UT mass exodus...

[j0hnnyRingo 1,445]

Just a few short days ago, Tennessee fans were rejoicing about the transfer portal and landing Big Kat from us, now, scanning a few of their forums, they are clamoring that something has to be done to fix the portal problem now that half their team is leaving.

 

Thought it was funny.  It’s fun when you are getting the benefits of something, but sucks when it bites you in the rear.

[Never2Yield 1,005]

1 minute ago, j0hnnyRingo said:

Just a few short days ago, Tennessee fans were rejoicing about the transfer portal and landing Big Kat from us, now, scanning a few of their forums, they are clamoring that something has to be done to fix the portal problem now that half their team is leaving.

 

Thought it was funny.  It’s fun when you are getting the benefits of something, but sucks when it bites you in the rear.

The definition of privilege. 

Hard to see it when you have, but can't miss it when you don't. 

[Paladin 3,305]

Tennessee's recent roster carnage muddles the program's future

 

by Chris Hummer

33 minutes ago

 

Tennessee experienced more roster carnage in a 27-minute period on Wednesday evening than most programs do in an entire offseason. That’s not hyperbolic. The damage literally occurred between 6:51 p.m. and 7:18 p.m., Knoxville time, representing the moments when senior offensive lineman Jahmir Johnson and star running back Eric Gray entered the transfer portal.

 

Appropriately in the middle of those departures, inside linebackers Henry To’o To’o and Quavaris Crouch also entered the portal.

 

These moves come two days after Tennessee performed a bloodletting of its football staff, firing head coach Jeremy Pruitt and nine other staffers for what the university chancellor called “serious violations” of NCAA rules. Additionally, the school and athletic director Phillip Fulmer are negotiating a separation.

 

It’s difficult to wholly capture the disaster that is this week for Tennessee football, so let’s narrow the focus to the roster. No matter who is hired as Tennessee’s full-time head coach – Kevin Steele, hired only on Jan. 12, is serving in the interim role – the roster is in shambles. Tennessee entered the 2020 season ranked 15th nationally in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite rankings, the same place it did when the program hired Pruitt. Whoever takes over the job will inherit nothing close to that.

 

With a quintet of five-stars on the roster, Tennessee ranked fifth nationally in total five-stars for the 2020 season. That distinction is about to end.

 

Trey Smith is headed to the NFL Draft. Wanya Morris, who opted to leave on Jan. 13, has transferred to Oklahoma. Senior Aubrey Solomon has yet to announce his 2021 plans. If he leaves, only Cade Mays and Darnell Wright would remain on the roster as five-stars, and I wouldn’t consider Wright a lock to remain in Knoxville.

 

The best-case scenario for Tennessee is a trio of five-stars. The worst is one, which would slot the Vols behind a program like South Carolina.

 

Real issues arise with the four-star group. The Vols started the 2020 season with 31 four-star players. Transfers and NFL departures have almost cut that number by a third. The Vols are down to just 23 four-star players on their roster – only one of which actually went to the NFL or graduated. 

 

It should be said that Tennessee is set to add eight four-star prospects in the 2021 class. But even that demands perspective as Alabama, Texas A&M, Georgia and LSU bring in at least 15 such players. The top-tier SEC programs will be playing in another stratosphere come next season.

 

The raw talent numbers are bad. The on-field impact might be worse.

 

Tennessee is losing its four starting linebackers to the transfer portal. With To’o To’o transferring and cornerback Bryce Thompson declaring for the NFL Draft, the defense’s best two players are departing. In all, the Vols lose two of their three leading tacklers (To’o To’o, Crouch), their three leaders in tackles for loss (To’o To’o, Kivon Bennett, Deandre Johnson) and more than 50% of their 2020 interceptions.

 

Wildly, the picture offensively might be worse.

 

Say what you will about Jarrett Guarantano and JT Shrout, but 70% of the Vols’ 2020 passing yardage entered the portal, and that occurred well before this week. Gray’s team-leading 772 rushing yards are gone as are Ty Chandler’s 456 yards and four touchdowns after he opted to transfer to North Carolina earlier this month. Leading receiver Josh Palmer is headed to the NFL Draft. Don’t overlook the offensive line, once considered the strength of the team, which projects to lose at least three starters.

 

Tennessee is a program that once expected to compete for championships. Instead, it enters 2021 with a roster that looks far more like cellar-dweller than contender.

[Paladin 3,305]

 

[gravejd 3,270]

2 hours ago, Paladin said:

 

Thats a quick hire for an AD and they needed to be quick about it. He has to hit the ground running trying to find a coach and it will not be easy. 

[MaxCohen216 514]

The big exodus from the Tennessee Football Program has begun. Today, four starting players entered the transfer protocol. However, I heard their reason for leaving was because their McDonald's bags contained actual food.

[casatiger 513]

They just hired Danny White as AD.    That is a good hire.  Time might be short for Steele.  They may get it together quicker than we hoped.  

[MaxCohen216 514]

1 hour ago, casatiger said:

They just hired Danny White as AD.    That is a good hire.  Time might be short for Steele.  They may get it together quicker than we hoped.  

Yeah, and if he entices Billy Napier...

[MaxCohen216 514]

But hell, let's get back to enjoying the collapse of the Vols, however long (or short) it lasts...

I heard this today:

At first, Tennessee used Chick Fillet bags to deliver cash to potential recruits.  However, one of their grad student coaches pointed out that it looked real strange for recruits to be carrying Chick Fillet bags around on Sundays...

So they transitioned to McDonald's bags.

That's just the way I heard it.

[EagleEye67 1,939]

UT just hired Danny White as AD from UCF.   All signs indicate its a home-run hire.   

 

Will be interesting to see if this changes the landscape somewhat.   

[TigerOne 1,140]

15 hours ago, MaxCohen216 said:

But hell, let's get back to enjoying the collapse of the Vols, however long (or short) it lasts...

I heard this today:

At first, Tennessee used Chick Fillet bags to deliver cash to potential recruits.  However, one of their grad student coaches pointed out that it looked real strange for recruits to be carrying Chick Fillet bags around on Sundays...

So they transitioned to McDonald's bags.

That's just the way I heard it.

Dumb asses, uat never does rookie mistakes like that. Pruitt must have missed that training class at bammer 

[Paladin 3,305]

Hits keep on coming

 

[casatiger 513]

Heck, we don't need to scour the whole portal.  We just need to focus on the guys coming out of Tennessee.  They have a good player available at every position of need just about.   

[TigerOne 1,140]

4 minutes ago, casatiger said:

Heck, we don't need to scour the whole portal.  We just need to focus on the guys coming out of Tennessee.  They have a good player available at every position of need just about.   

Here’s a chance for Harsin to show what he can do

[TigerOne 1,140]

12 minutes ago, Paladin said:

Hits keep on coming

 

Potential Lack of institutional control penalties will cause a lot of players to bail.

Guess big Kat didn’t keep up with the news. Hey! Where is everyone going?