Tajh Boyd has de-committed from Tennessee following a conversation about his future with newly hired football coach Lane Kiffin.
A source close to Boyd’s recruitment told the News Sentinel on Wednesday that Boyd pulled back his commitment when Kiffin warned him that he might not be happy with UT’s pro-style offensive system.
Boyd’s father, Tim Boyd, confirmed the News Sentinel’s report later that evening.
Boyd, a 6-foot, 210-pound quarterback from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., is rated the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Kiffin’s system traditionally has featured a pocket passer, such as former Southern California quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer.
Boyd committed to UT in November after de-committing to West Virginia following the Mountaineers’ offensive struggles earlier this season.
Boyd’s scholarship was not pulled despite a report to the contrary from a recruiting Web site Wednesday afternoon, the source said.
“(Kiffin) said he would honor the scholarship if he still wanted to come, but he didn’t want Tajh coming there and then being unhappy,” Tim Boyd told the Daily Press in Newport News, Va. “It’s not like he pulled the offer. He said he wants what’s in Tajh’s best interest.”
It’s unclear where Boyd, who plans to enroll in college in January, might land. He has visited Boston College and Virginia Tech. He will visit Penn State this weekend and Ohio State on Dec. 12.
Boyd is a significant loss in terms of his recruiting stature. He is a consensus top-100 prospect in the nation.
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Comments » 319
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Well, the info was correct. dfreeman, you the man!
JMP_Vols writes:
Wow! I think someone broke this story here on the board last night or early this morning.
You guys are smart!
Rockford writes:
Geez, Boyd made a bad decision in my opinion.
Joelomite2j writes:
Its alright, Kiffin will get another great prospect!
JBruce writes:
Sounds like Kiffin didn't want him.
Hunter writes:
This is a BIG miss - you'll see him frequently on SportsCenter next year. Boyd is an ATHLETE. We could use more athletes.
I hope Coach K has something else lined up - unless we think Crapton is the answer next fall???
PreventUT writes:
Yeah, good call - tell a recruit he won't like the same system he likes. He is a stud recruiter, though! Unless you're a QB who is 6' and blaaaa...go ahead and burn me for ALMOST saying it!!!
vtvol#210290 writes:
Dfreeman, that was great work.
TommyJack writes:
Right or worng, you gotta say LK has a set to let this guy walk. Whoa!
Can you imagine Tajh running the triple bone at GaTech? Wow..Ol' Paul Johnson needs to get on a plane tonite.
gohawks1 writes:
I have to believe that Kiffin already had another plan in the works before talking to Boyd.
andy112382#209793 writes:
According to scout.com in a phone conversation with his dad, Kiffin said he would honor his scholarship but he probally wouldn't be his guy at QB.......hmmmm...
Heres hoping those Matt Barkley rumors are true, why else would you tell a 5-star QB who wanted to play in a pro-style offense he wouldn't be our guy?
andy112382#209793 writes:
That would be fun to watch them run all over Georgia (again!) but he said he wants to be a pocket passer first and foremost, doubt he would do that, especially since the NFL wouldn't exactly drool over a guy who ran the wishbone and got beat up over 4 years, as QBs tend to have happen in that formation.
JMP_Vols writes:
Going to be hard to replace Boyd with a better QB...this year.
He'll go after the biggest fish in the pond of the 2010 class.
BigOrangeinCharge writes:
So Kiffin is such a masterful recruiter he told Boyd that he's not good enough for him? WHY!?!? Boyd said he committed to UT in the first place because he wanted a pro-style offense. I hope Kiffin's not one of those dumb coaches who gets all hung up on players being "too small." Lots of great college QBs have been 6'0 or less!
JBruce writes:
Barkley is already enrolled at USC. I think Kiffin will take a run at the Georgia kid.
SuperVolfan writes:
You gotta hand it to Coach Kiff for being honest with him. A lot of people would tell him anything he wanted to hear just to keep him. I still wish he would come here and play another position.
kdaff51 writes:
No one has signed yet. Lots of QBS out there to pick from. Think Josh Nunes might redevelop an interest? Not to worry we will get our share!!!!
txvolsfan writes:
There was a certain basketball coach we all know and love that told a couple of kids with scholarship offers the same thing. There was a lot of folks that said he was crazy also but it has worked out just fine. I appreciate the honesty of CLK telling Boyd that it might not work out instead of having him come here and either switch positions or set on the pine!!!
kdaff51 writes:
No future in signing a kid only to have him leave.
chucker6 writes:
Boyd was recruited for UT's new fad, the Clawson spread offense, not the more traditional power I formation that Kiffin wants to employ. I think smart HS QB's will figure out that for every Vince Young type success, there are far more NFL opportunities for a drop back, pocket passer who can scramble to evade the rush, not running for yardage as a steady diet. That should serve UT recruiting well in the long run, ditto at tailback.
JBruce writes:
Bottom line, Tajh Boyd is not a pro-style quarterback.
I know he says that he wants to be a pro-style quarterback, but it is not going to happen.
If you watch any of the film on him, you can see that he is the proto-typical mobile qb with an average arm.
He is a great athlete, but he needs to get real.
ctownvol writes:
You're talking about Aaron Murray, but I have AJ McCarron on my wish list. How cool would it be to talk him away from Bammer and then smack them around with this kid slinging the fritter? He's plenty tall enogh with a big arm. He is a little thin, but with a little time in the weight room and slamming back a few Krispy Kremes. He'll be good to go.
gavol writes:
I think this is Kiffin's first big mistake.
cjraney writes:
I was thinking the same thing. Its the same way Fulmer operated with recruits, i.e. don't tell them they will play a certain position just to sign them, knowing all along you plan to switch them as soon as they step on campus. We have lost several high-level recruits like that in recent years to coaches willing to lie to sign them.
I believe Urban had a publicized instance like that, could be wrong. I do remember C'UM told a QB prospect he was recruiting Tebow as a MLB and still needed a good QB.
It does show some stones on Kiffin's part. Hopefully he has good reason to be confident someone else will fill the spot.
Kiffinville writes:
Fair well Mr. Boyd. Wish you the best elsewhere.
Credit CLK with being fair and honest and realizing that Mr. Boyd wasn't in UT's best interest!!
gavol writes:
I just hope we don't get left with the only poor QB's we have now.
blitzshoot writes:
Something obviously did not mix. I think this was more of Coach Kiffin's gut feeling. Just my opinion, but I do not think this coach is into individuals and egos. He knows what he is looking for and it sounds to me like he was letting this kid know that he may want to look at all of his options. I think he knows what he is doing.
gavol writes:
Are you sure it's just not the young coaches arrogance taking over? He better know what he is doing, or he will feel the heat very quickly. It's obvious this team needs a QB, and we don't have one now who can fill the position.
VOLDADDY19 writes:
Boyd wants to be a pro style q.b. Problem is he is 6' tall. This kids first instinct is to run (after watching video) he has happy feet as they say. Kiffin willl develop. Ainge got better under Cutcliffe. Maybe the current status quo needs coaching which is what everyone on here (including myself) feels is the problem.
gavol writes:
The point is: WHO will Kiffin develop?♠
GreenDevilVol writes:
Hammer meet nail !!!
MANVOL writes:
"Boyd is a significant loss in terms of his recruiting stature"
How can it be a significant loss if he doesn't fit the system. Smart move let him know up front and do not waist a scholarship.
jobrando#216494 writes:
Just dont lose Oku.....Barkley is coming ,,,,,I have a vison..
tino2009 writes:
There you Kiffin boy, get the players that fit your style of coaching. Set a clear direction where you want to take this team and great players will follow...they are watching you every step...Welcome to K-town and good luck.
Kiffinville writes:
I second that.
VOLDADDY19 writes:
I said "maybe" Kiffin can develop. Secondly, (understand i am not attacking) Hopefully their is someone else in mind. Kiffin likes the Dropback. And as we all know "City of" Crompton is inept. Coleman is not a top flight SEC quaterback and neither is Stevens. (Hopefully if one is the starter they prove me wrong). I believe in Fastlane and what he can "Produce"
zqvol writes:
IMO Kiffin told Boyd that he was not the pro style QB needed to run Kiffin's offense and that if he came he was not going to play QB.
If that is true, and all reports are that something like that happened, it was a smart move by both of them.
Boyd is not built in the mode of the USC QBs which are typical pro style QBs. Kiffin pretty much said that the offense is going to look like USCs so you would expect that kind of QB.
IMO I think that he feels like at least one of the ones on campus now can run his offense.
vol98 writes:
He may develop a five star recruit we got a few years ago... I think his name was Crompton. Maybe he got a good feel for that junior QB he just visited in middle TN....
FWBVol writes:
While some of you might see this as a mistake on Kiffin's part, I see it as laying a foundation of success. I agree with part of what Kiffinville said about Lane being fair and honest. But the way I read the story didn't come across as him saying Boyd wasn't in UT's best interest, but rather that he might not be happy with Kiffin's offense.
I think Chris Leak might have been a quarterback about Boyd's size that could have fit in Kiffin's system. Leak was one Gator that didn't like to get hit, but he was a good enough athlete to run the ball when forced out of the pocket.
If Kiffin had signed Boyd and he didn't fit into the offense then there would be a lot of people on here complaining that a stud recruit QB was riding the bench. Let's face it, there can only be one quarterback under center at a time.
The real question I think Kiffin's statement to Boyd now raises is whether we will see the G-Gun or E-Gun offenses in the future. Those formations sure don't equate to a pro-style offense.
zqvol writes:
We all know that Coach Cut is a superb judge of QB talent. He recruited Stephens and Coleman so he saw something there. Trust Kiffin to do what is right.
Everyone on these boards knows that the offense did not go sour in one year because of the players, it was the coaching. there is more talent there than most are willing to admit.
Kiffin knows what he needs and he will get it.
VOLDADDY19 writes:
How many times did Boyd De-Commit now? Dude cant find a home. He wants to prepare for the NFL yet he De- Commits from Kiffin. Oh by the way. HE IS 6 FOOT TALL. NOT GOING TO MAKE IT !!!! ARE YOU NOT GETTING THAT TAJ. Go play Beamer Ball or somewhere else.
gavol writes:
I just don't think he will do it with Stephens or Coleman. I sure hope he has a recruit in mind. This is key to improving our offense.
thevoice writes:
Maybe not though. Just making room for another top-rated QB who fits Fast Lane's offense.
gavol writes:
It sounds like Kiffin encouraged him to de-commit from UT.
Wherethe____isBrandonWarren writes:
I'm sorry, but if you all think Kiffin will pull a five star QB out of his butt like a rabbit out of a hat than you will be sadly mistaken. He will not get Aaron Murray, Matt Barkley, Josh Nunes, or any other top QB recruits that have already committed or are undecided. Don't get me wrong I think pro-style offenses are efficient, but Tennessee doesn't play in the AFC South they play in the SEC East and in the collegiate game spread offenses are much more difficult to contain and game plan for then traditional drop back ones. A pro-style offense takes certain types of players to execute it while a spread works with athletes, who are much more abundant nationally, than the square-peg-square-hole players who fit perfectly in Kiffin's system. And the truth is those pro-style high school QB's aren't eying Tennessee, they're looking at Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and USC. Schools who run pro-style offenses and who have very recent success that is still fresh in the minds of recruits unlike Tennessee's national championship of over a decade ago. As a UT fan I'm very disappointed at this development but I'd put the odds at 5-2 that Crompton, Coleman, or Stephens is under center to start next season
ctownvol writes:
That's who I'm thinkin'.
stinky_pinky writes:
no reason to squander Boyd's talent if he won't fit in....wish him well. VaTech's prob a good fit.
Kudos to Kif' for being truthful w/ him
gavol writes:
That may be true, but I don't see Crompton, Coleman, or Stephens having the talent to lead this team with a pro-style or a spread offense. If we can't get a new QB, I guess we'll just to suffer for 3 years until Kiffin is fired, and someone else gets a chance. Boyd is a good passer in the pocket, and could have been developed with the right coaching attitude. Maybe Kiffin was a big mistake. We'll just have to wait until next year to see.
andy112382#209793 writes:
I don't think that is possible, he played in a high school game last friday night, I don't think you can be enrolled in a college and still playing in high school.
Volsrscary writes:
That's the way to reel them in Kiffin. Heaven forbid we have a quarterback that can run.
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