Some musings from Lane Kiffin's first week recruiting as Tennessee's football coach:
Honesty The Policy: Kiffin should be commended for being so forthright with highly touted quarterback Tajh Boyd from Phoebus High School in Hampton, Va., although it certainly wasn't the best move for UT's 2009 signing class.
Far too many pro-style offensive coaches would have gotten Boyd on campus then determined if he could play quarterback, or more appropriately determine what position he would be moved to.
Not Kiffin.
Integrity aside, there's a pragmatic reason not to mislead prospects. What happens when prospects-turned-college backups realize they've been misled?
Answer: They become disgruntled and undermine team chemistry.
Far too often recruiters think it is best to fool prospects when really they're just fooling themselves.
Here's another pragmatic reason not to lead Boyd astray. He won't be the last prospect from Hampton to play college football. A negative experience at UT would only undermine the Vols' future recruiting efforts there.
Some have said this is Kiffin's first huge misstep, that he should have told Boyd that he'd have every opportunity to be the pro-style quarterback he dreamed to be. Then, let the chips fall where they may.
I say kudos to Kiffin for playing it straight.
Memphis Man: I don't think it's possible for any coach from outside the South to become UT's head coach and understand the enigma that is Memphis recruiting. Kiffin, however, is trying.
"Studying the state, it became very apparent to me that we need to do a great job in Memphis," Kiffin said on WHBQ radio in Memphis. "So many good players there that have gotten away from us.
"I wanted to get on a plane and go to Memphis and make sure Memphis knows that although it is in the western part and a ways away, it's just as important as Knoxville and Nashville.We're all together and it's all part of Tennessee.
"We need to go a great job in the state of Tennessee and keep our kids home. I wanted to make sure I got to as many places as I could in Memphis and make sure the coaches knew they were going to see a lot of me."
Good luck. Memphis' history says you'll need it.
Spurring Spurrier: Kiffin has done something that former UT coach Phillip Fulmer was rarely able to do: get under Steve Spurrier's skin.
Why else would the ol' ball coach question Kiffin's recruiting tactics?
Spurrier wondered aloud if Kiffin had broken an NCAA rule by calling prospects last weekend. Had Kiffin taken the mandatory NCAA test that all coaches must pass every year, Spurrier questioned?
Evidently Spurrier doesn't think Kiffin is too bright. Kiffin confirmed he had passed the test days before in his introductory press conference.
But this wasn't about the test. This was about Kiffin stealing South Carolina's recruiting coordinator David Reaves, and subsequently gaining an advantage over two prospects that UT and South Carolina are both recruiting - tailback Jarvis Giles and safety D.J. Swearinger.
I'm also told that Gamecocks coaches, including Spurrier, aren't too happy about Reaves recruiting South Carolina prospects to UT, including those who have been placed at Hargrave Military Academy after signing with South Carolina in February.
Dynamic Duo's Destination: Don't be shocked if UT ends up signing both of the highly touted prospects - running back Dominique Allen and athlete Marsalis Teague - from Henry County High School in Paris, Tenn.
Teague was thought to be Florida-bound and probably still is. But he's also told other prospects that his meeting with Kiffin this week was very enlightening.
Allen's commitment to LSU never was considered an impossible hurdle to overcome. After all, he also committed to UT, then changed his mind. Don't forget he also grew up a UT fan.
Also, don't forget that Allen committed to LSU when the Tigers were thought to be one of the top programs in the nation. That's no longer the case and one has to wonder if there's a significant rebuilding job in Baton Rouge, especially defensively.
If I had to predict where the two will end up as of early December, I'd say UT gets Allen and Florida gets Teague.
Why Wait?: I think there's reason to be worried about tailback Jarvis Giles from Gaither High in Tampa, Fla.
Giles long said that he would re-commit to UT if recruiter/running backs coach Stan Drayton was retained on Kiffin's staff.
Now that appears to be the case and Giles is waiting for visits from South Carolina and Nebraska's coaches.
Perhaps Giles will end up committing to UT on Tuesday but his indecisiveness is cause for concern.
On The Lane: I once thought Eric Gordon was determined to play football outside of the state of Tennessee, probably Alabama. Now I'm not so sure.
He's probably the best example of a prospect that could change his mind based off the Kiffin hire.
Marlon The Man: While I think Marlon Brown was impressed by Kiffin's visit, I don't think that means the Vols have soared to the top of Brown's list.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver from Harding Academy in Memphis is playing it close to the vest but I'd say UT still has plenty of work to do to land Brown.
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Comments » 227
NoogaVol55 writes:
uhhh...1st...i don't know what else to post!!!...j/k
tennrich1 writes:
First
utkedu writes:
Hooker's opptimism on this recruiting class is nice. I hope he is correct on some of these.
carters_dad writes:
just my opinion i dont really want brown or giles!!! i would rather have a WR and a RB with less stars that hasn't had everything handed to them or had people falling over themselves over them. Give me those 2 and they will work at becoming the best they can be EVERYDAY, EVERY DOWN, EVERY GAME. In other word, I WILL GIVE MY ALL FOR TENNESSEE TODAY.......
kmarti26 writes:
Kiffin is the man
first
kmarti26 writes:
kiffin is the man
first!
kdaff51 writes:
He may not get em all but Ill bet he will get our share. Ditto on Boyd. No sense signing someone that could turn out to be a problem.
carters_dad writes:
WE NEED DT'S
a10acfan1 writes:
Kudos Coach K Looks like he's off an running.
bclay1012 writes:
first... thats cool i guess.
but we're gettin brown.
NoogaVol55 writes:
Good for Kiffin for hitting the ground running...if nothing else, he is aggressive and I am sure that we will get our fair share of top talent.
andy112382#209793 writes:
It'll be real interesting, and hopefully fun, to follow recruiting between now and signing day. I am sure there will be names we all know to go elsewhere, but only to be replaced by some names that weren't as well known that started looking at Tennessee once Kiffin was hired - especially once the staff comes together. I am just happy we got Kiffin when we did instead of having a coaching search go on through December. And I agree, be honest with the recruits, team chemistry is very important, as we can all witness to over the past few years where there seemed to be very little more often than one would like.
chrisw2967 writes:
just get them signed and on campus
bigOutfan writes:
i'm going to bed, good night...
senracjr writes:
I can't wait to see who we get of those recruits.
Also the ones we get thats not mentioned.
WE NEED A QB!!!!!!!!
smowkee (Inactive) writes:
Sounds like Kiffin is hard at work. I like this guy.
orangeblood writes:
we better get brown. he isn't an athlete turned receiver, he's a wide effing receiver. 6-5 at wideout is something tennessee has never had. Meachem was the only thing close and he underachieved.
orangecountry21 writes:
Okay then. Not exactly new intel. But kept me busy for a few minutes.
NoogaVol55 writes:
any word on that QB from Tampa...didn't CLK go down there to try and sway him away from going to HELL...I mean Athens
JohnsonCity_George writes:
Any word on John Adams moving to Baton Rouge to cover Miles's raise each year?
OrangePower11 writes:
That's what I'm talking about!!!!
mbible1utk#324980 writes:
Go get em Lane... let's tear the recruiting world apart. Glad to see you irk Spurrier too!
USMCVolFan writes:
I'm not saying it's gonna be this season, but soon and very soon, it's gonna be INTERESTING in the SEC when our Vols come back to dominance. If this (so far this year) is any indication of what Coach Kiffin has up his sleeve for years to come......this is gonna be GOOD!!!
utchris writes:
No, you are mistaken. You do want Brown. Cant speak on Giles, but Brown you want for sure. He is the rare breed that not only has the freakish talent, but is a good kid, a really good student, and has the work ethic to become a really good college WR.
JBruce writes:
Kiffin had an in-home with Eric Gordon today. I'll let you know how it went when I hear.
Also David Reaves dropped in on Southern Cal commit 4* WR Alshon Jeffrey. He's a soft verbal.
More on Alshon Jeffrey:
"I am going to go to Tennessee January 23rd for a visit to a get a feel for what it is like up there," Jeffrey said. "I don't really know a lot about them. I know Peyton Manning played there and DeAngelo Willingham was a cornerback there. DeAngelo went to my high school."
"Coach Reaves said it was a nice place and they had nice facilities," Jeffrey said. "He also said that they will have an offense that will be fun to be a part of."
"I am firm to Southern Cal, but anything can happen," Jeffrey said. "I am going to take a couple of visits to be sure."
When asked if the apparent departure of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian to Washington had any effect on his standing with the Trojans, Jeffrey reiterated that things are not settled.
"Like I said, anything can happen," Jeffrey said. "There is a lot of stuff going on out there and anything can happen."
JBruce writes:
Lane Kiffin has gotten UT back in the mix with a guy that wasn't really on the radar until now, Sam Montgomery. This guy is being recruited by EVERYBODY.
Rivals.com rates Montgomery as a four-star prospect, the No. 53 overall player in the nation and the No. 3 weakside defensive end in the Class of 2009.
"Tennessee is definitely in it with me now, you can say that they are seriously in the mix," Montgomery said with a laugh. "I wasn't looking at them at all before really. They had recruited me some early, but then things kind of dropped off.
"I already liked coach Reaves a lot, and coach Kiffin is exciting. They came at me with a real plan and laid all the opportunities I would have on the table. You can pencil Tennessee in as one of my official visits right now."
Hunter writes:
Dude, get the best athletes - period. They have a lot of stars for a reason.
You know who doesn't worry about stars? Kentucky.
volmattna writes:
Carters dad!! You take a team full of 2 star players! And ill take a team of 4 and 5 star players! And beat you ten out of ten times!! The star is there for a reason. Its the best players in the nation!!! Do you think florida is where they are with a bunch of 2 stars?
MidTennVol writes:
Are Drayton and Scott being retained because of their recruiting skills or because of their coaching?
Think Scott is the best WR coach available? Drayton the best RB coach?
I don't like it when a coach has a job because of his ability to play footsie with 17-year-old prima donnas.
givehim6 writes:
One thing I like is he is not putting the in-state guys on the back burner like Phil did. One thing that bothered me about Phils was he liked to be known as a Tennassee guy but went after the out of state players. Good luck recruiting coach.
iwilbeafan writes:
What do you mean?
carters_dad writes:
i want the same but we want the best athletes with the best attitudes!!!
richvol writes:
Integrity is always the best policy to follow and I admire Kiffin for his honesty. It will pay off as he develops trust between UT, prospects and their parents. No one gets anywhere in life or their profession by lying and misleading people...they always take a fall.
I would be very much in favor of not signing any more prima donnas...they poison team chemistry and expect to be treated differently and too much of that has gone on at UT for years.
Coach Fulmer looked at homegrown Tennessee boys as almost an afterthought...as if they should require very little recruiting and should just come here by default. We have lost some great talent to other schools by not working our in-state talent like we should. Those in-state boys should be the foundation of our team and provide the type of leadership that Al Wilson did. He had a fire in his belly for Tennessee.
I'm glad to see Kiffin realize where his bread is buttered. I feel that as soon as his Dad makes an announcement that he's coming to join the staff we will see the defensive recruits start to come our way.
txvolsfan writes:
IMO Kiffen is interviewing them as they help him recruit. I'm sure he is talking game plan and strategy with them to see if they are similar in thought process. Time will tell.
VOLinDAWGland writes:
CLK appears to be very pragmatic as this article suggests. I think this year is about protecting this recruiting class and keeping a couple of coaches important to this class might be necessary. I'm not sure that this year's experience is a true indication of their coaching ability. I'm sure that if they don't pan out as good coaches than CLK will take care of that. In the mean time, priority number one is to get a great class signed.
blitzshoot writes:
Close the deal.
andy112382#209793 writes:
What do you mean what do I mean? Anything specific you are confused about?
yeavols#228407 writes:
Obviously, some didn't read the article. It states reasons why NOT to lie to a prospect AND that Boyd was informed that Coach K is looking for a pro-style QB. What's more interesting is that these kids have some idea where they want to go, but still have reservations and can be swayed at any given moment. If you think about it, look at all the good schools that are tugging on these kids and how a school of their choice can change in a year or even after a few games. Lying to a recruit just to get him into your program is not the way to go. I am afraid plenty of that has been done in the past. Even Fulmer changed positions for athletes because he thought they would be better in different areas. The recruits are just looking for the best opportunity at the position they want to play at that given time. So, I wouldn't put too much stock in Boyd looking for another school. WE arealdy saw how trying to make Crompton fit into a certain mold didn't work. Besides, Boyd might have changed his mind again anyway.
copan07#220906 writes:
The Boyd situation does not bother me at all. He is too short to effectively play QB in the SEC. Secondly, if you take a guy like that and move him to receiver, they sometimes are not exactly the best fit there either. I think Gerald Jones is an example. He does no have the size to be EXTREMELY effective at QB and he is not the BEST receiver because he still lacks the size and strength needed in the SEC. I am not saying he is bad but he falls in between what is really needed in size for those postions to be great.
Vols1998 writes:
Although CLK is doing a great job of visiting these recuits and having them think about UT, I believe what UT does on the field his first season will be the building blocks of better athletes down the road.
I really enjoy his focus on keeping Tennessee players in Tennessee. On "The Herd" he stated that 80% of recuits go with their favorite team, and the other 20% are recuited.....just a thought.
Go Vols!!
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
my guess: Kieein is an 'unknown', and this year may be rough for recruiting.
I hope I'm wrong, but I can see this years class being average to bad.
How will Kiffin compensate?? Sign some JUCO DT's and QB's. UT has enough returning talent to win with a pro-style offense, one that maybe does not require too much thinking by players. UT can man up and win 9-10 games, and build some monentum with 2010 recruits.
Let's hope I'm wrong about the 2009 class, but I do have that concern.
bigtimevol writes:
AGREE!
smokyredbone writes:
Waterhead> thats the dumbest post I have read on hear!!!!Just shutup,I had to read your bs about CPF, now I HAVE TO READ THIS phooey!!!! SHUTUP!!!!
jobrando#216494 writes:
I see the plane is in Sarasota this morning. Who is he visiting?
indianacurly writes:
ut plane heading to sarasota today ... visiting DT Arthur Jeffery?
smokyredbone writes:
I did not write phooey!
yeavols#228407 writes:
good points..we'll see how next year goes and how it affects recruiting.
indianacurly writes:
http://southflorida.scout.com/2/81531...
"I don’t have anything scheduled because it depends how my knee is feeling, but I know Tennessee and USF are definite visits for me. I’m going to take a couple more, I just don’t know where.”
he's 6-7 weeks into acl rehab
yeavols#228407 writes:
Interesting Im_with_K, the UT plane is in the air heading to Sarasota as we speak..you can track the plane like Santa on Radar on Christmas Eve.
indianacurly writes:
you'd think paid columnists could summarize movements for the week like this ... monday: richmond. prospects in area: joe blow, lb; sam smith, dt; , etc.
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