2009 NCAA recruiting thread

[dew1679666265]

I'm happy to see David Cutcliffe pulled in a top 50 class with two 4-star recruits and 13 3-stars.

 

That's after 66th last year (0 4 stars and 7 3 stars) and 78th in 2007 (0 4 stars and 4 3 stars) for Duke.

 

that's like the penn state classes recently. people kiss the asses of larry johnson sr., tom bradley and mike mcqueary for their recruiting efforts but you'd think that a program like penn state wouldn't be getting beaten in recruiting by ohio state and michigan year after year.

 

Penn State recruits almost entirely out of PA, NJ and MD. It's nice to have a lock on those states, but you're not usually seeing a ton of 5-star recruits out of those areas. I'm hoping that whoever the next coach at PSU is breaks out of the antiquated "territorial" recruiting strategies and goes hard after a few guys from Florida or California

 

Territorial recruiting strategies can work exceptionally well if you can control the territory. Georgia and Florida, for instance, don't travel that much nationally, but the Bulldogs pretty much control Georgia and the Gators pretty much have Florida secure. Penn State's problem with that, I'd say, is that Wannstedt is a good recruiter and can pull some Pennsylvania recruits away and the neighboring strong recruiting states (Michigan, Ohio) are controlled by major programs.

 

So, the territorial strategy can work and work well - but it may not be the best idea for Penn State.

[dew1679666265]

Janzen Jackson signed with Tennessee this morning.

 

That make a good class even better - now we need Kiffin to pull off David Oku and Orson Charles.

[Hosak8]

Janzen Jackson signed with Tennessee this morning.

 

That make a good class even better - now we need Kiffin to pull off David Oku and Orson Charles.

 

Up to 17 on Rivals.

 

Two things I am hearing...

 

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Bryce Brown is a HIGH priority to this staff right now. He's going to be a drama queen and high maintenance, but you make some exceptions for the top overall player in the class.

 

Also, not sure if you've heard the drama behind why Marlon Brown chose UGA, but it's pretty sketchy.

 

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

[Derwood]

I'm happy to see David Cutcliffe pulled in a top 50 class with two 4-star recruits and 13 3-stars.

 

That's after 66th last year (0 4 stars and 7 3 stars) and 78th in 2007 (0 4 stars and 4 3 stars) for Duke.

 

that's like the penn state classes recently. people kiss the asses of larry johnson sr., tom bradley and mike mcqueary for their recruiting efforts but you'd think that a program like penn state wouldn't be getting beaten in recruiting by ohio state and michigan year after year.

 

Penn State recruits almost entirely out of PA, NJ and MD. It's nice to have a lock on those states, but you're not usually seeing a ton of 5-star recruits out of those areas. I'm hoping that whoever the next coach at PSU is breaks out of the antiquated "territorial" recruiting strategies and goes hard after a few guys from Florida or California

 

Territorial recruiting strategies can work exceptionally well if you can control the territory. Georgia and Florida, for instance, don't travel that much nationally, but the Bulldogs pretty much control Georgia and the Gators pretty much have Florida secure. Penn State's problem with that, I'd say, is that Wannstedt is a good recruiter and can pull some Pennsylvania recruits away and the neighboring strong recruiting states (Michigan, Ohio) are controlled by major programs.

 

So, the territorial strategy can work and work well - but it may not be the best idea for Penn State.

 

also, Florida produces better players than Maryland. they just do

[Hosak8]

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Okay, now hearing from several people (including an inference by Kiffin himself) that Oku is still a priority and that we might expect some good news on him today.

 

I hope he's worth the drama, if he indeed signs here.

 

Also, Lance Thompson said this at one of the recruiting luncheons today:

 

"If you're from Tennessee and want to go somewhere else, then go ahead. We'll beat your ass anyway."

 

Not sure if I should :clapping: or :shock: or even :lol:

[stuy119]

Janzen Jackson signed with Tennessee this morning.

 

That make a good class even better - now we need Kiffin to pull off David Oku and Orson Charles.

 

Up to 17 on Rivals.

 

Two things I am hearing...

 

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Bryce Brown is a HIGH priority to this staff right now. He's going to be a drama queen and high maintenance, but you make some exceptions for the top overall player in the class.

 

Also, not sure if you've heard the drama behind why Marlon Brown chose UGA, but it's pretty sketchy.

 

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Probably about as sketchy as what I'm hearing UT did with Orson Charles to get him to drop FSU, from what I'm hearing.

[stuy119]

I'm happy to see David Cutcliffe pulled in a top 50 class with two 4-star recruits and 13 3-stars.

 

That's after 66th last year (0 4 stars and 7 3 stars) and 78th in 2007 (0 4 stars and 4 3 stars) for Duke.

 

that's like the penn state classes recently. people kiss the asses of larry johnson sr., tom bradley and mike mcqueary for their recruiting efforts but you'd think that a program like penn state wouldn't be getting beaten in recruiting by ohio state and michigan year after year.

 

Penn State recruits almost entirely out of PA, NJ and MD. It's nice to have a lock on those states, but you're not usually seeing a ton of 5-star recruits out of those areas. I'm hoping that whoever the next coach at PSU is breaks out of the antiquated "territorial" recruiting strategies and goes hard after a few guys from Florida or California

 

Territorial recruiting strategies can work exceptionally well if you can control the territory. Georgia and Florida, for instance, don't travel that much nationally, but the Bulldogs pretty much control Georgia and the Gators pretty much have Florida secure. Penn State's problem with that, I'd say, is that Wannstedt is a good recruiter and can pull some Pennsylvania recruits away and the neighboring strong recruiting states (Michigan, Ohio) are controlled by major programs.

 

So, the territorial strategy can work and work well - but it may not be the best idea for Penn State.

 

Florida State and Miami say "Hi."

 

The Gators recruiting inside Florida is a pretty big misconception. Their current class has less than 50% of the players from Florida, while FSU and UM are around 75% and 60% respectively.

 

As someone who has seen a team go from a regional to a national recruiting strategy, I can only hope the Gators do that. Florida talent is as good as any in the nation, and some of the so-called second-tier players are as good as top-level talent from most other states (excluding Texas, Cal, etc.). Going out of state really killed FSU, along with sorry coaching, of course.

 

But now we have the coaches, and we're staying away from wasting time on out-of-state recruits.

[Hosak8]

Janzen Jackson signed with Tennessee this morning.

 

That make a good class even better - now we need Kiffin to pull off David Oku and Orson Charles.

 

Up to 17 on Rivals.

 

Two things I am hearing...

 

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Bryce Brown is a HIGH priority to this staff right now. He's going to be a drama queen and high maintenance, but you make some exceptions for the top overall player in the class.

 

Also, not sure if you've heard the drama behind why Marlon Brown chose UGA, but it's pretty sketchy.

 

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Probably about as sketchy as what I'm hearing UT did with Orson Charles to get him to drop FSU, from what I'm hearing.

 

Do tell. FTR, I'm not saying that UGA did anything sketchy at all. I'm saying that Brown's grandma and Brown are both saying that Orgeron screwed it up for UT. Apparently he called himself a "damned ol' coon-ass from Louisiana" in front of them, and the saintly grandma did not like that very much. Other rumors had Orgeron's breath smelling like whiskey. THe first one, I'll believe. The second, no way.

[stuy119]

Janzen Jackson signed with Tennessee this morning.

 

That make a good class even better - now we need Kiffin to pull off David Oku and Orson Charles.

 

Up to 17 on Rivals.

 

Two things I am hearing...

 

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Bryce Brown is a HIGH priority to this staff right now. He's going to be a drama queen and high maintenance, but you make some exceptions for the top overall player in the class.

 

Also, not sure if you've heard the drama behind why Marlon Brown chose UGA, but it's pretty sketchy.

 

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Probably about as sketchy as what I'm hearing UT did with Orson Charles to get him to drop FSU, from what I'm hearing.

 

Do tell. FTR, I'm not saying that UGA did anything sketchy at all. I'm saying that Brown's grandma and Brown are both saying that Orgeron screwed it up for UT. Apparently he called himself a "damned ol' coon-ass from Louisiana" in front of them, and the saintly grandma did not like that very much. Other rumors had Orgeron's breath smelling like whiskey. THe first one, I'll believe. The second, no way.

 

Goes back to the Brandon Warren issue, and the misconception that his mother was dying and Bowden wouldn't let him out of his commitment. Of course, the fact is that Fulmer sent Rae Sykes on a visit to get him to go back to UT (and I hear some cash for the family was involved, too, to cover some medical expenses). Needless to say, mom is fine and recovering well - as was reported to the FSU camp and why he wasn't allowed to leave.

 

From what I understand, Charles was favoring FSU all the way. When he gets to UT, who is his host but none other than Brandon Warren, who is in his ear the whole time about all the bad parts of Tallahassee, and how they don't treat you like family. At some point, Charles was also led to Warren's house where his mother was able to bad-mouth the FSU program.

 

Come midnight on signing day eve, Charles mysteriously leaves messages that FSU is out of the running, but doesn't explain why and won't talk with any of the coaches about what happened at UT.

[dew1679666265]

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

[dew1679666265]

I'm happy to see David Cutcliffe pulled in a top 50 class with two 4-star recruits and 13 3-stars.

 

That's after 66th last year (0 4 stars and 7 3 stars) and 78th in 2007 (0 4 stars and 4 3 stars) for Duke.

 

that's like the penn state classes recently. people kiss the asses of larry johnson sr., tom bradley and mike mcqueary for their recruiting efforts but you'd think that a program like penn state wouldn't be getting beaten in recruiting by ohio state and michigan year after year.

 

Penn State recruits almost entirely out of PA, NJ and MD. It's nice to have a lock on those states, but you're not usually seeing a ton of 5-star recruits out of those areas. I'm hoping that whoever the next coach at PSU is breaks out of the antiquated "territorial" recruiting strategies and goes hard after a few guys from Florida or California

 

Territorial recruiting strategies can work exceptionally well if you can control the territory. Georgia and Florida, for instance, don't travel that much nationally, but the Bulldogs pretty much control Georgia and the Gators pretty much have Florida secure. Penn State's problem with that, I'd say, is that Wannstedt is a good recruiter and can pull some Pennsylvania recruits away and the neighboring strong recruiting states (Michigan, Ohio) are controlled by major programs.

 

So, the territorial strategy can work and work well - but it may not be the best idea for Penn State.

 

also, Florida produces better players than Maryland. they just do

 

No doubt, and the reason why Florida is successful with the regional recruiting.

[dew1679666265]

Condredge Holloway has said (off the record, of course) that Oku is no longer being recruited by UT.

 

Okay, now hearing from several people (including an inference by Kiffin himself) that Oku is still a priority and that we might expect some good news on him today.

 

I hope he's worth the drama, if he indeed signs here.

 

Good, I like Oku despite his attention-mongering ways.

 

Also, Lance Thompson said this at one of the recruiting luncheons today:

 

"If you're from Tennessee and want to go somewhere else, then go ahead. We'll beat your ass anyway."

 

Not sure if I should :clapping: or :shock: or even :lol:

 

Wow, that's kinda awesome and kinda crazy too. :shock:

[dew1679666265]

Florida State and Miami say "Hi."

 

The Gators recruiting inside Florida is a pretty big misconception. Their current class has less than 50% of the players from Florida, while FSU and UM are around 75% and 60% respectively.

 

As someone who has seen a team go from a regional to a national recruiting strategy, I can only hope the Gators do that. Florida talent is as good as any in the nation, and some of the so-called second-tier players are as good as top-level talent from most other states (excluding Texas, Cal, etc.). Going out of state really killed FSU, along with sorry coaching, of course.

 

But now we have the coaches, and we're staying away from wasting time on out-of-state recruits.

 

I count 84 players on their roster from Florida. That includes such Florida names as Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Cornelius Ingram, Tim Tebow, Major Wright, Brandon James, Janoris Jenkins and the Pouncey twins. There's plenty of talent to go around in Florida, that's for sure. But UF has been getting the prime talent of late, it seems - though that could be changing.

 

And I agree that the Florida schools have no business going out of state. Like I said, there's more than enough talent for all three major universities (about to be four with USF) to choose from.

[dew1679666265]

Do tell. FTR, I'm not saying that UGA did anything sketchy at all. I'm saying that Brown's grandma and Brown are both saying that Orgeron screwed it up for UT. Apparently he called himself a "damned ol' coon-ass from Louisiana" in front of them, and the saintly grandma did not like that very much. Other rumors had Orgeron's breath smelling like whiskey. THe first one, I'll believe. The second, no way.

 

Yeah, I heard that Brown's grandma nixed him going to UT. Hadn't heard that about Orgeron, though.

 

Very disappointing, but not in any way surprising - and that's either scenario.

[RedFlash]

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

 

With all due respect to Hosak and you, Dew, Tennessee deserves a better "coach" the Lane Kiffin. This kid, this joke of a coach has been so unprofessional since taking over at Tennessee, that it should be embarrassing Vols fans. I'm sorry dew, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope Alabama/UF/GA and LSU strings up Kiffin on the scoreboard. Lane Kiffin needs to learn some lessons about humility. And pissing off the powers of the SEC is NEVER a good thing for your career.

 

Good fans like you and Hosak deserve a much better representation of the university then Lane Kiffin.

[stuy119]

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

 

With all due respect to Hosak and you, Dew, Tennessee deserves a better "coach" the Lane Kiffin. This kid, this joke of a coach has been so unprofessional since taking over at Tennessee, that it should be embarrassing Vols fans. I'm sorry dew, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope Alabama/UF/GA and LSU strings up Kiffin on the scoreboard. Lane Kiffin needs to learn some lessons about humility. And pissing off the powers of the SEC is NEVER a good thing for your career.

 

Good fans like you and Hosak deserve a much better representation of the university then Lane Kiffin.

 

Don't you mean CLK?

[dew1679666265]

Also, I like Kiffin's confidence, but wish he'd stop trying to be the most hated man in the conference. Let Saban and Meyer keep that for themselves. Lane is picking a fight with Urban, and that might turn out ugly for him this year.

 

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

 

With all due respect to Hosak and you, Dew, Tennessee deserves a better "coach" the Lane Kiffin. This kid, this joke of a coach has been so unprofessional since taking over at Tennessee, that it should be embarrassing Vols fans. I'm sorry dew, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope Alabama/UF/GA and LSU strings up Kiffin on the scoreboard. Lane Kiffin needs to learn some lessons about humility. And pissing off the powers of the SEC is NEVER a good thing for your career.

 

Good fans like you and Hosak deserve a much better representation of the university then Lane Kiffin.

 

Thanks for the good words to me and Hosak, but I don't mind Kiffin that much. He's definitely talking more than a coach with no collegiate wins probably should, but it's not like no SEC coaches talk trash.

 

Right now he's probably just trying to fire up the fan base after a terrible year and general lukewarmness (is that a word?) set in. I think he'll tone it down eventually, but who knows for sure. It could get a bit old after a while if he doesn't.

 

As far as his coaching ability, I've wondered about that since the day we hired him. It'll be interesting to see how he does in game 1 vs UCLA.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

 

With all due respect to Hosak and you, Dew, Tennessee deserves a better "coach" the Lane Kiffin. This kid, this joke of a coach has been so unprofessional since taking over at Tennessee, that it should be embarrassing Vols fans. I'm sorry dew, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope Alabama/UF/GA and LSU strings up Kiffin on the scoreboard. Lane Kiffin needs to learn some lessons about humility. And pissing off the powers of the SEC is NEVER a good thing for your career.

 

Good fans like you and Hosak deserve a much better representation of the university then Lane Kiffin.

 

Don't you mean CLK?

 

I don't think I can express how disappointed I was when I saw this joke was taken.

[RedFlash]

Thanks for the good words to me and Hosak, but I don't mind Kiffin that much. He's definitely talking more than a coach with no collegiate wins probably should, but it's not like no SEC coaches talk trash.

 

You're right LK isn't the only coach in the SEC talks trash, but other then UM, no other coach does it as publicly as LK.

 

Right now he's probably just trying to fire up the fan base after a terrible year and general lukewarmness (is that a word?) set in. I think he'll tone it down eventually, but who knows for sure. It could get a bit old after a while if he doesn't.

 

You know how to fire up a fanbase? Win ballgames. Trash talking other schools can only take you so far, IMO trash talking does one thing...fire up the OTHER team. It's one thing to trash talks teams like S. Carolina/Vanderbilt/Kentucky, but trash-talking teams that has no problems putting up 40 or so points on Tennessee (Florida, esp..) is never a good thing. Come on, saying "When we beat Florida, we'll be signing Rocky Top all into the night" (or something similar) when you have to play Florida in Gainesville, is never smart.

 

As far as his coaching ability, I've wondered about that since the day we hired him. It'll be interesting to see how he does in game 1 vs UCLA.

 

I'm not a fan of Al Davis, but he got the firing of Lane Kiffin right. Because name me on coach who would go for a 76 yard field goal?

 

Look, Tennessee is a great program and great university, so they definately better then Kiffin. Gruden would look nice Tennessee right now, and the best part you could still have Monte Kiffin.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'm not a fan of Al Davis, but he got the firing of Lane Kiffin right.

 

so because you don't like lane kiffin, al davis got it right? al davis is a senile, paranoid old man who has run the raiders into the ground. i don't see how anyone could say that anything he does is a good move.

[SouthSideRyan]

Yeah, I like the jabs at Florida, but at some point he needs to stop. It's fun to hear, but ultimately, I think it could hurt us.

 

With all due respect to Hosak and you, Dew, Tennessee deserves a better "coach" the Lane Kiffin. This kid, this joke of a coach has been so unprofessional since taking over at Tennessee, that it should be embarrassing Vols fans. I'm sorry dew, don't take this the wrong way, but I hope Alabama/UF/GA and LSU strings up Kiffin on the scoreboard. Lane Kiffin needs to learn some lessons about humility. And pissing off the powers of the SEC is NEVER a good thing for your career.

 

Good fans like you and Hosak deserve a much better representation of the university then Lane Kiffin.

 

Don't you mean CLK?

 

I don't think I can express how disappointed I was when I saw this joke was taken.

 

I think it should've been retired after my Urban Meyer one.

[dew1679666265]

Thanks for the good words to me and Hosak, but I don't mind Kiffin that much. He's definitely talking more than a coach with no collegiate wins probably should, but it's not like no SEC coaches talk trash.

 

You're right LK isn't the only coach in the SEC talks trash, but other then UM, no other coach does it as publicly as LK.

 

True.

 

Right now he's probably just trying to fire up the fan base after a terrible year and general lukewarmness (is that a word?) set in. I think he'll tone it down eventually, but who knows for sure. It could get a bit old after a while if he doesn't.

 

You know how to fire up a fanbase? Win ballgames. Trash talking other schools can only take you so far, IMO trash talking does one thing...fire up the OTHER team. It's one thing to trash talks teams like S. Carolina/Vanderbilt/Kentucky, but trash-talking teams that has no problems putting up 40 or so points on Tennessee (Florida, esp..) is never a good thing. Come on, saying "When we beat Florida, we'll be signing Rocky Top all into the night" (or something similar) when you have to play Florida in Gainesville, is never smart.

 

It's more for the fan base than the players. And he hasn't had a chance to win a game yet, so he's got to do something.

 

I'm not crazy about the trash talking and would probably prefer he not, but I think he'll tone it down some when/if we start winning some games.

 

As far as his coaching ability, I've wondered about that since the day we hired him. It'll be interesting to see how he does in game 1 vs UCLA.

 

I'm not a fan of Al Davis, but he got the firing of Lane Kiffin right. Because name me on coach who would go for a 76 yard field goal?

 

Look, Tennessee is a great program and great university, so they definately better then Kiffin. Gruden would look nice Tennessee right now, and the best part you could still have Monte Kiffin.

 

When you've got Sebastian Janikowski? Why not try it.

 

I'm not sure I'm that crazy about Gruden coaching college kids. His patience is crappy enough with NFL vets. Purely as far as coaching goes, I preferred Mike Leach, but Leach would not have put together this kind of staff.

 

I'm willing to give Kiffin a shot. He worked wonders winning a game under Al Davis as it was.

[RedFlash]

Thanks for the good words to me and Hosak, but I don't mind Kiffin that much. He's definitely talking more than a coach with no collegiate wins probably should, but it's not like no SEC coaches talk trash.

 

You're right LK isn't the only coach in the SEC talks trash, but other then UM, no other coach does it as publicly as LK.

 

True.

 

Right now he's probably just trying to fire up the fan base after a terrible year and general lukewarmness (is that a word?) set in. I think he'll tone it down eventually, but who knows for sure. It could get a bit old after a while if he doesn't.

 

You know how to fire up a fanbase? Win ballgames. Trash talking other schools can only take you so far, IMO trash talking does one thing...fire up the OTHER team. It's one thing to trash talks teams like S. Carolina/Vanderbilt/Kentucky, but trash-talking teams that has no problems putting up 40 or so points on Tennessee (Florida, esp..) is never a good thing. Come on, saying "When we beat Florida, we'll be signing Rocky Top all into the night" (or something similar) when you have to play Florida in Gainesville, is never smart.

 

It's more for the fan base than the players. And he hasn't had a chance to win a game yet, so he's got to do something.

 

I'm not crazy about the trash talking and would probably prefer he not, but I think he'll tone it down some when/if we start winning some games.

 

As far as his coaching ability, I've wondered about that since the day we hired him. It'll be interesting to see how he does in game 1 vs UCLA.

 

I'm not a fan of Al Davis, but he got the firing of Lane Kiffin right. Because name me on coach who would go for a 76 yard field goal?

 

Look, Tennessee is a great program and great university, so they definately better then Kiffin. Gruden would look nice Tennessee right now, and the best part you could still have Monte Kiffin.

 

When you've got Sebastian Janikowski? Why not try it.

 

I'm not sure I'm that crazy about Gruden coaching college kids. His patience is crappy enough with NFL vets. Purely as far as coaching goes, I preferred Mike Leach, but Leach would not have put together this kind of staff.

 

I'm willing to give Kiffin a shot. He worked wonders winning a game under Al Davis as it was.

 

Fair enough. But Lane Kiffin isn't going to get Tennessee back to where they belong.

[dew1679666265]

Thanks for the good words to me and Hosak, but I don't mind Kiffin that much. He's definitely talking more than a coach with no collegiate wins probably should, but it's not like no SEC coaches talk trash.

 

You're right LK isn't the only coach in the SEC talks trash, but other then UM, no other coach does it as publicly as LK.

 

True.

 

Right now he's probably just trying to fire up the fan base after a terrible year and general lukewarmness (is that a word?) set in. I think he'll tone it down eventually, but who knows for sure. It could get a bit old after a while if he doesn't.

 

You know how to fire up a fanbase? Win ballgames. Trash talking other schools can only take you so far, IMO trash talking does one thing...fire up the OTHER team. It's one thing to trash talks teams like S. Carolina/Vanderbilt/Kentucky, but trash-talking teams that has no problems putting up 40 or so points on Tennessee (Florida, esp..) is never a good thing. Come on, saying "When we beat Florida, we'll be signing Rocky Top all into the night" (or something similar) when you have to play Florida in Gainesville, is never smart.

 

It's more for the fan base than the players. And he hasn't had a chance to win a game yet, so he's got to do something.

 

I'm not crazy about the trash talking and would probably prefer he not, but I think he'll tone it down some when/if we start winning some games.

 

As far as his coaching ability, I've wondered about that since the day we hired him. It'll be interesting to see how he does in game 1 vs UCLA.

 

I'm not a fan of Al Davis, but he got the firing of Lane Kiffin right. Because name me on coach who would go for a 76 yard field goal?

 

Look, Tennessee is a great program and great university, so they definately better then Kiffin. Gruden would look nice Tennessee right now, and the best part you could still have Monte Kiffin.

 

When you've got Sebastian Janikowski? Why not try it.

 

I'm not sure I'm that crazy about Gruden coaching college kids. His patience is crappy enough with NFL vets. Purely as far as coaching goes, I preferred Mike Leach, but Leach would not have put together this kind of staff.

 

I'm willing to give Kiffin a shot. He worked wonders winning a game under Al Davis as it was.

 

Fair enough. But Lane Kiffin isn't going to get Tennessee back to where they belong.

 

It's too early to tell that. The only evidence we have is that he and his staff were able to put together a top 15-20 recruiting class in 2 months. Obviously there was help from the previous staff, but that's very impressive.

[cubweiser03]

I'm happy to see David Cutcliffe pulled in a top 50 class with two 4-star recruits and 13 3-stars.

 

That's after 66th last year (0 4 stars and 7 3 stars) and 78th in 2007 (0 4 stars and 4 3 stars) for Duke.

 

that's like the penn state classes recently. people kiss the asses of larry johnson sr., tom bradley and mike mcqueary for their recruiting efforts but you'd think that a program like penn state wouldn't be getting beaten in recruiting by ohio state and michigan year after year.

 

Penn State recruits almost entirely out of PA, NJ and MD. It's nice to have a lock on those states, but you're not usually seeing a ton of 5-star recruits out of those areas. I'm hoping that whoever the next coach at PSU is breaks out of the antiquated "territorial" recruiting strategies and goes hard after a few guys from Florida or California

 

But does it really matter for PSU, well especially for the D side of the ball. As long as they sprinkle the highly rated prospects they can could probably fill the rest with cardboard cutouts and still play great D. Look at their recruiting class and match that by the defensive rankings and they ALWAYS out perform. Go compare the OSU defensive recruits to PSU and the difference is huge, whats on the field is equal. The offense side of the ball probably needs better playmakers when it comes to recruiting. YTF Bradley isnt $2M+ a HC is beyond me.

 

Not as 'newsworthy' is the class of Butch Jones' Central Michigan. They are all pumped up about it. Its a Mac school and they should be. Well these are 5 guys that id bet 5+ years ago arent D1 talent without a spread offense.

Midget #1 5'7 147 (this dude is 3*)

Midget #2 5'9 160

Midget #3 5'5 168

Midget #4 5'6 164

Midget #5 5'9 164