2011 College Football Offseason

[dew1679666265]

For the record, I like Hubbs, and I think Volquest is the best site around for news. Now, his technical writing leaves alot to be desired, and the moderation of that site is a total joke, but he deserves credit for running a site that usually does an excellent job of reporting only rock-solid news.

 

My main reasoning behind that comment was you telling me a little while ago to quit listening to Hubbs, that he was out of the loop since Fulmer left.

 

So, from what I'm gathering from folks, Gabe Wright is now 50/50 between Aub/UT, and whether Aubies wanna admit it or not, it was probably 60/40 in UT's favor a week ago. But, with Jernigan now being a legit threat to sign with UT, I don't think Wright's decision is make-or-break.

 

I'll be pretty disappointed if we miss on both Wright and Jernigan at this point. Almost all the news I've heard on Wright has been positive for a while now and with Tennessee jumping up Jernigan's list so fast, it'd be a letdown to miss on both.

 

Have heard that UT will lose 2 current commits on NSD. Not sure if that means they sign elsewhere or if UT turns them away due to other signees or if there will be another circumstance behind it, but this is pretty typical, so not sure how much "news" there is in this disclosure.

 

How much news it is probably depends on who it is that they lose. Is it Tino Thomas and another 3 star going to a mid-major, or is it DeAnthony Arnett to Michigan and Tom Smith somewhere else? That's the key, I think, and will determine whether the coaches let them go or lost them.

 

And this is way out of left field, but there are some who secretly think UT has a shot with Clowney. Apparently, his father has mentioned putting off their signing (which is really annoying, btw) until Feb. 14th because of a certain coach at a school they had'nt been considering previously. There are some who are saying that coach is Chuck Smith. But, I've also heard multiple times that Smith is gone after NSD, either to be replaced by Lance Thompson, who is replaced by Peter Sirmon, or that Rodney Garner's name is popping up again. Rumor is that he's gone from UGA (DC wants his own guy in there), and that Auburn (Searles is reportedly going to Texas) and UT are both possible destinations. Maybe nothing comes from that, but they don't call this the "silly season" for nothing.

 

Getting Clowney would more than make up for it if we lose both Wright and Jernigan. Assuming he can qualify (I've heard of academic questions), he'd be a huge get. Normally I'd dismiss the possibility, but seeing how fast we skyrocketed on Jernigan's list, I guess there might be a chance.

[shnsajax]

SC is now in a battle with Oregon over DeAnthony Thomas. Not looking good IMO

 

That would be surprising. Losing one in your own backyard who has been committed for sometime. Making the MNC has done a lot of Oregon though.

[SpongeWorthy]

He'd put up video game numbers in Kelly's offense.

[dew1679666265]

4 star JUCO safety/corner (with 3 years of eligibility left) Byron Moore has committed to Tennessee over Miami. Very nice pickup.

 

Cam Clear will announce his decision tomorrow - that's another key announcement for the Vols.

[Guest]

SC is now in a battle with Oregon over DeAnthony Thomas. Not looking good IMO

 

That would be surprising. Losing one in your own backyard who has been committed for sometime. Making the MNC has done a lot of Oregon though.

 

Not a big surprise at all. DeAnthony Thomas's commitment to USC was always tenuous at best. He flirted with UCLA for a long time but, not shockingly, wasn't that interested at the end. Oregon's offense is perfect for him.

 

Sounds like Jalen Grimble is bouncing from USC too. Probably Miami but he did check out UCLA over the weekend.

 

UCLA flipped Mike Orloff from Iowa. No idea how good he is.

[Tracer Bullet]

4 star JUCO safety/corner (with 3 years of eligibility left) Byron Moore has committed to Tennessee over Miami. Very nice pickup.

 

It's interesting to see names like this pop up again a few years later. I remembered being totally pissed when he picked Southern Cal over ND a couple years ago when we were desperate for safeties (still are). Then he goes JUCO and ends up at TN. I know this has been happening forever, but I've only been following recruiting closely for 10 years or so and it still cracks me up.

[Tracer Bullet]

So, with NSD only a few days away, anybody hearing anything juicy about your school's prospective signing class?

 

I'm hearing really positive stuff about Timmy Jernigan from his visit to Tennessee this weekend. Basically been told that if he could sign his LOI today, it would be UT, but since he's gonna have to go home and think about it for a few days, it's gonna be a 50/50 battle with Florida State.

 

Curt Maggitt is another name making waves with Tennessee. DeAnthony Arnett tweetered that he had just heard some incredible news, and said "ut fans, its about to go down at ut." I just hope that doesn't mean someone else is about to be arrested.

 

if we just hold all 23 recruits, I'll be ecstatic. If we steal Niklas from USC or someone like that, all the better. But I'd much prefer no ND recruiting "news" between now and Wednesday.

So much for that. Bennett Okotcha switches from ND to Oklahoma.

 

i knew that was a jinx. i hate to lose dbs, but there are much more crucial pieces to this class.

[dew1679666265]

4 star JUCO safety/corner (with 3 years of eligibility left) Byron Moore has committed to Tennessee over Miami. Very nice pickup.

 

It's interesting to see names like this pop up again a few years later. I remembered being totally pissed when he picked Southern Cal over ND a couple years ago when we were desperate for safeties (still are). Then he goes JUCO and ends up at TN. I know this has been happening forever, but I've only been following recruiting closely for 10 years or so and it still cracks me up.

 

Tennessee is in desperate need for simply warm bodies in the secondary (we didn't have enough players to run dime packages last year), so getting any DBs is nice. I don't know that much about Moore, but everybody who does know about him raves about him.

[Guest]

Dew, Byron Moore is a great get. Probably a better CB than S. The story is he picked a JC to have the option to transfer back to a Pac-10 school and UCLA was in the thick of things for him before they went 4-8 last season. His family is very popular in LA HS football circles so he could open up the LA recruiting scene for Dooley.

[dew1679666265]

Dew, Byron Moore is a great get. Probably a better CB than S. The story is he picked a JC to have the option to transfer back to a Pac-10 school and UCLA was in the thick of things for him before they went 4-8 last season. His family is very popular in LA HS football circles so he could open up the LA recruiting scene for Dooley.

 

That's excellent news, thanks Raisin. We always had a west coast presence under Fulmer, so getting back to that with Dooley would be great. There's an amazing amount of great prospects in California.

 

And apparently the coaching staff is planning to play Moore at corner rather than safety, according to Moore on the radio show he announced on.

[dew1679666265]

4 star OT/TE Cameron Clear commits to UT. This was pretty much assumed, but it's nice nonetheless.

[E.J.]

Michigan looks like they'll crack the top 25 in ranking for this recruiting season. Not good at all, but pretty spectacular considering Hoke had 3 weeks and only 8 solid commits.

[NewUserName]

Michigan looks like they'll crack the top 25 in ranking for this recruiting season. Not good at all, but pretty spectacular considering Hoke had 3 weeks and only 8 solid commits.

 

when I looked a week or so ago it looked like Michigan was low because of the number of recruits not so much the quality. At the time MSU was ranked higher but it was because they had like 8 more commits. Michigans commits were ranked quite a bit higher though.

[OleMissCub]

4 star OT/TE Cameron Clear commits to UT. This was pretty much assumed, but it's nice nonetheless.

 

Well I would hope that Tenn could get the top talent in her own damn state. Y'all jump ahead of us on Rivals with his commit I believe.

 

Just looked at some rankings and what the heck...the whole State of Tenn only has two 4 Stars? We have one 5 star and nine 4 stars and y'all have twice as many people in your state than we do...

[TheVolCub08]

4 star OT/TE Cameron Clear commits to UT. This was pretty much assumed, but it's nice nonetheless.

 

Well I would hope that Tenn could get the top talent in her own damn state. Y'all jump ahead of us on Rivals with his commit I believe.

 

Just looked at some rankings and what the heck...the whole State of Tenn only has two 4 Stars? We have one 5 star and nine 4 stars and y'all have twice as many people in your state than we do...

 

Tennessee has struggled for several years keeping the top players in the state at home. Signing Clear and Richardson will mark a new era in Tennessee football.

 

And yes, high school football in Tennessee is terrible. There are some very good teams, but individual players are not very good. There is a 5* every two to three years, but never really more than 4-6 4 or 5 stars.

 

It's not a state with a large population, and it's not a state with a large African American population. And the parts of the state with the larger populations of African Americans produce a much higher percentage of basketball players than football players.

[dew1679666265]

4 star OT/TE Cameron Clear commits to UT. This was pretty much assumed, but it's nice nonetheless.

 

Well I would hope that Tenn could get the top talent in her own damn state. Y'all jump ahead of us on Rivals with his commit I believe.

 

Just looked at some rankings and what the heck...the whole State of Tenn only has two 4 Stars? We have one 5 star and nine 4 stars and y'all have twice as many people in your state than we do...

 

Tennessee recruiting is always mediocre at best. Two 4 stars isn't that out of the ordinary, to be honest. Biggest reason, I think, is that middle/high school football programs are generally terrible across the state. Kids aren't getting enough tutelage.

[TheVolCub08]

Alright dew...

 

I assume you've heard about Maggit making it known that he's signing with UT tomorrow? So, we've added Moore, Clear, and Maggit in the last 24 hours. Here's where it gets interesting...

 

Moore tweeted that Tiny, Gabe Wright, and Dawson are all Vols. He said that Jernigan *might* be as well. Literally every source I trust has Gabe Wright as a Vol tomorrow. So, this is either excellent news, or he's one helluva troll.

 

Still don't see TN jumping up past about 8th or so in the recruiting rankings, but literally every single need will have been met in this class. This could go down as an epic class at Tennessee, and goes a LONG way toward getting us back to the top of the east, if not the conference. I'm telling you, 2012 is going to be a very big year at Tennessee. 2013 could be a run at the MNC.

[sneakypower]

Michigan looks like they'll crack the top 25 in ranking for this recruiting season. Not good at all, but pretty spectacular considering Hoke had 3 weeks and only 8 solid commits.

considering we just signed a better Mark Ingram, that still seems a little low

 

“Honestly, I did get a chance to watch Mark Ingram a few times,” [Fred Jackson Jr.] told The Flint Journal. “Mark is probably one of the best guys ever to come through here. Mark was great, but there’s something about this kid Thomas. If I was to compare them as high school backs, give me Thomas Rawls.”

[TruffleShuffle]

Michigan looks like they'll crack the top 25 in ranking for this recruiting season. Not good at all, but pretty spectacular considering Hoke had 3 weeks and only 8 solid commits.

considering we just signed a better Mark Ingram, that still seems a little low

 

“Honestly, I did get a chance to watch Mark Ingram a few times,” [Fred Jackson Jr.] told The Flint Journal. “Mark is probably one of the best guys ever to come through here. Mark was great, but there’s something about this kid Thomas. If I was to compare them as high school backs, give me Thomas Rawls.”

[sneakypower]

it was a joke; Jackson's always pretty hyperbolic

[TruffleShuffle]

ah ok. i don't even know who that is.

 

i guess that's one area where recruiting services are important. most guys who get to play big-time college ball are the best to come through their high school for several years, so of course the coaches' reports are going to be over-the-top enthusiastic.

[dew1679666265]

Alright dew...

 

I assume you've heard about Maggit making it known that he's signing with UT tomorrow? So, we've added Moore, Clear, and Maggit in the last 24 hours. Here's where it gets interesting...

 

Moore tweeted that Tiny, Gabe Wright, and Dawson are all Vols. He said that Jernigan *might* be as well. Literally every source I trust has Gabe Wright as a Vol tomorrow. So, this is either excellent news, or he's one helluva troll.

 

Still don't see TN jumping up past about 8th or so in the recruiting rankings, but literally every single need will have been met in this class. This could go down as an epic class at Tennessee, and goes a LONG way toward getting us back to the top of the east, if not the conference. I'm telling you, 2012 is going to be a very big year at Tennessee. 2013 could be a run at the MNC.

 

That's fantastic news. If this scenario plays out tomorrow, there's no longer any question about this staff's recruiting ability. I'm starting to love this class.

[fiver]

I'm hearing Wright either hasn't called AU coaches tonight or he did, and it wasn't the kind of conversation they expected. It sounds like he's going to be a Vol.

[TheVolCub08]

I'm hearing Wright either hasn't called AU coaches tonight or he did, and it wasn't the kind of conversation they expected. It sounds like he's going to be a Vol.

 

Have you ever seen Jeffrey Lee's twitter? He's the Rivals guy for Auburn, right? If so, I'm so glad that he's not our guy. He is about as unprofessional a homer as I've seen writing anywhere for any of these services.

 

And, for the record, it does look good for Wright at UT, but I won't believe anything on him until the fax is received. But, several players have tweeted or posted on Facebook that he, Tiny (who allegedly tripped to Auburn last weekend in order to recruit Gabe for UT), and Dawson will all sign with UT tomorrow, as *might* Jernigan, and I've heard Wilder mentioned by several people as the NSD shocker. Again, believe it when I see it.

[TheVolCub08]

And just after I made that post, I came across this (from FSU's Rivals Mod):

Yes, we are aware of the reports coming out that James Wilder Jr. is wavering and it looks like there are some legs to it. I wish I could tell you he is solid to FSU but it now looks like he may actually sign with Tennessee tomorrow morning. Not sure why James is wavering all of the sudden but we will be sure to stay on top of this.