Officially the moniker is still student-athlete, though it doesn't always accurately reflect priorities.
Lane Kiffin has no problem with players taking issue with the order, and realistically the Tennessee football coach isn't even trying to change their minds. But his first year proved at least one thing to the Vols, and the message that they can't be one without the other appears to have sunk in.
UT turned in a collective grade-point average of 2.56 during Kiffin's first semester in the spring, the highest mark since 2005. It will have every scholarship player eligible for the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Virginia Tech on New Year's Eve (TV: ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). And when the Vols get there Friday, Kiffin should have a roster and some report cards that reflect as much progress off the field as on it.
"What's hard for a lot of people to imagine is that we're always going to have in this profession a lot of kids where school is not first," Kiffin said. "That's the reality, and once you accept that as a head coach and once you understand that football is No. 1 to them, then you can deal with it. Instead of trying to fight that, because you're not going to fix that, what you do is say, 'OK, if football is No. 1 to you, you have to do No. 2 (academics) to have No. 1.'
"When they know that football can be taken away from them, as you've seen with players being removed, once they see that, 'If I don't do things right, I may not be here and may not have football, which is what I want No. 1.' Then all of a sudden it becomes more important."
If it doesn't, an already long list of players no longer with the team will grow, as it did again last week with Brent Vinson's dismissal.
Academics were never specifically addressed as a reason the cornerback became the 17th scholarship player to leave or be kicked off the team since Kiffin arrived. But it likely factored into the equation, and it ultimately provided another example of the culture Kiffin is trying to create.
"They have to know the consequences are real, they have to see when people don't do them that this is what happens, you have a list like that," he said. "We talk about it all the time, you're going to run here at 5:30 in the morning if you're a minute late to class, if you're a minute late to study hall. They don't come late to practice.
"You know, 99 percent of the time nobody's late for a football meeting. To me it makes no sense. If you can be over here on time for every time we have football meetings, how come you can't be on time for study hall and class and tutors? We treat it the same way."
That approach obviously doesn't work for everybody, but the players who have survived Kiffin's first year seem to have embraced it.
And they will all get an on-field reward for it against the Hokies.
"They realize they'd better do things right academically to protect what they really want, which is they all say they love football," Kiffin said. "If you love something, you protect it with everything that you have and you make sure that you do those things. That's the way we go about it to make sure they understand it can be taken away from them.
"As you guys that have followed us know, that's not always been the case with players all being eligible for bowl games, that's very hard to do. You're going to pick up the paper every day and read about some player being ineligible."
This season Kiffin has made sure those stories are about somebody else.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
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Comments » 94
Ayres_Hall writes:
Zero knowledge and a microphone....bones don't lie.
NorthwestVol writes:
Now this is good news. Heck no, it's GREAT news. Much more than just getting everyone available for the bowl, it's the overall trend. Rules will be established and will be enforced. Come to Tennessee and you will be required to go to class and tend to your business as a student. And in so doing you will earn the right to compete to wear Orange and represent the University of Tennessee on the field.
thevoice writes:
Maybe it wasn't for grades. Maybe it was a BB gun stick up at West Town. I once had a Red Ryder BB gun. That was a good Christmas.
TommyJack writes:
I like CLK's brutal honesty.
GerryOP writes:
Good job guys! Another check mark in the plus column for The Kiffin.
VOLoom writes:
You don't have to be that smart to play football. They are trying which is the best you can ask for.
tenndave writes:
I think in the SEC if you are below 2.0 you are not eligible. Is that correct?
NorthwestVol writes:
And a Merry Christmas to you as well. I'm quite honestly stunned (and jealous of) Bama's graduation rate. Makes me re-think my position on Saban. I hate it when that happens.
sidwalkvol writes:
That you are disparaging sociology as a "real major" indicates you have no freakin' clue whereof you speak. You may, may have taken a survey course in the field with a lazy professor, and perhaps that is where you got your prejudice. But I assure you the statistical side of things is difficult, not to mention the more theoretical aspects of observation and reporting. My doctorate had a substantial sociological component with aspects of anthropology, hermeneutics, ritual theory and behavioral psychology.
But, hey, why am I trying to convince you? That you have clairvoyantly discerned not only our roster's majors and their GPAs, comparing scholarship-players' classroom performance to walk-on-player' performances, indicate you already know all there is to know about fractions and decimal points and everything! I am sure you know your shapes and colors, too.
sidwalkvol writes:
I was directing my comment to lazhilUT, not VOLoom. Sorry. I clearly know nothing about computers!
tenndave writes:
Why are we such hypocrites about college football. 1. These scholarship athletes came to Tn to prepare for their profession, football. Why would we require a doctor to get an architects degree in order to study medicine.
2. Over 50% of entering Freshmen don't graduate but we act like it is a travesty if a football player doesn't.
3. IF a player goes pro and signs a multimillion dollar contract but doesn't graduate it counts against the school, yet he achieved the goal he came to college for and made more money than most graduates make in a lifetime.
4. How many degrees does a university encourage and award knowing the students can't get a job in that field.
5. How many students who are not athletes go to college because of scholarships that the football program generates.
6. A scholarship athlete still has a higher than normal admission requirement to be eligible than regular admissions and was not awarded a scholarship on brain power but body power.
7. Is it that we as non athletes are just jealous.
joshvols writes:
if i'm not mistaken the seniors that graduated weren't recruited there by nick saban. so hold your opinion of nick saban where it belongs.
OrangePride writes:
Hmmmm...........I wonder if the NY Slimes will run a story on this........naaahhhhhhhh.......not their style to report on any of these young men doing well. Good job CLK and staff......no........GREAT JOB! GO VOLS!!!
Ironcity writes:
My dog could graduate from Alabama!
VolAlum2003 (Inactive) writes:
Welcome to FBS football in the SEC. If you don't like it, there's always the Ivy League. It always surprises me that there are still people that get upset about this. Sure the football kids get a free college ride, but the profits gained from UT football and basketball fund the ENTIRE athletic scholarship and sports budget.
And, just like some kids attend UT business school so that they can get a job offer with GE or Bank of America, some kids attend UT so that they can get a job offer with the New York Giants or the Dallas Cowboys. If you want to change this reality, convince the NFL to pay their players no more than $35,000 a year.
As for the football players not applying themselves in academics, here's my perspective. I attended and graduated from UT and my academic studies were never harmed when a football player didn't show up for class or got special help.
Take the good with the bad and stop acting like my perpetually indignant, 60 year old father that can't understand why black kids wear dreadlocks.
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Call me immature and elementary, but when CLK says, "you have to do No. 2 (academics) to have No. 1," I'm glad he's specifying what No. 2 and No. 1 are. :)
ANYWAY.... can't wait to get my butt in that seat in the dome!! GO VOLS!!
V_O_L_S_GO_VOLS_GO writes:
Who's Mark Ingram?
Merry Christmas. :)
p66ayers#1376155 writes:
Yeah, what you said tenndave!
Couchdummy writes:
Well stated young man (woman). I am. however, an older man like your father who freely admits not understanding the dreadlocks either.
Thad123 writes:
Where are all the Kiffin haters when something like this is put up. I know you guys are out there.
AllforTenn writes:
Get over it.
higgman55 writes:
It didn't take this high school degree long to figure that you had the wrong person, Mr. Doctorate!
AllforTenn writes:
Very appropriate retort.
sidwalkvol writes:
The smartest man I EVER knew had an 8th grade education. The second smartest, a GED. My point was not intended to laud my own meager accomplishments, but to challenge an uninformed dismissal of a legitimate field of academic pursuit.
NorthwestVol writes:
Thanks Josh. I feel much more in the Christmas sprit with the idea that Saban had little to do with the quoted graduation rate.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Good for you CLK! Keep up the good work. Its great to know that the team understands that,"you mean business". So glad to have you as Coach of THE TENNESSEE VOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vols...TCB...Beat VT...Keep on keeping on...GBO!!
Vol_N_Texas writes:
My dog knows better than to go to Alabama.
GBO
bcdvol#234255 writes:
Dave we probably are hypocrites but my thoughts are 1. These scholarship athletes came to Tn to prepare for their profession, football.... Sucks to choose a profession with an over 99 percent unemployment rate. 2. Over 50% of entering Freshmen don't graduate but we act like it is a travesty if a football player doesn't....What percentage of kids on a full ride scholarship graduate in the general population?
4. How many degrees does a university encourage and award knowing the students can't get a job in that field.....Politics is full of people that are well rounded with worthless degrees
5. How many students who are not athletes go to college because of scholarships that the football program generates....Very few.
6. A scholarship athlete still has a higher than normal admission requirement to be eligible than regular admissions and was not awarded a scholarship on brain power but body power....You really don't know how competitive it is to get into college nowdays do you?
7. Is it that we as non athletes are just jealous......Yes, but it would take a book to say why
belayvol writes:
yeah but do you really want your dog to walk around licking his and everyone else's testicles?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Very important news. Kudoes.
Now beat the Hokies and make the doldrums tolerable.
How many days, Gerry Op?
TommyJack writes:
Soooo, what's your point Lazfrat?
Psychovol writes:
Take that trolls and media types. I've been disapointed in the local media and they better get on the Lane Train or they'll have mud on their face and make a steady diet of crow.
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
I'm normally not the kind of jerk that points out spelling errors, but when you're talking about academic success, you should probably know how to spell "Rhodes Scholarship"....
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
VolFanFtl writes:
You wrote "While most of you could care less..." You are right, we could care less, peddle your story on an Alabama web-site.
Down_The_Field writes:
while you're trying to solve the greatest mystery of all times, i'll let you in on a little secret.
flar-duh's always cheated. 1983-1985, and 1990. now, they're just better at hiding it.
presently, you're specialty is producing thuds who muscle urb cryier into the punishment they, the thug determine to be.
the university of flar-duh mighty crocodiles. "building championships one thug at a time"
greece6869#336093 writes:
As a Teacher (high School) and a coach (middle school) I applaud CLK not only for a commitment to excellence, but also in making it public.
It makes it easlier for us at the lower levels of these professions when high profile coaches PUBLICLY make statements like this for the kids to see. When student-athletes hear or read this it backs up what we are saying to them.
When a parent wants to know why I require a player to MISS PRACTICE to make up school work and then not start a game because of their behavior in class, there is a clear precedent already in place.
It also shuts up some of those educators who openly denigrate and criticize anything to do with sports, athletes and coaches. Coach Summitt has done a tremendous job keeping her players on track to graduation (a 100 % graduation rate for those who played four years if I am not mistaken)
If a player can't discipline themselves to study and be in class on time, then you probably can't depend on them topractice and play in the team structure. Many times they become team cancers, and drag the who team and program down.
Thank you CLK and CPS! and go VOLS!
halloffamebowler writes:
Saban may not have been their recruiter,but he is the one that made sure they went to class and stayed on track to recieve passing grades and their deploma.Yes,Saban deserves just as much credit at Alabama as Kiffin deserves credit for the players he did not recruit to Tennessee.You need to keep your opinion where it belongs also.
PennVol writes:
Great news. I love the culture change. The coach sets the standard and the team must follow or pay the price (pay attention CBP!).
537081 writes:
Kids should have learned about going to class in high school. I'm a star I don't have to make the grades is not the kind of player we need at UT. Coach Kiffen kick them all off if thats what it takes to turn this team around.
ThurmondEppy writes:
I understand the dreadlocks, just like I understand acid wash jeans. I just think both are out of style.
Bloodrunzorange writes:
Great news for CLK and Vol fans! More effort on the field and in the classroom is paying off! Go Vols!
ThurmondEppy writes:
No, 25 years in a row is funny.
OTPVol writes:
Take it out and knock the rust off of it. Maybe you can shoot your eye out.
panties4tebow writes:
jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
DOES 32-13 SOUND NICE--SILENCE THE LAMBS!!!!!!!
HE HE HE HE HAW HAW HAW HAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GainesvilleVol1 writes:
Zero knowledge and a microphone, sounds like a rap song! Great work ethic on and off the field. CLK is providing this team with something missing for some time - DISIPLINE!!
GO VOLS!!
dvols writes:
all you can say is ...good job vols!!!!
panties4tebow writes:
Man steals blow-up doll....was it a tearbow doll and was the thief gatorz or dc?
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20...
lahvolman2 writes:
I TOLD YOU YESTERDAY YOU ARE A PUTZ.... YOU SEEM TO HAVE THE NECESSITY TO RE-PROVE IT ON A DAILY BASIS..... PUTZ
UrbanCryer writes:
multiply that by 9.765625 and thats how many times UT has beaten kenschmucky in a row. latr loser!
http://www.courier-journal.com/articl...
RockyTop1 writes:
GROW up "voice"!! Is that the voice of a 10 year old!!??? Merry Christmas and go back to sleep until you have something productive to add!! GO VOLS beat the Hokies!
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