SEC football discussion thread #3

[jojo]

Lane Kiffin to Alabama?

http://footballrumormill.com/2014/01/08/borges-michigan-hoke-lands-alabamas-nussmeier/

[jojo]

Tre Mason is set to announce his plans for next season at a 1 pm CT pressor today. Will he stay or will he go? I've sen him projected as a likely third rounder. I don't know if that is enough to make it a nobrainer for him but then again I don't know how much staying another year helps him. It would give him more mileage and the nfl pretty much doesn't view the position as a super hard one to fill these days so it's tough to see a runningback pushing linemen and QBs out of the early first round.

[jojo]

Now that was a football game

http://deadspin.com/now-that-was-a-damn-football-game-1496183437

[jojo]

Tre Mason is set to announce his plans for next season at a 1 pm CT pressor today. Will he stay or will he go? I've sen him projected as a likely third rounder. I don't know if that is enough to make it a nobrainer for him but then again I don't know how much staying another year helps him. It would give him more mileage and the nfl pretty much doesn't view the position as a super hard one to fill these days so it's tough to see a runningback pushing linemen and QBs out of the early first round.

Mason declares for the draft. Best of luck on Sundays!

[jojo]

http://www.rockcitytimes.com/alabama-hires-lane-kiffin-ncaa-violation-coordinator/

[jojo]

Apparently Grantham has been hired away from Georgia.

[KronoRed]

Heard it from a few places that the pups had already politely told him to move on.

[19braves77]

On Saturday morning, Vanderbilt had 20 commitments and a 2014 football recruiting class that was ranked in the top 25 in the country.

By Sunday night, a day after coach James Franklin left for Penn State, the Commodores had what one recruiting site called three solid commitments.

Offensive tackle Chance Sorrell and defensive end Lloyd Tubman decommitted from Vanderbilt and then pledged to Penn State by late Saturday.

Defensive tackle Jashon Robertson of Montgomery Bell Academy, safety Emmanuel Smith of Oakland, cornerback Grant Haley and cornerback Amani Oruwariye acknowledged via Twitter they had just gotten offers from Penn State.

Ouch:eek:

[dabvu2498]

On Saturday morning, Vanderbilt had 20 commitments and a 2014 football recruiting class that was ranked in the top 25 in the country.

By Sunday night, a day after coach James Franklin left for Penn State, the Commodores had what one recruiting site called three solid commitments.

Offensive tackle Chance Sorrell and defensive end Lloyd Tubman decommitted from Vanderbilt and then pledged to Penn State by late Saturday.

Defensive tackle Jashon Robertson of Montgomery Bell Academy, safety Emmanuel Smith of Oakland, cornerback Grant Haley and cornerback Amani Oruwariye acknowledged via Twitter they had just gotten offers from Penn State.

Ouch:eek:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/01/13/Franklin-wrong-for-poaching-Vandy-recruits/stories/201401130120

Remember, this is a guy who called out decommitments two years ago. Said they weren't "men of honor."

It's also worth noting, that if all those guys that he's trying to flip, go, he will have to start pulling offers from current PSU commits.

I fear I may have had the wool pulled over my eyes by CJF. There are some other not so nice things being said about him in some back channels. I'm sure some of this is sour grapes, but some of it is coming from sources I trust.

[KronoRed]

All coaches are scum, some just hide it a lot better, it's the nature of the job.

[WVRed]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/01/13/Franklin-wrong-for-poaching-Vandy-recruits/stories/201401130120

Remember, this is a guy who called out decommitments two years ago. Said they weren't "men of honor."

It's also worth noting, that if all those guys that he's trying to flip, go, he will have to start pulling offers from current PSU commits.

I fear I may have had the wool pulled over my eyes by CJF. There are some other not so nice things being said about him in some back channels. I'm sure some of this is sour grapes, but some of it is coming from sources I trust.

Any word on the replacement? Kirby Smart a possibility?

[19braves77]

Any word on the replacement? Kirby Smart a possibility?

Stanford Defensive Cor.

Vanderbilly really doesnt have a lot of options.

[Reds4Life]

Any word on the replacement? Kirby Smart a possibility?

Smart could get a better job than Vandy if he wanted to.

He probably stays at Bama, and takes over when Saban retires.

[dabvu2498]

Stanford Defensive Cor.

Vanderbilly really doesnt have a lot of options.

I must disagree.

Williams is playing it close to the vest, but Chad Morris, Mark Hudspeth and yes, Derek Mason are the three that are being thrown out the most. Smart is probably not going to happen. I'd say McIntyre from Colorado will get a sniff. Narduzzi and Perry Fewell are probably wildcards. Allegedly they've had 20-25 people reach out to them with interest, including a handful that turned them down 3 years ago.

I think I'd prefer Morris or Mason, just on the face of it. But we'd probably be looking at another search committee in a few years.

[dabvu2498]

Smart could get a better job than Vandy if he wanted to.

He probably stays at Bama, and takes over when Saban retires.

What better jobs are available at present?

But yeah, I'd say Smart ends up at UGa before Bama. But neither of those is a guarantee. Bird in the hand and such.

[WVRed]

Smart could get a better job than Vandy if he wanted to.

He probably stays at Bama, and takes over when Saban retires.

Or he takes Vandy or another job, then leaves that school when Saban retires.

Might be in his best interests to take a head job. Can't see Bama handing the keys over to someone with zero head coaching experience, and there are others in the Saban family tree who could get a look.

[IslandRed]

I fear I may have had the wool pulled over my eyes by CJF. There are some other not so nice things being said about him in some back channels. I'm sure some of this is sour grapes, but some of it is coming from sources I trust.

That's probably true. But then, to break Vanderbilt out of its historic inertia required a lot of things, some of which don't look so great under a bright light. Or on a different sideline.

I admit I started to follow Vandy a little bit while living in the area, so I hope they're able to keep it going and don't slip back to being the league doormat.

[dabvu2498]

That's probably true. But then, to break Vanderbilt out of its historic inertia required a lot of things, some of which don't look so great under a bright light. Or on a different sideline.

I admit I started to follow Vandy a little bit while living in the area, so I hope they're able to keep it going and don't slip back to being the league doormat.

I think they've got some good options and will make a solid hire. It's still a tough job, but it's a lot "easier" than it was 3 years ago. And Franklin did one thing that's probably wise... Lightened up the non-conference schedule. If they can eke out 2 SEC wins, they're looking good for bowl eligibility for the next 4 years. And there are winnable SEC games out there.

Oh yeah... Also... #anchordown

[jojo]

I think they've got some good options and will make a solid hire. It's still a tough job, but it's a lot "easier" than it was 3 years ago. And Franklin did one thing that's probably wise... Lightened up the non-conference schedule. If they can eke out 2 SEC wins, they're looking good for bowl eligibility for the next 4 years. And there are winnable SEC games out there.

Oh yeah... Also... #anchordown

Looks like Mason's to lose?

[RedTeamGo!]

I am still shocked my opinion blinded by SEC hatred that Franklin would obviously leave Vandy for a "step down" to PSU was right. :D

[dabvu2498]

Looks like Mason's to lose?

I think any statement of that ilk would be pure speculation. Supposedly no formal interviews have taken place yet. And I'd say this is a situation where the interview matters a lot.

I like Mason a lot. His resume is strong and he has some experience recruiting the South. I like Morris too. And it wouldn't shock me if they pulled someone totally out of left field. As I recall it, Franklin's name was about 10th down the list when they did this three years ago and he received virtually no "chatter" until the day before he got hired. Like I said, Williams keeps info to himself. It'll be interesting to see where the Ingram jets fly the next couple days. :)

[Sea Ray]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2014/01/13/Franklin-wrong-for-poaching-Vandy-recruits/stories/201401130120

Remember, this is a guy who called out decommitments two years ago. Said they weren't "men of honor."

It's also worth noting, that if all those guys that he's trying to flip, go, he will have to start pulling offers from current PSU commits.

I fear I may have had the wool pulled over my eyes by CJF. There are some other not so nice things being said about him in some back channels. I'm sure some of this is sour grapes, but some of it is coming from sources I trust.

It is the seamy side of athletics but I don't have any problem with how Franklin's handling it. First of all there's no such thing as a "commit" prior to signing day, and that goes both ways. Furthermore, why should Franklin be obligated to accept another coach's recruits? He's bringing in his system and he has his own ideas as to what athletes he wants.

[dabvu2498]

It is the seamy side of athletics but I don't have any problem with how Franklin's handling it. First of all there's no such thing as a "commit" prior to signing day, and that goes both ways. Furthermore, why should Franklin be obligated to accept another coach's recruits? He's bringing in his system and he has his own ideas as to what athletes he wants.

I wouldn't either, except for his comments from 2012. And the fact that it's pretty obvious he and his staff were working kids to PSU while still under contract at VU.

[Sea Ray]

And the fact that it's pretty obvious he and his staff were working kids to PSU while still under contract at VU.

That's more troubling. I'd like to see when that happened and more evidence before I hold that against him. I'd think if there's anything there then Vandy's got a case against him

[RiverRat13]

I wouldn't either, except for his comments from 2012. And the fact that it's pretty obvious he and his staff were working kids to PSU while still under contract at VU.

No different than what Cal was doing at Memphis before officially taking the UK job. That's the business.

[jojo]

Looks like Georgia poached Pruitt from FSU.

[dabvu2498]

Looks like Georgia poached Pruitt from FSU.

Richt needed that.

[jojo]

Richt needed that.

Alot of people were supposing Kirby Smart would make that move but from Richt's standpoint, I think having a successor in waiting was exactly what he didn't need.

[WVRed]

Alot of people were supposing Kirby Smart would make that move but from Richt's standpoint, I think having a successor in waiting was exactly what he didn't need.

How has Richt had a job as long as he has? I can't think of any other coach who has underachieved in the SEC more than Richt.

[jojo]

How has Richt had a job as long as he has? I can't think of any other coach who has underachieved in the SEC more than Richt.

He's survived by being a great coach. Georgia's all time winning percentage is about .650. In his 13 seasons, it's been .740 and Georgia has the second highest winning percentage in the SEC while his teams have finished ranked in the top 10 for 7 of those seasons.

I think the narrative tha Georgia has been one of the biggest underachievers in college football is really overblown if his performance is given context.

Has Georgia won a natioanl championship? No. But it's not like he's taken a perenial champion and lowered expectations. Georgia has won exactly 1 official national championship in its history. Richt has won 2 SEC championships. I guess he sucks because he hasn't beaten Auburn, Alabama, LSU and Florida? Well, no one else has over that period either.

[dabvu2498]

I'd agree with the above. I'd also add that while a few Dawgs have seen trouble, Richt is a decent human being by all accounts. That probably helps.

And FTR, jojo, Richt has winning records against two of the four schools you mentioned.

[KronoRed]

How has Richt had a job as long as he has? I can't think of any other coach who has underachieved in the SEC more than Richt.

Will Muschamp.

[WVRed]

I'd agree with the above. I'd also add that while a few Dawgs have seen trouble, Richt is a decent human being by all accounts. That probably helps.

And FTR, jojo, Richt has winning records against two of the four schools you mentioned.

Kinda like Tubby Smith in basketball though. The winning percentages and family man persona are nice, but can he win when it really matters? I've always wondered because people in Georgia are very passionate about their Dawgs.

[dabvu2498]

Richt's winning % is higher than Vince Dooley's.

[dabvu2498]

Penn State paid for Franklin's "thank you" ad in the Tennessean today. Nice touch.

[jojo]

Penn State paid for Franklin's "thank you" ad in the Tennessean today. Nice touch.

Ya, it was pretty transparent. I wondered if you felt like lining a bird cage with it.

[dabvu2498]

Ya, it was pretty transparent. I wondered if you felt like lining a bird cage with it.

I avoided actually seeing it. I read the criticisms (and there were many). But when I heard that PSU paid for it. Well. That pretty well sums the situation up.

And the fact that info came out from the Tennessean, will kind of give you an idea of how the local media feels about him.

I'm truly done now though. I was pretty well over it by Saturday anyway, but I'm way over it now.

[jojo]

And the dominance continues....

http://wireeagle.auburn.edu/news/5706

Wanna take on the best? Prepare to be crushed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly8pj-d44yE&feature=player_embedded

[dabvu2498]

Jojo -- Do you have any recollection of Curtis Luper during his time at Auburn? Rumor is he's joining Mason's staff at VU.

[jojo]

Jojo -- Do you have any recollection of Curtis Luper during his time at Auburn? Rumor is he's joining Mason's staff at VU.

He's a good coach (coached running backs at Auburn) and a great recruiter.

[19braves77]

Love how Saban is cleaning house and has reached out to all current players and commits concerned about Kiffin. This week whad a lot of good reads on how hard it is for a coach to keep all kids happy while at the same time not catering to them.

[jojo]

Auburn has poached former Vandy commit, Ike Powell considered one of the nation's best long snappers. Auburn offered him the option of either grey shirting or taking a preferred walk-on status to immediately compete for a job. He chose walk on status and decommitted from Vandy.

[Boston Red]

Why would a guy who's a long-snapper want to play for a team coached by Malzahn? Seems like you should go somewhere they punt a lot. Like Kentucky.

[dabvu2498]

Auburn has poached former Vandy commit, Ike Powell considered one of the nation's best long snappers. Auburn offered him the option of either grey shirting or taking a preferred walk-on status to immediately compete for a job. He chose walk on status and decommitted from Vandy.

This all came down right after Franklin left for PSU. And it sounds like he may have been flipping either way. (VU returns a 3 year starter at LS.) I'd also heard he was a likely greyshirt candidate for Vandy if Franklin filled out the class by signing day.

There's also some innuendo that Powell didn't care for how he was "handled" by Franklin after committing. If true, Franklin really is/was a piece of work.

[WMR]

I heard a crazy stat... in the entirety of the Brooks and Joke era, UK signed 14 four stars...

Stoops presently has 10 committed in this class. :eek:

Flat out getting it done on the recruiting trail.

[jojo]

Georgia has hired Tracy Rocker to be their next D-line coach. This is not good news for the rest of the SEC.

[WVRed]

Ricky Town, no 2 pocket passer in the 2015 class, changed his commitment from Alabama to USC, supposedly after meeting Lane Kiffin.

Jacob Coker, Winston's backup at Florida State, is supposedly going to play at Alabama next season and will be eligible immediately.

[Chip R]

Jacob Coker, Winston's backup at Florida State, is supposedly going to play at Alabama next season and will be eligible immediately.

Why is he eligible immediately? Is he a senior or something?

[jojo]

Why is he eligible immediately? Is he a senior or something?

He graduated I believe.

[Chip R]

He graduated I believe.

That makes sense.

[Sea Ray]

I'm pretty sure you can do the math it takes to calculate team rankings. Tennesee currently has 33 commits listed on the 247sports composite team ranking.

If teams are ranked by the average recruit rating rather than a total of recruit points, the Vols class would drop to the tenth best. While that's still good, it also assumes that the Vols don't lose any commitments which seems like an unrealistic assumption given their top commitments are largely still be recruited by other programs.

The promise of early playing time only goes so far.

Just because Tennessee ought to be able to become relevant again doesn't mean that they automatically will or that they will quickly. They have a shocking lack of SEC calibre athleticism. That's not a recipe for a rapid turnaround.

Two months later and Tennessee not only hasn't lost its 33 recruits, they're now up to 35 according to the 247 Sports site:

http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

They just got a 4 star RB commit yesterday where he chose UT over fellow SEC East rivals USC and UF. The above site has UT ranked 6th but some have them as high as #2. I question the 247 ranking system. For example they list OSU as having the #2 ranked class with 22 recruits. According to their rankings, OSU has one 5 star, fifteen 4 star and six 3 star. OK, Tennessee doesn't have any 5 stars but they have more 4 stars (16) and 3 stars (18) than anyone else in the country including the Buckeyes. So how does the Buckeyes 22 player class outrank UT's 35 man class?

God knows the Vols needs reinforcements. So now the challenge is fitting them onto the team legally. Things could not have better for Butch from a recruiting standpoint. Kudos to him there.:thumbup:

[jojo]

Two months later and Tennessee not only hasn't lost its 33 recruits, they're now up to 35 according to the 247 Sports site:

http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

They just got a 4 star RB commit yesterday where he chose UT over fellow SEC East rivals USC and UF. The above site has UT ranked 6th but some have them as high as #2. I question the 247 ranking system. For example they list OSU as having the #2 ranked class with 22 recruits. According to their rankings, OSU has one 5 star, fifteen 4 star and six 3 star. OK, Tennessee doesn't have any 5 stars but they have more 4 stars (16) and 3 stars (18) than anyone else in the country including the Buckeyes. So how does the Buckeyes 22 player class outrank UT's 35 man class?

God knows the Vols needs reinforcements. So now the challenge is fitting them onto the team legally. Things could not have better for Butch from a recruiting standpoint. Kudos to him there.:thumbup:

This has been explained to you before. The average OSU recruit grades significantly better than the average Vol recruit. The only reason Tennessee is even in the top ten right now is because they are bending rules to essentially oversign. You should actually be embarrassed by the size the their signing class. It's not a source of pride and it'll force some rules to be rewritten to close the loopholes they're trying to sneak through. Then realize the sales pitch is, "come to Knoxville. We suck so bad that you'll play as a freshman!" Go ask this same question in the OSU thread and see if they agree.

A monkey could recruit in knoxville by promising playing time. Also, it's no surprise you don't agree with sites that don't validate your opinion.

[Sea Ray]

This has been explained to you before. The average OSU recruit grades significantly better than the average Vol recruit. The only reason Tennessee is even in the top ten right now is because they are bending rules to essentially oversign. You should actually be embarrassed by the size the their signing class. It's not a source of pride and it'll force some rules to be rewritten to close the loopholes they're trying to sneak through. Then realize the sales pitch is, "come to Knoxville. We suck so bad that you'll play as a freshman!" Go ask this same question in the OSU thread and see if they agree.

A monkey could recruit in knoxville by promising playing time. Also, it's no surprise you don't agree with sites that don't validate your opinion.

Recruiting grades: UT has 16 4 star recriuts compared to OSU's 15. I'd say UT grades out at least even there. 3 star recruits show UT with 18, OSU with 6. Huge advantage UT. OSU has one 5 star which gives an advantage to them. After all that, UT has 13 more recruits coming in. I can see why some sites rank UT higher than OSU based on that.

No way UT should be proud of bringing in 35 new recruits on a yearly basis but this year it's clearly necessary due to how depleted their roster is. OSU doesn't need 36 new players. Team needs vary

[jojo]

Recruiting grades: UT has 16 4 star recriuts compared to OSU's 15. I'd say UT grades out at least even there. 3 star recruits show UT with 18, OSU with 6. Huge advantage UT. OSU has one 5 star which gives an advantage to them. After all that, UT has 13 more recruits coming in. I can see why some sites rank UT higher than OSU based on that.

No way UT should be proud of bringing in 35 new recruits on a yearly basis but this year it's clearly necessary due to how depleted their roster is. OSU doesn't need 36 new players. Team needs vary

You apparently arent too curious about why because it's been explained to you several times now.

[Sea Ray]

You apparently arent too curious about why because it's been explained to you several times now.

You apparently aren't too curious that this is a subjective thing and sites vary. That's been explained to you several times. I know you love to argue and it often frustrates you that I don't play along. Like I said before, some sites have UT at 2, others have them lower but it really doesn't matter. What's not in dispute is that UT has a great recruiting class

[jojo]

You apparently aren't too curious that this is a subjective thing and sites vary. That's been explained to you several times. I know you love to argue and it often frustrates you that I don't play along. Like I said before, some sites have UT at 2, others have them lower but it really doesn't matter. What's not in dispute is that UT has a great recruiting class

I get it. You don't believe any site that doesn't agree with your notion and you can't possible fathom how some other site-like one that is considered one of the best sites-could possibly indicate something different. That doesn't frustrate me because it's boring and completely predictable. But when you ask a question but have zero interest in it's answer, like really every question you ask, you shouldn't be too surprised when others really don't feel a burden to tolerate it.

It is strange to hear someone preach to others about the subjectivity of recruiting grades yet reject out of hand a composite ranking. Well, again, it's not really strange given how predictable it is.

The answer you requested but don't want to hear again- the Vols may have alot of commitments but based upon average quality of their recruits, they aren't a top ten recruiting class. If you're not curious enough about recruiting to figure out what this statement is true or if you're simply being obtuse, then quit pretending that you want to discuss recruiting. The most notable thing about their class relative to the top 10 is that they have 10 more commitments than every other team besides FSU. The Vols rank is at it's zenith. It's going to fall as other teams fill their classes next Wednesday and as they lose guys to things like academic nonqualifiers. You wont but come Wednesday, ask yourself "what programs would trade their class for the Vols straight up?".

Is the Vols class great? If Jones can't have a top 20 class every year in Knoxville, he should be fired. Will they have a top 10 class this year? If it's not when he can essentially promise every single player he recruits playing time as a freshman, then really, you should reevaluate your blind optimism going forward. We'll see (there's reason to doubt it for the reasons that have been explained to you multiple times). This year is the easiest Jones will ever have it.

[Hillsdale87]

Recruiting grades: UT has 16 4 star recriuts compared to OSU's 15. I'd say UT grades out at least even there. 3 star recruits show UT with 18, OSU with 6. Huge advantage UT. OSU has one 5 star which gives an advantage to them. After all that, UT has 13 more recruits coming in. I can see why some sites rank UT higher than OSU based on that.


Not all 4 stars are the same. I'd imagine Ohio State's 4 stars are more highly regarded than UT's 4 stars (I believe that OSU is tied with Alabama for the most top 100 players in this recruiting class). It also seems pretty evident that 3 star recruits are not worth all that much, while a 5 star recruit is extremely highly valued. This makes sense. A 5 star recruit is essentially a projected 1st round pick, while a 3 star is a late round/undrafted player.

[Boston Red]

I see UT's class ranked 2nd, 4th and 6th by the major sites. Seems to me like it's going to be a pretty good class even if it slips a bit.

[Sea Ray]

I see UT's class ranked 2nd, 4th and 6th by the major sites. Seems to me like it's going to be a pretty good class even if it slips a bit.

Yeah, that's the bottom line and that's the way I read it too

[dabvu2498]

Not all 4 stars are the same. I'd imagine Ohio State's 4 stars are more highly regarded than UT's 4 stars (I believe that OSU is tied with Alabama for the most top 100 players in this recruiting class). It also seems pretty evident that 3 star recruits are not worth all that much, while a 5 star recruit is extremely highly valued. This makes sense. A 5 star recruit is essentially a projected 1st round pick, while a 3 star is a late round/undrafted player.

No. Not really. Star ratings are wrong all the time:

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/all-sec-players-ranked-as-recruits-2013/

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2014/five-star-quarterbacks-last-decade/

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2014/five-star-running-backs-last-decade/

[Hillsdale87]

No. Not really. Star ratings are wrong all the time:

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2013/all-sec-players-ranked-as-recruits-2013/

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2014/five-star-quarterbacks-last-decade/

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2014/five-star-running-backs-last-decade/

I understand that rankings are wrong all the time. But currently, a 5 star player is projected to be a top 30ish player in the country, while a 3 star could be 1000 spots lower. Sure, maybe the 3 star makes it while the 5 star flops, but recruiting rankings are based on how good these players are expected to be in college, not how good they end up being.

[jojo]

There is currently 1 inch of snow on the ground in Tuscaloosa but they'll likely claim there's 15 inches.

[IslandRed]

It's a "macro versus micro" argument. There are bunches of 3-star-and-lower players who turn out to be excellent, and 5-stars that flop. But on average, the 5s turn out better than the 4s, who turn out better than the 3s, etc.

I also think that recruiting is becoming more of a mature industry, with better access to game video, prospect camps, all star games etc. making it easier for coaches and recruiting services alike to evaluate and compare players. 20 years ago, even 10, it was possible to end up with a relatively unheralded class that had ridiculous talent in it. These days, fewer players slip through the cracks and it's tough for any one school to corner the market on them.

[WMR]

Want the best judge of a high school football player's potential, irrespective of stars? Look at his offer sheet.

[WMR]

UK announced they've received 45 million in private donations to build a new training center connected to Commonwealth. Commonwealth will also be receiving a 115 million dollar face lift beginning in the spring.

This new training center is going to be amazing. It's going to be nicer than the one at UT, and the one at UT is incredible.

Really awesome to see UK administration finally getting serious about putting an SEC level product on the field. This class is going to be the best that UK has ever had, on paper at least.

[Sea Ray]

Comments like these must do wonders for recruiting:


“It’s a shame but Vanderbilt will continue to be a stepping stone for coaches, a second rate program in the SEC and stuck in mediocrity [because] of how the institution views athletics and treats their current and former players, “ Rodgers explained in the first of a lengthy strong of Twitter updates that have since been deleted.

“As a leader and starting [quarterback] during the emergence and transformation of Vanderbilt into a contending and respectable program in the SEC I am ashamed at the treatment of some former players,” Rodgers continued.

Rodgers took exception to having to pay to use football facilities at Vanderbilt when returning to train alongside Vanderbilt football players despite being an alum and a part of the program during a stretch of time that helped pave the way for facility upgrades.

“WE built that indoor [football facility] by winning like no team in the history of VU,” Rodgers said. “Now I have to pay to use it?! Pay to help mentor and train with current players and alum trying to stick with a team in the NFL. WE built this program not some chancellor. This is an embarrassment and only a reflection of the future of this program if it continues to put football and the success and treatment of its pliers as an after thought.”

[dabvu2498]

Comments like these must do wonders for recruiting:

Three days after Jay Cutler (he of the recently signed hefty contract) was on campus working out in the indoor facility while recruits on their official visits were there.

Jordan Rodgers -- Brother of NFL quarterback... vs Jay Cutler, actual NFL QB.

I'm sure there are some kinks in the new system (the building had only been open a couple months) regarding usage. However, Rodgers is really the one who looks bad here, airing his grievances on twitter before even contacting the athletic department to seek a resolution.

[Sea Ray]

Three days after Jay Cutler (he of the recently signed hefty contract) was on campus working out in the indoor facility while recruits on their official visits were there.

Jordan Rodgers -- Brother of NFL quarterback... vs Jay Cutler, actual NFL QB.

I'm sure there are some kinks in the new system (the building had only been open a couple months) regarding usage. However, Rodgers is really the one who looks bad here, airing his grievances on twitter before even contacting the athletic department to seek a resolution.http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=14&view=2&yr=2014

Jay Cutler must not be much of a recruiter then because Vandy is currently last in the SEC with a whoppin' 10 recruits. Miss St is 2nd to last ranked 44 the in the country. Vandy is off the chart at 72

[jojo]

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=14&view=2&yr=2014

Jay Cutler must not be much of a recruiter then because Vandy is currently last in the SEC with a whoppin' 10 recruits. Miss St is 2nd to last ranked 44 the in the country. Vandy is off the chart at 72

This might be the most intellectually dishonest or bankrupt argument posted on Redszone in a long time.

[Sea Ray]

This might be the most intellectually dishonest or bankrupt argument posted on Redszone in a long time.

The difference between my posts and yours are that mine contribute facts and relates to the subject at hand. Yours on the other hand do none of that. You do nothing but give your opinion of the post itself. I can't tell you how proud I am that you disapprove of my contributions. I wear it as a badge of honor.

[jojo]

The difference between my posts and yours are that mine contribute facts and relates to the subject at hand. Yours on the other hand do none of that. You do nothing but give your opinion of the post itself. I can't tell you how proud I am that you disapprove of my contributions. I wear it as a badge of honor.

Actually SeaRay, the big difference is that no one who actually understands recruiting would've tortured the facts like you did unless they were purposefully trying to make a dishonest argument.

While you may be proud of yourself, being somewhere between uninformed and dishonest really isn't an enviable position.

If you feel a great many of our interactions involve commentary about the weaknesses inherent in your poorly constructed arguments, pause, think a little harder, and construct better arguments whose weaknesses aren't so easily exposed.

[WVRed]

Matt Elam to decide today between Kentucky and Alabama. Crystal ball is in favor of Kentucky but I wouldn't be shocked if it's Bama.

Would be the first five star recruit in Lexington. Come be a hero!

[Boston Red]

Was Tim Couch not a five star guy?

[jojo]

Matt Elam to decide today between Kentucky and Alabama. Crystal ball is in favor of Kentucky but I wouldn't be shocked if it's Bama.

Would be the first five star recruit in Lexington. Come be a hero!

That would be sweet.

[WMR]

Matt Elam to decide today between Kentucky and Alabama. Crystal ball is in favor of Kentucky but I wouldn't be shocked if it's Bama.

Would be the first five star recruit in Lexington. Come be a hero!
On the star discussion...
It's crazy how Elam's star ranking varies between services. Some have him as a 5, others as a 3.

Obviously, Bama wants him very, very badly, so he's clearly got tons of potential.

Wherever he goes, he's going to need to lose 40-50 lbs. and take the weight room very seriously. If he puts in the work, he can be great.

[WVRed]

Was Tim Couch not a five star guy?

How long have recruiting services been around? I'd imagine Couch would have been, but I don't know if online recruiting services had really taken off yet.

[Revering4Blue]

IIRC, Morgan Newton and Micah Johnson were 5 star recruits.

[WMR]

:party:Welcome to UK, big boy! :party:

[WMR]

IIRC, Morgan Newton and Micah Johnson were 5 star recruits.

Newton was a 4 star, I think Johnson was too.

[WMR]

This is the type of instate recruit that UK has historically almost always lost to a "big boy" program... to go toe to toe with ALABAMA and come out on top is huge for Stoops and UK putting a fence up around this state. Kentucky produces very few top of the rung D1 prospects; it's vitally important we hold onto the ones that do come along.

Make no mistake, Bama wanted Elam badly. Saban sent 3 coaches to his high school this morning for a final plea.

Next up, hopefully, is the 5 star RB from Berea who recently decommitted from Michigan...

[dabvu2498]

IIRC, Morgan Newton and Micah Johnson were 5 star recruits.

Dennis Johnson most certainly would have been.

[dabvu2498]

http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=14&view=2&yr=2014

Jay Cutler must not be much of a recruiter then because Vandy is currently last in the SEC with a whoppin' 10 recruits. Miss St is 2nd to last ranked 44 the in the country. Vandy is off the chart at 72

Context. Try it sometime.

[dabvu2498]

Proof that James Franklin will tell you exactly what you want to hear, truth be damned:

"When asked about the difference between Vanderbilt, his former employer, and Penn State, Franklin said values. At Vanderbilt, which is in the SEC, Franklin says the top priority was always football.

"They don't make any excuses or try to justify, that's really their reason for existence," Franklin says."

http://www.statecollege.com/mobile/news/local-news/penn-state-football-coach-franklin-wants-team-to-break-gpa-records-for-football-program,1446284/

[jojo]

Proof that James Franklin will tell you exactly what you want to hear, truth be damned:

"When asked about the difference between Vanderbilt, his former employer, and Penn State, Franklin said values. At Vanderbilt, which is in the SEC, Franklin says the top priority was always football.

"They don't make any excuses or try to justify, that's really their reason for existence," Franklin says."

http://www.statecollege.com/mobile/news/local-news/penn-state-football-coach-franklin-wants-team-to-break-gpa-records-for-football-program,1446284/

I'm starting to think its beyond being disengenuous. He might truly be a nut.

[Boston Red]

That seems to be a very odd thing to say about Vanderbilt.

[dabvu2498]

I'm starting to think its beyond being disengenuous. He might truly be a nut.

"At one point, Franklin accidentally said Vanderbilt while speaking about the Penn State program. Faculty offered him forgiving laughter for the slip."

I wonder how that happened...

[WMR]

Proof that James Franklin will tell you exactly what you want to hear, truth be damned:

"When asked about the difference between Vanderbilt, his former employer, and Penn State, Franklin said values. At Vanderbilt, which is in the SEC, Franklin says the top priority was always football.

"They don't make any excuses or try to justify, that's really their reason for existence," Franklin says."

http://www.statecollege.com/mobile/news/local-news/penn-state-football-coach-franklin-wants-team-to-break-gpa-records-for-football-program,1446284/

That's a pretty hilarious thing to say about Vandy considering the school he coaches at now and the epic scandal they kept hidden under the rug for decades in an attempt to protect the football team and a coach's reputation at all costs.

Wasn't Franklin also complicit in minimizing/obfuscating a rape at Vandy?

[Boston Red]

Do you guys expect Elam to redshirt? Sounds like he needs a year in a real S&C program to get his body in the right shape to unlock all that potential.

[WMR]

Do you guys expect Elam to redshirt? Sounds like he needs a year in a real S&C program to get his body in the right shape to unlock all that potential.

That's a great question... I'm guessing most of it will depend on Elam himself and how seriously he attacks the program that UK sets out for him.

UK needs talent upgrades just about everywhere, so if he makes the three deep I would guess not...

[dabvu2498]

That's a pretty hilarious thing to say about Vandy considering the school he coaches at now and the epic scandal they kept hidden under the rug for decades in an attempt to protect the football team and a coach's reputation at all costs.

Wasn't Franklin also complicit in minimizing/obfuscating a rape at Vandy?

No. The university, by all accounts, handled it exactly the way they should have. Even the "bulldog" prosecutor assigned to the case agreed as much.

Franklin's relationship with top level admins was a bit strained after the incident. The primary figure involved in the assault was a kid Franklin had stuck his neck out for in order to get him in school.

Franklin is still listed as a possible witness if the case goes to trial, so there still could be some facts that yet emerge.

[jojo]

Do you guys expect Elam to redshirt? Sounds like he needs a year in a real S&C program to get his body in the right shape to unlock all that potential.

Call 334-844-4244 and ask.

They will know. They know everything.

http://www.thewareaglereader.com/2014/01/foy-information-desk-swamped-with-calls-for-days-as-phone-number-goes-vira-on-redditl/#.Uuqk82t5mK3

[Sea Ray]

Context. Try it sometime.

Being a Tennessee guy I know full well how it screws your program when a coach leaves late in the process. My point is that there's not much Jay Cutler can do about that

[Sea Ray]

Totally unedited:

"That's why I'm convinced there's a reason they've spent the last two years giving insufficient nods to one of the greatest coaching jobs ever -- that of three-year Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin. Clearly they have decided that "coach of the year" honors do not suffice for Franklin, and I commend them for this. They don't want to slight this unreasonably good coaching job with praise too faint. They must know he's the Coach of the Decade and the Coach of the Young Century, and I commend them for that."

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/64654422/

My how attitudes change. Recent posts around here about Franklin resemble characters from Dante's Inferno

[dabvu2498]

My how attitudes change. Recent posts around here about Franklin resemble characters from Dante's Inferno

Great coach. But when put in a spot where he's had to make ethical choices, he's chosen the easy way out. And I'm not totally sure he's the most honest guy either.

[dabvu2498]

Being a Tennessee guy I know full well how it screws your program when a coach leaves late in the process. My point is that there's not much Jay Cutler can do about that

And neither are a few tweets by Jordan Rodgers.

FYI: Vanderbilt has a visitor that's likely to commit this weekend. Would likely be the highest rated player ever to sign with VU. Rates higher than all but a couple of UT's guys from The Greatest Recuiting Class of All Time.

[RiverRat13]

I'm starting to think its beyond being disengenuous. He might truly be a nut.

He'll fit right in at Penn State, then. All fanbases have their crazies, but that is one truly bizarre group.

[dabvu2498]

Well... There goes that bit of self-righteousness.

http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/Auburn-may-recognize-more-National-Championships-174444

[Sea Ray]

And neither are a few tweets by Jordan Rodgers.

FYI: Vanderbilt has a visitor that's likely to commit this weekend. Would likely be the highest rated player ever to sign with VU. Rates higher than all but a couple of UT's guys from The Greatest Recuiting Class of All Time.

First of all we're not looking at the greatest recruiting class of all time. Fulmer had some dandies in the 90s. The one with Peyton was one. As I recall it was #1 or #2 by most services. Secondly if Vandy's about to sign their highest rated player as you describe then that really says more about your school than anything.

Specifically I hope you're right and they do get this athlete...just so long as he's not being pillaged from UT. :)

[jojo]

Well... There goes that bit of self-righteousness.

http://auburn.247sports.com/Article/Auburn-may-recognize-more-National-Championships-174444

Bama fans are up in arms about the suggestion. They, for the life of them, can't understand how a program could even consider doing such a thing.

I find it terribly amusing and I love it that Jay is poking them in the gut.

[dabvu2498]

First of all we're not looking at the greatest recruiting class of all time. Fulmer had some dandies in the 90s. The one with Peyton was one. As I recall it was #1 or #2 by most services. Secondly if Vandy's about to sign their highest rated player as you describe then that really says more about your school than anything.

Specifically I hope you're right and they do get this athlete...just so long as he's not being pillaged from UT. :)

Keep coming around with your logical fallacies about Rodgers' tweets being the source of VU's poor recruiting cycle and you're liable to get some sarcasm.

And the cool thing may be, that this doesn't end up as quite as down a cycle as many are reporting. It will almost certainly be more highly rated than the senior class that just finished. And that turned out pretty well.

[Sea Ray]

Keep coming around with your logical fallacies about Rodgers' tweets being the source of VU's poor recruiting cycle and you're liable to get some sarcasm.

And the cool thing may be, that this doesn't end up as quite as down a cycle as many are reporting. It will almost certainly be more highly rated than the senior class that just finished. And that turned out pretty well.

In the post that you responded to above, I mentioned a late coaching change and made no mention of Aaron Rodger's little bro. So I didn't "keep coming around" as you stated.

Only a Vandy fan would find a silver lining in a 70th rated class

[dabvu2498]

In the post that you responded to above, I mentioned a late coaching change and made no mention of Aaron Rodger's little bro. So I didn't "keep coming around" as you stated.

Only a Vandy fan would find a silver lining in a 70th rated class

Point stands: it's hard to take you seriously when you blame Vandy's recruiting class on Jordan Rodgers.

And at least Signing Day won't be the highlight of VU's football season.

[WVRed]

Any chance Tubman sticks with Vandy. One of UK's recruits supposedly isn't going to have the grades creating an opening for him in Lexington.

[dabvu2498]

Any chance Tubman sticks with Vandy. One of UK's recruits supposedly isn't going to have the grades creating an opening for him in Lexington.

He decommitted from VU after JF left. Last I heard it was down to PSU, UK or Nebraska.

[Sea Ray]

Point stands: it's hard to take you seriously when you blame Vandy's recruiting class on Jordan Rodgers.

And at least Signing Day won't be the highlight of VU's football season.

It's 2014, don't be so sure about that.

Why do you keep saying things that aren't true? Rodgers comments are not the major reason their recruiting class is gonna suck. There are a lot of factors higher on the list to be sure. In respect to you I won't list them all here

[dabvu2498]

Well, it appears VU's recruiting class wasn't totally dead after all. It won't be The Greatest Recruiting Class of All-Time, but Coach Mason has managed to sway a few guys towards Nashville. Tomorrow may provide a nice addition or two as well. And maybe a surprise or two!

[dabvu2498]

Any chance Tubman sticks with Vandy. One of UK's recruits supposedly isn't going to have the grades creating an opening for him in Lexington.

Funny... Reading the PSU boards, they're claiming "grades" as the reason Tubman won't be matriculating at PSU. Who knows?

[WMR]

Supposedly Tubman is a lock for UK... guess we'll see tomorrow.

[dabvu2498]

Supposedly Tubman is a lock for UK... guess we'll see tomorrow.

Sounds like he might be a lock for the merry-go-round. ;)

[jojo]

Ahhhh...recruiting battles....another great thing about the SEC.

Big Ten? Nothing to see really. OSU grabs the best from Ohio and a few guys from elsewhere while a huge void exists between them and number two in the big ten recuiting wise.

They are set up to dominate weakness. The SEC elite (and yes its plural not singular) have a dog fight in every aspect of building a program.

[Todd Gack]

Looks like Bama might be able to sway a commit from Miami . . Chad Thomas. For the sake of burning down our program, I hope he does.

Foldin' needs to go and even losing a local commit like this is just another log on the fire.

[dabvu2498]

Rivals.com lost a lot of money today.

[jojo]

Rivals.com lost a lot of money today.

Might win the "worst timing of the year" award.

[dabvu2498]

Nifae! Nice work by Mason. The class went from horrific to decent in a week and a half. And VU has proven that a program who targets and develops the right kind of talent can have some success, even in the SEC. Stars, be damned. Now coach em up.

[RedTeamGo!]

What happened to Rivals?

[dabvu2498]

What happened to Rivals?

Bombed at about 9 am and hasn't recovered.

[WMR]

Tubman signed with UK.

[Sea Ray]

FYI: Vanderbilt has a visitor that's likely to commit this weekend. Would likely be the highest rated player ever to sign with VU. Rates higher than all but a couple of UT's guys from The Greatest Recuiting Class of All Time.

So who is this mystery guy? Did Vandy sign hm?

[Boston Red]

Alabama #1 again. Ho hum, I suppose.

[dabvu2498]

So who is this mystery guy? Did Vandy sign hm?

http://247sports.com/Player/Nifae-Lealao-23240

[RedTeamGo!]

How in the world did OSU get the best linebacker from the state of Georgia?

[dabvu2498]

Alabama #1 again. Ho hum, I suppose.

And SEC media days expands to 4 days. You wonder if there's a terminal velocity on this stuff.

[dabvu2498]

How in the world did OSU get the best linebacker from the state of Georgia?

Nobody in the South had room under the salary cap?

[RiverRat13]

Big Ten? Nothing to see really. OSU grabs the best from Ohio and a few guys from elsewhere while a huge void exists between them and number two in the big ten recuiting wise.


Ohio State has signed more out-of-state players than players from Ohio the last two seasons. Meyer is recruiting much differently than Tressel did. The B1G's problem is that UK grabbed up a lot of the second level guys OSU didn't offer instead of Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, etc. You have to give Stoops a lot of credit.

[WMR]

Ohio State has signed more out-of-state players than players from Ohio the last two seasons. Meyer is recruiting much differently than Tressel did. The B1G's problem is that UK grabbed up a lot of the second level guys OSU didn't offer instead of Nebraska, Iowa, Purdue, etc. You have to give Stoops a lot of credit.

I've been saying for years that UK needed to make Ohio more of a priority. After Florida, Texas, and California, there isn't a state in the country that produces more quality D-1 football prospects than Ohio.

It's nice to see a staff in place with such strong Ohio roots.

As the northernmost school in the SEC and sharing a border with Ohio, UK has a lot to offer recruits from that state, especially now that a competent coaching staff is in place. The Buckeyes can't take them all and 4 of our recruits had Ohio State offers.

Interesting list from another site, BCS offers for UK signees (according to Rivals):

203 Total BCS offers (not including UK)

ACC - 60
B1G - 62
Big 12 - 15
SEC - 50
PAC - 16

By school

ACC -

BC - 3
Clemson - 3
Duke - 1
Fla St - 2
GTech - 7
Louisville - 13
Maryland - 4
Miami - 4
NC State - 6
UNC - 5
ND - 4
Pitt - 4
Syracuse - 2
Virginia - 1
Wake Forest - 1


B1G -

Illinois - 7
Indiana - 15
Iowa - 3
Michigan St. - 5
Minnesota - 5
Nebraska - 6
Northwestern - 1
Ohio St. - 4
Penn St. - 3
Purdue - 6
Wisconsin - 7

Big 12

Iowa St. - 1
Oklahoma - 1
Okie St - 1
TCU - 1
Texas - 1
Texas Tech - 2
WVU - 8

SEC

Alabama - 2
Arkansas - 3
Auburn - 2
Florida - 2
UGA - 3
LSU - 1
Ole Miss - 6
Miss St - 3
Mizzou - 6
South Carolina - 6
Tennessee - 6
Vandy - 10



PAC

Arizona - 3
Ariz St. - 3
Cal - 1
Colorado - 1
Oregon St. - 1
Stanford - 1
UCLA - 1
USC - 1
Utah - 1
Washington - 1
Wash. St. - 2

[WMR]

This is also the first time I can remember UK so heavily dominating the top instate players. This staff said their top 2 goals were to put a fence up around Kentucky and take the top 4-5 players from this state every year and recruit Ohio extremely hard. So far they're living up to that billing.

[jojo]

This is also the first time I can remember UK so heavily dominating the top instate players. This staff said their top 2 goals were to put a fence up around Kentucky and take the top 4-5 players from this state every year and recruit Ohio extremely hard. So far they're living up to that billing.

Looks like Stoops dominated Indiana head to head too...

[dabvu2498]

Speaking of geography and recruiting... This is kinda fun to play with: http://www.goodbullhunting.com/2014/2/5/5384692/2014-national-signing-day-map-sec-recruiting-geography.

[Boston Red]

Grantland liked Tennessee's class. Then again, I think Grantland is generally terrible.

http://grantland.com/features/tennessee-volunteers-butch-jones-signing-day-2014/

[Sea Ray]

Grantland liked Tennessee's class. Then again, I think Grantland is generally terrible.

http://grantland.com/features/tennessee-volunteers-butch-jones-signing-day-2014/

I don't know of any service that hasn't liked Tennessee's class. We'll see how it works out. Maybe the biggest thing for 2014 won't include this class but will be developing a QB from last year's class. UT recruited a four star athlete at every position (except QB) in 2014. Hard not to like that

[Assembly Hall]

I've been saying for years that UK needed to make Ohio more of a priority. After Florida, Texas, and California, there isn't a state in the country that produces more quality D-1 football prospects than Ohio.

The difference between all those states that you mentioned is that Ohio St. rules the roost in Ohio. Think about it Ohio St., Cincinnati, or a MAC school? The other states have at least three big time programs within them.

But I agree, the Buckeyes cant get them all and Kentucky should have been more focused in the past concerning recruiting Ohio.

[oregonred]

Kentucky is doing exactly what they should by heavily recruiting Ohio for the talent OSU doesn't offer early enough or can't offer. This has worked for Michigan and ND for years at the top end and Wisconsin/MSU in that next tier. Kentucky can battle the second tier B1G football schools (Purdue, IU, Ill, Minn) which are easily outworked on the recruiting front due to their sheer laziness and unwillingness to spend the 25M a year check provided by the B1G (i.e Ohio State and Michigan) to upgrade their programs.

With Meyer now going national and heavily into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and GA/FL the door is more open for Ohio recruits. Second straight year OSU has more non-Buckeyes than out of state - not sure that has ever happened.

Only problem for UK is that Stoops will bolt in 2-3 years if he has any kind of success at UK. Success being 7-5 or better... UK just can't compete with the SEC big boys long term being a basketball school and demographics.

[WMR]

Kentucky is doing exactly what they should by heavily recruiting Ohio for the talent OSU doesn't offer early enough or can't offer. This has worked for Michigan and ND for years at the top end and Wisconsin/MSU in that next tier. Kentucky can battle the second tier B1G football schools (Purdue, IU, Ill, Minn) which are easily outworked on the recruiting front due to their sheer laziness and unwillingness to spend the 25M a year check provided by the B1G (i.e Ohio State and Michigan) to upgrade their programs.

With Meyer now going national and heavily into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and GA/FL the door is more open for Ohio recruits. Second straight year OSU has more non-Buckeyes than out of state - not sure that has ever happened.

Only problem for UK is that Stoops will bolt in 2-3 years if he has any kind of success at UK. Success being 7-5 or better... UK just can't compete with the SEC big boys long term being a basketball school and demographics.

UK just announced 150 million plus for football renovations. IMO, the only schools that Stoops would definitely leave Kentucky for are Ohio State and Michigan (Bama and southern cal)

Aside from those two, there is no better prime spot for him to be located considering where, geographically, his recruiting prowess lies.

[Assembly Hall]

UK just announced 150 million plus for football renovations. IMO, the only schools that Stoops would definitely leave Kentucky for are Ohio State and Michigan (Bama and southern cal)

Aside from those two, there is no better prime spot for him to be located considering where, geographically, his recruiting prowess lies.


Keeps going like it is going and that Michigan job is gonna be open soon!!!!!!

[dabvu2498]

Kentucky is doing exactly what they should by heavily recruiting Ohio for the talent OSU doesn't offer early enough or can't offer. This has worked for Michigan and ND for years at the top end and Wisconsin/MSU in that next tier. Kentucky can battle the second tier B1G football schools (Purdue, IU, Ill, Minn) which are easily outworked on the recruiting front due to their sheer laziness and unwillingness to spend the 25M a year check provided by the B1G (i.e Ohio State and Michigan) to upgrade their programs.

With Meyer now going national and heavily into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and GA/FL the door is more open for Ohio recruits. Second straight year OSU has more non-Buckeyes than out of state - not sure that has ever happened.

Only problem for UK is that Stoops will bolt in 2-3 years if he has any kind of success at UK. Success being 7-5 or better... UK just can't compete with the SEC big boys long term being a basketball school and demographics.

Actually going 7-5 will be the bigger challenge than holding on to Stoops.

[oregonred]

Kentucky can spend to out recruit the second tier B1G and ACC that won't commit to football, but will never be able to compete long term in the SEC. Demographics are not on Kentucky's side for college football. They have the Tennessee and Arkansas in-state talent problem on a bigger scale. Tough to go out of state consistently to compete for top talent across the board vs. the bigger CFB brand names.

UT won't be down forever and Vanderbilt is no longer a pushover. Agree 7-5 is the bigger challenge than keeping Stoops.

[WMR]

Out of the Top 9 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 3/9 for 33%
Ohio State 4/9 for 44%
Michigan 1/9 for 11%

Out of the Top 20 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 5/20 for 25%
Ohio State 7/20 for 35%
Michigan 1/20 for 5%

Out of the Top 25 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 7/25 for 28%
Ohio State 7/25 for 28%
Michigan 1/25 for 4%

[Boston Red]

This is an odd little article, but it sounds like an ACC/SEC scheduling partnership may be in the works.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10419715/acc-eyes-schedule-includes-one-sec-game-every-year

[oregonred]

Out of the Top 9 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 3/9 for 33%
Ohio State 4/9 for 44%
Michigan 1/9 for 11%

Out of the Top 20 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 5/20 for 25%
Ohio State 7/20 for 35%
Michigan 1/20 for 5%

Out of the Top 25 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 7/25 for 28%
Ohio State 7/25 for 28%
Michigan 1/25 for 4%

Not sure where you are getting this, 24/7 doesn't have any UK commits in the top 10 and Scout doesn't have any in the top 15. If you are saying Kentucky is going to beat out OSU for the creme de la creme from Ohio than you are living in Dreamland. Stoops has deep Ohio ties, but he's not a miracle worker.

The top 8-10 kids consistently in all the services are OSU cleaning the top 5-6 kids with some Michigan, ND and Alabama thrown in. Unless academic issues or an off-case, OSU is only going to lose targeted in-state talent to other CFB powerhouse brands. UK targeting the kids outside the top 10 makes a ton of sense - they should be able to beat schools like Minnesota and Iowa in many cases based on distance alone.

Ohio was considered down for talent this year. Kentucky cleaned the clock of the B1G lazy and underachieving second tier. No question about that.

[KronoRed]

This is an odd little article, but it sounds like an ACC/SEC scheduling partnership may be in the works.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10419715/acc-eyes-schedule-includes-one-sec-game-every-year

Going to really be stretching it for some games..

Florida/fsu
Georgia/Ga Tech
USCe/Clemson
KY/Louisville
Vandy/Wake
Tenn/NC..not a bad match, border states.
Aubie/NC State..tigers and wolves.
A&M/Vir Tech
Ala/ Scum?
Missy/ Pitt?
MissySt/Duke?
LSU/ BC?
Arky/ Syracuse?
Mizzy/Virginia?

[dabvu2498]

Isn't Notre Dame getting in the ACC scheduling mix also? Those could be some seriously challenging schedules.

[WVRed]

The difference between all those states that you mentioned is that Ohio St. rules the roost in Ohio. Think about it Ohio St., Cincinnati, or a MAC school? The other states have at least three big time programs within them.

But I agree, the Buckeyes cant get them all and Kentucky should have been more focused in the past concerning recruiting Ohio.

UK has one card to play with that the other schools in the B1G, including Ohio State, can't contend with. Playing in the SEC. Right now UK is still a doormat but if Stoops keeps getting good recruiting classes and coaching them up and it's reflected by record, higher profile recruits are going to take notice. Especially if Ohio State continues the trend of losing to top teams when it matters most.

You can still play close to home, play in a conference that churns out top NFL prospects, play more top tier teams any given week, or play in a conference where one team dominates most of the season and gets exposed come January. This is contingent on UK turning it around, which could be 2-3 years.






Kentucky is doing exactly what they should by heavily recruiting Ohio for the talent OSU doesn't offer early enough or can't offer. This has worked for Michigan and ND for years at the top end and Wisconsin/MSU in that next tier. Kentucky can battle the second tier B1G football schools (Purdue, IU, Ill, Minn) which are easily outworked on the recruiting front due to their sheer laziness and unwillingness to spend the 25M a year check provided by the B1G (i.e Ohio State and Michigan) to upgrade their programs.

With Meyer now going national and heavily into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and GA/FL the door is more open for Ohio recruits. Second straight year OSU has more non-Buckeyes than out of state - not sure that has ever happened.

Only problem for UK is that Stoops will bolt in 2-3 years if he has any kind of success at UK. Success being 7-5 or better... UK just can't compete with the SEC big boys long term being a basketball school and demographics.

If Stoops bolts, Neal Brown likely steps into place and the world keeps on spinning. I think Brown gets a head coaching opportunity if Stoops does leave and hopefully it's at Kentucky. I don't see Stoops being here longterm, just hoping he leaves the program in better shape than Joker.

Honestly, I'd be more worried if we lost Vince Marrow over anybody.

[Sea Ray]

UK has one card to play with that the other schools in the B1G, including Ohio State, can't contend with. Playing in the SEC. Right now UK is still a doormat but if Stoops keeps getting good recruiting classes and coaching them up and it's reflected by record, higher profile recruits are going to take notice. Especially if Ohio State continues the trend of losing to top teams when it matters most.

You can still play close to home, play in a conference that churns out top NFL prospects, play more top tier teams any given week, or play in a conference where one team dominates most of the season and gets exposed come January. This is contingent on UK turning it around, which could be 2-3 years.







If Stoops bolts, Neal Brown likely steps into place and the world keeps on spinning. I think Brown gets a head coaching opportunity if Stoops does leave and hopefully it's at Kentucky. I don't see Stoops being here longterm, just hoping he leaves the program in better shape than Joker.

Honestly, I'd be more worried if we lost Vince Marrow over anybody.

What hurts Kentucky now is the same thing that's been there since the days of Bear Bryant and Adolph Rupp. It's that football will always be the red headed stepchild to basketball. If you're a football star, is that where you want to spend your college years? Most would rather be the big man on campus. The school wasn't big enough for Rupp and Bryant so guess who leaves? The football coach for sure.

I've seen it at Tennessee. I was at a Booster banquet once and counted 15 fans in line to get Fulmer's autograph and get to speak with him. Basketball Coach Peterson? Zilch. There was no line to see him. Occasionally one person at a time would go see him but he looked awfully lonely compared to the football coach. Now how many top notch coaches will put up with that? How many recruits?

[LoganBuck]

UK has one card to play with that the other schools in the B1G, including Ohio State, can't contend with. Playing in the SEC. Right now UK is still a doormat but if Stoops keeps getting good recruiting classes and coaching them up and it's reflected by record, higher profile recruits are going to take notice. Especially if Ohio State continues the trend of losing to top teams when it matters most.

You can still play close to home, play in a conference that churns out top NFL prospects, play more top tier teams any given week, or play in a conference where one team dominates most of the season and gets exposed come January. This is contingent on UK turning it around, which could be 2-3 years.


As our dear friend Ochocinco would say "Child Please." You aren't going to convince top tier Ohio kids to spurn Ohio State Football, unless they grew up rooting for another school (most likely Notre Dame, or Michigan) I found it hilarious when Kentucky fans got their hopes up about the kids from Glenville this year. There have been two kids from Glenville in the last 15 years that didn't go to Ohio State, that had Ohio State offers, out of 26. 1 went to USC, and the other was convinced of early WR playing time at Illinois, during the Ron Zook regime. Think about it. If a kid that grows up in Kentucky is good enough to warrant a UK or even Louisville offer for basketball, is he going to spurn his own favorite to go play at a inferior team like Penn State, because the Big Ten is a better basketball conference?

Ohio State will look a lot different this coming season. Urban will have more of his recruits than Jim Tressel's, on the roster. A storm is coming.

[oregonred]

UK has one card to play with that the other schools in the B1G, including Ohio State, can't contend with. Playing in the SEC. Right now UK is still a doormat but if Stoops keeps getting good recruiting classes and coaching them up and it's reflected by record, higher profile recruits are going to take notice. Especially if Ohio State continues the trend of losing to top teams when it matters most.

You can still play close to home, play in a conference that churns out top NFL prospects, play more top tier teams any given week, or play in a conference where one team dominates most of the season and gets exposed come January. This is contingent on UK turning it around, which could be 2-3 years.

More SEC delusion. Ten other SEC piglets wanting to be invited to the Saban, Meyer, Spurrier and now Malzahn party... By your criteria Mississippi State should be a national powerhouse soon.

OSU went 6-4 in BCS games over 15 yrs. UK once won a Sugar Bowl with Bear Bryant in 1951. I watch a fair amount of CFB and can't honestly recall seeing Kentucky football on TV in a meaningful game in my lifetime. UK football fans talking any smack about OSU is LOL funny.

[dabvu2498]

What hurts Kentucky now is the same thing that's been there since the days of Bear Bryant and Adolph Rupp. It's that football will always be the red headed stepchild to basketball. If you're a football star, is that where you want to spend your college years? Most would rather be the big man on campus. The school wasn't big enough for Rupp and Bryant so guess who leaves? The football coach for sure.

I've seen it at Tennessee. I was at a Booster banquet once and counted 15 fans in line to get Fulmer's autograph and get to speak with him. Basketball Coach Peterson? Zilch. There was no line to see him. Occasionally one person at a time would go see him but he looked awfully lonely compared to the football coach. Now how many top notch coaches will put up with that? How many recruits?

Did Pearl mind?

[Sea Ray]

Did Pearl mind?

Obviously it was Buzz Peterson and not Pearl. Pearl was the best UT has had in handling this phenomena

[dabvu2498]

Obviously it was Buzz Peterson and not Pearl. Pearl was the best UT has had in handling this phenomena

Other guys have handled it too. Donovan and Matta come to mind. Football and basketball can coexist at elite levels at the same school. Particularly if the school is willing to treat both of them in an elite way.

[oregonred]

Matta at OSU and Donovan at UF have been hands down the best "basketball coaches at football factory" coaches over the last decade. Both of those guys don't seek the limelight but are elite coaches that just get the job done year after year. I can't imagine a more perfect fit for either program than those two guys. Both thrive off the football programs and success for recruiting. No coach with an ego is going to last long at a football powerhouse.

[IslandRed]

Higher profile recruits are going to take notice. Especially if Ohio State continues the trend of losing to top teams when it matters most.

I could be totally wrong, but my suspicion is that the playoff will have a bit of a leveling factor across the college football landscape. Things run in cycles, and there's going to be so much attention spent on the playoff and its participants by the ESPNs of the world... I just feel like, over the next few years, the biggest selling point for any program will become a realistic chance to get into the playoff. This won't affect the Alabamas of the world, but it may take some wind out of the sails of the SEC's mid-tier programs that have been recruiting at historically high levels. When it comes to the playoff, whatever Ohio State's recent foibles, they can get there and everyone knows it. It would be very difficult for Kentucky to make that sale, much as I'd like to see Stoops lead the program to that level.

[jojo]

This story is really old news given the modern newscycle (this was common knowledge in Auburn Satruday morning) but it does make for an interesting decision:


Kalvaraz Bessent, a 4-star prospect from Kingsland, Ga. who was rated as the nation's No. 13 cornerback, was arrested in Nassau County, Fla. on Friday night and charged with two felony counts of possession of marijuana and possession with intent, according to Brandon Marcello of AL.com.

According to the report, Bessent was riding in a car with three other passengers that was pulled over. Officers found 202.5 grams of marijuana under the driver's and passenger's seats when they searched the vehicle, and arrested all four occupants on the same charges since none of them claimed ownership of the drugs.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1954620-auburns-gus-malzahn-has-a-difficult-decision-to-make-with-kalvaraz-bessent

My take? I kind of doubt it (200 grams packaged to sell) was Bessent's given his family upbringing, but I also kind of doubt he was niave concerning what his "friends" do for fun and profit. With a good lawyer and alot of his parents' cash, he's not likely to be convicted of the two felonies he is charged with but that is a different story than potential consequences concerning his scholarship status.

Gus has shown a willingness to give players a second chance as well as a willingness to send guys packing for breaking rules. Stars aren't going to matter here IMHO but one wonders how it will play out.

I guess it's important to know what the facts are. As the facts stand know, it's pretty tough to argue Bessent is blameless. If he does remain with the team, he's not going to have a leash of any length.

[jojo]

Arkansas just hired Robb Smith as their new DC in a move that should help them build a formidable defense.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/79411/arkansas-hires-robb-smith-as-new-dc

[jojo]

Top ten states with the most Div 1 football signees expressed on a per capita basis:

Per capita:

1 per....

Georgia - 44,595
Louisiana - 48,421
Florida - 53,611
Alabama - 59,259
Texas - 64,885
Ohio - 74,193
Virginia - 108,000
N Carolina - 114,117
California - 139,705
Illinois - 173,986

[RedTeamGo!]

Top ten states with the most Div 1 football signees expressed on a per capita basis:

Per capita:

1 per....

Georgia - 44,595
Louisiana - 48,421
Florida - 53,611
Alabama - 59,259
Texas - 64,885
Ohio - 74,193
Virginia - 108,000
N Carolina - 114,117
California - 139,705
Illinois - 173,986

Is this for 2014 only or does this go back a certain amount of years?

Interesting California is 1 per 140,000 - I would have assumed they would be higher.

[bucksfan2]

Top ten states with the most Div 1 football signees expressed on a per capita basis:

Per capita:

1 per....

Georgia - 44,595
Louisiana - 48,421
Florida - 53,611
Alabama - 59,259
Texas - 64,885
Ohio - 74,193
Virginia - 108,000
N Carolina - 114,117
California - 139,705
Illinois - 173,986

I wonder if Ohio is disproportionately high? With all the D1 Mac schools, who get a lot of their recruits locally, I wonder if that drives up the number.

[Boston Red]

Is that just I-A, or does it include I-AA as well?

I know they changed the names of the divisions, but I don't like or use the new names.

[dabvu2498]

I wonder if Ohio is disproportionately high? With all the D1 Mac schools, who get a lot of their recruits locally, I wonder if that drives up the number.

I'd say Louisiana and Alabama benefit from that as well.

[LoganBuck]

I wonder if Ohio is disproportionately high? With all the D1 Mac schools, who get a lot of their recruits locally, I wonder if that drives up the number.

Pretty much in line with the number of players from Ohio in the NFL.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-09-18/nfl-players-state-by-state-breakdown-california-florida-louisiana-texas-south-ca

[jojo]

This has got to be some kind of record... 9 Vols arrested....

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/10/university-of-tennessee-nine-house-party-arrests-vols/

[Boston Red]

This has got to be some kind of record... 9 Vols arrested....

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/10/university-of-tennessee-nine-house-party-arrests-vols/

This is why they needed 33 recruits in their class.

[WVRed]

This has got to be some kind of record... 9 Vols arrested....

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/10/university-of-tennessee-nine-house-party-arrests-vols/

It's ok, they still got weapons.

That joke never gets old.

[oregonred]

Some great mug shots... Never a good thing when you have two more players arrested than conference wins over the last four seasons... Can I get a "Rocky Top"?

[dabvu2498]

This has got to be some kind of record... 9 Vols arrested....

http://www.tmz.com/2014/02/10/university-of-tennessee-nine-house-party-arrests-vols/

To be fair (and Lord knows I hate being fair to UT), I believe only 3 of them got arrested. The others got citations.

[WVRed]

As our dear friend Ochocinco would say "Child Please." You aren't going to convince top tier Ohio kids to spurn Ohio State Football, unless they grew up rooting for another school (most likely Notre Dame, or Michigan) I found it hilarious when Kentucky fans got their hopes up about the kids from Glenville this year. There have been two kids from Glenville in the last 15 years that didn't go to Ohio State, that had Ohio State offers, out of 26. 1 went to USC, and the other was convinced of early WR playing time at Illinois, during the Ron Zook regime. Think about it. If a kid that grows up in Kentucky is good enough to warrant a UK or even Louisville offer for basketball, is he going to spurn his own favorite to go play at a inferior team like Penn State, because the Big Ten is a better basketball conference?

Ohio State will look a lot different this coming season. Urban will have more of his recruits than Jim Tressel's, on the roster. A storm is coming.

If a kid is offered between Kentucky and Ohio State right now from the state of Ohio, Kentucky would lose every single time. I'm not even going to debate that. However, if Kentucky continues to solidify their in state recruiting class and cherry pick the leftovers from Ohio, the talent level will improve leading to more wins and recognition. Think top flight recruits won't take notice?

Of course this is more contingent on actually winning and keeping Stoops around long enough, or if Neal Brown takes over and continues the success.

I don't buy the Penn State analogy, although I see where you are coming from. UK is making improvements to their football facilities and showing more of a commitment to football. Ohio State and Florida have become successful in both sports, so it is possible.

I would even argue Baylor or Oregon for reference. At one point in time nobody wanted to play there, but they hired coaches who changed the culture and the school bought in and provided the resources for state of the art improvements. Just get the kids on campus and hope for the best, especially with the offense Kentucky is looking to build.





More SEC delusion. Ten other SEC piglets wanting to be invited to the Saban, Meyer, Spurrier and now Malzahn party... By your criteria Mississippi State should be a national powerhouse soon.

OSU went 6-4 in BCS games over 15 yrs. UK once won a Sugar Bowl with Bear Bryant in 1951. I watch a fair amount of CFB and can't honestly recall seeing Kentucky football on TV in a meaningful game in my lifetime. UK football fans talking any smack about OSU is LOL funny.

You forgot Les Miles and Kevin Sullinger. :-) Even then, I'm sure it's better than the Brady Hoke, Kirk Ferentz, Mark Dantonio, and Urban Meyer party.

I summed it up above but it bears repeating, Kentucky isn't going to challenge Ohio State for top recruits in Ohio right now, but if Stoops keeps building on the last two classes and replenishes the talent on the roster and Kentucky makes improvements and can keep everything intact, it COULD happen. That being said, its a lot to ask and I'm not sure it can be done.

SEC delusion? I'm thinking Big Ten Little Brother syndrome.

[RedTeamGo!]

I summed it up above but it bears repeating, Kentucky isn't going to challenge Ohio State for top recruits in Ohio right now, but if Stoops keeps building on the last two classes and replenishes the talent on the roster and Kentucky makes improvements and can keep everything intact, it COULD happen. That being said, its a lot to ask and I'm not sure it can be done.

SEC delusion? I'm thinking Big Ten Little Brother syndrome.

Kentucky is never ever ever ever going to challenge Ohio State for top Ohio recruits. It is not SEC delusion it is just WVRed delusion. This is like a George Tech fan thinking they are going to challenge Florida State and Florida for the top recruits in Florida. It is laughable.

Kentucky will continue fighting over the leftovers in Ohio with Cinci, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern and MSU. If top recruits from Ohio are going anywhere other than OSU it will be to the likes of ND, UM, and if they are good enough top SEC or PAC 10 schools. When I was in high school a big recruit from a rival high school chose USC (the TE on the Redskins Fred Davis).

Another factor here, with MSU just winning a rose bowl, you will have better ohio recruits going to MSU, and it still will not be the cream of the crop.

[jojo]

If OSU wants an Ohio recruit, it's likely going to get them owing a rare recruit who choses KY for some particular unique reasons (family ties, unique relationship with his recruiter etc).

I'd pull an estimate out of my back pocket that OSU would win 95 out of 100 recruiting battles against KY for OSU takes in OSU's fishing hole. I could see a four star maybe picking KY because of playing time, but any player who thinks he's on track to play in the NFL, is likely going to sign with OSU over KY.

If the SEC is the key in with a top recruit, KY would likely get out competed for that recruit by other SEC teams.

[dabvu2498]

The one "5 star" guy from Ohio that I can remember UK getting was Antonio Hall from McKinley about 10-12 years ago. (And back to a prior topic, he might have been UK's most highly rated signee ever.)

[WMR]

Kentucky is never ever ever ever going to challenge Ohio State for top Ohio recruits. It is not SEC delusion it is just WVRed delusion. This is like a George Tech fan thinking they are going to challenge Florida State and Florida for the top recruits in Florida. It is laughable.

Kentucky will continue fighting over the leftovers in Ohio with Cinci, Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern and MSU. If top recruits from Ohio are going anywhere other than OSU it will be to the likes of ND, UM, and if they are good enough top SEC or PAC 10 schools. When I was in high school a big recruit from a rival high school chose USC (the TE on the Redskins Fred Davis).

Another factor here, with MSU just winning a rose bowl, you will have better ohio recruits going to MSU, and it still will not be the cream of the crop.

UK had the 2nd best group of signees from Ohio coming off back to back 2 win seasons...

UK will take a back seat to OSU on most top recruits from Ohio but it ends there, IMO, with this staff and their deep Ohio roots in place.

[WMR]

As our dear friend Ochocinco would say "Child Please." You aren't going to convince top tier Ohio kids to spurn Ohio State Football, unless they grew up rooting for another school (most likely Notre Dame, or Michigan) I found it hilarious when Kentucky fans got their hopes up about the kids from Glenville this year. There have been two kids from Glenville in the last 15 years that didn't go to Ohio State, that had Ohio State offers, out of 26. 1 went to USC, and the other was convinced of early WR playing time at Illinois, during the Ron Zook regime. Think about it. If a kid that grows up in Kentucky is good enough to warrant a UK or even Louisville offer for basketball, is he going to spurn his own favorite to go play at a inferior team like Penn State, because the Big Ten is a better basketball conference?

Ohio State will look a lot different this coming season. Urban will have more of his recruits than Jim Tressel's, on the roster. A storm is coming.

How many basketball championships has the Big 10 won in the past 20 years? The SEC has 6.

An Urban Meyer led storm is coming? Someone better alert Columbus PD immediately. ;)

[RedTeamGo!]

How many basketball championships has the Big 10 won in the past 20 years? The SEC has 6.

An Urban Meyer led storm is coming? Someone better alert Columbus PD immediately. ;)

Do you really think the SEC is a better basketball conference, or are you just yanking our chain?

The SEC is strong at the very top (Kentucky and Florida) but total garbage after that. The B1G goes about 7 or 8 deep with at least 4 final four contenders every single year.

Michigan St
Michigan
OSU
Wisconsin
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Iowa

even Minnesota has been solid lately.

[RedTeamGo!]

UK had the 2nd best group of signees from Ohio coming off back to back 2 win seasons...

UK will take a back seat to OSU on most top recruits from Ohio but it ends there, IMO, with this staff and their deep Ohio roots in place.

I have some excellent beachfront property for sale to you in the exotic country of Somalia.

[WMR]

I have some excellent beachfront property for sale to you in the exotic country of Somalia.

Can you dispute that UK signed the 2nd best class of Ohio recruits this year?

Not sure what's so crazy about the idea that Marrow and Stoops could be the 2nd most powerful recruiting force in Ohio moving forward.

BTW: UK's class would have ranked 3rd in the B10 this year, only a couple spots behind Michigan.

[WMR]

Do you really think the SEC is a better basketball conference, or are you just yanking our chain?

The SEC is strong at the very top (Kentucky and Florida) but total garbage after that. The B1G goes about 7 or 8 deep with at least 4 final four contenders every single year.

Michigan St
Michigan
OSU
Wisconsin
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Iowa

even Minnesota has been solid lately.

The SEC has historically gotten it done when it matters most, especially compared to the B10.

The B10 gets lots of hype every season because their teams are chronically overrated and get more and more hype as they beat up on one another in the conference season. (Same thing happens to Kansas practically every single year... explains why KU is chronically overseeded and habitually loses to a team that no one thinks they have any business losing to.)

Not really much to toot about if your conference has only won a single title in a sport since the 80s...

[jojo]

I think KY can very successfully recruit in Ohio, and indeed, it's probably an imperative that they do. That's a different thing than competing with OSU successfully head to head on the recruiting trail in Ohio. But KY doesn't really need to. They need to beat the Cincy's etc in Ohio. OSU can't sign everyone and Ohio is a deep fishing hole. Meyer is actually giving KY an in by focusing more on national recruiting.

[dabvu2498]

Is the "second tier" of Ohio recruits good enough to compete in the SEC?

[Assembly Hall]

Is the "second tier" of Ohio recruits good enough to compete in the SEC?

Depends on the term "compete".

[WMR]

Is the "second tier" of Ohio recruits good enough to compete in the SEC?

I don't consider 4 stars or 5.7 and 5.8 3 stars "second tier".

And it's not like that's the only place they'll recruit. Get the top 4-5 kids from KY every year and other 3 and 4 stars from elsewhere etc...

There's a huge difference between the #1 class and the #25 class.

There's not much of a gulf between the #15 class and the #8 class.

[Boston Red]

Get the top 4-5 kids from KY every year

That's not particularly realistic either.

[Assembly Hall]

The SEC has historically gotten it done when it matters most, especially compared to the B10.

The B10 gets lots of hype every season because their teams are chronically overrated and get more and more hype as they beat up on one another in the conference season. (Same thing happens to Kansas practically every single year... explains why KU is chronically overseeded and habitually loses to a team that no one thinks they have any business losing to.)

Not really much to toot about if your conference has only won a single title in a sport since the 80s...

Historically then by your logic the PAC-12 is a better b-ball conference than the SEC.

[dabvu2498]

I don't consider 4 stars or 5.7 and 5.8 3 stars "second tier".

And it's not like that's the only place they'll recruit. Get the top 4-5 kids from KY every year and other 3 and 4 stars from elsewhere etc...

There's a huge difference between the #1 class and the #25 class.

There's not much of a gulf between the #15 class and the #8 class.

UK got 1 4 star from Ohio (out of 17). They did do a nice job with the "second tier" guys from Ohio (25-50 ranked). http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/Recruits?Player.Enabled=True&Player.Hometown.State.Key=14&Recruitment.Enabled=False

I'm just not sure that's enough.

And fact of the matter is, the "new" of Stoops and Co. will wear off quick on the recruiting trail if they don't win. And I'm not seeing the wins, even with the upgrade in talent from this class.

[Sea Ray]

Historically then by your logic the PAC-12 is a better b-ball conference than the SEC.

Historically's a long time. I think it's much more practical to limit such comparisons to 20 yrs

[Sea Ray]

Historically then by your logic the PAC-12 is a better b-ball conference than the SEC.

Historically's a long time. I think it's much more practical to limit such comparisons to 20 yrs

[WMR]

UK got 1 4 star from Ohio (out of 17). They did do a nice job with the "second tier" guys from Ohio (25-50 ranked). http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/Recruits?Player.Enabled=True&Player.Hometown.State.Key=14&Recruitment.Enabled=False

I'm just not sure that's enough.

And fact of the matter is, the "new" of Stoops and Co. will wear off quick on the recruiting trail if they don't win. And I'm not seeing the wins, even with the upgrade in talent from this class.

Out of the Top 9 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 3/9 for 33%
Ohio State 4/9 for 44%
Michigan 1/9 for 11%

Out of the Top 20 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 5/20 for 25%
Ohio State 7/20 for 35%
Michigan 1/20 for 5%

Out of the Top 25 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 7/25 for 28%
Ohio State 7/25 for 28%
Michigan 1/25 for 4%


I'm calling for 4-5 wins this season... At least 7 the year after that... That's plenty enough of an upward progression to keep recruiting at a high level considering the cluster Stoops inherited.

[WMR]

Historically's a long time. I think it's much more practical to limit such comparisons to 20 yrs

UT has beaten the Gators 7 of 8 in kville... Please continue that dominance tonight. :D

UT favored by 1.

[dabvu2498]

Out of the Top 9 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 3/9 for 33%
Ohio State 4/9 for 44%
Michigan 1/9 for 11%

Out of the Top 20 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 5/20 for 25%
Ohio State 7/20 for 35%
Michigan 1/20 for 5%

Out of the Top 25 Ohio Recruits
Kentucky 7/25 for 28%
Ohio State 7/25 for 28%
Michigan 1/25 for 4%


I'm calling for 4-5 wins this season... At least 7 the year after that... That's plenty enough of an upward progression to keep recruiting at a high level considering the cluster Stoops inherited.

According to 247, they got 1 of the top 25 from Ohio. http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/Recruits?Player.Enabled=True&Player.Hometown.State.Key=14&Recruitment.Enabled=False

At least 7 wins in 2015? Yow. At least you're tempering expectations.

[WMR]

According to 247, they got 1 of the top 25 from Ohio. http://247sports.com/Season/2014-Football/Recruits?Player.Enabled=True&Player.Hometown.State.Key=14&Recruitment.Enabled=False

At least 7 wins in 2015? Yow. At least you're tempering expectations.

Rivals >>>>>> 247 IMO

[dabvu2498]

Rivals >>>>>> 247 IMO

Of course. They're better to UK.

[jojo]

Is the "second tier" of Ohio recruits good enough to compete in the SEC?

Well one needs to define "compete". But I think three and four star athletes that are developed can compete in the SEC.

[Assembly Hall]

Historically's a long time. I think it's much more practical to limit such comparisons to 20 yrs

I am not the one that used the term "historically" to begin with for debate.

[Assembly Hall]

Of course. They're better to UK.

Now that just made my day!!!!!!!!!

[dabvu2498]

Well one needs to define "compete". But I think three and four star athletes that are developed can compete in the SEC.

Here's the thing? Who's been getting these type kids from Ohio the last few years? (Insert Big 10 school here.)

"SEC fan" the last few years: "What would (insert Big 10 school here)'s record be if they played in the SEC?"

See my point?

[jojo]

Here's the thing? Who's been getting these type kids from Ohio the last few years? (Insert Big 10 school here.)

"SEC fan" the last few years: "What would (insert Big 10 school here)'s record be if they played in the SEC?"

See my point?

I'd rather fish in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Alabama. But Ohio is a really good fishing ground too. It just can't sustain an entire conference. And we know that Meyer hasn't started recruiting nationally simply because he's bored with Ohio and wants to meet new people.

But KY can go a long way to building depth by recruiting Ohio agressively. They have a more logical "in" with Ohio than they do Georgia and KY out to be ably to compete with Illinois, Indiana, Cincy, mid-Americans etc alot better than Bama/Auburn/Georgia/FSU/Florida/Clemson etc. There's no reason why KY can't do what Vandy has done the last three years but they need to agressively fish Ohio. It just doesn't make sense for them not to IMHO.

[Sea Ray]

UT has beaten the Gators 7 of 8 in kville... Please continue that dominance tonight. :D

UT favored by 1.

We do seem to have their number in Knoxville

[Sea Ray]

I am not the one that used the term "historically" to begin with for debate.

I thought this post started the debate:
How many basketball championships has the Big 10 won in the past 20 years? The SEC has 6.

An Urban Meyer led storm is coming? Someone better alert Columbus PD immediately. ;)

[Assembly Hall]

The SEC has historically gotten it done when it matters most, especially compared to the B10.

The B10 gets lots of hype every season because their teams are chronically overrated and get more and more hype as they beat up on one another in the conference season. (Same thing happens to Kansas practically every single year... explains why KU is chronically overseeded and habitually loses to a team that no one thinks they have any business losing to.)

Not really much to toot about if your conference has only won a single title in a sport since the 80s...

No ray.....this is it.

[Assembly Hall]

Here's the thing? Who's been getting these type kids from Ohio the last few years? (Insert Big 10 school here.)

"SEC fan" the last few years: "What would (insert Big 10 school here)'s record be if they played in the SEC?"

See my point?

LOL....I know exactly what you are saying. To look upon the "second tier" as salvation aint the answer.

[RedTeamGo!]

The SEC has historically gotten it done when it matters most, especially compared to the B10.

The B10 gets lots of hype every season because their teams are chronically overrated and get more and more hype as they beat up on one another in the conference season. (Same thing happens to Kansas practically every single year... explains why KU is chronically overseeded and habitually loses to a team that no one thinks they have any business losing to.)

Not really much to toot about if your conference has only won a single title in a sport since the 80s...

You keep saying sec buts it's just Kentucky and Florida. I understand Arkansas won a title 20 years ago but they are garbage now.

Florida won back to back titles with an insane recruiting class that stuck together. Amazing team for sure, but since then they have disappointed. Before Coach Shady came around Kentucky was mediocre for quote some time. The big 10 is a much deeper conference that sends multiple teams deep into the tourney every single year.

[dabvu2498]

I'd rather fish in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Alabama. But Ohio is a really good fishing ground too. It just can't sustain an entire conference. And we know that Meyer hasn't started recruiting nationally simply because he's bored with Ohio and wants to meet new people.


My point exactly... I think the fish in Ohio have been overrated for a while.


KY out to be ably to compete with Illinois, Indiana, Cincy, mid-Americans etc alot better than Bama/Auburn/Georgia/FSU/Florida/Clemson etc.

Who are they competing with on the field?

[Assembly Hall]

You keep saying sec buts it's just Kentucky and Florida. I understand Arkansas won a title 20 years ago but they are garbage now.

Florida won back to back titles with an insane recruiting class that stuck together. Amazing team for sure, but since then they have disappointed. Before Coach Shady came around Kentucky was mediocre for quote some time. The big 10 is a much deeper conference that sends multiple teams deep into the tourney every single year.

And "historically" has almost doubled FF appearances against the SEC. But resistance is futile.

[oregonred]

No ACC teams in the FF since 2010 (that's a shocker). FF's have traditionally been the gold standard in CFB.

In the last 15 years, not counting the subsequent conference movement and Big East implosion... This will become a bit more meaningless when the ACC starts tacking on Louisville and Syracuse...

FF by conference (and breadth)
B1G: 13 (6 programs)
ACC: 11 (4 programs)
Big East: 11 (6 programs, but a mess to track after adding C-USA powerhouses and now booting all the non-Catholics..)
Non BCS: 8
Big 12: 7 (4 programs)
SEC: 6 (3 programs, LSU did sneak in one year)
Pac-12: 4 (two programs)

[oregonred]

Is this for 2014 only or does this go back a certain amount of years?

Interesting California is 1 per 140,000 - I would have assumed they would be higher.

Demographically, California's African American population is about half the national average so the per capita is lower even though the sheer number of recruits and NFL players from the state is high. I assume it is not politically incorrect to point out the obvious...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_African-American_population

Which also highlights Kentucky's main CFB relevance problem compared to its conference peers... Ironically, Kentucky's biggest CFB recruiting trump card is its proximity to Ohio.

[oregonred]

My point exactly... I think the fish in Ohio have been overrated for a while.

I think it is more an issue that the demographics have shifted south and west along with the new goal being to get into the playoffs, not winning the Big Ten. Tressel and Woody favored Ohio recruits and high school ties with a fence. Meyer wants a fence only for the top 8-10 in-state guys, more in an above average talent year.

The NFL list still has Ohio in the top 6 although this has come down in recent years as the population in the SEast and Mid-Atlantic has boomed over the last 20 years. Ohio now represents less than 4% of the population of the US and will soon be passed by Georgia and North Carolina.

[WMR]

Of course. They're better to UK.

Wrong but thanks for being a smartass. :lol:

I understand you're trying to troll every post I make, but rivals spends a ton more on scouting and evaluation than any other service and I've always preferred their work above others.

[WMR]

You keep saying sec buts it's just Kentucky and Florida. I understand Arkansas won a title 20 years ago but they are garbage now.

Florida won back to back titles with an insane recruiting class that stuck together. Amazing team for sure, but since then they have disappointed. Before Coach Shady came around Kentucky was mediocre for quote some time. The big 10 is a much deeper conference that sends multiple teams deep into the tourney every single year.

A buck fan really shouldn't be pointing fingers or calling anyone names... In either sport. :laugh:

[WMR]

Here's the thing? Who's been getting these type kids from Ohio the last few years? (Insert Big 10 school here.)

"SEC fan" the last few years: "What would (insert Big 10 school here)'s record be if they played in the SEC?"

See my point?

If Stoops continues stacking ~ 15th or so rated recruiting classes and they're appropriately coached and conditioned UK can and will compete in the SEC most weeks... Quit obfuscating that overall point and acting like they're recruiting a single state, it's silly.

[jojo]

KY had a good class relative to their program and really relative to the country. 247's composite ranked their 2014 class @ #22 in the nation. That said, the had the 10th highest class in the SEC.

It's tough to see them challenging for an SEC championship if that is their zenith concerning recruiting. That's kind of Mississippi State territory recruiting-wise.

[RedTeamGo!]

A buck fan really shouldn't be pointing fingers or calling anyone names... In either sport. :laugh:

Are you referring to O'Brien?


O'Brien claimed Ohio State improperly fired him and sued the university for $3.5 million in lost wages and benefits. O'Brien argued his loan did not violate NCAA bylaws because he knew Radojevic already had lost his amateur status by playing for money overseas. At trial, Geiger, NCAA lead investigator Steve Duffin both testified that O'Brien made the loan for humanitarian reasons, not as an inducement to get Radojevic to sign with Ohio State. NCAA infractions committee chairman David Swank testified that O'Brien's actions did not violate NCAA rules. A judge found Ohio State had breached the contract and awarded O'Brien $2.4 million. The award was upheld on appeal to the Ohio Court of Appeals and Ohio Supreme Court.[4]


That definitely compares to Callipari's Marcus Camby and Derek Rose final four seasons. :laugh:

[Assembly Hall]

If Stoops continues stacking ~ 15th or so rated recruiting classes and they're appropriately coached and conditioned UK can and will compete in the SEC most weeks... Quit obfuscating that overall point and acting like they're recruiting a single state, it's silly.

"Obfuscating". Wow.

[oregonred]

I see Kentucky has a top 25 RB recruit out of Berea for 2015. It looks to be a toss up between Ohio State and Michigan. With other big boys like Auburn and USC in the mix. That's the kind of recruit Kentucky must keep home in the future.

[Boston Red]

At least Bama doesn't have a monopoly on idiot fans in the state (though they certainly have their fair share and then some!).

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/10443201/rashaan-evans-says-backlash-bad-committing-alabama-crimson-tide-hometown-auburn-tigers

Though I think this kid is really naive when he says that Bama fans will "always have my back." Yeah, until they don't.

[dabvu2498]

Wrong but thanks for being a smartass. :lol:

I understand you're trying to troll every post I make, but rivals spends a ton more on scouting and evaluation than any other service and I've always preferred their work above others.

There's one service that rates UK's Ohio kids that highly -- Rivals. The other sites don't like them nearly as much. I wasn't being a smartass.

And just so you know, my biggest criticism of Mason at VU has been his putting together a staff that has limited experience in the SEC and recruiting the Southeast, particularly ATL and central/western TN. It didn't hurt Franklin (too badly), but again, you have to recruit against the same people you're playing on the field.

And I'm also thinking it's extremely unlikely UK wins 5 games in '14 and 7 in '15. Which means they won't be bringing in "Top 15" recruiting classes.

PS: I dislike embellishment and exaggeration.

[jojo]

At least Bama doesn't have a monopoly on idiot fans in the state (though they certainly have their fair share and then some!).

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/recruiting/football/story/_/id/10443201/rashaan-evans-says-backlash-bad-committing-alabama-crimson-tide-hometown-auburn-tigers

Though I think this kid is really naive when he says that Bama fans will "always have my back." Yeah, until they don't.

The whole story is actually a canard. It was originally started by bama writer Andrew Bone (yes the same Andrew Bone who was caught editing offers on scout to make it look like guys who went elsewhere never got offers from bama).

I don't doubt that Evans can find some negative comments written about him on social media (he couldve found some before signing day). But Evans claims the ACHS education board is being manipulated to get him in trouble, an article was written directing people to not patronize family businesses etc.

Well, lets actually see some reporting (i.e. some actual proof). First the school board idea is silly on it's face. Second, where is this article? Besides, I only know of one business that his family runs (a local package store a few blocks from campus) and is was essentially being cleared out the the morning after signing day in what appeared to be part of the sale of the business. People couldn't boycott the place even if they realized Al Evans owned it. The school board is being manipulated to "get Evans"? Really? Come on. Lets get real. BTW, RE's mother is an extremely well respected person and a leader that Auburn is very proud to be associated with. It just isn't a truthful narrative to suggest the Auburn community is coming after RE and his family with torches and pitchforks.

Here's a more accurate narrative. Evans was the number 2 LBer on Auburn's board. Auburn already got their top target (Williams). Evans however is too small to be a legit nfl DE though he's likely to grow out of the star position (he doesn't have great cover skills anyway) and he wasn't going to compete for early playing time at the other backer spots. That said he's a good enough talent that Auburn legitimately pursued him to the very end. Given the Auburn/Bama battle and RE's prospect status, his dad completely played up the drama and rock star aspect of his son's recruitment which RE clearly enjoyed. RE probably made a smart decision to go to Bama where they'd use him as a true OLB who rushes the QB-a safer route for him to possibly go to the nfl. But now that signing day is over, RE isn't in all of the papers and on the recruiting sites (they're already focusing on 2015 studs). Also I'm sure there's some social media nuts saying mean things. RE is already starving for attention and he found open arms outstretched from Bone and he vented about his lack of love.

Don't paint some poor behavior on twitter as the community coming after Evans. Shame on Mike and Mike for not even questioning things epecially giving some of the accusations are pretty absurd (borderline Selena Roberts absurd).

I'll tell you another little secret about Auburn football message boards..... they are infested with Bama trolls impersonating Auburn fans.

[Assembly Hall]

There's one service that rates UK's Ohio kids that highly -- Rivals. The other sites don't like them nearly as much. I wasn't being a smartass.

And just so you know, my biggest criticism of Mason at VU has been his putting together a staff that has limited experience in the SEC and recruiting the Southeast, particularly ATL and central/western TN. It didn't hurt Franklin (too badly), but again, you have to recruit against the same people you're playing on the field.

And I'm also thinking it's extremely unlikely UK wins 5 games in '14 and 7 in '15. Which means they won't be bringing in "Top 15" recruiting classes.

PS: I dislike embellishment and exaggeration.


LMAO dab!!!!!!!! Lots of big words being thrown around lately by some members. Some of them I hadn't heard in 25 years.

I love reading WMR's posts, they are so objective and neutral. No one can tell he is a UK fan.

But anyways....I wish the B1G would have gone after Vandy to enter the conference.

[dabvu2498]

Paul Johnson had some intersting comments on recruiting:


“Look it up. The same 15 schools have the same top 10 recruiting classes every year. It is what it is. There might be an outlier once every blue moon. The only three teams that have ever won our division are us, Virginia Tech and Duke. I promise, none of us have the recruiting rankings of Miami, North Carolina and Virginia. So that tells me what it’s worth. Everybody can spin it any way they want, and say ‘Alabama wins the national championship because they have the top recruiting rankings.’ I’m not sure which merits which. They get the best players. They always have. Therefore, they are going to have the highest-ranked recruiting classes. Do you think anybody can really, really, really tell you who the No. 56 offensive guard in the country is? Honestly? I couldn’t tell you who the No. 6 guard in Atlanta is. Now I can tell you who the five best players are, maybe. But once it gets past four or five, then it’s a crapshoot. And sometimes the guys who are the five prospects in Atlanta don’t end up being the five best players in college. Sometimes they do. But the bottom line is that it comes down to how many games you win.”

“They get good players. The recruiting rankings on 5-star guys, they are probably right. My wife could probably pick out who is a 5-star guy. But there’s only so many in the country. But it’s like, Alabama has more 5-stars than the whole Big Ten conference, so they are going to be pretty good. What I’m saying you don’t have to look at recruiting rankings to know that Alabama is pretty good if you watch them play.”

"It is based on numbers. It is based on how many you sign. If somebody in our league signs 32, then they are going to have a higher-ranked class than somebody who signs 21. It doesn’t matter about the quality or whatever; they are going to be ranked higher. I think for the first 10 teams, it might be realistic. But after that, I think it’s a crapshoot. It’s like the best players. You might be able to pick out the best 10 players in the country. But after that? You’re going to pick out the best 300? Yeah, come one. I’ve got a staff of 20 guys, and we couldn’t tell you the best 100 players in Atlanta. Because once you get by 25, it’s a crapshoot. They are all the same. But that’s just my take on it.”

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/college/q-johnson-discusses-jackets-recruiting-class/ndL8k/

Lots of truth there.

[dabvu2498]

But anyways....I wish the B1G would have gone after Vandy to enter the conference.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[KronoRed]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

You guys would have jumped and you know it ;)

[dabvu2498]

You guys would have jumped and you know it ;)

Yeeks. I hope not.

[dabvu2498]

Proposed rule changes: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/football-rules-committee-slightly-adjusts-targeting-rule-defensive

Don't like the substitution rule... But the targeting rule was total crap. It needs heavy modification. Not sure if they're going to get it right though.

[oregonred]

Yeeks. I hope not.

The B1G is much more than an athletic conference via the CIC academic consortium of top research universities. The current members plus original member the University of Chicago and soon Johns Hopkins.

The faculty and administration at Vanderbilt would probably kill to be a part of the CIC. Vanderbilt has always seemed out of place in the SEC academically and as a private school (ACC would probably be perfect).

[jojo]

The B1G is much more than an athletic conference via the CIC academic consortium of top research universities. The current members plus original member the University of Chicago and soon Johns Hopkins.

The faculty and administration at Vanderbilt would probably kill to be a part of the CIC. Vanderbilt has always seemed out of place in the SEC academically and as a private school (ACC would probably be perfect).

Vandy needs it's SEC affiliation for street cred.

[BluegrassRedleg]

Proposed rule changes: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/football-rules-committee-slightly-adjusts-targeting-rule-defensive

Don't like the substitution rule... But the targeting rule was total crap. It needs heavy modification. Not sure if they're going to get it right though.


This proposal absolutely sucks. Hate it when they try to legislate strategy to extremes like this. Hope it gets shot down.

[dabvu2498]

The B1G is much more than an athletic conference via the CIC academic consortium of top research universities. The current members plus original member the University of Chicago and soon Johns Hopkins.

The faculty and administration at Vanderbilt would probably kill to be a part of the CIC. Vanderbilt has always seemed out of place in the SEC academically and as a private school (ACC would probably be perfect).

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz






;)

[Assembly Hall]

LOL dab!!!!!!!!!!! But think about it what better rivalry would there have been in the B1G than Vandy/Northwestern? That is even better than Harvard/Yale!!!!! :beerme:

[Sea Ray]

But anyways....I wish the B1G would have gone after Vandy to enter the conference.

Isn't one Northwestern enough? Every conference needs their token patsy because they have a nice library

[Assembly Hall]

Isn't one Northwestern enough? Every conference needs their token patsy because they have a nice library

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!

[dabvu2498]

Isn't one Northwestern enough? Every conference needs their token patsy because they have a nice library

Hello, Junior

http://www.luluandjunior.com/lulujr.jpg

[dabvu2498]

This is the kind of patsy I like being:


With Vanderbilt's invitation to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, the school concluded its second straight year in which its baseball and men's and women's basketball teams played in the NCAA Tournament and its football team was invited to a bowl.

In 2011, there were eight schools that accomplished this feat, and in 2012 there were just six. Vanderbilt is the only school to do it two years in a row.

http://www.vucommodores.com/genrel/121012aae.html

[Sea Ray]

This is the kind of patsy I like being:



http://www.vucommodores.com/genrel/121012aae.html

I like being from a school that's embarrassed to go to a Bowl of that caliber because the officials of said Bowl figure they can sell seats due to it being a home game for one of its participants. A Nashville based team playing in the Music City Bowl is about as lame as it gets

[Assembly Hall]

Now EZ there Sea Ray. I might be a Hoosier but I am half Tennessean. My Mother graduated from Norma High School in Scott County. Not only do I root for the Hoosiers, but the Vols as well. I have always admired Vandy for what they do and they do it the right way. Nothing bad to say about that institution whatsoever. I wish the other SEC schools would follow suit with the way they do it in Nashville.

[jojo]

I like being from a school that's embarrassed to go to a Bowl of that caliber because the officials of said Bowl figure they can sell seats due to it being a home game for one of its participants. A Nashville based team playing in the Music City Bowl is about as lame as it gets

How do you like being from a school that couldn't even score an invite to any bowl going on like, well a lot of years now?

Guess there are actually lamer things.

[dabvu2498]

I like being from a school that's embarrassed to go to a Bowl of that caliber because the officials of said Bowl figure they can sell seats due to it being a home game for one of its participants. A Nashville based team playing in the Music City Bowl is about as lame as it gets

Lamer than not going to a bowl game for three straight years?

UT would be thrilled to play in any bowl next year. Well. They should be. The rational ones will be. If there are any.

[jojo]

Lamer than not going to a bowl game for three straight years?

UT would be thrilled to play in any bowl next year. Well. They should be. The rational ones will be. If there are any.

What's the difference between a Bama fan and a vol fan? Well neither actually went to the college of the team they root for but at least Bama fans have running water.

[dabvu2498]

A man walks into a store and says, "I would like an orange hat, orange pants, orange sweater, and white shoes."

The clerk says, "Are you a Vols fan?"

"Yes," replied the man. "How did you guess - by the color combination?"

"No," answers the clerk, "because this is a hardware store."

[Sea Ray]

How do you like being from a school that couldn't even score an invite to any bowl going on like, well a lot of years now?

Guess there are actually lamer things.

Not good. In fact I'm mighty pi$$ed about it

[Sea Ray]

Now EZ there Sea Ray. I might be a Hoosier but I am half Tennessean. My Mother graduated from Norma High School in Scott County. Not only do I root for the Hoosiers, but the Vols as well. I have always admired Vandy for what they do and they do it the right way. Nothing bad to say about that institution whatsoever. I wish the other SEC schools would follow suit with the way they do it in Nashville.

Then you can be proud of all the academic honor roll football players UT fielded last year. Second only to Georgia in the SEC:


ATHENS, Ga. - The 38 University of Georgia football student-athletes named Thursday to the 2013 Fall Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll ranks first among all SEC schools. The Bulldogs also totaled 58 fall sports student-athletes named to the list, which ranks third best in the league.

Georgia was followed in the football rankings by Tennessee (34), Vanderbilt (32), Florida (29), Alabama (28), Arkansas (28), Missouri (26), South Carolina (25), Ole Miss (24), Kentucky (23), Auburn (22), Mississippi State (18), Texas A&M (14) and LSU (8).

[Sea Ray]

Lamer than not going to a bowl game for three straight years?

UT would be thrilled to play in any bowl next year. Well. They should be. The rational ones will be. If there are any.

No question it's awfully lame to go 3 yrs w/o a Bowl considering how easy it is to get into one these days. You get no argument from me.

Arguably 2013 was a year in which UT had it's poorest football team in generations and Vandy had one of its best. Given all that the Vols played VU even steven in their game with the Commodores coming out on top. That says a lot about the programs but cheer up, the same could be said about the UT/South Carolina teams yet Spurrier still managed to lose to the Vols...:laugh:

[Assembly Hall]

Take heart Ray, things cant get much worse for us. We have hit the bottom of the abyss. No way to go but up. Then again we could be UK football fans!!!!!!:laugh:

[Assembly Hall]

A man walks into a store and says, "I would like an orange hat, orange pants, orange sweater, and white shoes."

The clerk says, "Are you a Vols fan?"

"Yes," replied the man. "How did you guess - by the color combination?"

"No," answers the clerk, "because this is a hardware store."



Now that is just funny right there! I think my spleen just burst!!!!!! Good one!:thumbup:

[Revering4Blue]

Take heart Ray, things cant get much worse for us. We have hit the bottom of the abyss. No way to go but up. Then again we could be UK football fans!!!!!!:laugh:

UK is on the way back up,too.

Not to sidetrack the discussion, but unlike a school in the B1G that you and I root for, I have to commend UK fans for not utilizing the tired We're a basketball school excuse to justify poor/mediocre football.

[RedTeamGo!]

I don't think Northwestern is the B1G patsy - I think it is Indiana

[jojo]

Not good. In fact I'm mighty pi$$ed about it

I'd think you'd be used to it after all of these years.

[Revering4Blue]

I don't think Northwestern is the B1G patsy - I think it is Indiana
No doubt.

Two bowl game trips from '93 to '13.

[Boston Red]

Hoepner getting cancer was a tragedy for IU football in more ways than just losing a good man. He was a really good coach who was getting them back on track. Then for some reason they kept Bill Lynch on as head coach (it was as if no had bothered to check the Ball State record books), and that multiplied the on-field damage.

[Revering4Blue]

Hoepner getting cancer was a tragedy for IU football in more ways than just losing a good man. He was a really good coach who was getting them back on track. Then for some reason they kept Bill Lynch on as head coach (it was as if no had bothered to check the Ball State record books), and that multiplied the on-field damage.
Emotional hires have a way of coming back to bite you.

[jojo]

Proposed rule changes: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/football-rules-committee-slightly-adjusts-targeting-rule-defensive

Don't like the substitution rule... But the targeting rule was total crap. It needs heavy modification. Not sure if they're going to get it right though.

Bielema is a tool and it looks like there's quite a backlash from his colleagues.

Coach Leach has really went off on the idea:


"First off, [I] doubt it will pass. Second, it’s ridiculous. All this tinkering is ridiculous. I think it deteriorates the game. It’s always been a game of creativity and strategy. So anytime someone doesn’t want to go back to the drawing board or re-work their solutions to problems, then what they do is to beg for a rule. I think it’s disgusting. That's really insulting that they are hiding behind player safety just because somebody wants an advantage. That's crazy. My suggestion is rather than spending a bunch of time coming up with a bunch of really stupid rules, spend that time coaching harder. Worry about your own team and try to make your product better rather than trying to change the game so you don't have to do anything."

http://www.cougcenter.com/2014/2/12/5406572/mike-leach-on-proposed-ncaa-rule-change-i-think-its-disgusting

[Sea Ray]

I'd think you'd be used to it after all of these years.

No, three years isn't enough to get "used to it".

[Sea Ray]

Bielema is a tool and it looks like there's quite a backlash from his colleagues.

Coach Leach has really went off on the idea:



http://www.cougcenter.com/2014/2/12/5406572/mike-leach-on-proposed-ncaa-rule-change-i-think-its-disgusting

Count me on coach Leach's side

[LoganBuck]

Bielema is a tool and it looks like there's quite a backlash from his colleagues.

Coach Leach has really went off on the idea:



http://www.cougcenter.com/2014/2/12/5406572/mike-leach-on-proposed-ncaa-rule-change-i-think-its-disgusting

Bielema is that guy, who we all know, that is competent enough to do his job, but must make everything about him, and how everyone else must acquiesce to his demands.

[Boston Red]

I did enjoy when he took advantage of that stupid rule that had the clock start as soon as you kick off by having his team purposefully go offsides while killing off the last few seconds of a half.

[Todd Gack]

Emotional hires have a way of coming back to bite you.

See: Coker, Larry