current DB coach Willie Martinez? I dont buy it.

But beyond that, these position coaches move around so much, outside of Saban who obviously runs Bama's defense, what coaches out there can you look at definitively and say that particular person develops NFL talent more than his peers. Again, look around NFL rosters, there are tons of DB and Safeties from no name schools who were "developed" by no name coaches. And it's not like we have a no name coach there. Martinez is pretty well respected.

I'm just saying that immediate playing time and exposure are not the only things recruits care about when saying they are looking out for their future. Your post seemed to imply that elite players who come to UT are making the better decision because they get to start immediately, but that's not necessarily true. These kids all have different priorities. For some, they want to play now. For others, they are ok developing for a year or two and playing later. Everyone is different and I don't think there is a one size fits all answer to the question "is it better for your NFL prospects to play early and be the stud of your mediocre team or to only contribute for a year or two on a winning team?"

As far as Bell, yes, losing him still stings. I try not to think about him anymore because that just sucked. But let's be realistic with him. He went to OSU because Urban Meyer is a proven coach who will go down as one of the greatest of his generation. He just won 12 games in his first year. Bell will be playing with other elite players. Kerry Coombs and Willie Martinez had nothing to do with that decision - this is more about the head coaches. Also, Bama backed off him late as their class filled up. But even so, just because Bell picked OSU over Bama that doesn't take away from my point that Bama's coach is more proven than UT's. So is OSU's. For right now, our staff has to prove it to these elite players because not all of them will be sold on immediate playing time, nor should they be.

Well said, Frosty +1